First Farewell

For the whole time we’ve been in Bhutan, Scott has been working his ass off. Sometimes he’d be at his computer until 11 pm at night, and he hates working on his computer. If he looked like his mind was somewhere else, it was almost always with school work – a lecture he was preparing, an activity he wanted to think of for class, a first aid course he was team teaching.

I remember earlier in the year talking with his office neighbor. She was talking about how Scott was always in the office (a rarity with most other lecturers here), how he was always busy. I agreed with a negative tone. She said, “Maybe he’s one of those people that just likes being busy.” I quickly replied, “Oh no. Scott’s one of those people who likes his free time.” Because he is. But this college lecturing job made him a different person. Like most teaching jobs, Scott couldn’t just leave the office and leave the work behind. Lecturing was always on his mind.

Well, finally, that has come to an end. It’s been over for about a week. Short of marking exams Scott is pretty much done. He now has free time. It’s a new sensation for him here in Bhutan. He’s barely even had the luxury of reading a book for fun here.

This past Friday night, the students from his semester 5 Physiology class invited him to dinner at a restaurant. I got to tag along as well. We had no clue what to expect. Scott had received the invitation that afternoon and was told that the students sometimes throw good-bye parties for lecturers they like. There are 35 students in the semester 5 class. They’ve all been through the ranks of the Bhutanese school system and have only one more semester of schooling left until they have to fend for themselves in the job market or pursue higher education.

Scott didn’t think they’d all be at the dinner. We had been told the time of 6:30, which usually means somewhere between 7 and 7:30. But being the westerners we are, we showed up around 6:35 and not only were some students already there on time, they were all there, all 35 of them.

They welcomed us into the restaurant which had been set up for the occasion. We all sat around the joined tables. What proceeded was a love and admiration fest for Scott, Bhutanese-style. The phrase “best teacher” was used a countless number of times. Around 20 of the students stood individually and said short speeches about how great of a teacher Scott was, how in all their years as a student, they had never encountered such a teacher like him – someone who doesn’t come into the classroom and leave quickly “like a robber,” someone who explains well and has a clear delivery, someone whose attitude in class they really respected and appreciated, someone who cares about them, and who they had come to care for over such a short period of time. I had to hold back my tears a few times while hearing their words. All of the speeches were recorded on video camera, footage I’m dying to get my hands on.

The students served us tea and biscuits. Next was dinner. Then, a presentation of a gift and kadars – white scarves that are given as a token of honor. The students draped one over each of our necks. It was a nice enough gesture by itself, but these kadars were different. They were each signed by the students with little messages of farewell and thanks. Scott’s kadar is obviously more filled than mine. Throughout the night, students spoke, Scott spoke, even I had to speak.

The side conversations I had with the students during the tea or dinner were still filled with gratitude and admiration for Scott. One student said that in 7-10 years, when they were all established with homes and jobs, Scott and I should come back to Bhutan. The student said that we’d always have a place to stay and a host to take us around, and that it’d be all the more special if we returned with our own children.