Mass Cleaning Campaign

Today the entire school and villagers spread out to perform a mass cleaning campaign. We covered the farmlands, campus, ruins, and village. I supervised 8A and 8B as we scoured the road leading into town before dropping into the forests and terraces below the road. I was hanging off a cliff with Nanu and Deki who were in their Kiras picking trash beside me. The boys and girls did a terrific job working as a team. The entire school hauled a large amount of trash filling and entire trailers worth. We also removed and separated tons of bottles for recycling. In reality we only made a small dent in our community but it is an improvement. Hopefully it will be a starting point for us all to adjust our habits. Afterwards the students had a special lunch which was funded by the teachers. Most of my time was spent on the terraces below the school picking out tons of rubbish from the clover and grasses on steep hillsides. We filled sack after sack with shoes, bottles, papers, and plastic. The students worked two hours in a drizzle. I was covered in dirt and sweating by the time we finished. It was nice to see the community come together for hard work.

“Wish I could fake it, wish I were anywhere but here” Even So

At the library Namkith brought me a book that had a drawing of a character named Tim wearing a space helmet. The caption read “I wish I was somewhere else.” Obviously Tim’s home planet had been destroyed and he was wandering the cosmos. It’s been that kind of few days for me. Isolation and desolation grabbed hold of me last night. The full moon was spectacular but left me longing. Maybe for the romance that used to fuel my soul. Or the creature comforts of home, or my family and friends. The hard thought that my journey has just begun teased me. I just started “On the Road” and it reminds me of the thrill of my former life. Chasing my beloved rock bands across the West or swooshing through epic powder pockets. In some ways Bhutan is my greatest adventure, but it is often one without movement, stationary in a strange place. Nature is my primary source of inspiration as I seek solace in solitude. There is plenty to do as far as teaching and chores but finding the motivation is the trick. My health and diet are also areas of concern. Exactly one year after my ski accident my arm has made little progress. I constantly have a sore throat and mild cough and I am still floundering on my cooking. I have a lot to improve on which is why I came here in the first place.

So far now I watch the clouds move across the mountains. Investigate the ruined wall of Tsangma’s castle, and navigate the footpaths on campus, lined with blooming flowers. Perhaps acclimation is merely a matter of time and patience.

TKG