Learning and Living in Bhutan

A disclaimer, none of these pictures are mine....they were taken by other teachers in our group and posted on all of their blogs (I am having issues with uploading but will soon). Thanks all!

We have been at orientation for almost 2 weeks now, and I can really say I feel like I am settling in. I am loving my time in Thimphu...it is a great city, and I think a great introduction to Bhutan. The orientation has been great...it was sad to say goodbye to 12 of the crew today as they headed east to where they will be teaching. Noorin, Dave and I will remain in Thimphu until next week when they will take us to our placements. I am looking forward to Gasa where I will be teaching...the more I hear about it, the more excited I become!

I promise I will write a more detailed blog soon, but for now, here are some pictures of our time in/around Thimphu.

There are lots of stray dogs here, and everyone is very nice to them- they all look very well fed, not like strays in the US

The view from Delaine's window at the hotel

One of the most exciting parts of orientation so far was dressing in the kira, the national dress for women in Bhutan. I will write more about the shopping process, but here is the finished product...they are very comfortable and beautiful!

My first days

Well, I am actually here! After a trans-atlantic flight to Dusseldorf, an 8 hour layover, a really long flight to Bangkok, a 22 hour layover, and a flight to Paro with a stop in Dhaka, I have finally arrived!

The view from the window of the plane as we descended into Paro

We arrived at the Paro Airport, then met up with the rest of the teachers and went to lunch in the main part of Paro before driving to Thimphu. We got to walk around Paro a bit, which was our first introduction to a Bhutanese city. I thought it was beautiful.

Here is the large prayer wheel in Paro. There are small ones scattered throughout the city

Then we went to Thimphu, had dinner, and everyone crashed. It was a very tiring day, and if you add in the jetlag, it was exhausting. Today we had orientation in the morning, got to meet the Minister of Education at noon, and then took a city tour in the afternoon. We were shown all the markets and good stores to buy supplies for going into the field to our schools, as well as the touristy stalls that sell nice souvenirs. It was really nice to get to explore the city, but as it was another full day, its another night early to bed.

Thimphu- as you can see, it is a city crammed into a valley (which is the case for most large towns in Bhutan)

Bhutan is absolutely beautiful, and there is so much to see. The Bhutanese food has been spicy, but I am coming around to it...and the soups and teas are wonderful! So far, I am absolutely loving it here. The orientation has been good, all of the other BCF teachers are really nice and

interesting, and are all really remarkable people who are so passionate about teaching and being here. Its a great group of people to start off this experience with.

In Thailand, my friend Noorin ordered coconut water, and it came in a coconut with a flower!

Bhutan here I come!

On Saturday, I will be leaving for my next great adventure....teaching for a year in the remote Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan, or, more poetically called, "The Land of the Thunder Dragon".

Over the past few months, besides traveling as well as undertake one of the most physically and mentally strenuous adventures of my life which was hiking the grand canyon, I have been doing sensible things like getting ready for Bhutan- getting vaccinations, figuring out what kind of clothes to bring, and packing.

All thats left really is to get on the plane, and go....

Grand Canyon National Park round 2

The weekend before Thanksgiving, Ashley and I attempted the Grand Canyon Hike again...actually allowing ourselves 2 days to hike it, enabling us to get to the bottom and back! In total, it was a 17 mile hike...we hiked to the bottom one day and then back up the next. It would have been great to stay longer, and now after seeing the bottom of the canyon and the different campgrounds I am dying to go back!

This was a little oasis a bit before the Indian Garden Campground...so pretty!

Bright Angel Creek, right in front of the Bright Angel Campground where we stayed, at the bottom of the canyon

The warning sign telling you not to try to go to the bottom and back in one day...we were surprised to see many people trying this...it is such a bad idea!

A beautiful canyon view

Arches National Park

On my drive from Montana to Arizona, I stopped at Arches National Park. It was a beautiful day, and a really pretty place to see.

This is the balancing rock. I really have no idea how it stays where it is.

One of the grander rock formations....I think it is called the Courthouse

One of the classic arches in the park. How an arch is defined is kind of bizarre...and most are so think they are impossible to see through....this is one of the bigger ones, you can see the people at the bottom of it.

Final Days of Fundraising

As I am preparing for my move to Bhutan, I am finishing up all sorts of last minute things before I leave- shopping for warm weather clothes, buying school supplies, and finishing up with the fundraising for my journey to Bhutan.

All donations are due December 16th...you can go online at https://bhutancanada.merchantsecure.com/donatenow/ and donate...please put my i.d. number, 31206, in the comment section

Thank you all!

Fundraising for Teaching in Bhutan

Dear friends and family,

In February of 2012 I will be beginning a year-long contract as a
volunteer teacher in Bhutan with the Bhutan Canada Foundation! I am
very excited about this opportunity. I am writing to those who may be
willing to financially support the work I will be doing. The
Foundation sends teachers to Bhutan in order to support a developing
democracy and to help build a stable and strong education system.

The need for teachers in Bhutan is very real. Since the 1960s, when
Bhutan first established its system of modern education, the country
has been steadily increasing the quality of and accessibility to
education. However, with these improvements comes a whole new set of
challenges to the Bhutanese education system.

The provision of free education to all Bhutanese youth means that many
schools experience overcrowding, with more than 40 students per class.
The Minister of Education in Bhutan estimates that the country
currently faces a shortage of 1,000 teachers, primarily in rural
areas.

The Bhutanese government has set a target teacher-student ration of no
more then 40 students per class. They have asked the Bhutan Canada
Foundation for assistance in reaching this goal, by providing up to
100 Canadian, American, and other native English speaking teachers to
teach in the country.

Not only is it my intention as a teacher to improve literacy and
encourage learning, I also look forward to working diligently with a
team that is able to give hundreds of Bhutanese youth the opportunity
to obtain an education that might otherwise be unattainable. It is my
hope that together we will be able to have an impact not only on
education in one rural community, but on the transformation of the
education system of an entire country!

I greatly appreciate whatever support you are willing to offer me in
this endeavor! Donations are tax-deductible, and need to be received
by the first week of December. Cheques can be made out to "The Center
for Cultural Interchange" and should note my unique BCF ID number,
which is 31206. The Center for Cultural Interchange will send you a
tax receipt. You can send them to me at,

Sarah Carlin
7803 Cocobay Ct.
Naples, FL 34108

If you would like to learn more about the Bhutan Canada Foundation,
and the work I will be doing while I am in Bhutan, their website is
www.bhutancanada.org and facebook page is
www.facebook.com/teachinbhutan. I will also be writing about my
experiences in Bhutan on my blog,
sarahstravelsandadventures.blogspot.com.

WIth much gratitude and sincerity,

Sarah Carlin