First we wake up and eat breakfast. Mona eats a peanut butter sandwich for breakfast and lunch. I usually eat a bowl of cereal with milk. The milk comes in a box that does not need refrigerated. It tasted a bit weird at first but I like it now. We make coffee with the french press we found in the kitchen. It's no Starbucks but it does the job. Neither Mona or I are good at sleeping in so we usually read in the mornings. I eagerly check my email to see how much my family loves and misses me-- but usually there is no response.
Often in the mornings we see the kids upstairs leaving for school. Their dad is an emergency med doc for HVO and their mother is a family practice physician. They hail from New Zealand and are here for 3 months. The kids go to Bhutanese school and wear the required uniforms. The schools speak in English though the kids are picking up dzongha-- the Bhutanese language.
At 8:20 ish we leave for work. It's a 15 minute walk but it can be a bit treacherous in places:
Someone told me Bhutan is the 'Land of the Barking Dog.' Many people wear ear plugs at night as the dogs bark once it's dark. Mona and I aren't bothered by the barking. During the day, many are passed out just like this cute fur ball. There is a pack of six living near our apartments. If you don't shut the door fast enough in the evenings they come inside. They're cute, non-aggressive, good listeners-- but they stink and have fleas!!!!
We walk around the Chorten at least 3x clockwise and off to the hospital we go. Jigme Dorji Wangchuck Memorial Hospital.
A kid directing traffic:
Once home, we change our clothes and hit the town. Usually it's just for one thing, like a loaf of bread. Three hours later we will have found some! Meanwhile, we accidentally purchased other items such as Buddhist paintings and need to refill on money. My cards are not working so Bank of Mona comes to the rescue. Below is our favorite ATM. Not all ATM's work but this one with wheels is a real winner!
We enjoy Bhutanese cuisine. Dinner for both of us together is $4 total. We eat out almost every night as it's not worth buying groceries. At my job, I don't eat lunch- just tea at 11:30. Basically I'm spending $3/day on food- total! Our favorite restaurant to date is Dorling. Mona and I get '2 Rice' and something on top. Featured here is Shamu Datshi-- cheese, mushrooms, and chili peppers. There is some dal over there on the far right. The brown stuff in the bowl is fermented rice with egg- a warm drink. I couldn't do it!
We wash our clothes by hand and then hang outside to to dry. Okay I lie. Mona does her laundry and I have the HVO housekeeper do mine. Mom it's your fault for never teaching me....
We also have to boil our water for 2 minutes before drinking. Our stove is a propane tank. Here I am lighting it. I keep hoping that tank will last us the month we are here. Seeing that I'm anesthesia and gas is my thing, changing of the tank will probably end up as my responsibility. Please be full of gas!
What a long day-- off to bed with dreams of emails from America!
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