A rather large heading and a bit bold of me to attempt to describe a group after one week. I plan to add to this section as I go. The Bhutanese are known to be happy, warm and trustworthing. Absolutely. I'll share their stories as the month goes. First some basics.
Not everyone has a surname. Also, names are not necessarily gender specific and add to that I think their may be four names total: Tashi, Karma, Wangchuck, Rinzin. If you yelled 'Tashi' out loud on the street, at least five heads would turn. It keeps things simple though.
Most younger people speak perfect English with a distinct cadence to their speech-- sounds pretty. The older generation speak a dialect of Dzongha. They refer to me as 'Madam.' My favorite is when they say 'Oh okay yes mam.' They say it quietly and slowly. You order ema datshi--'Oh okay yes mam.' And I'll also take a water- 'Oh okay yes mam.' Most times when we order the wait staff just hands me a pen and paper.
The children are not shy. They come up to us in the streets and speak English. 'Hi, how are you?' Either they are very friendly or practicing their English or a little of both. It's so cute! I was taking care of a kid today thinking he was five. When I looked at his chart he was nine! They're all so small around here.
At work, I find them to be well educated and giggly. At tea-time they like to share their meal or a snack. Today a surgeon wanted me to try a meal his wife made the night before. I'm thinking a forkful. No, a heaping plate of rice with some veggies, cheese and of course chili pepper on top. It was pretty good. He told me that Bhutan, Nepal, and India are the top rice eaters of the world. In comparison to other Asian countries they have a higher ratio of rice to curry. I believe it, you should see the rice bowls Mona and I get.
Another surgeon was telling me about his 28 year-old daughter living in Washington DC. When she was 14 she boarded a plane all by herself to attend high school in Virginia. She lived in a hostel. 14 years old! She's lived in the US ever since and now works in the Bhutanese office of DC. A few years ago, the Smithsonian had a Bhutan exhibit for one month. The Bhutanese built a traveling dzong and flew artisans, dancers, and others to the States. Well apparently birth dates aren't a big thing in Bhutan. No one had a birth certificate, much less a birthday. Bhutan gave everyone the birthday of Jan 1 and made up a year to get them passports. I think nowadays babies are given birth certificates, but still kinda funny.
Their knowledge of America is pretty good too. The best way to describe Charlotte is halfway between Duke and Atlanta. Everyone knows Duke for some reason and CNN comes out of Atlanta. Of the people I work with who traveled to the US, they've been to Tennessee, Nebraska, Wisconsin, and Salt Lake City. What do you say to those places (no offense anyone)?
These kids were hams for the camera:
This little one saw me taking landscape pictures and wanted her picture taken. As I was showing her the results, her brother came out of nowhere asking me for chocolate. I gave them a granola bar to share. Their father who saw the whole thing from a far, shook his head and said Thank You in English.
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