teacher´s day

Although it´s only been celebrated for a few years, Teacher´s Day is HUGE!!! The students were involved in two competitions - one for the best banner (you can see a few here), and one for the best dance performance. The festivities were held in the central courtyard of the college, and we lecturers got to sit on chairs on the ground , while the students sat in the gallery all around us! It felt absolutely mediaval in some ways...

and in some ways not... The whole event kicked off with our fierce madam Director putting a pin into a balloon. Apparently she is one of those people who hate loud bangs, so she hesitated for a long while, hamming it up greatly. the crowd loved it.


One of my math classes, doing a traditional Tibetan dance. Apparently the boys always take off one sleeve of their gho in a traditional tibetan dance...

My newest math class - their teacher went to Singapore for 2 months, so I get them until the end of the year. A truly hilarious group of people. Here the top of the boys´ghos are wrapped around their waist.


The students decided to involve the lecturers - by having us play musical chairs. madam Director and I were the only 2 women to compete, and I was positive (kira not withstanding, it does impede quick movement a bit, being as it´s floor length) that I was going to win... However I did not count on Tadashi, the 75 year old japanese lecturer who´s here for 2 years. He is RUTHLESS! I ended up sitting in his lap (to the great amusement of everyone, as you can imagine) and he ended up winning the whole competition, by flipping the chair around to face him as he danced the final round.. Illegal move, but highly entertaining..
Members of my huge Math class (50 students)

One of our monks. i call him the Dalai Lama, cause he acted as him once, for a mock debate. Singing a love song I believe..

Some of my lovely girl students, in the crowd...
This is my good friend Tseyang, and her almost 6 year old son, Wangchuk... Actually, that´s Tsering Jigme Wangchuk, but since every member of their family has the first name Tsering, they go by their other names. (Names are given by lamas, and I guess all the lamas that were consulted loved the name Tsering.. )


Our Two Mongolian students (here to learn English for a month) singing a song in Mongolian for all of us..

And to top off a great day, we went dancing... again. The students had put on a 'jam session' (basically a sock hop) the night before, and we´d danced until midnight, and then this night several of the lecturers, plus the mongolians, went out dancing again... who knew my life would be so full of dancing in peaceful Bhutan!