The Rainbow Wall

At times, my fifth grade students are my greatest teachers who educate me about their school procedures, such as the cleaning of our classroom.  The first week of school, they informed me that we were supposed to tidy up our classroom and that the principal would be checking.  So every student took the initiative to bring some rags that were cut from a variety of fabrics.  When they arrived to school one morning, they waved around their square tattered rags of every color imagined indicating that they were ready to scrub down the class.  Now, looking back at this moment, I burst into laughter because neither my students nor I foresaw the consequences that were about to take place from those cursed, colorful rags.

Extra Soapy Water

Before we started the cleaning frenzy, we examined our white walls that weren’t too bad.  We identified the areas that needed the most cleaning like the front bottom wall that looked like it had been rained on.  Not only did I want a clean class for my students, but I was hoping that we could impress the principal by having the cleanest class in the school.  So I got my students all pumped up to clean.  We filled a bucket with extremely soapy water and I released them to start dipping their rags into the water to scrub the walls or desks.  I was so immersed in taking pictures of this cleaning bonanza that I didn’t notice that my students hands were turning green, blue, red, orange, purple, etc.  They were so eager to clean that it also took them a few minutes to realize that their hands were slowly turning the color of their rags. 

 Oh Why me?

It wasn’t until I heard the students gasping “Uughhh Ohhhh” that I noticed the walls, desks and floors were now a rainbow of colors.   Apparently, their colorful rags started bleeding its dye when they dipped them into the soapy water and now the water was a bizarre color of paint.  I jumped on a stool, threw my arms out and screamed, “AHHH EVERYONE FREEZE!”  Everyone froze and with worried expressions we just stood in silence for a minute staring at the assortment of colors all over our once white walls.  I thought, Oh why me? So much for having the cleanest walls in the school!  Maybe it will come off!  Oh God, I hope the principal doesn’t kill me for ruining these walls.  What should I do? How much is white paint?

The Before and After

Finally, I wiped the horrid expression off my face.  “No problem! We can fix this,” I said with half enthusiasm.  From the stool, I ordered them to wash their hands outside, dump the weird color of water and refill it with clean soapy water as fast as they could.  Next, I told the students with white rags and scrubbing brushes to use the clean water to scrub the display of wacky colors off the walls before the principal passed by.  Now we all worked taking turns using a few white rags/brushes to scrub the walls, desks and floors trying desperately to remove the various colors of dye.  It seemed like we had been scrubbing forever when we finally gave up.  Although the walls weren’t nearly as vibrantly stained as before, they definitely weren’t white anymore and it looked liked someone had puked all over them. 

As they say in Bhutan, “What to do?”  So I confessed about the mess to the principal and I asked him if I could repaint it.  He was very understanding and actually had a good laugh over it.  Since grades 4-10 compete for cash prizes on who has the best looking classroom, my students and I were determined to re-paint our now yucky looking walls.  It took us four days of our free time to paint and stain the floors, but we finally did it.  I can’t claim that we now have the best looking walls, but I’m just relieved that we no longer have the multicolored stains that hunted me in my sleep. 

Moreover, I have learned a valuable lesson when cleaning a classroom in Bhutan:  When asking students to bring rags for cleaning make sure you tell them to bring white rags as opposed to colored rags, which might leak the dye and ruin whatever you are cleaning.  As the saying goes, you live and you learn!


The pictures below tells the story as it happened in chronological order:  

Wow, kids this wall is very dirty!
Lets clean it and have the cleanest class in the school
Yeah the principal will be so proud of us

Children, I think that's enough soap 

Who's going first?  The green rag is off to wipe the walls
Thank you green rag...

Next?  Here comes the blue and purple rag...

Everyone is following directions... good job kidos!  This is Fun!

Ahh Freeze!  Oh My! What happened to the walls?

Oh I see!  All the rags are bleeding their dye color. Hmmm
What to do?

White rags and brushes only
hurry up and scrub the dye off the walls

Teacher, it won't come off!
Scrub harder!  

Teamwork

 1st WEEKEND OF PAINTING

  Lets repaint the walls now with some interesting paint

Painting half of the wall

Painting is fun

Wash the floors

No more dirty walls

Wash the dye stains off the floors

All done for the day.  Move the tables back in.

End with a picnic!  We all sampled 16 different curries.

2nd WEEKEND OF PAINTING

Ninth graders came to help us

Happy Kids

Yes, I get dirty too!  Scrub scrub scrub

Scrubbing paint off the door 

Cleaning our tables to bring them back inside

Hard Workers

3rd WEEKEND - THE FLOORS

Staining our floor a dark red

Stain, Stain, Stain

Sonam is the last one working to make the floor pretty

Oh noo now our hands are stained a dark red.  It never ends...

The Magic of a Rock Collection

My friend Sonam and I the first week of school

"SONAM, I don't understand what's going on? What exactly is an auspicious date?  I thought that all school's in Bhutan started on February 15th, so why aren't we teaching?"  These were just a few mystifying questions that I asked the only Bhutanese teacher I felt comfortable admitting to that I was completely confused at times.  Even after she answered my questions, sometimes my brain was so exhausted trying to figure out a new culture all the time that I would give up and I would nod or smile at her answers as if I knew what she was talking about.  However, I did know one thing and that was I would figure it out as I went.  On the other hand, I didn't realize that this was going to make some hilarious learning as well as a need for some spiritual guidance to take over my days.

So here is a quick synopses of what I eventually understood:  Although all teachers and students attended school in Bhutan on February 15th, each school wouldn't be conducting lessons until they got their auspicious date from an astrologer to start teaching, which our astrologer advised us to start on February 27th.  What's an auspicious date?  An auspicious date is a forecast of a favorable or lucky date.   Therefore, until our auspicious starting date teachers had to report to school to supervise cleaning, collect fees, pass out textbooks, etc. but the teachers weren't expected to conduct lessons.   Since I am the class teacher of fifth grade, I was to supervise my fifth graders until February 27th.  Then I would start my teaching schedule and begin lessons for fifth grade English, two ninth-grade English classes and all library periods for k-6th grade (yes, I'm like a librarian).  Being a class teacher of fifth grade means that I am responsible for all the "business" of that class and they are like my babies.   

So that first week I was glued to my fifth graders and I was a little on the confused side about what was going on.  Outside my class window, I observed children scattered everywhere and some roamed around freely; I got a steady stream of curious kids peeking in the windows wanting a glimpse of what this Western teacher was doing.  I never knew when lunch was starting or ending as well as when the school day was over until I would notice that the school became eerie quiet and I would pop my head out the window to discover it was a ghost town.  Then I would excuse my fifth graders, which seemed like it was at random times everyday.  So I did what always works best for me:  I allowed my heart to guide the crazy days.  Here's how the first day went:

After being stuffed up in the classroom all morning with not one teaching supply/material, an idea came to me like lightening striking my head (guidance from above).  I started telling them about my rock and mineral collection that I have in the States.  I became so animated and passionate describing it that they all stared at me in amazement.  After I got them all worked up about rocks, I announced to them that we would start our very own rock collection and their eyeballs widened in excitement.  We hurried to the soccer field and started looking for the most unique rocks we could possibly find. 

Proud Owner of

  the Heart Rock

(curious kid

behind her)

Heart-Shaped Rock

On the field, my students ran up to me with such happiness over a rock that was sparkly or in the shape of a heart.  Before I knew it I had "one of a kind" rocks being shoved in my face from every direction.  I would hold up their rocks to the sky and gasp in amazement like I had just been handed a 20-carat diamond.  My enthusiasm was contagious and everyone would gather around me gasping in astonishment.  Then they would scurry around to discover more to gawk over.  I would hear the students saying things like “Look at this one it looks like a car.  Do you think that this rock is unique? Is this a volcano rock?”  I was thrilled to observe that there was a full-blown dialogue being taking place that went on and on.  They were talking to me in English as well as with each other without any hesitation.  It was also funny watching them get all jazzed up over rocks they had probably stepped on a thousand times, but never noticed.

A handful of rocks from our rock collection

We got back to class with a couple dozen of worthy looking rocks just in time for lunch.  When I got back from lunch, I was surprised to find them still huddling around their rocks talking about them.  They continued the lesson even when I was gone.  WOW!  So I ended the first day of school with them presenting their rocks.  Although a few of them struggled finding the right words to describe their rocks while presenting, they all tried their best.

Considering that I had an amazing first day of school with no teaching supplies, I am very optimistic about the school year.  This reminds me to continue to stay positive and to carry the love I feel from the morning assemblies into my classrooms, which makes it easier to receive some spiritual guidance.  Moreover, since my students have a great sense of humor, a willingness to talk to me in English and a drive to participate, I know that creative thinking/higher level thinking is going to be achieved in this simple classroom in Bhutan.  I love them already and I feel so proud to be their English Language Arts teacher.  Please wish us the BEST!

Practicing Raising our Hands for a Year of Participating

Bhutanese Students and A Western Teacher

How did I end up in Bhutan not knowing what my teaching schedule was going to be or what Bhutan's schools were like?  This was the question that kept ringing in my head on my first day of school in Bhutan.  As I walked to my class to meet my fifth grade students, I wondered how well they spoke English, what exactly would I do with them since I had no school supplies yet and what did my classroom look like.  I pondered about what I would do if we couldn't understand each other since their first language is Dzongkha or the local language, Bumthap.  Even though they had been learning English since kindergarten, I didn’t know if their English was strong enough to engage in reading comprehension, writing, etc.  I had no clue what to expect or even how long the day would be.  However, I was still engulfed in a cloud of love over the morning assembly that these thoughts had little effect on me.  Nevertheless, this was a day of many surprises...

The first surprise came on my way to class.  Whenever I would pass by a student of any age, they would bow to me and say good morning madam.  This made my eyes bug out of my head like a cartoon character.  I couldn't imagine anyone bowing to me all year.  Finally, as I was approaching my class, I could see all my fifth graders beautiful, brown faces pressed against the windows waiting in anticipation for the lady in pants.  A couple of students were even posted outside as “the look out students” and when they saw me coming, they swiftly ran into the classroom shouting in Dzongkha that I was near.  In an instant, I could see the class scrambling away from the windows and I could hear a stampede of feet tramping to their tables.

My Cute Fifth Graders

Next, I entered the building and came upon two narrow shutter doors.  I could hear the kids whispering up a ball of excitement behind the mysterious doors.  The way the shutters opened up into the classroom, made me feel like I was walking into something grand and I was.  As I stepped in, twenty-five kids eagerly stood up and in sync shouted, “GOOD MORNING MADAM!!!” (Madam is for married females, so they should have clearly said Miss, but they usually refer to all women as Madam). They remained standing up giggling and looking at each other with blushing cheeks until I realized that they wouldn’t sit down unless I gave them permission.  After I told them to please sit down, they chorally responded, “THANK YOU MADAM!!!”  Hmmm how respectful, I thought, I think that I can get used to this. What a huge change…

THE GREEN CHALK BOARD AND WOODEN STOOLS

THE GREEN CHALKBOARD

I noticed that they were sitting on little square wooden stools and I wondered if their backs or butts ever hurt.  Two to three kids shared a white rectangular table.  My attention was drawn to a green chalkboard on the wall.  I thought, Wow, I haven’t used one of these since I was in elementary school.  Why didn't I bring a chalk holder to write with?  I started to cringe remembering my grade school teachers covered in chalk and having to clean chalky erasers.

Sitting on Wooden Stools

I went on to introduce myself. I talked slowly with my hands, drawing pictures on the chalkboard with the tiniest, crumbliest chalk, which a student found abandoned on the floor from last year.  As I babbled on, I wondered if they were comprehending my English.  So I made a few jokes and yup, they sure understood me as they bursted into laughter.  At that moment, I knew that we were going to have a fantastic year together because they have a great sense of humor and we were already sharing lots of laughs.  Joyful kids are so easy to teach and laughter makes learning fun!  After my introduction, I taught them a few games that require no materials and it was a great ice breaker.  I occasionally play these games with my American students and I don’t know what it is about Heads Up Seven Up and Four Corners, but kids love these games.

Hard Workers

While modeling and explaining the games, I was please to discover that they could follow my instructions in English.  However, I had been worried about their English speaking skills because I was told that my greatest challenge would be creating a dialogue in the classroom.  Others told me that the students are more accustomed to teacher center learning instead of student center learning, so they struggle with creative thinking and they tend to be a little shy, especially if their English isn’t so perfect.  As the day continued, I became very optimistic that this would be an easy challenge to overcome over the school year...who knew that a rock collection could bring so much joy and creativity...(to be continued)

First Day Of School In Bhutan

Chumey Middle Secondary School

For what seemed like the longest seven months of my life, I had been anxiously awaiting to experience my first day of school in Bhutan, which was on February 15, 2012.   You probably wouldn’t have known it if you read my other blog entries, but I came to Bhutan to teach my heart out to Bhutanese students of all ages.  The months of anticipation leading to this day felt like the longest roller coaster ride of thrilling emotions.  Therefore, I was beyond ready to discover what exactly I had signed up for or what my life would look like for the next year.  I consciously tried not to do too much research about the schools because I didn’t want to get discouraged by reading others stories about corporal punishment, teaching with bare essentials or experiencing anything that was different from teaching in America.  I wanted to create my own experience and not go into the school with preconceived notions.  However, not thoroughly researching and having a clear idea about what schools were like in Bhutan set me up for a series of surprises. 

The first surprise began when I met my coworkers a few days before school started and I asked them, “What should I expect on the first day of school in Bhutan?”  They all had similar answers, such as the principal will announce it in the morning assembly.  Then I would try again, “What do you suggest I prepare for the first day of school?”  They would smile and say, “You don’t need to prepare a lesson, just prepare what you’re going to wear.”  Although I liked this answer, I felt very perplexed!  However, I was determined to not revert back to my perfecting, worrisome habits.  Instead, I adopted their stress free, go with the flow attitude.  I told myself that it would be a lovely surprise and that I had enough teaching experience to get me through any long day of school.  Of course, I also got a little spiritual and asked for a greater force to help guide me through my day. 

My BEST First Day of School Face with Rosy Pink Lipstick

When I woke up on the first day of school, I felt like it was Christmas morning; I was eager to discover what surprise “presents” awaited me.  I took my coworkers advice and thoughtfully picked out my “first day of school outfit” and I put on my best face with rosy pink lipstick.  Then I happily danced around my bare room, in and out of my 12 inch mirror to a little bit of Lady Antebellum (country music artist).  Once I felt all pretty, I walked to school with a little country in my step.  I would have turned back for some tissues had I known what I was about to experience during the morning assembly.

I walked up to an open courtyard filled with excited children dressed in ghos and kiras.  Like any first day of school in the world, you could feel the excitement and nervousness in the air as the students hugged their friends that they hadn’t seen for awhile.  I felt like I was one of the new kids and I classically searched for my new best friend, Madam Sonam Choden, to stand next to during the assembly.  I was so overjoyed to be there that I had to refrain myself from giving her a big hug.  She ushered me to the front of the courtyard with all the other teachers, looking out on the children (grade k-10).

The teachers face the students

This courtyard of students is unlike anything I have ever witnessed in America.  For instance, in the numerous American schools I’ve experienced, the students sit or stand with their classmates and teachers in no particular order.  On the other hand, in my Bhutan placement, all the teachers stand in a horizontal line facing the students.  The students are in a "u" shape facing their national flag as well as the huge display of their God of Wisdom.  Our Bhutanese students wear school uniforms and every girl’s hair is perfectly pulled back in a ponytail with a red scrunchie.  The students are organized into several alternating clusters of girls and boys.  Each group represents a competing “house” and has a house captain (leader) who proudly stands in front of their group.  Furthermore, each house is composed of a mixture of ages and they stand shortest to tallest in staggering rows of five, so you can see all their cute faces.  I was at awe looking at this neat configuration of students.

As I stood there gaping at these beautiful, round faces, I could feel about a thousand eyeballs staring back at me.  Maybe it was because I was the only one is Western clothes or with rosy pink lipstick that caused me to stick out like a sore thumb.  When the principal introduced me as their American guest teacher, I found myself waving to the students like I was on a pageant float.  I blame it on the rosy pink lipstick.  So silly!

Students Face This Glass Display,  Flag Pole is Behind It. 

Then two older boys with the most serious faces walked in the middle of the courtyard and gazed intensely at the God of Wisdom.  The courtyard fell silent and I was just about to ask Sonam what in the world were they doing when one started to clap a steady flow of beats.  All the students quickly cupped their hands into a prayer position in front of their chest.  Next, the whole school started singing a prayer in unison while the boy continued to clap out the beat, which was one of the most heavenly melodies that I have ever heard.  I wasn’t expecting this and I hurriedly put my hands into a prayer position too, trying to copy them.  After a few minutes, the boy’s claps increased and the singing turned into chanting.  It sounded like an army of monks and it gave me goose bumps of excitement. 

I Face the Backdrop of Green Trees

As fast as the chanting started, it seamlessly transformed back into the beautiful prayer. Finally, just when I thought the whole thing was over, they dropped their praying hands and took on a strong military stance with fisted hands to their sides.  I didn’t know what was going on and once again I mirrored their stance.  Then I was blown away as they began to passionately sing a soft melody straight from their hearts (national anthem).  At that moment, I felt as though someone was opening up the top of my head and pouring bucketfuls of pure gratitude into my body.  It was electrifying!   

Although I didn’t understand the words because it was in Dzongkha, it was angelic music to my ears.  I felt so grateful to be having this experience that I repeatedly whispered thank you over and over again, hoping to be heard by whatever force got me here.  The students beautiful voices with the backdrop of green trees covering gigantic mountains nearly brought me to tears.  I was soaking it all in and I thought, who hired me? How did I get here?  Is this real?  It felt so magical like I was dreaming or falling madly in love; the kind that last forever.  After they finished singing, I turned to Sonam and asked her, “Why didn’t you tell me that I was going to experience the most beautiful thing ever?  Does the school do this every morning?”  She nodded yes and beamed at my marveling expression and watery eyes. 

After the assembly, Sonam escorted me to meet my fifth graders.  I wondered how good their English was, what exactly would I do with them since I had no school supplies and what did my classroom look like.  This was the second part of my surprise that would make some folks pass out… To be continued in the next blog entry.

Students in their uniforms.  Hands in prayer position!

Above view of morning ceremony

Morning Assembly

School Captain and Prayer Captain leading the morning prayer

The God of Wisdom

Students face the God of Wisdom

The Clock Tower

Overview of the School

Backdrop of Green Trees

Are You Happy Here?

This picture says happiness:  Little Jimmy, A Pink Bear and Snow Fall

“Are you happy here?”  Is the number one question that I am asked on a daily basis in Bumthang, Bhutan along with “How do you find it here?  Do you like it here?  Are you adjusting here?”  From the store clerk to ALL my students and coworkers, I am not exaggerating when I say that almost every single Bhutanese person I have met has asked me one of these questions.  And if the stray dogs, rats and cows could talk, I would bet a million dollars that they would be asking me, “Are you happy here, moooo.” 

I was feeling extra happy this day!

At first I thought, Thank goodness I am really overjoyed to be here so I wouldn’t have to lie to everyone and pretend to be all jolly.  This is so strange, why does everyone keep asking me this over and over again?  Then I realized that the main reason why Bhutanese people are asking me these questions is because they are extremely thoughtful and concerned for the well fare of others.  It goes hand in hand with their Buddhist nature as well as the country's Gross National Happiness (GNH) philosophy.  In fact, it’s perfectly normal for the same person to continuously ask me if I am happy here about three times a week just to make sure that nothing has come up and destroyed my bliss.  I have grown to look forward to these daily questions and every time they ask me if I am happy here, my face turns into a chipmunk as an enormous smile inflates my cheeks. 

Coming home

These questions never get old for me because I see it as an opportunity to remind myself over and over again that “Yes, I am very content here!”  I also like when they ask me such questions because sometimes I will share my personal story about how I came to be so cherry in Bhutan.  I tell them about my two wise spiritual teachers in California who taught me about energy medicine, meditation, intuition and a lot about living a fulfilled life.  I share that before I came to Bhutan, I was really nervous and scared to leave the only life I had known.  So I asked my spiritual teachers who could talk to their spirit guides to give me some advice about moving to Bhutan.  They each separately reported to me that I have been in this area of the world before and had passed through it in my past lives (I also had a past life in India).  One of my teachers told me that when I arrived in Bhutan, I would feel like I was coming home and that I would be very joyful.  She also knew that I would feel so safe and that eventually I would look back at my fears about coming and laugh.  Although I have so much respect for her, at that time I was feeling so anxious and I wasn’t too sure about her prediction.  Could I really feel like I was coming home to a country that is so vastly different from the only one I ever knew? 

Peering out the window

On clouds in heaven

Scattered Villages

Now I feel bad for doubting her because her prediction turned out to be incredible.  The moment I peered out of the airplane window looking at these gigantic, snow capped mountains encapsulating tiny villages scattered throughout endless forestry, I knew that everything was going to be ok for me and that she was correct.  Gliding into Bhutan on that plane felt like I was on the clouds of heaven looking down on loved ones, remembering a place I treasured.  It turned out that Bhutan is home for me!

Goosebumps!!!

In Bumthang I’m often in a state of awe at how I feel like I have always lived here.  I also get goosebumps every time I travel along the mountains because I feel like I have done it a million times.  Since I left America, there has been a major change in how I live, and everyone including myself is surprised at how quickly and easily I have adjusted.  I think that I have adjusted so gracefully because everything seems familiar to me including the language, food, festivals, faces, school life, etc.  It seems like ever since my feet touched the ground in Bhutan, my soul has been singing a “welcome home” song.  Therefore, I now believe my spiritual teachers foretelling, which all of them have came true including the one about getting a new family of friends (Madam Sonam, little Jimmy, Dawa, Norbu the monk...).  

I want to be a Bhutanese Monk like my friend Norbu

As a result of being so darn happy in Bhutan, I believe that I have definitely been here before.  I don’t know if this specifically means that I was a Bhutanese in one of my past lives, but I do know for sure that I want to come back as a Bhutanese monk in my next life!  Then as a “real” Bhutanese person, I will get the chance to ask some chilip (means foreigner in Dzongkha), “Are you happy here?”

(If anyone is skeptical about past lives like I once was, I recommend reading, Many Lives, Many Masters by Dr. Brian Weiss [Oprah dedicated a show about it], which may broaden your perspective on the topic)

These places all seem so familiar to me

A Peeping Tom

Bathroom Sink Pipe
Rats Entryway

My Buddhist efforts to love the rats went out the window when my coworker got bit in the face by a rat while she slept and especially since my rat, Templeton, has been a very, very NAUGHTY rat.  He usually waits until I’m sleeping to slip into my house to find whatever I forget to tuck away, such as my bar of soap that he chewed up.  My neighbor tipped me that he was probably coming in through my bathroom sink pipe like her rats do, so I found some stones to wedge perfectly into the pipe to try to block him from entering my sanctuary (see the picture).  However, I discovered that Templeton is massively buff and can easily push out those stones. 

The Stones To Plug The Rat Hole

Some mornings I find the stones thrown across the bathroom and in a panic, I look around to see if he’s still there, but fortunately he’s not a morning rat.  Even though I know the stones are clearly not stopping him, I re-wedge the stones back into the pipe to give me a peace of mind since the stones signal me if he’s there or not.  Every time I go into the bathroom and find the stones still tucked in the pipe, I feel at ease and I can go the bathroom in peace.  For now these stones are my “rat signal tool” until I can find some duck tape to hold the stones into place.  Then, we will really see how strong he is. 

The Setting!

So one night, as I was bathing in my red tub, I heard one of the stones being thrown from the pipe and out of the corner of my eye, I saw the other stone whist pass my head.  OMG I knew this could only mean one thing:  HERE COMES TEMPLETON AND I'M NAKED!  My head instantly snapped toward the pipe, my heart dropped into the pit of my stomach, I clinched onto the edges of my tub and screamed in horror as his fierce triangle nose came sniffing out of the pipe.  My first thoughts were Oh my God I'm in the nude and he wants to dance again…I have no protection broom, I’m trapped, he’s going to do one of his back flips into my tub and bite my bare butt…ahhhhh  

My shrieking, wild scream held him at a standpoint and now all I could see was his long whiskers twitching out of the pipe.  Then he slowly stuck his head out and was literally just staring at me with his black alien eyes.  I was absolutely frozen with fear in my tub waiting to see what his next move would be.  If you remember from my last blog, he’s an Olympic, acrobatic rat.  So to my surprise, he didn’t perform any graceful summer saws out of the pipe; instead he remained still, calmly peering at me from the pipe.  At that moment, I realized that this rat is a freaking pervert!  My intuition about his male energy was right; this was definitely a boy rat.  Now that I think about it, he had to hear me splashing around in my tub and came to check me out.  As Americans would say, “WHAT A PERV!” or better yet, “WHAT A DIRTY RAT!”

Another Angle of the Scene

Now I sat in my tub feeling a little awkward as he was gazing at me.   I thought, I really need a cat, I really need a cat... if I had a cat this would not be happening.  Then a light bulb went off in my head and in a state of desperation and fear (I hate to admit this), I turned into a cat.  I started meowing over and over again as loud as I could at him hoping that he would think either I was a cat or there was a cat in the bathroom that would eat him and he would run away.  As each meow poured out of my mouth, I felt more courageous and my meows became louder and fiercer.  I finally was able to let go of the sides of my tub, stand up and I even started to add loud claps to my meows.  I sounded and looked like I escaped from a mental hospital.  I don’t know if my neighbors herd me or not, but if they did, I can only imagine that they must think that I am one strange foreigner.

Finally, my frantic meows and claps worked.  He took one last look at me, gave me that famous devilish grin and scurried down the pipe.  Errr I can’t believe my acrobatic rat is also a “peeping tom” rat.  What type of rat will he be next? A cross dressing rat?

Meditation Time!

Meditation Time!

I think that it’s healthy to be able to laugh at your insanity, but at the same time have the willingness to change for the better.  Thus, I will be the first to acknowledge that I turn into one crazy gal at the sight of a rat, but I refuse to stay erratic forever.  In fact, this year in Bhutan, I hope to let go of all my unnecessary fears including the ones that haven’t come to the surface yet.  So since I’ve cured my fear of the Bhutanese stray dogs, I’m confident that I can get over my fear of these fat rats with a little help from a divine source.  After I did some serious reflecting on how I came to be all uptight about rats and everything else I’m deathly afraid of (spiders, bears, etc.), I sincerely asked the heavens above to show me a way to let go of all my silly fears as I am ready to end my unpredictable behavior. 

Buddha Meditating
 At Buddha Point

Then a few hours later out of nowhere, I felt like one of my books that I haven’t noticed in months was screaming my name and the urge to pick it up had become overpowering.  I have already come to know this feeling as the “whispering” of some higher force (God, Buddha, guides, intuition, universe…) that speaks to my soul.  It happens to me every time I ask to be shown a higher way and I have countless experiences that would make some peoples' hairs on the back of their neck stand up.  Sometimes the “whispering” directs me to amazingly specific answers to my questions that are contained in books, an email, a conversation or someone will randomly hand me an article and ta-da the answer is right before my eyes.  So when I felt an intense urge to open my book, I was not too shocked that the random page I chose to read was a meditation exercise to release fear and reprogram beliefs.  If anyone is interested in shifting their beliefs, I summarized a short version of Sanaya Roman's meditation exercise that I was "led" to:

(I can just hear my sister saying what a complete waco I am for sharing this meditation, so I hope that it's not too eccentric for you all.  Enjoy!) Before you begin, put yourself into a higher state through breathing and clearing your mind.  

Picture yourself growing smaller and smaller while taking your consciousness like a dot of light into the core of your cells.  Now you are the dot of light in the nucleus of your cells.  Ask your DNA to release any programs, decisions, or beliefs that are not serving you and your growth (At this point, I released all my useless fears including the one for poor Templeton).  You do not need to know what these beliefs are; simply ask for them to be released.  Send love through your heart to your DNA and surround it with light.  Mentally tell your DNA that you want to reach your highest potential in this lifetime.  Ask for its assistance to bring in new programs, beliefs, and thoughts that will make it possible to reach your highest potential in this lifetime…when your finished return your awareness to the room...  

If It Bites You, It's Good Luck

Err all my documents disappeared off my computer while I was trying to upload my videos.  Some of the documents included my blog entries about school in Bhutan.  It's taking time to rewrite my lovely first days of school here, but I'm trying to connect with an IT in the U.S. to help me retrieve them and also to get my videos uploaded.  I learned my lesson: back docs up daily! In the meantime I wrote this for fun.

An Acrobatic RAT!

Exhaustion had finally creped upon me, urging me to go to sleep early for just one night.  I couldn’t fight it anymore and decided to get ready for bed.  There I was brushing my teeth in the bathroom mirror thinking about how tired I was when I felt something touch my foot.  “Oh great, not another ghost incident,” was my immediate thought.  I looked down expecting to see nothing since ghosts are usually invisiable, but to my surprise I saw a huge, brown, matted ball.  I had to strain my eyes a few seconds before it moved and I realized it was a wild, rabies looking rat.  This rat was so fat it could have been pregnant with octuplets.  However, I feel that it has male energy so maybe it’s just obese.  It had a long nasty tail, a fierce triangle noise, and I discovered it was a special type of rat: an acrobatic rat.

As soon as I realized that I was face to face with an enormous rat for the first time in my life, I did this weird galloping jump and my toothbrush went flying into the air.  At the same time a huge uncontrollable scream came out of my mouth along with all the toothpaste that I had accumulated while brushing.   I was actually choking at this point, but my gargled screams were still making its way out through my thick mouthful of toothpaste.  This scared the rat and he jumped a few feet high too while doing some olympic summer saws.  He was so springy that he would leap into the air doing these amazing triple backward flips that caused him to fly into my legs, which would make me jump even higher and shreek louder.  It was quite a dance we were doing.  I was scared of him and he was scared of me.  I jumped, he jumped.  I screamed, he squilled.  The funny thing was that we were both too startled to run and we kept jumping around.  After what seemed like an eternity of awkward dancing, he ran into a corner and I ran as fast as I could to the kitchen all while choking on toothpaste.

In the kitchen, I stood there shaking and my heart was pounding.  I was hoping that one of my neighbors would have heard me screaming and would soon come to rescue me.  Unfortunately, no one heard me.  I started to laugh at myself because I thought that if they did come, I would look like a “toothpaste vampire” panting with toothpaste dribbling down my mouth and off my chin. 

Finally, I had calmed down and was thinking, “How in the world was I going to go back in the bathroom with a jumping rat in there?”  Then just when I started to talk myself into believing that it was a cute little mouse that was terribly scared of me, the dang fat rat ran into the kitchen, had one look at me and we started round two dancing.  After a minute of further jumping and screaming, he ran into the corner near the door.  Now I sat perched up on the cement counter pleading with the rat to go away.  I begged, “Please go away, plleeeaaassssee…”

Either he understands English or hates my whining because he started to inch his way out of the kitchen and paused in the hallway looking at which way was his best option.  I yelled, “Nooo, not the living room,” which leads to my bedroom and there was no way I wanted to share my room with the world’s only Olympic rat.  I yelled, “Go right, in the empty spare bedroom, you can have it, I will never go in there again, please take it, just don’t go in my bedroom, oh pretty please with cheese on top.” 

I swear to you, this rat looked back at me with a devilish grin and ran straight into the living room under the door curtain so that I had no idea where he made his way to, such as my bedroom.  I sank with a heavy sigh knowing that he probably ran into my room and that we would be dancing all night.  I went back into the bathroom with a broom just incase he wanted to come back for round three and I could use the broom to shew him off.  I looked at myself in the mirror and sure enough my face was covered in minty toothpaste including strands of my hair that were now glued to my face with toothpaste.  Then I angrily found my toothbrush in the squatter toilet.  I had no energy to hunt down a rat.

All the way to my bedroom, I loudly tapped the broom on the ground in hopes that he would hear me coming and find a place to hide to end the square dancing.  With my protection broom I looked under my bed from across the room, hoping that I could shew him out, shut my door and sleep in peace.  However, he was nowhere in sight.  Of course I wasn’t brave enough to look behind the dresser.  I climbed into bed wondering if he would do his acrobatic jump onto my pillow to kiss me goodnight, I mean nibble my face off.   

In the middle of the night, I could hear him rumbling behind my dresser several times.  Every little noise caused me to jump, even a moth scared the crap out of me because I thought it was him flying into the room.  After all, he is an acrobatic rat.  Needless to say, I didn’t get much sleep and I am now beyond exhaustion.  Also, getting up in the middle of the night to pee was the worst.  I prayed that he wouldn’t tap my foot again to say hello and jump on my legs for a midnight snack.  I took my broom with me tapping all the way.  I had the same routine in the morning.  The next day after school, I told the other teachers about the gigantic rat being bigger than a kitten and about its record breaking jumping abilities, but no one seemed to believe this and they all laughed.  I asked them to come over to catch it, set it free in the forest, and to plug up its entryway into my house.  This is were the conversation got really interesting and I had to ask them to re-explain it to me several times because it had me in bewilderment. 

Revengeful Bhutanese Rats!

First, they all told me to leave it alone.  It was no big deal!  They explained that if I was mean to the rat, I would make it angry and that’s where my problems would begin.  What problems?  They warned me that rats have feelings just like humans, so if they get mad at you, they might come back with their friends when you’re not home to destroy your possessions.  They will eat your favorite clothes, ruin your electronic cords, put holes in your rugs, poop everywhere, and so on.  Revengeful Bhutanese Rats!  I’ve never heard of rats doing “pay backs” on people.  I started to worry if I pissed off the rat by screaming in its face.  I wondered if the rat was in my house at that very moment tearing up my most prized possession in an attempt to pay back this frighten American who cried, “RAT!”  

My Bhutanese friends gave me a solution.  They suggested that I give it a name and whenever I see it, I should call it by the name, talk nicely to it or just ignore it.  Some of my coworkers leave crackers out for their “house rats” so that the rats leave their vegetables and clothes alone.  One of my friends said that she scattered tons of rice on the floor for them when she went away for several weeks and asked the rats to take care of her place while she was gone.  When she came back, she discovered that they had a huge party by the amount of rat droppings they left, but they didn’t destroy her stuff.  Keeping the rats happy by bribing them is a solution instead of killing them.  Most Bhutanese people practice the Buddhist philosophy of living a compassionate life and not harming living things.  It’s a sin to kill a rat or any living creature.  Therefore, just like with the stray dogs, they live with the mice/rats in peace.  I haven't seen any places that sell rattraps or rat poisons to kill rats like we have in America. 

It’s not uncommon to be sitting in a home in Bhutan and see a mouse scurry by and no one freaks out.  In America, if a woman see’s a mouse in her home, she might scream like she’s being murdered and head to the nearest store for mouse traps.  I also know some American men that would also scream like a girl if they saw a rat.  In fact, I’ve seen some hysterical videos on “America’s Funniest Videos” of people screaming their heads off seeing a rat in their home.  I don’t know what it is about these little creatures that can scare a person.  Lately, I have been thinking about what caused me to act the way I did in the bathroom with Templeton (my rat’s new name from Charlotte's Web) and why I had been tapping my broom around like a crazy person.  I’ve come to conclude that for the most part American’s view of mice/rats is different from Bhutanese views of rats.  I was taught that a rat is a nuisance, dirty, disease-carrying rodent and should be exterminated if it moves in your home.  This belief is filed somewhere in my brain.  Therefore, when I see a rat, the file magically appears and the chaos begins.  Although this is what I have been brainwashed to believe for three decades, in my heart I don’t want to kill the rat and I think that the Buddhist philosophies are more in line with my values. 

Now at the age of 29, I’m living in Bhutan and I’m trying to reprogram my beliefs about mice/rats to adopt a more Buddhist approach, which I love.  I’m telling myself not to be scared of them, if they come in for a visit just ignore them and don’t scream or run around in fear.  Instead I will say, “Hello pretty Timpleton” (remember I named the dang rat) and I'll remember whatever I do  DON’T PISS OFF THE RATS.  However, I will not feed them because I don’t want them to keep coming back and then get all revengeful on me the day I forget to feed them tea and crackers.  I don’t have a lot of stuff here, so it’s easy to keep my place clutter free and I have no goodies for them to eat (it’s all locked in my fridge including spices and all my clothes are out of reach).  So I’m hoping they won’t have any reason to come other than to say hello.

If It Bites You, Its Good Luck

Later on that day, my friend confessed to me that last year she trapped a bag of rats from her home and dropped them off on my side of the river because they won’t cross the cold water to get back to her house.  She thinks that my fat rat is one of hers and I’m thinking about catching him to give him back to her as an early Christmas gift.  Ha-ha.  I think that she felt guilty or sorry for me because she was the only one who helped me find out how the rat got in.  We checked everywhere, but we couldn’t find any rat holes and my bathroom drain has a tight mesh over it.  Finally, she gave me the worst news about the rat’s entryway, which was through my front door.  The good news was it also left through the front door.  Yes, there is a huge gap under my door for creatures to squeeze through, such as snakes and mice.  It’s like my front door is a 24-7 open invitation for any critter to come in.  I’m not quite sure how I am going to fix it, but it’s on the top of my list.  As I pouted about the front door, my friend tried to make me feel better and told me that if the rat bit me above my waist, it means that I would have good luck.  On the other hand, if it bit me below the waist, then I would have bad luck.  Holy moly, I don’t want it to bite me anywhere, even if it will bring me good luck.  

Fortunately, I haven’t seen the rat again and I don’t hear him scurrying around my house at night.  I’m hoping that my “toothpaste vampire look” or the weird dancing scared him off for good and he won’t come back with a gang of friends to “pay me back” in any way.  My new Buddhist attitude is starting to kick in slowly and I no longer peek from room to room with a broom for unnecessary security.  Ok, maybe sometimes I take the broom with me when I take a bath in my red tub, just in case it gets thirsty or frisky.  However, I know that the real test on my new Buddhist ways will come when we meet face to face again.  I will keep everyone posted because I’ve been told that having mice/rats in my home is unenviable.  It’s only a matter of time before I might dance again with Templeton, the acrobatic rat.  Sigh!