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april_does_feral_sometimes 's review for:
Beyond the Sky and the Earth
by Jamie Zeppa
'Beyond the Sky and the Earth: A Journey into Bhutan' by Jamie Zeppa is a very interesting, a rare memoir about Bhutan, published in 1999. Bhutan only has a population of 742,000 (2019). Today it is still isolated, mostly Buddhist, a constitutional monarchy between India and China. Thimphu, with a population of 115,000, is the capitol of this small Himalayan country. Surprising, local politics looms large in this tiny land of valleys and mountains, along with the building of dams for hydropower (after 1999). Because of a recent national policy of emphasizing Bhutan culture, expelled Bhutan-Nepali refugees now live in Indian refugee camps. Bhutan is mostly agricultural, though, with almost no roads. There is about 60% literacy, and a couple of small colleges, but basic education mostly comes from tiny little schools spread about in the mountain communities, manned by teachers of whom many are outside volunteers.
Zeppa volunteered at age 24 to become an English teacher for two years in a foreign country instead of finishing her doctorate. She answered an ad by the World University Service of Canada (now bankrupt). She was scared, but she went to Bhutan anyway after finding out that was where her new job was. She had never traveled much before this.
Culture shock! At first, she felt she had made a terrible mistake - her posting was in an extremely small school set in an isolated mountainous valley, which was reached by traveling in a dilapidated truck/bus on a bad road which washed out after they passed. Local resources were extremely primitive - no running water, no indoor toilets, no electricity, no technology, no stores, no Western household goods, no books! She had brought a bag of minimal stuff with her. She was afraid of the food, water, bugs, people and environment. However, other volunteers, their postings miles away from hers, that she met gave her some comfort, although they intimidated her by their calm expertise and familiarity with the primitive conditions.
Everything changed after she got lost on an hours-long trek along a mountain path to visit another teacher. Suddenly she felt ok. Even the rats and constant rain stopped bothering her. Well, a little bit. When her first paycheck came finally after five months, it was better. People had allowed her to promise to pay for things (mostly local food and some local clothes) until she got money, though.
Soon after her paycheck came, she was posted to teach English in a college rather than a village school. Bhutan in the north is rainy and mountainous, but in the south where Sherubtse College near Trashigang was, it was more tropical. She had an actual apartment with modern amenities. Her students were not only adults, but some were very sophisticated. She found them very different from her students in the first school. She also found a twenty-year-old student who attracted her. He was beautiful, articulate and passionate about politics and ideas. He hung out around her a lot. But as the students' professional lecturer and professor, she knew she couldn't begin a relationship. Could she? Could she? Two years....and she had already broken off her relationship with a Canadian man...
Zeppo's memoir is one of the few books about living in Bhutan. It is very well written. She loved Bhutan, although some things - constant beatings of the children by teachers, the xenophobia towards Hindus - offensive and sad. I would not have stuck it out, personally.
Zeppa volunteered at age 24 to become an English teacher for two years in a foreign country instead of finishing her doctorate. She answered an ad by the World University Service of Canada (now bankrupt). She was scared, but she went to Bhutan anyway after finding out that was where her new job was. She had never traveled much before this.
Culture shock! At first, she felt she had made a terrible mistake - her posting was in an extremely small school set in an isolated mountainous valley, which was reached by traveling in a dilapidated truck/bus on a bad road which washed out after they passed. Local resources were extremely primitive - no running water, no indoor toilets, no electricity, no technology, no stores, no Western household goods, no books! She had brought a bag of minimal stuff with her. She was afraid of the food, water, bugs, people and environment. However, other volunteers, their postings miles away from hers, that she met gave her some comfort, although they intimidated her by their calm expertise and familiarity with the primitive conditions.
Everything changed after she got lost on an hours-long trek along a mountain path to visit another teacher. Suddenly she felt ok. Even the rats and constant rain stopped bothering her. Well, a little bit. When her first paycheck came finally after five months, it was better. People had allowed her to promise to pay for things (mostly local food and some local clothes) until she got money, though.
Soon after her paycheck came, she was posted to teach English in a college rather than a village school. Bhutan in the north is rainy and mountainous, but in the south where Sherubtse College near Trashigang was, it was more tropical. She had an actual apartment with modern amenities. Her students were not only adults, but some were very sophisticated. She found them very different from her students in the first school. She also found a twenty-year-old student who attracted her. He was beautiful, articulate and passionate about politics and ideas. He hung out around her a lot. But as the students' professional lecturer and professor, she knew she couldn't begin a relationship. Could she? Could she? Two years....and she had already broken off her relationship with a Canadian man...
Zeppo's memoir is one of the few books about living in Bhutan. It is very well written. She loved Bhutan, although some things - constant beatings of the children by teachers, the xenophobia towards Hindus - offensive and sad. I would not have stuck it out, personally.