Gabriella Kylie Louise Carne

Gabriella Kylie Louise Carne

School for Field Studies: Bhutan Fall 2015

Housing:

The school for Feld Studies is, as it says, a field school. Housing is supplied for us and is stationed at the UgyenWangchuck Institute for Conservation and Environment in Jakar, Bumthang. All meals are provided in the kitchen on campus which features a basketball court, volleyball court, and running trails. The dorm where we stayed hosted a beautiful Blue Pine forest right outside the front door. The dorm has a kitchen and a common room on the second floor. Each room has two beds and its own thermostat, which comes in handy during the fall months since our campus was approximately at 10,000 feet. The town of Chamkar is about a forty five minute walk downhill and taxis are available for the ride back. There are restaurants, handicraft shops, a Vegetable Shop, and a Momo’s Corner. The exchange rate is about ngultrum 67 to 1 USD and food and other products are relatively cheap. The region as a whole is considered more urban than many other regions in Bhutan, but to an SCU student it’s pretty rural and remote. It took us three days of driving to reach campus adding up to about fifteen hours of driving on rough and bumpy roads. On travel days we stay in various hotels that are of good quality and great hospitality. On occasion we camp in national parks and along a cultural trek but tents and other supplies are handled by the program.

View from volleyball court of dorm building and basketball court below.

Finances:

The exchange rate currently is about Bhutanese ngultrum 67 to 1 USD. We are encouraged to bring USD to Bhutan and then it is exchanged within the first week of arriving. The program recommends a budget of $1000-$1600 for spending money, however, I am getting by on a little over $600 and seem to have more than enough money for food, drinks, and gifts for friends and family back home. I did have a series of unfortunate events occur with my debit card getting cancelled right before I got on my flight to come to Bhutan so I had to wire money to the program bank account but my professor and program coordinator Matt Branch was more than willing to help with that process. To give you an idea of the prices of prices, one post card is around 50 Nu, while a dinner is around 150 Nu, and the national dress pieces we purchase are around 2300 Nu. It varies but things are relatively cheap compared to the USD.

Academics:

The courses I took were a lot less demanding with regards to homework assignments and papers than SCU, however they expect one hundred percent attendance and participation. This program, given its remote nature and other factors attracts students that typically don’t have trouble participating and being engaged. SFS makes it easy to be engaged as well and is very helpful in aiding in our experiencing the local culture and applying our knowledge. The class material is very interesting and relevant to Bhutan which makes it a lot more rewarding. Active discussion with other students and professors on the program I have found is the best way to learn and succeed in the courses given. The program is structured around Mountain Ecology, Natural Resource management and conservation, political ecology, and religion and culture. The academic semester is from the 7th of September to the middle of November and the directed research portion is the following two weeks after final exams. The directed research is an amazing opportunity to work with your professors to develop your own research goals and develop your research skills. Depending on your topic research can comprise long hours and extensive data analyses. There are social and natural science research offered so there’s something for everyone.

View of classroom buildings and mountains

Student Life:

The campus is in a very rural setting. It is adjacent to a blue pine forest and is a forty five minute walk from town. The campus is a research center and so there are a lot of Bhutanese researchers doing work on campus. It is much smaller and more isolated. Most bathrooms have squat toilets and there is only one classroom. It is absolutely gorgeous though with great views of the mountains. Food and computers are not available on campus. There is food and handicraft items in town but as for electronics there is not really anywhere in Bhutan that sells quality computers. There are basketball courts and volleyball courts for recreation but since it isn’t really a school campus there are not traditional amenities such as gyms or clubs or a typical library.

Social Life:

Social life at SFS is pretty limited. There are 21 students on this program but we have all gotten very close. We have befriended a lot of local people in town and often go out with them in the evenings. Making friends with the local Bhutanese people is very easy. They are incredibly kind and open and love the company. There aren’t many tourists in this country as per the tourist tax so they love hearing stories. The town is very small and very close knit so making friends is inevitable. Incoming students should definitely try Karaoke and Snooker. They’re really popular here and it’s really fun.

Religion:

Bhutan is a majorly Buddhist country since it Is their national religion. They are, however, open to all religions. I have met a few people practicing Hinduism and a couple practicing Christianity. Buddhism is a very open and caring religion, it was for this reason I felt the safest in town and with the people here. Everyone here, for the most part, is open to all religions, however, if someone does practice another religion finding support groups outside of the students on the program will be difficult if not impossible. I would highly suggest learning as much about Buddhism as possible while here. The practices are fascinating and the people here really do practice care for all sentient beings and wish happiness upon others.

Dancers at Jakar, BumthangTsechu

Race/Ethnicity:

Being any nationality or ethnicity other than Bhutanese can be hard at times. I have had several encounters of people idealizing western nations for beauty and way of living. It can get very uncomfortable at times with comments about being “chillups” or foreigners. There is a strange power dynamic between foreigners and locals and I have seen some very rude behavior on the part of white tourists. It was a culture shock being a white American in a developing country. I didn’t understand how different it was until one night a Bhutanese man referred to us Americans as “civilized” and his Bhutanese friends as “uncivilized.” The good thing is that all of the other students on the program have been here to talk to about any unease I have felt about my race/ethnicity while here. They are the most valuable resource I have had here.

Gender and Sexuality:

Bhutan is making incredible strides to create equal opportunities for women, but inequality is still there. Gender as a personal choice is not talked about here and being homosexual is not permitted or talked about either. The best support is, again, the other students. All sentient beings are cared for but equality is still present.

Socio-Economic:

Being a student abroad in Bhutan comes with its challenges. People will automatically assume you are from a higher social and economic standing and can become stuck within that framework. Within the country there is a relatively wide gap between the royal family and villagers which is to be expected. The one thing I wish I would have known going in was how different I was going to be perceived here. At Santa Clara, I am from an incredibly lower socio-economic background than most, but here I am from a comparatively higher economic bracket and it is apparent and is hard to shake.

Ability and Learning Considerations:

Studying in Bhutan is much different than in the states. There are much less distractions and noise. Classes are much more hands on and there is an incredible amount of support from the staff. Fear of the course load should not stop anyone from studying with SFS. It is not easy work but it is very beneficial and very doable. There are tons of places on campus to study just like at SCU. To get the most out of your studies here I would suggest talking to locals and other students about what you are learning. All the material is very hands on and very applicable to Bhutan so take every opportunity to learn and you will be fine. UgyenWangchuck Institute for Conservation and Environment (UWICE) research station on campus

Leisure:

Some fun things to do are play soccer with the local teams and get Momo’s in town. Good places to go to hang out in Chamkhar are Bumthang Pizza, Himalayan Pizza, Café Perk, and Momo Corner. You have to go see as many Monasteries and Dzongs as possible. If you hike to Tarpeeling, a Monastery a two hour hike up from UWICE you can see the tallest unclimbed mountain in the world. It’s a must see. There are typically Tsechu’s and festivals in Bumthang that are great to go to. Local soccer games and archery tournaments are common. I would definitely recommend watching those games.

Shopping:

Most shops in town are either general stores or handicraft shops for tourists. They have very gorgeous scarves and post cards. A lot of the shopkeepers speak English so purchasing items and interacting with them is not difficult. I would recommend buying gifts from RENEW which is a women’s empowerment business on the main street of Chamkhar. Their stuff is cheap, well made, and goes to a GREAT cause.

View of Chamkhar town in Bumthang