Bhutan Clan: Thomas's Post 22/04/14

Our School Tsetchu

We had a special festival at our school. A festival is called a tsetchu in Dzonghka. It was to bless the school, which is called a Puja. It was a lot of fun. We wore our ghos and kiras to school and ate breakfast there. We had rice and chilli for breakfast. It was very spicy because they were whole chillies so you couldn't mix them in.
After breakfast we watched the high school kids play volleyball. I think they are very good at playing volleyball.

These are some of the Class 4 boys practicing praying.

Some of the Class 4 boys and I.

The boys in black.

We had to go into the hall and do a thing where we have to put our hands on top of our head, then the middle of our head, and then where our heart is. When we do that we have to put our hands together because it is respectful. We then kneel down and let our head only just touch the ground. We have to do it 3 times.

The monks praying in the school hall.

Some of the students praying.

After that I made a chunkey. It is usually clovers tied together but I make it differently. I put grass in a noodle packet and tie it up. They are meant to be kicked as many times as you can, it is a lot of fun. Then we had lunch, it was rice, chilli and vegetables. That was also very spicy but we are becoming really good at eating spicy food!

The Cook.

Me walking!

Preparing lunch.

Girls lining up for lunch.

Girls eating lunch.

All the female teachers.

All the male teachers.

After lunch we played a game where we have to push our shoulders together and whoever got moved the most, lost. I usually lost but there was another game that I was very good at. You hop on one leg and try to push your opponent over, it was great fun.

Wrestling games.

Hopping games.

We went into the hall where the monks were. They were praying all day, they had a massive book of prayers. Some monks were playing a trumpet, which was like an instrument that was as long as a digeridoo. Some also had a big drum that they played. When we got into the hall the teachers gave us some bird seed and we had to throw it. It was a lot of fun. Then we did the thing where you put your hands on the top of your head, then the middle, then at your heart, and only just touch the ground with your head.