first week or so

Hello!! I have been in Thimphu for six days now, and have already seen and learned so much. It was a bit of an adjustment to the temperature -- there is no heating in any of the buildings and it is currently around 30-40 degrees every day. I think I am pretty much over it... the open air means that I have views of the mountains like the image above every morning. Mountain views are totally worth constantly numb hands. Wednesday was the king's 44th birthday, and we attended a celebration in Thimphu. The image above is a group of monks performing a dance for the occasion. This specific dance is only performed by monks, and each individual represented a different spirit. It was really fun to go to our first cultural event. The celebration showed truly how loved the king and royal family are here. I am excited to attend more festivals and celebrations!

Exploring Thimphu has been quite enjoyable as well. It is the only city that does not have traffic lights. Instead, there is a police officer who makes elegant arm movements to direct traffic (just at one spot that I have seen so far). I was not expecting the traffic flow to work as well as it does, but many roads are one way which keeps things organized.

Another student, Sasha, and I explored the trails behind campus as it was beginning to get dark. As we hiked up the mountain, we encountered a seemingly friendly yak who guided us through the woods. Definitely the coolest thing I have experienced so far. The woods are magical, and much different than I had expected. Snow capped pine trees rise into the distance, not unlike New Hampshire's white mountains in the winter. Although, the mooing and bells from the yaks make this slightly cooler. We are already planning our first longer trek -- stay tuned.