month 3

Hello lovely people!

So, I do not have a future career in professional blogging. I keep accidentally leaving you all in the dark about the happenings over here. I apologize for that.

It is now the second half of May! How time flies. I have been enjoying the warmer weather, and even the rain and pre-monsoon season that is accompanying it. I survived my midterm exams and have been enjoying my classes, although they are much less rigorous than back in the US. The lack of rigor was honestly one of my primary complaints in the beginning of the semester, but I am quite grateful to have extra time to explore off campus.

I have visited Punakha twice now, once with the other international students at RTC and once with my plant taxonomy class for a field trip. This town, located northeast from Thimphu, is at a relatively lower elevation, and delightfully warm and beachy feeling. The photo above is the Punakha Dzong (a fortress/temple), the largest and oldest dzong in Bhutan. The fields and farms in Punakha along with the river make it one of the most beautiful places in Bhutan. It seems that every time I go somewhere new here it becomes my new favorite place!

If you know me, you know that one of my main qualms with coming to Bhutan was not being able to rock climb. LET ME TELL YOU. I stumbled upon the climbers, and went climbing (TR) yesterday. It is quite a small climbing community here, but it exists. They cannot easily get the gear they need to establish more routes, so there are only a handful of small crags with a couple of routes each. At some point in time someone came along and bolted the rock, though, so there are some opportunities for sport climbing if you have the gear for it.

I have mentioned it in another post, but I really cannot emphasize enough how friendly and open people are here. Sasha and I randomly shared momos (Bhutanese dumplings -- staple food) and tea with some folks we met on the street which led to us being gifted poetry books from an author! One of my favorite things about Thimphu is how safe it is. Everywhere I go, at any time of day or night, I feel completely safe. If you ever do need help, you could ask anyone. Such a great place.

I am really grateful to be here, learning and seeing so much, and I am already feeling the melancholy of having to leave in about one month. Exciting things planned soon... including a half marathon next weekend! My first race... ever. What better place than at 9,000 feet elevation?