The clash of ease and nerve

Tuesday, May 3, 2016

My SONS

Thank You, merciful God, for giving everything.
Thank You, mighty God, for health and happiness.
Thank You, omniscient God, for a lovely family.
I supplicate to grant us these — always.

I am grateful to my parents
For bringing me up
And making me what I was not.
My debts to them are countless.

I am blessed with the wealth to carry on
And a good place to live upon.
Thank You for sending us two lovely sons —
The day they came to us was our life.
The sons are our suns.

The twelfth day of the month —
That is when they were born:
One on November 12th, the other on April 12th.
Twelve has become my favorite number.
How happy we are to have you both!
With you both, it’s all happiness.
We are so happy to be with you two,
Our dearest sons.
May God grant us to live for seven generations or more.

You are our world, little ones.
We would do everything
To make you a better person,
A good person,
A truly living person.

My new born baby sleeping sweet

Oh! how we like you

Changing and kicking out!

Me and my baby

His mother feeding

When he was seven days old

I am indebted to my father and mother

Four of us with our best

Two of us

My dear little ata baby in Tsirang

Baby ata and his mother

Baby ata and his father(me)

Proud to be a boy and studying in Darla MSS

In Gelephu. Three of us

On the way to Trongsa a long time ago

During Blessed Rainy Day near Gedu

Inside Darla MPH watching the concert show. Baby Danced!!

A Hiccup

A momentary hiccup

Strikes me

Spilling over sudden sadness,

And bringing inexplicable memories,

Etching my desperate soul-

When I know you're no longer with me.

A sudden silence in between

Stirs so many dreams,

Afires with life and joys,

But the odd sense of feelings,

Lumps my way out

When I see you're no longer with me.

(Trapped in these hiccup and un-hiccup)

Alone I live, longing for joy at the end.

The race of this life

Makes me painful,

And counting without a wife

Makes me a fool.

I hope they are not to stay long.

Footnote: A momentary hiccup in the poem shows two sudden shifts of moments; a hiccup bringing sorrows while hiccupping, and dreams of joys that cone right after the short hiccup, just as one feels new and fresh once you hiccup-if only for a moment. It also reflects a temporary setback to somebody’s plans or arrangements. In this way, it mirrors the transitory nature of life: one quick joy and one quick sorrow. Anyways, for me, I live each day with hopes for tomorrow, though I have to walk with these two hiccups.

A photo story of Pema Tashi 2016

Monday, May 2, 2016

Thank You My Teachers

As I write this today, on Teacher's Day, all that comes to my mind is "Thank you," "Thank you," and "Thank you." Today, I write words of excitement and appreciation—words devoted to many great souls. This short note is in honor of all my teachers and professors, and of the life you have helped me build. Truthfully, a million pages of gratitude would not be enough.

I thank you all a million times. What you have done is sometimes more than anyone else could. When I first entered the classroom, I was nervous and skeptical, but there was an abundance of wonderful people who helped me find my footing. Thank you for teaching me, for guiding me, for showing me a smooth path in learning and reading literature. You have been the best of friends, teachers, guides, and parents.

Thank you for all that you are and for all that you did, and for caring for us. We know your work is more than just a job—it is a calling. For that, we are deeply grateful for your sacrifices.

I have learned to read better. I would never have understood that the world is round, that there are many countries like ours, or who I am—what, how, why, and so much more—if you had not taught me.

You all deserve huge congratulations and thanks. Who could forget our amazing trips? Who could forget our noisy class? Who could forget your charming and sometimes angry faces when you grew annoyed with too much work and too many responsibilities? There are so many good things to remember.

I probably cannot thank you all enough.

Thank you for everything, my teachers.

I am happy because, even though I cannot be with you all in person, I can at least keep the memories always in my heart.

Thank you very much, Mrs. and Mr.

Friday, April 29, 2016

Mass Cleaning Campaign

Among the many health activities held at Darla School, the mass cleaning campaign is one of the most important. On April 28th, the school conducted such a campaign. Afternoon classes were canceled, and students and teachers gathered on the assembly ground. The campaign began with the distribution of assigned areas for Classes IV through V. The theme was made loud and clear to everyone: “Clean Darla, Clean Bhutan. Clean Bhutan, Clean Earth.”

Students and teachers walked to the farthest points of the area, singing the theme and encouraging parents to come out and join the cleaning. Members of the health club wore signs on their chests and backs with various messages written on them.

The mass cleaning campaign covered the town and villages of Darla. Many classes and teachers went as far as three kilometers from the school to clean and raise awareness. The areas covered included Darla Bazaar, BPPL, the police gate, RNR, and Darla Lhakhang.

The public had been invited to participate through the teachers-parents meeting. Additionally, the health committee sent letters to the Bazaar Tshogpa, BPPL, and the Darla Gup. However, apart from a few shopkeepers offering refreshments and a handful of people from the bazaar, no members of the public came forward to clean that day. Our main goal was to raise public awareness, and we believe we succeeded by going out and singing our theme loudly. The low public turnout did not discourage us, as our large number of students more than made up for it.

Not only did we clean well, but we also had a lot of fun. The campaign was a success—we collected nearly 50 sacks of waste. When we gathered back at the school, a bottle of litchi juice was given to everyone to quench their thirst after the scorching heat of the day. Below are some photos from the event.

Friday, April 8, 2016

World Health Day 2016 in Darla School: Step Up: Beat Diabetics

Beat Diabetes

Darla School celebrated World Health Day with a variety of health- and hygiene-related activities. In the morning, health club members delivered a speech for the day, and a healthy song was played over the speakers. In the afternoon, we invited health staff from Darla to give a talk. Three staff members came and covered a wide range of health and hygiene issues and care. Teachers and students from Classes VI to X gathered in the Multipurpose Hall (MPH) for the talk. Meanwhile, two health teachers gave a basic health talk to students of Classes PP to V on the assembly ground. Students also cleaned toilets, the water tank, and water sources. The photos below tell the story of the day.

Speech Delivered on World Health Day

“Today, 7th April, is World Health Day. It is celebrated every year on the founding day of the World Health Organization. Established in 1950, this event has a theme each year to draw attention to a current world health issue. On this day, we remind ourselves to take extra steps to care for our health, spread the news about health and threats, and inform others about important global health issues.

This year, WHO is focusing World Health Day on beating diabetes.

Diabetes is a serious, chronic disease that occurs either when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces. In 2008, an estimated 347 million people worldwide had diabetes, and the prevalence is growing, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.

In 2012, the disease was the direct cause of some 1.5 million deaths, with more than 80% of those occurring in low- and middle-income countries. WHO projects that diabetes will be the 7th leading cause of death by 2030.

There are two main forms of diabetes. People with type 1 diabetes typically make none of their own insulin and therefore require insulin injections to survive. People with type 2 diabetes—the form that comprises some 90% of cases—usually produce their own insulin but not enough, or they are unable to use it properly. People with type 2 diabetes are typically overweight and sedentary, two conditions that raise a person’s insulin needs.

Over time, high blood sugar can seriously compromise every major organ system in the body, causing heart attacks, strokes, nerve damage, kidney failure, blindness, impotence, and infections that can lead to amputations. It was observed that 2.5% of the population (2.8% of males and 2.1% of females) were known diabetics in Bhutan.

A large proportion of diabetes cases are preventable. Simple lifestyle measures have been shown to be effective in preventing or delaying the onset of type 2 diabetes. Maintaining a normal body weight, engaging in regular physical activity, and eating a healthy diet can reduce the risk of diabetes.

The main goals of the World Health Day 2016 campaign are to:

· Increase awareness about the rise in diabetes, and its staggering burden and consequences, particularly in low- and middle-income countries;

· Trigger a set of specific, effective, and affordable actions to tackle diabetes—including steps to prevent diabetes and to diagnose, treat, and care for people with diabetes; and

· Launch the first Global Report on Diabetes, which will describe the burden and consequences of diabetes and advocate for stronger health systems to ensure improved surveillance, enhanced prevention, and more effective management of diabetes.”