Mr Kelzang, Roadmap for Spring Semester 2022

Goal	Areas of Development	Action Plan	Skills/ Processes/ Watermarks	Indicator of successes	Timeline
To keep subject knowledge up to date	Cerebral	Reading books for 30 minutes every day.	Skills: Reading comprehension Processes: Exploring different genres  Watermarks: Confident	Apply writing, reading and communication skills	April -June 2022
To develop communication skills	Cerebral	Read the required text beside library Watch English movies and listen to English songs Listen to Ted talks	Skills: Fluency & Vocabulary  Processes: Read aloud/silent reading Watermarks: Competent	Reading log book maintained	April-June 2022
To develop a writing habit	Cerebral	Learn different forms of writing (Memoir, travel log, stories, poems) Learn how to create blogging	Skills: Academic writing & Blogging Processes: Research, Writing & Blogging Watermarks: Competent	Few articles would be uploaded in blogging	April- June 2022
To improve spiritual, emotional & physical wellness	Spiritual Emotional Physical	I will join yoga club, attained evening prayers on every Tuesday.  Eat right diet and play games such as football and volley ball to keep physically fit.	Skills: Yoga skills Processes: Yoga Exercise and reading Watermarks: Awareness and  Mindfulness	Attend yoga every Friday from 6:00 am to 7:00 am	April-June,2022
To engage in community services	Social	Interact with friends and share some ideas I will be in Bhutanese attire in long journey to create aware in the community and to let realize the importance of Bhutanese culture.	Skills: Communication and socialization Processes: Interaction and mindfulness  Watermarks: Appreciation		April-June,2022

 

 

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Travel Writing, by Kelzang

Wishing to Explore Wish-Granting Lake in Khaling (Dangling Tsho)

Khaling lies on the lateral highway of Trashigang-Sumbdrup Jongkhar.  It is 54 km drive towards the south from Trashigang and it lies at an altitude of about 2300 m. The Gewog enjoys a temperate climate with warm summer and cold winter.  

 

Dangling Tsho is located north of Khaling. It takes 8-9 hours hike from Khaling town. Every Autumn, hundreds of people seek blessings from Dangling Tsho. They believe that the deity would grant them healthy livestock and a bountiful harvest. 

Legend says that Meme Dangling came with Brokpas of Merak and Sakteng from Tsonag in Tibet under the spiritual guidance of Am Jomo (a female guardian deity) of Merak and Sekten. It is being said that Meme Dangling is a brother of Abi Jomo.

In October 2001, I planned a day hike and asked my friends to refrain from eating meat, onion, and garlic two days before hiking. Orange juice and sweets helped to gear up for the walk at a high altitude. We started our journey at 4:30 am. As we climb up a very steep path through the beautiful meadows, scaringly though, we had an individual torchlight. We all wore gumboots as the track was not so good. We climbed half the way by then it opened a day-light. We rested in a beautiful place, had some juice, and sweets to prevent altitude sickness. We continued our journey and passed through the thick fir forest and trimmed tall trees. I briefed the dos and don’ts at the site because I have listened to some stories from my grandma. 

When it was about to reach Dangling Tsho, we come across a small stream called (Thri-chu). It is fixed with a log bowl to collect the Thri-chu, and Brokpas drink water from it. It is located just below the footpath. It is said that visitors must wash hands, face, and nendar to resin once impurity (Drip). We did it as instructed by my grandma. 

A few minutes’ walk from the Thri-chu site, we turned left and walked down for about three minutes to reach the Dangling Tsho. The lake is so beautiful, calm, and very clean.  We made a fire and some friends collected the leaves of the juniper tree. We fumigated and lit the incense. We prostrated three times, prayed and sought Meme Dangling that no ill luck must befall upon our team. We made three circumambulations, offering Nendar. A few minutes later, we saw shining stars emerge from the lake like popcorns. We were thrilled as we enjoyed seeing the miraculous from the wish-granting lake. We had lunch and met few Brokpas and exchanged dialogues where my friends made fun since the tone of our dialect was peculiar. We all reached back to our stations safely at 3:30 pm.

If you wish to visit Dangling Tsho, you will have to halt a night at Khaling town, and you will get logging facilities. I suggest starting your journey early morning at 5:30 am to come back before the sunset. It is always wise to take pack lunch, enough water, sweets, and some other drinks and incense sticks, a matchbox, knife, and coins for Nendar. You will have to wear hiking boots as the path is very rough and muddy. You must start your journey towards the north of the town, passing through a mini-hydropower plant and have to climb the very steep slope. The path passes through beautiful meadows surrounded by beautiful trimmed tall and big trees, bamboos, and fragrant rhododendrons. 

The best time for hiking is from October to November as the climate becomes suitable for the hikers. These months are ideal because the path is not bushy as the Brokpas migrate south from Merak and Sagten with the herd of cattle and sheep. You will also enjoy viewing the beautiful hurts and animals and conversing with Brokpas on the way. If you have leech phobia, I suggest taking some quantity of salt and pepper to prevent sticking to you. However, there will be few leeches in the Autumn but do not worry. 

Remember that people visiting the lake are forbidden to take meat, fish, onions, and garlic. Should they do that, they invite calamity of windstorms and unprecedented rain, which destroy crops at Khaling and adjoining areas and bring ill-luck to the people of Khaling.

 

 

Kelzang

                                                                                          

 

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My first journey to School

    

First Journey to my School 

 

First Journey to my School 

 

Once below a time, a couple lived happily looking after the herd of cattle consisting hundreds of Oxen, Mithuns', and bulls. They, too, had few horses to transport goods on seasonal migration. She was a short beautiful silky trimmed hair lady and a giant tall man who lived harmoniously with their beautiful little daughter in a small hut surrounded by dense, tall trees. In the evening, the herd of cattle would move around ringing the different tones of bells hung on each cattle, making the environment even more harmonious. The bells of the cattle early morning would be the alarm for the couple to wake and churn the milk. Even today the couple have the same chores.

I was born in 1977 and my brother in 1979.  They had another two sons added to their family, comprised of three siblings. I still remember that I was skinny with blonde hair, and my brother was fat and had blonde hair too. When I was five years old, I accompanied my giant father to look after the herds of cows. When the cattle were busy grazing, father and son would find the best place to sit and exchange conversations. Father asked me, "Do you like to look after the cattle?" I replied with a smiling face, "Yes, father! I like it because I get to stay with you." Father asked again "Would you like to go to school?" I replied with a screamy voice, "No, I don't want to go… cried!" Father remained silent with shining eyes for a few minutes kissing me and apologizing for asking such a question. When I stopped crying, the father explained, "If you go to school, you don't have to suffer like me in the future. If you study well, you will lead a happy life.” He asked again, “will you go to school?" I listened with a hiccup and remained silent.

 After a couple of years, in February 1984, parents were busy packing things consisting of two beautifully stitched jute sacks, husked buckwheat pillows, and woollen white blankets. They also packed fried cheese and clarified butter in bamboo-made containers and a few kilograms of popcorn. One evening, dad and mom took us to meet grandpa and grandma. They packed everything, loaded it on a giant white horse, and started our journey. It became dark, and my father felt pity for us and mount on the horse in addition to the load. Travelled a few meters, we rolled aside and hung upside down from the horse's barrel as the saddle billet strap was loose. We screamed but tied the billet strap, mounted again and started the journey. Mother scolded father for his carelessness and reached home late at night.      

In March 1984, my father and I with my brother travelled a day long to reach school; it was a tiring journey for us. However, father knew the route and loaded on the loin of the gigantic white horse again. We were happy to ride the horse but scared and sigh to cross the scary cliffs. However, we arrived in a beautiful plain place at around 2:30 pm. We had lunch and took a rest for half an hour. We continued to travel, and the younger brother is loaded again on the loin of the horseback. He banged on the horse's croup and galloped, erecting the white bushy tail and flung the mane beautifully. The brother shouted at the top of his voice and cried. However, my father instructed the horse and stopped galloping. 

We reached to the school in the evening, and it was a strange place for me and my brother. The school is located in a deep narrow valley surrounded by giant cliffs, we could see only the sky. There were only three buildings constructed in traditional Bhutanese structures. We wore a green school uniform and half-green gumboots the next day. My brother and I were admitted to the school, and our father left home screaming with the horse, and I too cried with my brother. We screamed every evening while sleeping on a beautifully stitched jute sack mattress laid on a dusty planked floor for almost a month, feeling very sad to be away from home. 

 Nothing is achieved without suffering. So, this is how I started my education and I always remain thankful to my parents, teachers, Kings and the giant white horse for lifting me to this current stage.         

   

 

 

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Elegy on the death of my grandpa

 

                    My Grandpa! My Grandpa! Each from the side of his bed,

The drowning hearts are weeping out of grief.

He lay cold and close with blood on his head,

Brown and dry as he is a shaded leaf.

 

Grandpa! Wake up. Friends and neighbours all have come,

Dress up, wake fast to wander all we wish.

But, their father rested cold and dead so firm,

Only to find death is harsh.

 

Homely joys had sunken into a withered doghouse of grief

For he cared and consoled one and all when in the gloom,

His striking face and glistering smile were all one wished to thief.

Everything he did was all for them to bloom.

 

The pictures he drew, and poems he wrote, dazzle all these times,

The canopy of shrubs took his hands for a month, stands alive,

Gathering souls of all ages to sing the rhymes,

Nurturing hardships, enthusiastic and positive in life

 

  

Life is but easy prey to the mouth of cruel death.

We look before and after, yearning for more,

Only legacy remains but not a part of the wealth

Life is absurd and vague that consumes like a running sore 

 

They pray for his soul, rest in celestial abbot of tranquillity,

Nursing the wisdom of Buddha and bodhisattvas,

Accomplishing the merits of dharma, and lifting the hell of their gloomy society 

All is what they had prayed for hours and hours.

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Reflection

Short Reflection (Wednesday-20th April)

I wondered what mentor and mentee are? Why do we need mentors and mentees at this stage? Were questions lingered in my mind and still hanging. Is there any success story about it? Another question in my mind. However, I understood when I attended the sessions on 20th April, Wednesday. 

In the first place, I searched for my mentor as I didn’t know who he was my metro. I also did not receive any information through mail or telegram. However, I am delighted as I could locate my mentor and friends. 

In the first session of the mentor and mentee program, we introduced each other, followed by some input information about the purpose of implementing the mentor and mentee program in the college. 

I was also asked to go through the self-backstory and renamed the folder as backstory. However, I couldn’t do as instructed due to being a novice in technology. I have come to realize the importance of keeping oneself intact to technology. We are asked to go through the mentoring guidelines, which were uploaded in our college mail, to understand the purpose of mentor and mentee. I was also asked to scan through the sample roadmap to suck better ideas to develop my roadmap. The session adjourned with the task of creating my roadmap.  

 

Kelzang

April 27th, 2022

 

The activities in this particular period were interesting, informative, and useful for a teacher and, moreover, for the enthusiastic writers. The activity was about creating our blogging page. However, I could not attend from the beginning of the session, where I lost track of developing my blogging and I remained hung observing other friends' work. I thought the tutor would reteach the steps, but my anticipation was murdered and I could not do anything.

However, I am glad that one of the mates came near me and taught me how to do my own blogging and relieved my tension. Yet, I am not confident in creating and setting profile pictures, though we were given enough practice.

It would be very helpful if the tutor could relook at this particular session.

 

 

4^th May 2022

The activities in this particular period were more informative, and useful as I learned the techniques of framing my own roadmap. It must be aligned with my back story and focused on the areas that we can achieve. I realized that roadmap must contain appropriate activities that must be aligned with my profession. 

I am glad that my mentor explained me in detail. 

18^th May 2022

 

In this particular session, we have focused on the benefits of this mentoring programme. We discussed two areas, such as increased self-awareness through "Backstories" and learning to self-reflect and improve goal-setting through a roadmap.

The information was uploaded by the mentor in our group forum to be read by the mentees. To provide experiential learning, we are asked to reflect on the "past," "present," and "future." We are asked to recall our roles from the past to the future. I realized that it gives real-life experiential learning, which makes our minds focused on particular events.

Past: My parents are farmers.

Place: Kurchilo, Lumang Gewog, Trashigang

Community: Humble people, scattered settlements, located in the slopy areas, cold in winter, and warm in the summer.

Crops: Maize, wheat, buckwheat, mustard, barley, millets, bitter buckwheat, Potatoes, beans, garlic, and other cash crops

My school life: lower kindergarten and upper kindergarten in Thungkhar LSS. 

Classes I-III in Gomdar Primary School, which is now a central school; classes IV-VII in Wamrong; VII-XII in Jigmesherubling HSS; B.Ed – Paro College of Education; and 

PGDE at Sherubtse College. 

Languages: Tsangla, Dzongkhag, and English. This part of the task pushed me to tame my state of mind by reflecting on past events.

Present: I am a student at Samtse College of Education.

Languages spoke: Dzongkhag and English

Passion: I love teaching lower primary students, writing free genres, painting, reading, drawing, and playing traditional archery.

Finally, we also kept our minds contemplating on future as follows:

In the future, I will be a humble teacher and want to be resourceful and a good communicator.

Mentor also uploaded some beautiful articles to the forum, which I found informative. I was also very busy practicing for our theatrical performance to be staged on May 29^th. This keeps me under stress throughout the weekdays and still in the process of mastering my artistic skills.

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