The Tihar Festival

The Tihar Festival is a five-day festival celebrated in Nepal and Bhutan (by those individuals of Nepalese origin) that begins on the thirteenth day of the waning moon in the month of October. The purpose of the festival is to worship different animals, including cows, dogs, and crows, and the Hindu Goddess of Good Fortune or Wealth, Goddess Laxmi. Throughout the five days, people celebrate the holiday by preparing meals for each other, and for the honored animals and Goddess, and decorating their homes and neighborhoods.

Visit the link below for more information about the Tihar Festival of Nepal:

http://www.nepalvista.com/travel/tihar.html

Why Are There Refugees From Bhutan?

So why are there refugees from Bhutan anyway? The majority of the Bhutanese refugees are ethnic Nepalis from the southern region of the country, who are known as the Lhotsampas. Over the years the Lhotsamapas have maintained their Nepali culture, language, and religion, which is separate from the northern group of Bhutanese, the Druk, who are native Tibetans. The Bhutanese government allowed all Lhotsampas to apply for Bhutanese citizenship under the 1958 Nationality Law. However, in the 1980s the government became concerned about the growing Lhotsampa population and its potential threat to the dominant culture, language, and religion of the country. As a result of this growing fear, a series of policies, known as “Bhutanization,” were implemented, which imposed dress codes, restricted the practice of Nepali customs, and prohibited the Nepali language from being spoken in schools. Eventually, in 1990, as a result of the “Bhutanization” policies, the government announced that all Lhotsampas who could not prove that they had become residents of Bhutan in 1958 under the Nationality Law, were forced to leave the country.

Many of the Lhotsampas fled to eastern Nepal. There are approximately 107,000 Bhutanese refugees living in seven refugee camps in eastern Nepal, many of whom have lived in the camps for 16 years, as they are unable to return to Bhutan or permanently settle in Nepal.

The political situation in Bhutan that has forced thousands of Lhotsampas into exile is quite controversial, and I have simply grazed the surface of the issues causing the controversy in this posting. For more information about the history of the conflict, please visit the following links:

1.) http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/type,COUNTRYREP,,BTN,465c36842,0.html

2.) http://www.cal.org/co/pdffiles/backgrounder_bhutanese.pdf


Additionally, visit the United Nations Refugee Agency website to view a video about the resettlement of the Bhutanese refugees:

http://www.unhcr.org/47cc007c4.html

UN to Cut Food Aid to Bhutanese Refugees

In a statement issued on October 16th, 2009, the United Nations announced that it will be forced to cut food aid to approximately 100,000 Bhutanese refugees living in camps in Nepal as a result of a funding shortage. The WFP (World Food Programme), the food aid branch of the United Nations, does not have sufficient funds to continue providing support for the refugees, and the organization will need an additional $4 million to maintain the assistance. Please click on the link below to read the full press release on the BBC News web site.

The photograph attached to this posting was taken by The Bhutanese News Service, which is an agency that was formed in 2006 by a group of exiled Bhutanese journalists,captures Bhutanese refugees in a church within one of the seven refugee camps in Nepal.

Getting Down to Basics: How is the climate of Bhutan different from the climate of Vermont?

During my tutoring sessions with my Bhutanese tutee, I have constantly found myself wondering how different life must be in Vermont for Bhutanese refugees who have been accustomed to living in camps halfway across the globe. Many of the differences that spring to mind are things such as the food that is available in Vermont, the surroundings, and of course, the climate. How often do we really think about the ways that our physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being are influenced by the climate in which we reside? Perhaps we rarely think about it until we are faced with adapting to a new climate...?

Bhutan's climate varies according to altitute. There are three distinct climate zones within the country, 1.) substropical in the southern region, 2.) temperate in the central region, which is the most populated area, 3.) and alpine in the northern region. The majority of the refugees from Bhutan are natives of the southern region and are accustomed to a sub-tropical climate. One can imagine that the transition from a sub-tropical climate to the continental moist climate of Vermont, that is known for it's long and cold winters, would be a difficult one to endure. As home-school liason, Madhu Neupone, mentioned in his presentation about the Bhutanese refugee experience, many of the Bhutanese refugees have never seen snow until they spend their first winter in Vermont.

Welcome!

I have just begun providing ESL tutorial services for a refugee from Bhutan. When I was notified by the refugee resettlement organization that my ESL tutee was from Bhutan, it dawned on me that I knew very little about my student’s native country. Additionally, I am embarrassed to write that I was entirely uninformed about the refugee situation in Bhutan and Nepal prior to my orientation with the refugee resettlement organization. I love learning, particularly about new countries and their histories, so I have decided to research the history and culture of Bhutan, the Bhutanese refugee experience, and the conflict that has caused the forced exile of over one hundred thousand Bhutanese residents and maintain a blog through this process to record all of the interesting information that I learn. My hope is that I will gain a better understanding of my student’s and her family members’ life experiences, cultural traditions, and values through this research process.