The much deserved days have begun for me,since the beginning of the academic year, life has been a grinding mill kind of a story, i mean i was kind of grain and i was being ground. Only those who have actually worked in a boarding school where there is but little time for oneself understands what I'm actually talking about, the rest might just scoff and say,"What the heck? Life of a teacher is the most easiest." But little do they realise that each day of a teacher's life is filled with the schools activities; sometimes planning for it, sometimes discussing it with someone, sometimes thinking of the aftermath, sometimes thinking of the achievement but whatever it is thoughts are of school and its activities only. The people in the other offices can leave their task for some other day if not in mood but a teacher has to teach what one has planned for the day on that day itself. Even if one falls seriously ill, no other teachers will finish the others job, what is one's share has to be done by oneself, there is no bothering others about ones job. Well, i don't mind the preparing of my lessons( I hardly do that infact), i don't mind going to the class and facing 1000s of students, i don't mind standing the whole day so long as I can see the faces of all my students and I can see the satisfied smile on their faces( although my varicose veins filled legs do not agree with me); but what I don't like is the staying back after the school hours to watch football matches. Even as a student I was never interested in watching all kinds of matches and now that I am an adult with lots of responsibilities at home I despise these matches which keeps me in the school even more than before. I hate the study duties, where we've to wander around hitting on sleepy heads reminding the students to study,almost cajoling them into studying as if they are doing the teachers a favour by studying; I hate the meals inspection( it reminds me of my days in school where i had to go through the ordeal of the similar kind of food for meals); but hate it or love it,we must do it all.
But with the National day celebration the tough ordeal is over. I view National day with my eyes filled with tears of patriotism mingled with the sense of freedom from the next day onwards. It reminds all the teachers of the end of yet another turmoil filled year.
write
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Saturday, December 19, 2009
My Aimbitions in life
One month before the school shuts down for its winter vacation, eh?" Without turning towards the sound she knew it was her nosy neighbor who seemed to have something or the other to say whenever they met. Bhutan is a small country where everybody knows everybody- so much so that one neighbor knows exact details of what one has in one's house, starting from a small pin to the most expensive kira. As she passed this neighbor with a nod for an answer to her query, she thought that it was owing to insistent people like this neighbor of hers who made this line about Bhutan so true. She had a peculiar way of walking whenever she was troubled by a thought, she fixed her eyes on the hem of her kira, plodded with her heels touching the ground first, and then only making her toes land with a thump. Usually, on a normal day it used to take her twenty minutes to reach school but whenever she plodded in this fashion, deep in thoughts it took her more than half an hour.
She taught history in the school. While a kid, she used to excel in her academics and the whole town used to tell her that one day she would definitely become a doctor. She also believed the same. Well, in those days Doctors profession was always rated first among all other profession, so obviously anybody good in studies would be generously offered the dream of becoming a doctor when one grew up. Dreams were easily available like the wares in the Bazaar in the neighboring country of India, which she frequented during her winter holidays. You could pick one, strike a hard bargain; if it doesn't suit you then toss it away for another ware all the same. She nursed this dream of becoming a doctor till her sixth standard. She even bought First Aid books and books like where there is no doctor, probably hoping that it would give support to her big dream. It was during science period, her favorite teacher, because he was teaching them science- the subject she was required to learn to make her dreams real, asked them their ambition in life. "Doctor," she chimed with pride. Others followed with Engineer, teacher, farmer, the list wasn't that long. "Do you know that while you undergo the training, you'll be kept all alone in a big room…" He slowed his speech and lowered the volume too to add eeriness to what he was going to say. Selden had to strain her ears to listen with all heart because it was what she felt she ought to know."…there will be a dead body and you'll have to operate it and at times the body does spring up, you know?" he ended piously. That was the day her dreams of becoming a doctor last filled her heart and it was discarded like any other unimportant steps one takes in life. "What the heck, I'll become an Engineer. I am good in science," she said this to console herself. She had no idea whatsoever about the kind of work the engineers did nor did she know about any books that would help her in pursuing her new found dreams. She simply saw herself beside long bridges where hundreds of laborers worked with her. Seeing herself beside skyscrapers in her dreams, made her really fly high with hopes found anew in her heart. But then she reached the seventh standard and physics drew out every little hopes of engineering that evoked her new found dream. She wandered in the walk of life until one day when she was in class ten, she was asked to do a presentation by her history teacher. As she ended her presentation, the teacher applauded loudly and said,"Selden will make a fine teacher one day."
This prediction did come true, she became a teacher.
With the year coming to an end the workload burdened her: paper correction, filling the progress report, planning for winter holidays destination and she plodded slowly fuming over the nosy neighbor she had to put up with.
(Note to the readers, I've always wanted to become a teacher so I've fulfilled this dream of mine by writing this piece, I imagine myself to be Selden of this story).
She taught history in the school. While a kid, she used to excel in her academics and the whole town used to tell her that one day she would definitely become a doctor. She also believed the same. Well, in those days Doctors profession was always rated first among all other profession, so obviously anybody good in studies would be generously offered the dream of becoming a doctor when one grew up. Dreams were easily available like the wares in the Bazaar in the neighboring country of India, which she frequented during her winter holidays. You could pick one, strike a hard bargain; if it doesn't suit you then toss it away for another ware all the same. She nursed this dream of becoming a doctor till her sixth standard. She even bought First Aid books and books like where there is no doctor, probably hoping that it would give support to her big dream. It was during science period, her favorite teacher, because he was teaching them science- the subject she was required to learn to make her dreams real, asked them their ambition in life. "Doctor," she chimed with pride. Others followed with Engineer, teacher, farmer, the list wasn't that long. "Do you know that while you undergo the training, you'll be kept all alone in a big room…" He slowed his speech and lowered the volume too to add eeriness to what he was going to say. Selden had to strain her ears to listen with all heart because it was what she felt she ought to know."…there will be a dead body and you'll have to operate it and at times the body does spring up, you know?" he ended piously. That was the day her dreams of becoming a doctor last filled her heart and it was discarded like any other unimportant steps one takes in life. "What the heck, I'll become an Engineer. I am good in science," she said this to console herself. She had no idea whatsoever about the kind of work the engineers did nor did she know about any books that would help her in pursuing her new found dreams. She simply saw herself beside long bridges where hundreds of laborers worked with her. Seeing herself beside skyscrapers in her dreams, made her really fly high with hopes found anew in her heart. But then she reached the seventh standard and physics drew out every little hopes of engineering that evoked her new found dream. She wandered in the walk of life until one day when she was in class ten, she was asked to do a presentation by her history teacher. As she ended her presentation, the teacher applauded loudly and said,"Selden will make a fine teacher one day."
This prediction did come true, she became a teacher.
With the year coming to an end the workload burdened her: paper correction, filling the progress report, planning for winter holidays destination and she plodded slowly fuming over the nosy neighbor she had to put up with.
(Note to the readers, I've always wanted to become a teacher so I've fulfilled this dream of mine by writing this piece, I imagine myself to be Selden of this story).
Cupid Naka
My friends never forget to remind me that I am the biggest pessimist they have ever seen in their entire lifetime. They taunt me saying the sun must have forgotten to shine on the day I was born; hence I never seem to see the brighter side of life. What they don't know is that I came into the world in the darkest hour of mid-night. I used to feel that the hour I chose to make my entry into this earth was ominous of the dark and dismal life destiny had chosen for me. And very recently I took a personality test quiz in facebook and the result confirmed what my friends told me all the time, "Nobody likes you. You walk like a zombie…….." I stopped reading any further, pessimist that I was I didn't want it to ruin my entire day.
But the tremor of 21st September, 2009, that shook the whole eastern Dzongkhag changed the way I looked at life and people living it. May be God leaves its signs in awkward places so that we can earth it at the most unlikely places at the most unlikely hour. It gave the insight of the dark side of Mother Nature when she shook with her anger which seemed to have filled to the brim. So strong was her wrath that people started talking of more of her fury to follow. Following the cue, we chose the open fields to take us in its embrace to save ourselves from her wrath. It was way past mid- night but sleep had eluded the eyes of the people who had gathered in the public ground. People from all walks of life had bundled up in that ground, seeking mercy from the changing mood of Mother Nature. I cuddled up beside my seven months old baby, partly to keep her warm and partly to suppress the tremor in my heart (I was scared, really scared that day). "Are you new here? I've never seen you around here?" a male voice reached my ears. I turned around wondering who could be asking me that question. In the darkness I couldn't see their faces but the way they sat facing each other, I sensed their bodies speaking volumes about the unease they were feeling in being so close to each other. I realized the question wasn't intended for me. I wasn't eavesdropping but since they were quite near to me, my ears caught up their conversation. I came to know that the shy girl was a baby sitter who lived in the hospital colony and had come out because of earthquake but otherwise was never allowed to tread outside her employer's house. The boy was a sales boy of the most popular shop located in the heart of the town. Many easy talks and giggles later, I understood that the two had already discarded their uneasiness and had professed love so true to each other. As love seeped deep in their heart I felt my previous inhibitions about the earthquake changing and slowly I found the goddess of sleep blessing me with her hand
On that day (should I say night?) I remembered Helen Keller's Nature in not always kind and just couldn't help seeing the positive side of such a disastrous day. Nature had been cruel to many of us but for these two people who found each other in such hour, Ap Naka had become their cupid. Had there been no Ap Naka they would have never met each other.
But the tremor of 21st September, 2009, that shook the whole eastern Dzongkhag changed the way I looked at life and people living it. May be God leaves its signs in awkward places so that we can earth it at the most unlikely places at the most unlikely hour. It gave the insight of the dark side of Mother Nature when she shook with her anger which seemed to have filled to the brim. So strong was her wrath that people started talking of more of her fury to follow. Following the cue, we chose the open fields to take us in its embrace to save ourselves from her wrath. It was way past mid- night but sleep had eluded the eyes of the people who had gathered in the public ground. People from all walks of life had bundled up in that ground, seeking mercy from the changing mood of Mother Nature. I cuddled up beside my seven months old baby, partly to keep her warm and partly to suppress the tremor in my heart (I was scared, really scared that day). "Are you new here? I've never seen you around here?" a male voice reached my ears. I turned around wondering who could be asking me that question. In the darkness I couldn't see their faces but the way they sat facing each other, I sensed their bodies speaking volumes about the unease they were feeling in being so close to each other. I realized the question wasn't intended for me. I wasn't eavesdropping but since they were quite near to me, my ears caught up their conversation. I came to know that the shy girl was a baby sitter who lived in the hospital colony and had come out because of earthquake but otherwise was never allowed to tread outside her employer's house. The boy was a sales boy of the most popular shop located in the heart of the town. Many easy talks and giggles later, I understood that the two had already discarded their uneasiness and had professed love so true to each other. As love seeped deep in their heart I felt my previous inhibitions about the earthquake changing and slowly I found the goddess of sleep blessing me with her hand
On that day (should I say night?) I remembered Helen Keller's Nature in not always kind and just couldn't help seeing the positive side of such a disastrous day. Nature had been cruel to many of us but for these two people who found each other in such hour, Ap Naka had become their cupid. Had there been no Ap Naka they would have never met each other.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)