There were two big take-away impressions from this
program: a sense of optimism about the potential
of good environmental policy and an understanding
of the intricacy created by the interactions between
different levels of government and the community.
Bhutan is often hailed as the "last Shangri-La," and
for good reason. The emphasis on how important
the environment is for the country and its citizens is
reflected in both attitude and legislature. 60% of forest
land is constitutionally protected for eternity. More
than half of the country is within a system of protected
lands and wildlife corridors. Partnerships between
the constitutional monarchy, NGOs, international aid
organizations, and local communities resulted in a
variety of environmental protection efforts that have
claimed success over the years. With this being said,
simply stating that Bhutan is a Himalayan kingdom
of happiness and carbon neutrality isn't the whole
truth. We explored the shortcomings of using GNH
and the challenges of an urbanizing population. As
low volume, high impact tourism drives the service
industry, more development projects destroy
important wetlands and compete with generational
farmlands. Young Bhutanese are highly educated
and interested in Western ways of life. Less young
people are choosing careers in agriculture and are
looking for employment in cities. They are less likely
to wear the National Dress and perform important
Buddhist rituals. The influence of the Western world is
driving cultural changes, including an increase in mass
media and processed goods consumption. You see a
Bhutan that is striving to modernize like the rest of the
world while remaining environmentally and culturally
intact. This dilemma sparked many explorations and
discussions in our classes and in the field.
The School for Field Studies
WWW.FIELDSTUDIES.ORG
6
SCHOLARSHIP REPORTS
Every morning I woke up to crisp clean air, the sound
of the Pa Chhu river, and the stunning view of the Paro
Valley through my open window. My semester abroad
in Bhutan was among the healthiest and happiest times
of my life. Three months in this beautiful and unique
country was just enough time to forge meaningful
relationships and develop a deep understanding of the
Bhutanese way of life but it was also long enough
to make saying goodbye so hard. Every day on the
program was full with a satisfying kind of busyness.
There was a balance of work and play. We had
classes six days a week, with excursions and cultural
events planned throughout. This semester truly
redefined the way I think of experiential education. I
realized that much of what I had learned happened
in moments where I was not sitting behind a desk.
Everywhere we traveled and every person we met was
a learning experience in itself. While understanding
Buddhism and the Bhutanese way of life could take
a lifetime, I returned to my home institution with an
appreciation for the country I left behind.
The School for Field Studies in Bhutan prospers from
a wonderful and hardworking team of faculty and
staff. The professors, directors, and support staff
communicate and coordinate with each other to craft
a program that takes us to important sites across the
country that illustrate ideas we are learning about in
class. SFS has an incredible array of partnerships with
organizations from the local to international scale
and is able to pull resources and guest lecturers from
a variety of backgrounds. What I learned in this past
semester came together in a tight, interconnected
package. What we studied in my Language and Culture
class served as a background to the Buddhism-
influenced policies we learned about in Political and
Socio-economic Dimensions of the Environment.
The environmental policies we learned about helped
us understand the changes occurring in Bhutan
as discussed in Land Use, Natural Resources, and
Conservation. Finally, Mountain Ecology illustrated the
land use and human population distributions changes
occurring in Bhutan with a focus on the local wildlife so
valued by the Bhutanese. And all of our field excursions
supported concepts we were studying in every class!
Never before had my daily observations and all of my
classes come together to paint an all-encompassing,
complex picture of a society in transition.
This experience influenced my interest in community-
based conservation. I now realize that the conservation
methods used in the US like the strategies I learn
at Duke are not always the best tactics and may
even be ineffective in certain communities. If the
government had posted a placard asking people not
to wash their cars at this stream site, it probably
would have been ignored. But making the location a
holy site was effective. This is a unique characteristic
of this community; a similar tactic most likely
would not have worked in America. My semester in
Bhutan influenced me to enroll into two courses this
semester: International Conservation & Development
and Community-Based Conservation. After this
experience, I realized I have a lot to learn about working
on different environmental and governmental scales.
Another highlight of the trip was the directed research. I
chose to work with Jesse Lewis, who taught Mountain
Ecology. I was eager to get into the field to gain a
closer relationship with the ecology of the region. I
chose to work in the local watershed. Right outside
of our Center flowed the Pa Chhu river, one of the
main feeder rivers of the larger Wang Chhu river.
Dzongs, which are ornate buildings with religious,
military, governmental, and social importance, are
sometimes located on the banks of beautiful rivers.
I wanted to know if the Wang Chhu river system
was healthy and clean: especially since it flows past
two rapidly urbanizing cities of Paro and Thimphu.
Designing my research question and process was
a unique experience. I've never had to think through
an entire process like this from start to finish. I
was conducting new research, and I had to pave
my own path. It also taught me a lot about staying
positive through trial and error. With help from my
advisor, I reworked and perfected my data collection
methods until I had a scientifically solid process. I
also collaborated with three other group members
who were collecting river data for other research
questions. We helped collect data from each other and
we also helped improve one another's methodology.
Seeing it through was a satisfying process. After the
data had been collected, analyzed, and synthesized
into a paper, I had the opportunity and honor to
present my findings at an environmental convention
in Thimphu with a diverse and distinguished audience!
I originally chose The School for Field Studies because I
wanted rigorous academics with a focus on experiential
learning. Many of my peers from my home institution
chose to go to Europe for their semester abroad to
avoid leaving their cultural comfort zone and to go
clubbing on the weekends. What I wanted for myself
was to have a meaningful experience and learn a lot
about a culture that was different from mine. I hoped
that my interactions with the local community in
trying to solve environmental issues and the directed
research component of the program would give me a
clearer idea of where I wanted to take my academic
and career goals. My expectations for this program
were met and far exceeded. I cannot describe how
wonderful the entire semester was. I've made lasting
friendships, seen a unique part of the world, and pushed
my comfort zones all while furthering my education
in both concrete and intangible ways. Thank you!
ANDREA KOLAROVA
SFS Bhutan Fall `18 | Duke University
"My semester abroad in Bhutan
was among the healthiest and
happiest times of my life."
One of the first field lectures had the strongest
impact on me. As a class, we traveled to a roadside
rock painting site of Guru Rinpoche. The painting was
relatively new, only a few decades old. Most ney and
beyul (Buddhist holy sites) were established centuries
ago. At the site, there were prayer wheels being
turned by the creek and prayer flags draped across
the site. Once we stepped out of the vans, the serenity
of the site silenced us. The color of the waving flags,
the feel of the wind, and the sound of the water gave
this small holy site an air of importance and respect.
The professor leading the trip, Dr. Kuenga, explained
that this spot used to be a popular place for people
living in Paro town to come and wash their cars.
This was a harmful polluting activity, and in order to
curb this activity, the rock painting was created to
make this a holy site. Given the cultural and religious
context of Bhutan, this method worked. It stopped
the harmful activity because Bhutanese would not
pollute or exploit a holy site. This was the first of
many instances where I learned about the connection
between culture, religion, and conservation.