A J O U R N E Y T O H A P P I N E S S

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A J O U R N E Y T O H A P P I N E S S

“Bhutan is a small dot betweentwo economic giants - India and China, and even though we are not rich, we are culturally rich”

- Jigme Drukpa

Deep in the Himalayas, far away from modern civilization, there liesThe Kingdom of the Thunder Dragon, or simply Bhutan - the first country ever to focus on people’s happinessrather than economic wealth.

The students and teachers ofTHINK Global School got a chanceto immerse themselves into theBhutanese culture and be a part of it.

This ebook tells the story of ourjourney through photos and blogsproduced by TGS students and teachers.

Bhutan is where I grew up. It’s where I learned that happiness is more than just smiles. It’s where one can soar so high above like a dragon and where dragons are no sagas. It’s where I learned that life is more than living. It’s where silence is never quiet. It’s where I learned that there’s more than what my orbs can behold. It’s where bliss is more momentous than coins.

It’s where I learned that the people in South and North pole walk like us and that they don’t fall that the world isn’t just Bhutan.It’s where my shelf was filled with G.I.joes and dragon ball z cards whilst girls my age had Barbie everywhere. It’s where I thought brooms could fly me to every nook and cranny. It’s whereI never stopped feeling super because a fall and a scar meanta hero and hardiness. It’s where having a brother meant being on a wrestling ring. Yet, my heart would always sway to the beat of Hannah Montana. It’s where I knew what, “your voice is bestsuited in the bathroom,” meant. It’s where I uncoveredfootball as my zeal.

It’s where momos and thukpas are always good, and a cup of suja will always warm your heart. It’s where Chokgus will strengthen your teeth and make your lips turn chalky. It’s where your fingers are the greatest silverware. It’s where hamburgers and fries are grandeurs. It’s where an ingredient can have a finer anecdote than my life. It’s where you make histories in your solitary moments.

It’s where I learned that being alone is okay because it issimply like a day without the sun. It is dark. It’s where gossipswith friends will never be a secret because a secret is nevershared between two. It’s where I learned to learn. It’s whereI learned that obedience at times kept you confined. It’s where I learned that a lash on your palm makes the icy limb of a table more than just a limb. It’s where I learned that a blaze adjacentto an electric picket could set your house on fire.

It’s where I learned that life is better off without T.V., It’s where looking like a “Korean” is the way into a crowd. It’s where a text from Gunda Chunku meant a hand in the underworld. It’s where weed fed your problems well, but it got you nowhere. It’s where a true king can be unearthed. Where bloods shed and lives lost, can only be looked upon with due respect. It’s where war is never the answer to peace and freedom. It’s a place where I learned that whether an infantry or Superman, shots of gin can surely knock you off.

It’s where I learned the beauty of time. Time isn’t what makesyou old; it’s what prepares you for the world. It’s where twilight means wisdom and absence of personages’ means no creation.It’s where I learned that the absence of a mother in herunderpinning year creates no line between a girl and a boy.

- Pema, Bhutan

Bhutan, The Land of The Thunder Dragon, a small country bellow China and next toIndia that believes in happiness being one the most important things in the world that even the fourth Dragon King of Bhutan Jigme Singye Wangchuck made the statement that Gross National Happiness is more important than Gross National Product. Yet, it is the Bhutanese biggestmotivation. After spending two long weeks traveling around Bhutan, talking to different people, visiting Dzongs and Monasteries, and of courseasking our guides the ultimate question:is everybody in Bhutan happy? “Happiness is something very special,everybody here in this

country believes in it in their own ways, they have their own perspective.

Money is definitely not the only thing that can make people happy, not

only in Bhutan but all around the world. If a teacher spends an hour

or more explaining a lesson to his students and at the end he

realizes that they didunderstand it he will leave

his classroom with a smile on his face. Ifsomeone

wishes

a good morning to another person on

the street, it could bea stranger it will make you

happy. So basically, smallthings like that can make you

happy.” -Jigme Drukpa. Essentially, the pink bus guide, Jigme, pointed on money

saying it is not what can make anybody happy.It doesn’t matter how much Ngultrums you have in

your pocket or in your bank account, it doesn’t matter

how rich you are -- very simple things can make your happiness. Money is definitely what will make you happy. So Jigme and a bunch of other people think that the majority of people in Bhutan are happy, and to be honest now that I’m thinking about it I am part of these people too. However, I know that in other countries the definition of happiness is way different. I feel like happiness is all that everybody wants but unfortunately not everybody has it. - Fatima, Morocco

“Gross National Happiness (GNH) acts as our national conscience guiding us towards making wise

decisions for a better future. It ensuresthat no matter what our nation may

seek to achieve, the humandimension, the individual’s place in

the nation, is never forgotten. It is a constantreminder that we must strive for a caring leadership

so that as the world and country changes, as ournation’s goals change, our foremost priority will

always remain the happiness and wellbeing of ourpeople – including the generations to come after us.”

-His Majesty King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck

“This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain,

our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness.“

- Dalai Lama

Nestled in the southern slopes of the Himalayan mountains, the tiny Kingdom of Bhutanoffers those that visit a glimpse into a highly preserved way of life. Hailed as the lastShangri-La, visitors to Bhutan are at once transfixed by the country’s unspoiled fairytalelandscapes and exotic wildlife species such as the Takin and Black Necked Crane. Redrobed monks and brightly colored prayer flags can be found at Bhutan’s many sacredLakhangs (temples) and imposing fortress monasteries known as dzongs. While here,students will be introduced to Bhutan’s unique and innovative approach to planning thenext stages of global development, using the four pillars of Gross National Happiness asorganizing principles.

With its picturesque views, tranquil Buddhist lifestyle and focus on tradition, it’s no wonder that the Kingdom of Bhutan is recognized as one of the happiest places on earth, and we are no doubt happy to visit!

Exactly a week has gone by since the end to our incrediblejourney through Bhutan. I hope those of you who werethere have continued to reflect and have begun to shareyour experiences with family and friends. The trip sitsat the top of my list of amazing experiences abroad.I returned inspired and intrigued and even morepassionate about traveling and experiencingother cultures.

Since our trip, I’ve had the opportunityto read a wonderful piece of writingby the British essayist Pico Iyercalled “Why We Travel”.In the essay, Pico describesthe exuberance one feelsas he or she makes their wayaround the world, be itexploring wonderfullyunusual places orcelebrating randomfriendshipsstruck up whileon the road.Wanderlustis highly comparableto fallingin love,and thefurtheryoutravel,the deeperthat lovegrows.

We travel, initially, to lose ourselves; and we travel,next, to find ourselves. We travel to open our heartsand eyes and learn more about the world than our

newspapers will accommodate.

“

”- Pico Iyer

Bhutan in the winter energizes the hunger for discovery that’s resident in children lucky enough to be young. It would take a dark closet for decades to produce this contrast anywhere else, the specialness clear with every sip of cold mountain air or gentle exchange. I can’t say this is what travel should always be, because it’s onlythrough their unique set of occurrences that yielded such an outcome. But what they have set up, from my effortless post, has a wonderful effect. Wool isnowhere near our eyes, and we are learning individual lessons from the backgrounds we brought.

I almost feel inclined to state I’m not an affiliate, but I did not buy this experience. One should take my

musings with this factor in mind. If I didn’t earn my place in this country, does that make my

words as weightless and discardable as crow feathers? Certainly not as

constant as a prayer flag, whose words are

established and worthy of fame.

I think we’ve been reset. Winter. New starts. Distillation of enthusiasm. I wonder if we have become a groupenergized to learn on the road, a band of international brethren, one capable of taking an engaging experiment and making it result in great things. Maybe it’s just the rarity of Bhutan bringing the special and the beautiful out of complex beings.In the mountain air, we’ve become primal and receptive to the cleansing powers of the new.

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Our two week intersession came and went, but one thing is for certain: the students and staff members that had the privilege to visit this tinypicturesque kingdom rankthe experience as one of the most unique and absorbing of their lives. Bhutan, which is the birthplace and hometo four of our students,

allowed us a rare glimpse into a country that vigorously fights to remain unspoiled. Thispreservation of theenvironment and attention to its citizens’ well-being were at the core of our trip as we set out to learn more about the Bhutanese concept of Gross National Happiness (GNH).