Skip to main content

This Dream Made me Weep

I am given an opportunity to go abroad on a study tour. An uncle of mine is to escort me. Everything is ready and I am thoroughly excited. But one of my friends told me I needed a suit on this long tour. That’s crazy, but if it is important than I need to have one, I think. I don’t have one.

I ask my friends whether they have any. None! Finally, a friend takes me to his friend’s friend who has clothing. I ask him if I could borrow it. A crazy idea by any means, but shit happens in dreams.

“My suit is quite new…” the boy avoids looking me in the eye. And walking away from us, he apologizes “Sorry, I cannot borrow it to you.”

My sky-like hope comes crashing down.

And this morning, I wake up sad and embarrassed. I tell her about my dream. I can no longer hide my tears. She hugs me and consoles me saying it was just a dream. That was of some comfort, for me it was more than a dream; it was a life unknown. I was already wounded by the look of hatred and refusal on the boy’s face. Why would not my uncle buy me the outfit?

If you have nothing, people would never come to help you while in need. That suit I direly wanted in my dream stands as a metaphor for me and my life.

Coming to the office this morning, I was thinking of a Bhutanese proverb: If you live in happiness, even the birds in the sky will flock around you, and if you live in suffering, even your dear son will desert you.

Indeed!

Sometimes dreams can make us weep. But even if I don’t want the trousers, I am going to buy it soon. I know how it feels to be turned down.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

When they are ready

The Ministry of Education discovered 890 'underage' children admitted in schools across the country in 2019. Thus, the ministry in May 2019 issued a notification revoking the admission for these children.  Majority were in urban centres.  Desperate, parents and the affected schools requested the government to intervene. They also requested the government to consider lowering the enrolment age to five years.  Currently, in Bhutan a child can legally go to school only when s(he) is six years old.  And that policy was strictly followed a few years ago to the extent that some schools refused to admit children even if they were short of a few weeks. So, parents, mostly in urban areas, resorted to faking their children's ages. Many parents were guilty of adding years onto their children's actual ages. However, most parents, we are told, managed to correct their 'mistakes' later.  Faking a child's age was rampant...

An endemic sense of place

A sense of place is a feeling that makes one feel at home and thereby at peace whenever he or she is in a particular area or think of one. It is the first impression or a deep sense of recognition that is deeply rooted in our memories. It is a feeling of happiness, and a sense of safety, an expression of endearment toward a particula r place (Cross 2001).   Before I travelled to Perth for my studies, I used to work in Thimphu, though I was born and raised in a small village called Wamling in central Bhutan. Although Thimphu offers modern facilities and infrastructure, it is only back in the village that I feel entirely at home. It's here I get a sense of peace and experience a sense of belongingness; it's where I can genuinely be myself.   In Wamling, our day breaks with a crowing of a rooster and mooing of cows in the distance. Somewhere a horse neighs, and another reciprocates from nearby. A dog howls and chickens chuckle in the coup. A stream gurgles down the hill turning p...

Community of Bhutanese Bloggers Conceived

And finally it happened. I must say that it was by far the most attended Bloggers Meet. In the past we had bloggers agree to attend and cancel at the very last minute. But on June 24, 2015 – almost 100% of bloggers, who confirmed came. I would like to thank everyone for keeping his/her words, especially those who had to come all the way from Wangdue or Paro. Thank you! 35 Bhutanese bloggers met in Thimphu. We were honored to have the presence of senior bloggers like Aue Yeshi Dorji and Dasho Sangay Khandu. The meeting assumed more significance because of their presence. Equally, we were happy to have many young bloggers in whom we see so much enthusiasm and potential. On top of many things that transpired during the Meet, one of the most significant outcomes was the unanimous decision reached to form a formal group of bloggers, a platform aimed at encouraging and inspiring more bloggers around the country. The members decided that we will call it Community of Bhutanese Blogger...