...sit on the left side of the plane and be rewarded with breathtaking views. In case you are wondering exactly where Bhutan is (I was), it’s nestled in the Himalaya mountain range, bordered by China to the north and India to the south, and the views from the plane were quite simply the most majestic we have ever seen. For most of the trip, we had a bird’s eye view of the stunning Himalaya range….definitely a sight we won’t soon forget (and further fodder to encourage us to try another trek).

Upon landing in Bhutan, we were immediately struck by its cleanliness and the purity of the air. As the second least populated country in Southeast Asia, Bhutan is one of the few negative emission countries, and we could immediately feel the positive impact on the environment - crisp, clean air and virtually no trash. In comparison to Nepal, Bhutan’s population is approximately 750,000, which is roughly one-tenth of the population of Kathmandu alone (the largest city in Nepal). It was such a stark example of the toll that excess population can have on a region.

Beyond the population itself, Bhutan’s strict regulations also play a role in preserving the beauty and culture of the country. For one, you can only visit the country if you hire a government-run tour agency, and you must have a guide. The places we stayed were comfortable but very much on the “tour circuit,” where we ate side-by-side with other tourists but had limited opportunity to meet any of the locals. 

Despite it being one of the poorest countries in the world, Bhutan proudly measures success in “GNH,” or Gross National Happiness, and it has a lot of cultural pride. The sights and experiences we took in were amazing - many beautiful monasteries, with the Tiger Nest Monastery being the most beautiful site of the trip thus far; bright and colorful paintings and tapestries throughout the sites;  a traditional farmhouse homestay, complete with a hot stone bath; and the traditional Talo Festival with dancing, singing and some hilarious antics. Interestingly, it almost felt like an alternative version of Disneyland….they do call it “The Kingdom of Bhutan,” after all.

Probably my most favorite thing about the trip was the story of the Divine Madman of Bhutan and his symbolic legacy found throughout the country. More on that later…
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...the Noviciation Ceremony, where we watched young girls from the ages of 9 to 15 walking in a straight line in beautiful, colorful, and traditional Myanmar dresses. They were throwing flowers, and had lots of paint on their faces and bodies. After all of the girls passed by, we saw the boys riding on top of horses. But these boys were not normal, no. They had long, bright, glittery dresses on, crowns to match the dress colors, and had the local Burmese men waiting on them hand and foot. The horses were all decked out, too. The boys were from the ages 7-15. It was crazy and very beautiful to see. That was one of the things I adored seeing in the country part of Myanmar.

First, more research before heading into a country would have been good, and while we excused our lack of preparation with the claim that we had “too much to do,” Glenn and I agreed that a perusal of the Wikipedia page was minimally required reading for everyone. Second, we had varying levels of patience for touring, and we quickly realized that planned breaks at the hotel were key to recharging and enabling us to actually enjoy and absorb what we were learning. Finally, it was clear that I am more of a geek than others in my family, as I asked question after question and was excited by each new site, while the rest of the crew rolled their eyes and muffled sighs. However, with over 3,000 pagodas in Bagan alone, even I hit pagoda fatigue. More than anything, I was fascinated by the people and their history, and how the influence of British rule and changes over the last 100-150 years still have a lasting impact on the country (see more below on my summary of what I learnt). I also loved being immersed in the history of and beliefs of the Buddha that are such a huge part of this country’s society.

For anyone planning a visit to Myanmar, a stop in Bagan is a must. With 3,226 pagodas and stupas littering the landscape, this ancient city retains much of its traditional ways and is in sharp contrast to other larger cities. And despite the inevitable “pagoda fatigue,” as previously mentioned, there is nothing quite like sitting atop of an ancient pagoda, watching the sunset against the backdrop of hundreds of brick monuments and temples dotting the landscape as far as the eye can see. A stop in Mandalay after Bagan showed the impact of heavy tourist traffic and “modernization;” we far preferred Bagan, but it was interesting to see the contrast. Ending the trip in the capital of Yangon, the boys cried mercy and wouldn’t budge to see any more temples, but I was able to drag Kylie along for one more look (the boys didn’t miss much). 

From Yangon, we flew to Kawthoung, where we boarded a sailboat for a glorious 5 nights through the beautiful Mergui Archipelago. The turquoise blue waters and baby powder soft white sand beaches were like nothing we had ever seen before. In addition to some amazing snorkeling, we got a wonderful glimpse into the lives of the Moken people, nomadic sea gypsies that live on the water and have unusual abilities, such as holding their breathe for up to 4 minutes while diving for fish and having clear underwater vision. Interacting with and hearing the laughter of the Moken children was one of my favorite experiences of the trip thus far. So, though there were many complaints about the redundancy of the pagodas, stupas and temples in Myanmar, I think everyone agreed that the “vacation” portion of the trip made up for the educational pain of the first week*. I would also like to think the latter portion of our trip was that much richer having learnt a bit about the people, their traditions and the recent history. 

Synopsis of Myanmar History (at least what I heard)
Myanmar, or Burma as it was long called, officially opened it’s doors to tourists in 2010 (??). Though the country gained its independence from Britain in 1948, after a series of corruption-riddled attempts in the early 1940s and the assassination of General Aung San who led the independence efforts, economic recovery efforts were marred by in-fighting. In 1962 the country succumbed to military rule for nearly 50 years, and from the tight-lipped party line of many we spoke with, it was clear that the people of Myanmar could still feel the sting of that oppression. In 2010, the country transitioned to a democratic government with the election of Aung San Suu Kyi, the daughter of General Aung San. An example of the complications of merging modern day democracy theories with long-standing transitions and constitutions, Aung San Suu Kyi is not the President of the country given her marriage to an American, but instead holds the role of State Counselor. She hand picked the person who holds the title of President, but it is largely understood that she controls the government. I especially loved the rise of a female to power given the turbulent past and the influence I assume her father’s life had on her ambitions and accomplishments. Much of this was pieced together from conversations with various guides and people we met, and it was clear that there was a general recalcitrance in discussing politics (the Do’s and Don’t’s published by the government suggest that foreigners NOT discuss politics, and it was clear this was largely taken to heart). That said, it was also clear that there was pride in the history and what has recently transpired.

*Footnote: Brady claims the boat did not make up for the misery of the incessant pagodas. It’s as though he thinks this is only a vacation :).

Several people with whom we consulted claimed that Japan is a unique combination of a modern society that has largely retained it's heritage and traditions, and our own dated experience supported this view. Opinions on why this is true ranged from it being an archipelago and therefore removed from the normal cross border culture osmosis that occurs between countries, to a view that that Japanese prefer a monoculture and encourage behaviors that help to maintain such culture. We were delighted with what we found: the language and customs were very foreign to our day-to-day lives, yet it was incredibly safe, clean and very easy to navigate. A great toe in the water, if you will.

We shared perspectives on Tokyo and Hokkaido, both of which we loved, but I think Kyoto is the place we were learnt the most. The week spent in our Machiya (traditional townhouse) provided just a peek of the day-to-day living of the Japanese, from the table with a well (where so much of the day-to-day took place), to the mats in the living room (that took a while to get used to), to the traditional bed mats where Glenn and I slept.

Wandering the city each night provided us with a greater sense of the culture, what was acceptable and what was not (we finally got the hang of making a reservation!), and the sights that we took in where a great taste of the vast culture in which we could have immersed ourselves. I think the favorites for me were the Inari gates and the day of shrines, though the bamboo forest of Arashiyama was very cool too. The real favorite, though, was our interaction with the Japanese people. Without exception, we found them to be kind, gentle and welcoming, even when our kids were a bit out of hand (see photo insert). ​

​As most of us know, it's quite easy to find support on the world wide internet for any idea, opinion or plan. So early on, I shelved the topic of "how," shifting that task to the bottom of my mental "to do list," and decided I would figure it out as we went along.

​Brady called me to task a few weeks before we left. We all had our forms of rising anxiety, and his manifested itself in a total freak out about his mom not being prepared to teach him, and a friend-fueled concern that he may need to repeat 8th grade. Mustering the appropriate bravado and issuing a few choice anxiety-induced words of my own, I assured him it was going to be fine and then quickly emailed each of the teachers for some advice. I clearly needed a better plan and one that enlisted Glenn's brainpower too.

I should point out that Brady absolutely loved his teachers this year; he hit the jackpot on educators he was able to spend time with on a daily basis. Kylie's teachers were also amazing. We had a high bar ahead of us. Fortunately, all of the kids teachers were overwhelmingly supportive (as had been the administration when I first alerted them to our plan), and each of them had suggestions on how to track their learning to their peers. Kylie, in fact, has been emailing with her teachers to share parts of our adventure, and she is encouraged by their responses and enthusiasm. I think this comforts her own quiet anxiety.

Beyond the teacher websites, there are ample resources online to augment the learning. Khan Academy was frequently mentioned, and it's become a staple to our early learning. I say "our," because I underestimated how much (re-)learning that Glenn and I would be doing. In the absence of constant device focus, the kids are already reading more than they have in months (Kylie's on her 4th book and Brady has declared that he "loves reading" again), and we are discussing topics for essays and journaling.

We are all unraveling our preconceived notions of how education works. For example, when I told the kids to follow along with their teacher sites and ask me if they had questions, they were appalled that I wasn't going to teach them first. I certainly had no intention of standing in front of them and lecturing for 4-5 hours a day, let alone preparing for that, but it was clear that they wanted and needed our involvement. So I've had to brush off my beloved math skills and review stem-changing verbs in Spanish to create worksheets (it's actually kind of fun, though Brady is less than thrilled with my enthusiasm), and we're assigning them topics for essays on things we see as areas where they need to expand their knowledge (for example, Brady is going to be doing an essay on the ills of sugar).

So, to sum up our first week or so of homeschooling, I would say: "it takes a village." Many of the homeschool / unschooling sites eschew the notion of traditional schooling, but I disagree. It may well be that we have a unique situation in Mill Valley, but I appreciate the support and ability to access the MVMS teacher sites, as do my kids. I also have a newfound, deep respect for educators: it's hard. Reading why others have left traditional education to pursue homeschooling, I think we are immensely fortunate to have Kiddo! and the engaged educators that we have in Mill Valley. 

For now, the ability to homeschool our kids is a gift, as it supports our desire to explore the world. I'm also more involved and curious about my kids education than I have ever been....the buck stops with us....and I'm enjoying it immensely.  Thankfully, these young minds are infectious, and we will learn as much from them and as they from us. But I do not foresee a situation, nor do my kids, where this family school continues indefinitely.

Stay tuned for more installments on Hackschooling, the notion of "Schools killing creativity," the role of art in education, and the view of homeschooling from the kid's point of view.  And please feel free to share any suggestions or comments!