My life at Trashitse (Part 1)

Trashitse administrative block

In winter, Trashitse looks very dry with the naked trees inside the school campus. The common trees found in the campus are benthamedia capitata and malus bacata. Towards the end of autumn, the path towards the school will be filled by the fruits of benthamedia and malus bacata.


My four years of stay at Trashitse Higher Secondary School was just like a hell and heaven. When I first joined the school, it was Middle Secondary School. In my mind I still have vivid pictures of how I have spent my first year at that school. Being there for the first time was really torturing. The weather was so harsh compared to my previous School i.e. Thungkhar Lower Secondary School and I found the rules bit strict.

 Rules

 At Trashitse, boys’ hostel is bit away from the kitchen and classroom. If somebody don’t have umbrella during rainy days, one either have to miss the meals or have to stay in the class room but everybody was compelled to attend the meals. If someone is missing, they were punished. There was no place to keep our cups and plates at that time. There was an old cupboard where seniors have kept their plates and cups but the space inside was not enough for all the boys. Another problem for keeping the plates and cups in the cupboard was, whoever comes earlier from the class, they use to take others plates. At that time we were allowed to use only steel plates. Sometimes we have to miss the meals. So the principal made us to buy each box for every class. Box captains were elected from each class and he was exempted from any kind of social work. Then the problems of plates and cups were solved to certain extent.



Students gathered for morning assembly

 There was a rule at Trashitse that, ‘’on every Wednesday and on weekends, students must wear casual dress and batta slippers’’. This rule was made so that student gets time to wash their dress. It was compulsory for the students. This rule was for the beneficial for the students because most of the students come from the remote areas and also for uniformity in the school. If the students do not wear batta slipper, they were punished. This rule worked well for the boys because they were easily noticed wearing slippers. If Principal finds the boys wearing shoes on Wednesdays and Saturday during the class hours, he uses to cease the shoes. Sometimes, he uses to check in the assembly along with the vice principal. There were no exceptions for the boys. Boys either have to miss the class or they were given a heavy work. Never the less, he was a hardworking man and this rule was positive in my opinion.

Again, there was a rule, ‘’ Students are not allowed to speak any other dialects other than English and Dzongkha inside the school campus’’. I appreciated this because it was helpful in improving vocabulary. If students failed to speak the English and Dzongkha on given days, we were made to hang a language board made of plywood about the size of science practical notebooks with a word ‘’ I am sorry’’ written on it. Whoever has the board during the morning assembly, they were made to show to the gatherings in the assembly. As a student that was very embarrassing to face the crowd but I think it was an opportunity to build our courage and confidence. That rule worked very well for few weeks but somehow it failed but the principal didn’t notice that. There was an understanding among the class mates that different students according to their role number has to face the gathering every morning during the assembly. So we did. This rule was quite interesting as we are made to speak English and Dzongkha on the respective days even if we do not know the correct terms. To hang the board on the neck was quite embarrassing. However, it was like a scarecrow because the scarecrows are initially installed to scare the birds but once the birds realize that it is a harmless doll they make nests on it. Even then, I appreciated that rule because it has helped us in improving our speaking skills.


Old Wamrong bazar



Unforgettable lesson

Once there was a misunderstanding among our class when I was in class nine. There were two day scholar girls from our class. Since we were new to each other, we were not that close, though. That time, our biology teacher was and Indian. Every time he comes to the class, one of the girl use to ask a leave from that teacher for a toilet and we have to wait for her to return so that he can start the lesson. Once while the girl was out for the toilet, we told the teacher why she was going to toilet in his period only. When the girl returned to the class, her friend (other day scholar girl) has told her that boys are telling badly to her. The girl has reported to the principal. She was crying but we didn’t know anything. We just thought that it was her problem.

After the class hour, our class was made to gather in front of the multipurpose hall. Principal came, he asked what has happened. We said nothing. He told us what the girl has reported him. He then made us to work for the construction of house till the dark. And the next early morning, he made us to cut the grasses. I can’t imagine how cold it is in winter at Trashitse. Whole morning we cut the grasses around the school campus. For one week we were made to work till dark. Nothing was done to the girls. That much we suffered just because of asking the teacher why the girl was going for the toilet in his period only.


 


Administrative block

 After few days, again the girl has reported to the principal that a boy has cut her bag. We didn't know who has done that. Principal must have checked the bag whether it was cut or not. That time, he didn't make us to work. We found that her bag, which actually was torn. It was bag that we use to get from the market when we buy things like mobile, shoes and so on. But at that time that type of bag was not many. She uses to carry books in that bag. But what we thought was a bag that we use to carry our lunch and other things when we go to different places. Sometimes, I use to meet those two girls. One of the girls is in my facebook friend list. Whenever I see her, the vivid incidents that happened at Trashitse come to my mind. Nevertheless, what done can't be undone.

My Secret Love

comming the love affairs, there was a very strict rule. if somebofy is found, they are seriously punished. It is good to have such rules in schools so that students can focus in studies.

When I was in class nine, there was a girl in class seven. To my eyes she was beautiful to the extent that my eyes would never get tire of looking at her. I fell in love with her but I could not tell her, even to my friends. She was soft in speaking and in my opinion she was kind. After a long time I met her at Paro during the ceremony of Dungsey Thinley Norbu Rinpoches Kudung. Along with me I have friends whom she knows. We all were once a school mates. We ate from the same kitchen, same food, and used same path and so on. But by fate we were separated. She came and we had a brief conversation because there was a little time. She told that she qualified from class 12 and got an admission to Gedu College of Business. She is the girl I still love. If I am to wish for her, I would wish her to have a happy family, prosperous life and to have a positive, tender mind and excellent partner in her life.

My Achievements

When I was in class nine; I was categorized in 'B' team or as ‘Junior’ in games and sports. The category was done according to the fitness of the students. During the marathon race I stood the winner in junior category. I could complete 18 km in 1 hour 24 minutes. During the school annual sports day, I got the certificate for the best sport man of the year in junior category. I received number of prices for my participation and that year our house team was the champion of the year.

 That was the end of the first year of my stay at Trashitse but it is just the end of the beginning of my life there.