Inspiring Minds: The 8-day Global Immersion Programme (GIP) to Bhutan concluded on Thursday June 7, 2018. A team of 12 SAIoneers and a Teacher Co-ordinator got a brilliant opportunity to explore the picturesque and serene Kingdom of Bhutan and gain a deeper understanding on their culture, tradition, spirituality, acts of compassion, deep concern for the environment and the way of living of the ever happy Bhutanese people.
The team learnt a lot from their visit to the National Institute for Zorig Chusum and was highly impressed to witness the skill and dedication of the young Bhutanese students, who were silently creating wonderful pieces of art. They also got to savour the National dish of Bhutan, Ema Datse and the famous Bhutanese tea, Suja as well as get to see their National animal, Takin moving around happily in the Motithang Takin Preserve.
The six hours of adventurous hiking to the renowned Tiger’s Nest Monastery was a dream come true for the SAIoneers. They also got to visit two of the oldest monasteries of the ‘Land of the Thunder Dragon’, which is a treasure trove of ancient history and Buddhist culture. Students were also enchanted to visit the beautiful Dochula Pass, which reflects the spirituality, bravery, and culture of the people of Bhutan, Kuensel Phodrang, the gigantic Buddha standing at 169 feet, amidst the ruins of Kuensel Phodrang, Memorial Chorten and many more ornamental monuments reflecting the rich cultural heritage of the land.
They were enamoured to witness the ideals and way of living of the sincere, dedicated and hardworking people and had a wonderful time interacting with the local people. They soaked in the beauty of the pristine land withlush green landscape, dense forest, beautiful mountain peaks and especially the prayer flags that finds a place everywhere to spread blessings around.
GIP enables the students to have a deeper understanding of other countries and cultures, gain an insight into global perspective of education, fine tunes their leadership and communication skills and facilitates a flow of ideas towards becoming a global citizen.
