A New Start to New Year

It's a new year and a fresh start in Vancouver, Canada. I always keep thinking of Bhutan being close to Canada merely sharing a border as long as my thinking remains activated to auto-pilot mode. Then I try to think of the distance I’ve traversed to come to pursue my aspirations and realize the actual distance through reminiscing the lessons acquired about world maps in my past geography lessons. 

Since I was born in the 1990s, my generation has traveled quite a distance, yet I have inadequate experiences than I should have. When I joined my previous organization, I was able to formally discipline my mind and actions in the field of profession. For this distant past, I feel as though it unknowingly prepared me for this fate. Being at the Ministry has given me a wealth of knowledge about both the bilateral and multilateral spheres in international affairs. Everything, I achieved and accomplished is likely to have a strong bearing when I live among the Bhutanese diaspora in a foreign country. 

Ana Sonam is the incumbent President of the Bhutanese Association in BC. Before we left for Canada, my wife contacted her through the Facebook page, essentially asking for her help in putting up a house. Through Ana Sonam's assistance, I eventually managed to move into one of the flats in Richmond. When we arrived here, Ana President graciously consented to our request and took care of everything. Without her guidance and support, I can’t imagine situations we would have encountered otherwise. After being so acclimated to our own country's policies and circumstances, living in this developed nation comes with a variety of unique considerations.

Although much has been seen, there is still plenty to learn. My virtual orientation started on March 1, 2023, and finished on May 1, 2023. As the interaction between lecturers and students began, UCW student affairs inundated us with emails to keep us abreast and remind us of the prerequisites. I had to visit the university multiple times since I was confused about how I had registered for my courses. I visited the RO and the student help section, but to my dismay, they couldn’t resolve my issues. I meticulously reached out to them, but the responses were none to my satisfaction. There have been few responses for frequent forwarding of emails but eventually, I was able to address the issue and properly register for the course.

My wife attended multiple interviews with several organizations and was hired by now. She did, however, also decline to work for some organizations due to privacy considerations. In a similar manner, I also participated in a few interviews to acquire a part-time job. With this, my University's teaching sessions will begin on January 9, 2023, but I will begin taking classes on January 13, 2023. I'm eager to study and am looking forward to it.