Fibers of Bhutan: Culture, Heritage, Art and Me
*Valerie is the host of our Fibers of Bhutan: Culture Heritage & Art tour happening May 15-26, 2012. We asked her to submit an article explaining why she is excited to be a part of this trip. This blog post is her response.
When I took my first knitting class last year, I knew good things would happen because I yearned to knit since I was a young child but nobody ever showed me. Between pre-kindergarten and second grade, I gathered scraps of fabric and yarn and morphed them into pillows and characters inside shoebox dioramas. I tried to make sweaters but there's only so much you can do with scotch tape, glue and scraps. Around the same time, I learned about the “Abombable Snowman.” I couldn't pronounce “abominable” and thought the term “yeti” sounded much more pleasing. It was an especially fun word to say fast, “YetiYetiYetiYETI!” My five or six year old self was stubbornly convinced the yeti could sing high pitched melodies; and anybody who thought them menacing or dangerous was suffering from pathetic misunderstanding. I cried on Disney's Matterhorn ride because I wanted to stop and talk (and sing with) the yeti inside that mountain.
I would never have predicted that a knitting class in Portland would open a pathway for me to journey to the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan: but there it is. My wanderlust and curiosity are pulling me to this mysterious land of amazing textiles, raw natural beauty and a heritage born from buddhism and art. This is not a solo journey, like some of my other travels. This one is designed to be shared.
Living in Portland was my catalyst and my permission to become a knitter. Until last year, I was either too busy with other activities or - during moments of time I could jump into knitting - was too worried about the stigma of passing time with yarns and sticks. But in Portland, doing it yourself (“it” being just about anything) is chic. I was starting to pay attention to the scarves, sweaters, hats and mittens that other people said they'd knitted themselves. I wanted to create. I wanted in. I wanted to finally learn how to knit! And so what began as a basic hat class evolved to sweaters, bags, two-at-a-time socks and a deep appreciation for the magic of yarn and fibers. Think about it: most knitted or crocheted items are simply one long piece of yarn: skillfully crafted into the perfect shape. And if that shape ever needs to be re-purposed, all you have to do is unravel it and start over. Talk about a tangible (and wearable) representation of impermanence and flexibility!
The basic hat class one year ago opened a myriad of doors to me: I now knit once a week with about 10 other women. We help one another, we trade stories and patterns; yet we hold the most varied religious and political beliefs I've ever experienced in a group. It's taught me a new level of respect for other points of view. And to say it's been humbling is an understatement because – ahem! – I thought I was “open minded” already. I am reminded that we can never stop learning and growing. Traveling – along with spending time with a truly diverse group of people – is a crucial way of learning and growing. There really is no substitute.
This small group tour to Bhutan is a chance to immerse in a Buddhist-based culture and experience a country that somehow resisted colonization. As recently as the early 1960s, outsiders were not allowed in. It's a place that's as unlike the United States as possible. The government and monarchy measure their country's progress via “Gross National Happiness.” How can this be? Reconciling such ideology with reality invites first-hand conversations, experiences and immersion in local life. This is a country that recognizes weaving as one of their thirteen traditional arts. Imagine: a country that acknowledges and encourages its arts so openly! This trip is designed to spend time with Bhutanese weavers: to see their materials and techniques and have conversations about their lives and lifestyle.
People still take hot stone baths in this area of the world, and this opportunity is most definitely an ingredient for our trip. We will learn what it's like to live in a monastery, and maybe seek out the stories children know. I'm guessing they're nothing like "Little Red Riding Hood" - or are they? What does an unspoiled mountain taller than 20,000 feet look like? How on earth did this small kingdom manage to stay uncolonized? What kind of luck will we have if we see a barking deer or a black-necked crane? There's only one way to find out: by learning from one another while traveling to one of the most remote locations on our gorgeous earth. Sadly, plans to find the yeti were not detailed into this adventure; but I sure would be excited if we heard distant high pitched melodies while visiting Bhutan's sacred sites!