Beyond the Sky and the Earth

Zeppa  and the other Canadian teachers are headed back to Thimphu at the start of winter break. She’s been told not to travel on the day she’s chosen to leave because it’s a bad omen, and when she goes ahead and does it anyway, the truck has problems. Zeppa’s original contract is almost over, but she’s extended it for another year. She’s going back to Canada for the holidays but is worried about not making it back to Bhutan, even though she already has a return ticket. Lorna has also extended her contract. In Thimphu, Zeppa finds out that the program that hired her has gone bankrupt, and while everyone can finish their contract extensions, no new teachers will be hired.

When Zeppa finally gets back to Canada, the fast pace of life overwhelms her, and she finds things like television and traffic bewildering. She meets Robert for a beer but predictably finds that they have little to say to each other. She also visits all her relatives, who assume that she must be glad to be back. Zeppa feels like a different person, however, and doesn’t enjoy the parts of life that she once missed about home.

When Zeppa tells people she’s now a Buddhist, friends often worry that she’s taking her time in Bhutan too seriously. Her parents accept it, with some hesitations, but her grandfather is hostile to the idea. In spite of people thinking Zeppa is lucky to be back in Canada, they always complain about things like the government, inflation, unemployment, and so on. Zeppa begins to see how the consumerism of Canada’s economy is insane and unsustainable.

While in Bhutan, Zeppa was frustrated by people’s refusal to question anything, in Canada she has the opposite experience. She feels people ask too many questions in selfish ways, always thinking of themselves first. She sees the two countries as representing extremes, with Canada representing individualism and Bhutan representing social conformity. Both have flaws. She would like a middle way but has no clue how to achieve it.

Zeppa’s grandfather is upset when he learns she’s going back. When Zeppa does return to Bhutan, however, the long trip seems less arduous than the first time. In Thimphu, Zeppa talks with an American woman named Julie about how difficult an adjustment Canada was after two years in Bhutan. In fact, Zeppa has been thinking about trying to stay in Bhutan, thinking about Tshewang. Julie can understand the impulse but thinks it would be hard for any outsider to ever truly belong in Bhutan, where almost no one ever immigrates.