Journalist by chance

Someone once asked me if I had become a journalist by choice to which I replied it was by chance.

I still remember the first job application I wrote. It was in 2006 I was a fresh graduate with no set goals. All i wanted to do was sit for the RCSC exams and get myself employed in a government job. My friend Wesel started working with Bhutan Observer right after graduation as a reporter.

I used to visit her and hang around in the Observer Office. One day Wesel was excited. She said that there was an announcement that Observer would be employing more reporters. She said that it would be a good practice for me because for the RCSC exams they had viva tests. I did not even have a paper and a pen to write. I asked for one from the receptionist and started writing a job application.

They had set a date for the interview and i had to lie at home. My dad insisted that I got a government job so did not want to go against him. On the day of the interview (it was on a Saturday) I left home saying I was going to go and meet Wesel. Dad did not even have the smallest of the doubt. i smiled at myself.

I was nervous because it was the first interview of my life. I went to the Observer office and they made me sit for a written test along with 12 others. They asked us to write about the role of media and there were some other short questions.

I was a B Com student so the essay I wrote was sure to be rejected by the editors. I just praised their paper. After completing the paper they said that the editors would correct the papers and call those who have been shortlisted. I went home with all smiles not because I was sure of getting selected but because i was imagining the face of the editor who would edit my rubbish articles.

A week passed and I did not receive any call. It was a Tuesday and my cell rang early in the morning. I saw a fixed line number calling me. I answered and the phone and the person talking on the other said said that I was called for an interview by Observer and had to report at 9 am in their office. I didn’t know what to do, how would I tell my father if I got the job, how will I explain the employer, how, how. With lots of questions in my mind I walked to the Observer office. There we were three of us shortlisted. A girl was already inside being interviewed by the Editor-in-chief Sonam Kinga. I was the last one.

I went and he asked me all sort of questions. I remember one. He asked me what type of news I would be reporting from a village keeping in mind the course I took in college. I didn’t know what to say. So quickly answered, "I will report on sale of maize, tengma and other items." he smile at me and said they will call me if i get the job.

I went home and hoped they didn’t call me and I didn’t receive any calls. After a month I sat for the RCSC exams and the results were yet to be declared when I got a call from Observer. They said that if I was still interested I could join them from the new week. I was dumb for a second. But why? I went to meet the owner and came to know that they were short of reporters. I told her frankly that I was waiting for the results and then my dad always insisted that I get a job in the government sector. She was understanding and gave me an option. I came to know from her that one of the editor was impressed by my written test.

She said I could work for a month till my results were out and then if I got through I could join government sector but if my work were not impressive they would kick me out. It was a fair deal and I talked about it with my parents. My mom as usual said I could do whatever I want provided I was happy with it and dad was a little hard to convince. But ultimately he agreed.

For a week after joined Observer I did not know where to go and what kind of work to do. No one guided me. Two weeks after idly sitting in the office I got my first assignment to go an interview a person who had escaped an accident. I was nervous, my heart was beating faster. I did not know how to start the conversation, nor did I know what questions to ask. Lucky I, our photographer Au Lhendup came to my rescue. He was so used to going reporting with reporters that he was familiar with such situations. He did all the questioning for me. I returned to the office happy because I got all the information my editor needed. I wrote it and submitted it.

The story did not come out in the paper I was angry because I worked for it. I didn’t think I would last in this profession and was hoping that I get a government job. After that I got more assignments and I delivered them to my best. The third week in my office I had my first front page story.

For reporters it means a lot when our articles come out on the front page. My editor congratulated me and I was feeling on top of the world. After that I did various kinds of stories and my editors appreciated me.

Meanwhile RCSC results were out and I was on the waiting list, I was sure of getting a government job but by then I had started liking my profession. I talked to my parents again and they said it is up to me. My employer said they wanted to keep me so I forgot about the government job.

Today I feel I can not do anything better then reporting.

Getting older

People rather say there are getting wiser than getting older. My 24th Birthday was quit a nice one especially with friends and families sending me their good wishes.
My friend Sonam Zangpo was the first one to wish me. he wished me a week in advance because he had plans to go on tour. And again when his tour was cancelled he wished me a day in advance. Still making him the first one to wish me.

My best friends and I went dancing on the night of Nov 21 to splash. Just as it was 12 they all wished me. They even dedicated songs for me. So much celebrations for getting old huh. My mom wished me on 22nd she send me an sms. My brother and favourate uncle forgot to wish me so i forced them to wish me. I wrote to them saying, "happy birthday to me," and my uncle replied saying he loved me the most so did not have to wish me while my brother said he was so busy buying me a gift. My birthday was over but wishes still came from friends.

sometimes it really feels good to be wished by friends and families you realise how special you are. Thanks for making my birthday so special

My dream of adopting a child

Children are a creation of god and a smile from an innocent child can melt hearts. Ever since i was a child myself i had a dream of adopting a baby. I always thought that adopting a child was better than giving birth to one. May be i am wrong. But there are already many children in Bhutan itself who are born to disadvantaged families and who suffer. Why not adopt them and give them a better life to live?

When i discuses this issue with my family and friends they say that it would not be the same. A child you gave birth to will be closer than a child you adopt. That is what most of them say. I have seen cases where children are adopted and once the couple have their own they start differentiating but would all people be the same?

Some day I hope i get to live my dream...

My work

It is yet again another day for work and I have no other option than to wake up and drag myself to the bathroom. I don't even feel like working but after the education my parents gave me i got to make some use of it.

My office has become a second home for me.The situation is better now because earlier I spend more of my time in the office than at home. I remember my father telling me to take a sleeping bag in the office because i reached home always late.

My co-workers are friendly and I have known most of them for many years now. What more could I ask for? When a work is well done people praise me of the good work and I even get calls from other people thanking me. But when i do a controversial story I even get threats.

Sometimes i feel that this profession of mine is the best one for me and that i was born to be working in this field but there are times when i feel none other job would suck more than mine. Guess that is what everyone goes through once in a while.

It has been three years since i started working and this profession has thought me a lot. I used to be a shy girl in college with less words but now I cant afford to be that way. Met a lot of people and learned a lot from them.

I don't know how long i will be working in this profession but when i do i try to give it my best!

It happened to him

Met a friend recently and this guy is full of humor. He has just started chatting on Druknet when someone from the other end wrote ASL? He though the other person was saying Ass Hole to him so he replied saying F**K You. A friend of his who was watching him closely explained things to him and he was so embarrassed.

Natures beauty

Flowers are the sweetest things God ever made, and forgot to put a soul into. ~Henry Beecher

The talkative kid

The kid in the picture is probably three and for a kid of his age he is very talkative. Nono stays with his mother in Trashigang and he says that he is a dukha waktsa village kid. He says he has a girl friend who is his neighbor. I met him when I was on tour. We took this picture together because he wanted me to take his picture. CUTE!

The male weaver

Tandin Wangchuk is a shopkeeper in Gyelopshing, Mongar. He has been weaving ever since he was 10. Today he is 27-year-old. weighing 100 kgs he is a friendly person and gets along very well with women.

Effect of September 21 earthquake

Kupejigtsham Lhakhang in Yangnear, Trashigang was completely destroyed by September 21 earthquake. The lhakhang was also destroyed some 60 years ago by earthquake.

learning from a stranger

It was around 12 pm and the date was October 28. I was looking for a vehicle to go to Gyelposhing from Mongar (almost a journey of an hour). Many taxis went by but all were packed. I walked a few meters and saw two old men talking.

I joined their conversation and talked with them as I had no other thing to do rather than waiting for a vehicle. The two men said they would stop a vehicle for me and surely right after five minutes a young man was passing that way. One of the old man stopped the vehicle and asked where the vehicle was heading. Lucky the vehicle was also going to Gyelposhing and it had a empty seat in front. The back seats were packed with goods for sale.

I thanked the old men and got going. The young man just asked me about my work and after that he was doing all the talking. I just nodded and smiled because he did all the talking.

He said he was uneducated but his talks made sense. He talked of the recent disaster, about families and bonds and lot of other things. "Man this guy can really talk," I thought to myself.

Of the various things he talked about he said something about going after our own dreams and that we have to make the effort yourself. he put it this way; somethings are made for us but it wont come to us easily until we make the effort of getting it. this lines really inspired me and was thinking about it when we reached Gyelposhing.

I thanked him and he went his way and I mine.

Who am I?

His Majesty the King was going from shop-to-shop during the night of October 15 in Bumthang. HM went to a small shop and asked the shopkeeper if her business was doing well. She thought he was a trade officer and deep inside she thought he was such a handsome trad officer. She answered and when HM poured more question she said she did not have time to answer him.
HM looked around and saw a picture of Indian PM Manmohan and himself in her shop. HM pointed at the picture and asked the shopkeeper who then men in the picture were. she looked up and said its Mamohod Singh, he then asked her who ther other man was. She coolly said Drugyel Drukpa. HM then asked her is the man in the picture and he looked similar. The shopkeeper than looked at him properly and bowed her head. She was so scared and thought HM might have felt offended but HM gave her a sera of Nu 1500.

journey to the EAST

Recently I went to the eastern part of bhutan to some of the remote places too and I realized what comfort and luxuries life we lead in the capital.

Although some of the villages i visited did not have electricity and people lived in darkness there was something that glowed. Their nature and their innocence. The people there are so innocent and not materialistic at all, they help each other in a community unlike in Thimphu where people do not even know their own neighbors.

I went and slept in a couples house, forget about knowing them I was meeting them for the first time. But the hospitality they showed and the way they made me feel at home cannot be expressed. Would people in the west allow a stranger to sleep over?

Sometimes I feel it is good that all parts of Bhutan has not developed equally or we would have lost the small portion of innocent people.