My husband Doug and I lived in Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan for a decade from 2009-2019 after heading there to help establish and then to help run Bhutan’s first private college, Royal Thimphu College (rtc.bt). The reason for starting a new college was to provide students with an education emphasizing analytical thinking, skill development and international exposure rather than memorization, which was still commonly emphasized in the Bhutanese education system at that time. RTC has flourished since the first students arrived in August of 2009. Enrollment has increased from 300 to over 1,300, the number of programs offered has expanded markedly, and the college is the only one of 12 colleges in Bhutan that has earned the highest possible rating, an A+, from the Bhutan Accreditation Council. Wonderful personal experiences we had while in Bhutan ranged from being adopted by a baby yak, to teaching young monks English on the weekends, to having Thanksgiving brunch with the King and Queen. BCIV members interested in visiting Bhutan are welcome to contact me for travel tips.
Janet Schofield, a professor of psychology emeritus, has had deep involvement in international experiences and exchanges since she spent a summer with a college singing group in the late 1960’s that performed with local groups in Asia, the Middle East and Europe. Since then her love of international experiences has taken her to over 100 countries on six continents for personal or professional travel.