Beyond the Sky and the Earth

Task One: Look up the Bhutanese vocabulary

Bhutanese English Translation
Thimphu Bhutan’s capital
Druk Sherig Hotel Druk – the "Thunder Dragon" of Tibetan and
Bhutanese mythology and a Bhutanese national
symbol.
Hotel in Bhutan
Sherig – Relating in some way to education.
dzong Fortified monastery architecture found mainly in
Bhutan and Tibet.
Tashichho Dzong Buddhist monastery and fortress on the northern
edge of the city of Thimphu in Bhutan.
Kira National dress for women in Bhutan.
gho Traditional and national dress for men in Bhutan.
Buddhism Buddhism is an Indian religion or philosophical
tradition originally based of the teachings
attributed to Gautama Buddha.
shamanist A person who believes in shamanism which is the
practice of a shaman interacting with what they
believe is the spirit world.
Druk Yul In Dzongkha, the official language of Bhutan,
Bhutan is known as Druk Yul or the “Land of
Dragon”.
Bhotanta Origin of the name Bhutan may be derived from
the Sanskrit Bhotanta which means “the end of
Tibet”.
Bhu-uttan Some say that the name Bhutan is from the
Sanskrit word 'Bhu-uttan' meaning 'high land'
which is also true given the physical geography of
the nation consisting mostly of steep and high
mountains crisscrossed by a network of swift
rivers.

Task Two: The answers to these questions will help you annotate your extract

1. What does Zeppa compare the landscape in Bhutan to in paragraph one? (What does the
comparison suggest about the landscape?)
Zeppa compares the landscape to the dirt creation of a giant child playing suggesting the
landscape looks messy and sporadically pulled together.
2. Why do you think Zeppa writes the account in the present tense?
I think Zeppa writes the accounts in the present tense to have a better chance of immersing
the reader in the text.

3. Describe Zeppa’s journey from Toronto to Thimphu in paragraph two.

Zeppa’s journey from Toronto to Thimphu consisted of five separate flights over the course
of four days followed by a ninety-minute drive from the airport in Paro. The journey was
exhausting for him.

4. How many times does the writer use the word ‘mountains’ in paragraph two? What effect
does this repetition have?
The writer repeats the word ‘mountains’ six times creating of a lot of tall mountains in the
area.

5. What does the word ‘convulsion’ mean? (Use a dictionary if you need to.)
The word ‘convulsion’ means a sudden, violent, irregular movement of a limb or of the
body, caused by the involuntary contraction of muscles.

6. Which words make the breakfast Zeppa eats sound unappetising?

The words ‘plasticky’ and ‘flavourless’ make the breakfast Zeppa eats sound unappetising.

7. Why does Zeppa ‘stay close to [Lorna and Sasha]'?

Zeppa stays close to Lorna and Sasha in the hope of picking up some of their enthusiasm.

8. How is the traffic controlled in Thimphu?

The traffic in Thimphu is controlled by policemen directing vehicles using graceful gestures.

9. What language feature does Zeppa use to describe the signs of the Western world
contrasting with the ‘Bhutanese-ness’ of everything?
Zeppa uses a colon followed by a list to group all the things that are from the western world
together, keeping them separate from the expected things.

10.Highlight the words that make the seat of the Royal Government of Bhutan sound
impressive.
The words that make the seat of the Royal Government of Bhutan sound impressive are as
follows: ‘grand’, ‘whitewashed’, ‘red-roofed’, and ‘golden-tipped’.

11.Describe the Bhutanese people.

The Bhutanese people are of medium height and sturdily built, they have beautiful
aristocratic faces with dark, almond-shaped eyes, high cheekbones and gentile smiles,
wearing their black hear short. Women wear Kira (brightly striped, ankle-length dresses),
while men wear a Glo (a knee-length robe resembling a kimono except with a voluminous
top part).
12.What do all of the names that Bhutan (and its districts) has had in the past have in
common?
All the names that Bhutan had in the past have positive connotations.

13.What happened when the westerner, Ashley Eden, went to try and stop the Bhutanese
raiding British territory in 1864?
When Ashley Eden went to try and stop the Bhutanese raiding British territory in 1864, he
had his back slapped, hair pulled, and face rubbed with wet dough and was then forced to
sign an outrageous treaty leading to a war between the British and the Bhutanese.

14.What does the writer admire Bhutan for?

The writer admires Bhutan for being able to look after itself.

Task Three: Structure Focus: Jamie Zeppa structures her memoir in a particular way. Look at the line references below. Read back

through these paragraphs and:

Summarise what each part is about


Comment on what each section is doing in terms of reflecting the writer’s thoughts about the country.

Lines 1-6: An abstract introduction to Bhutan's main geographical feature. Starts with a sense of being blinded by the

strangeness of it all to grab the reader’s interest. Makes us feel as overwhelmed as she is.

Lines 7-18 Describes the journey to Thimphu from Toronto and the first night. We get the given the
same sense of awe and wonder around the landscape as she has.
Lines 19-29 Describes the bland breakfast and other travellers (Lorna and Sasha) who are more
experienced and enthusiastic than the writer. She is beginning to become overwhelmed,
and she needs to use them to keep on going.
Lines 30-53 Describes the city, buildings, and a range of other items. Highlights the writer’s shock at
finding western cultural infiltration in this place.
Lines 54-69 Describes the people of Thimphu. Shows her admiration for them.

Lines 70-86 Describes the history of Bhutan. We are shown her fascination about the history of the
country.
Lines 87-end Describes the limited influence of the Europeans over the country. States her admiration
towards the country for looking after itself so well.