A change of pace
UVic’s first Bhutanese student adjusts to the hectic pace of Canadian life

Story and photo by Joy Poliquin

Kinley Pem is a woman on a mission. As the first Bhutanese student ever to attend UVic, she left her family, job and country behind to further her education.

Sponsored by the Canadian International Development Association (CIDA), Pem is pursuing her master’s in education with the intent of returning to Bhutan as a female district education officer. She arrived at UVic three months ago and will remain in Canada until she completes her degree next December.

Bhutan, which is nestled between Nepal, China and India, has a population of more than 600,000 people, and tourism is only allowed through organized tours. While the 20-district country doesn’t yet have a university, the education system is thriving.

“The people of Bhutan are very happy,” says Pem, “and our king stresses the importance of the gross national happiness, instead of gross national profit. A lot has been done to promote the value of education, so schools are getting crowded.” The government is in the process of restructuring the system, and is encouraging women to seek high-end positions in education. “That’s one of the reasons I was sent here, so I can go home and improve education in my country.”

The modern Bhutanese school system was set up by a Canadian Jesuit priest in 1963, and today CIDA sponsors send Bhutanese students to Canada to pursue their bachelor and master’s degrees. Pem studied education at the University of New Brunswick 13 years ago.

“Even though I’d lived in Canada before, it’s been a while, so there is still a culture shock,” she says. “In Bhutan, we take things slow, but over here it seems like everything is a rush, and sometimes it feels like the world is coming to an end. Even the way people greet each other is different. In Canada, when you ask someone how they’re doing, they answer ‘fine,’ no matter how they actually feel!”

Pem sees her time in Canada as a constant learning experience. “It’s hard to be away from my community and family, where everyone is so close-knit,” she says. “But my graduate supervisor and staff in the faculty have been so encouraging, and I’m so excited to apply what I’m learning and give back to my country. I also want to demonstrate to my fellow Bhutanese that even if something is difficult, it’s possible to do anything.”