July 19, 2024

UOW student meets the King of Bhutan

Samantha Shepherd travelled to the remote Kingdom though the New Colombo Plan scholarship

Located on the eastern edge of the Himalayas, the Kingdom of Bhutan is one of the most isolated nations on Earth. The small, mountainous country only switched on TV and the internet at the turn of the millennium and barred foreigners until the 1970s. Bhutan's capital, Thimphu, is the only capital city in the world without traffic lights.

Which is part of what made it such an attractive place for University of Wollongong (UOW) Bachelor of Primary Education student Samantha Shepherd to undertake a study placement through the New Colombo Plan scholarships program.

“I didn't know anything about Bhutan before I left. When I've travelled before, I haven't really immersed myself. But this time I was travelling by myself. I wanted to learn the language. I wanted to learn the culture and make local friends.”

Samantha’s 12-month placement in the Kingdom of Bhutan is funded through the Federal Government's New Colombo Plan which supports undergraduate students to undertake study and internships in the region.

The New Colombo Plan aims to create strong relationships between Australia and Indo-Pacific nations, with more than 34 UOW students taking part in the initiative since it launched in 2014.

“In Bhutan, you have to slow down. You can't be on a schedule because there's something called ‘Bhutanese stretch time’ and if you’re trying to stick to a schedule, you’ll go crazy. So you just have to slow down and go with the flow.

“The people are the best part. I’ve felt so welcomed – I've been given a Bhutanese name, Meto Seldon. The culture is so rich. It's just magical,” Samantha said.

Through the New Colombo Plan, Samantha has taken courses at a local college and completed an internship at a pre-school, which will inform her Honours studies at UOW next year.

“I’m thinking my honours focus will be on the transition from pre-school to primary school and how to make it more of a smooth, continuous process. In Bhutan I learned a lot about play based learning. It really made me appreciate all the work that's done before kids get to primary school.”

Samantha has even made an impression on the King of Bhutan through her TikTok account, where she shares her experiences as a foreigner in Bhutan.

“I was speaking at the Paro International Symposium on Reimagining Education about infusing the idea of Gross National Happiness into education, with education professionals from all over the world. I participated in a panel with students from China, Britain and India and there it was announced that the King was coming in about 30 minutes.

“He said he’d seen my videos on TikTok and thought they were very sweet. I was blown away! There are a lot of protocols about meeting the King and I forgot all of them!”

Overall, Samatha says travelling to Bhutan though the New Colombo Plan has been a life changing experience.

“I feel like I'm a different person to when I left in February,” Samantha said.

The New Colombo Plan involves a scholarship program for study of up to to 19 months and internships or mentorships, and a flexible mobility grants program for both short and longer-term study, internships, mentorships, practicums and research.