It was cold and wet and grey at 8am this morning when the monks maths exam began. I had to grit my teeth to cross the small courtyard to the gompa to fullfil expectations: exams here are a spectator sport and I was required to attend! Everyone is invited to observe fair play, their presence felt in the adult-size shoes augmenting the pile of small monk slippers on the steps of the exam hall (aka the shrine room). 

 The boys are spread out throughout the lakhan. Guests are ushered to a seat behind a long low table (I recognise our clinic chairs, borrowed for the day!). The examination papers are neatly laid out on a white linen tablecloth in the shadow of a cut glass vase of purple flowers. China cups and saucers await Nepali sweet or Tibetan salt and butter tea . Round baskets of biscuits, sweets and twists of fried Tibetan bread snacks are handed around – one conveniently settles right in front of me…..

 Visitors circumambulate the hall, peering over shoulders, making the odd comment, making the boys laugh or grimace at the distraction.

 The papers are graded according to age– and are pretty hard! All the questions are written in English. One by one the boys finish, bring up their papers to be checked by Lopën, have the cover sheet stapled on, and drift out into the weak sunshine. Like students everywhere they sit around comparing notes, saying how easy or hard the questions were and wondering what is for lunch….

 Back in clinic I lean on the reception desk idly musing at how different my examination days were when Jigme Nyinge comes in to ask for that days vitamins. He is distinctly unimpressed by the question ‘ if there are 60 vitamins in the bottle how many must we take out to have one each for 54 monks?” Though he does get the answer right.

 I expand his gutteral request ‘ vitamins’ into ‘Can I have our vitamins please’ explaining that I am doing him a favour – the English exam is on Saturday! He smiles at that one. I’ll be there on Saturday morning, wishing them on!