Beyond the Sky and the Earth
At the age of twenty-four Jamie Zeppa, raised in a small Canadian town by her grandparents, engaged to be married - never having left the North American continents decided to go on one great adventure before settling down for a happy, if conventional, life. Zeppa went to Bhutan as a teacher on a two-year Canadian government contract. During her early weeks of hardship and disorientation - primitive accommodations; wildlife that made no distinction between inside and outside; classroom with a blackboard, no chalk, and eager but uncomprehending students - this neophyte traveler was on the verge of packing it in. After a few weeks more, however, the country and its people worked their alchemy on her; even as rats raided her pantry and rain assaulted her leaky roof, she canceled her trip home for Christmas and requested an extension of her contract. In time, she broke off her engagement. After two years, she was in love not only with the country, but also with a young Bhutanese man. Stirring, poignant, funny, and full of joy, Beyond the Sky and the Earth is at once a classic tale of discovery and adventure, and a love story - between a woman and a country, a people, a man.