Rating: 5.0
"Her tale is part love story, part history lesson and part Buddhism 101." -Mademoiselle
Beyond the Sky and the Earth is a beautifully written 'journey into Bhutan'. Armchair travel is a favorite genre of mine and Jamie Zeppa does a wonderful job at making the reader feel like part of her journey.
Jamie, a Canadian, takes a two year teaching post in far away Bhutan leaving her home and fiance behind. Culture shock hits her hard in this country where people only have what they need. She questions herself and wonders why in the world she took this post and how she can possibly make it here for two years. Then the balance starts to slowly shift and eventually she wonders how she can ever return to Canada and the world where people have more than they need and are the worse for it. She ends up extending her teaching post because she can't bear to leave this country. Along her journey she learns a lot about herself and a country she begins to call home. This is such a beautifully descriptive travelogue/memoir. I loved every sentence.
".....her squeamishness about the place turned to love, addiction and lust, for a landscape, a lifestyle, a people and a man...." - Mademoiselle
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