No Robin Hood

(Emma) Archery is the National Sport in Bhutan. The younger athletes are starting to use the American Hunting Bows and moving away from their real, traditional bows, and I can tell why! The traditional bows are two pieces of bamboo wired together; they are very hard to pull back and harder to hit anywhere near the target, which is 100 meters away! The locals have competitions against the other towns. We were lucky enough to be there at the right time for one of the four annual tournaments in Thimphu stadium. They were incredible at their aim; all of them would get at most 1 meter away, in rain and wind and shine. They are dressed in their traditional gho and enjoy mocking each other between arrows.

As people say, “Practice Makes BETTER!” That is why we always try to play when we have a chance.

Mom, Alex, and I went out to play and shoot some arrows, and MAYBE hit some wood. With my small arms and fingers I find it very hard to even get the arrow half way to the target. I never have to worry about my aim because it doesn’t matter. So after I have given up on getting anywhere near the target, I walk up to the half way point with bruised arms from the string slapping me and sore fingers from pulling the string back. I am hoping that I will maybe be able to hit the target. It doesn’t work. I don’t get anywhere near it, so I move even closer than before.

I was so close that I was overwhelmed and didn’t pay attention to my first arrow so, I missed. Then Alex wanted to try. There was a cow behind the target, and some barbed wire, we were all joking that she was going to hit the cow. So she shot and, no surprise, she missed the target and the cow. Mom then said that we should stop and go before we hit the cow. So I take it as an insult and say “Mom, do you really think that I am that much of a klutz?” I raise my bow and arrow. My bad aim then comes back to me. I shoot and the arrow goes and all I see is the barbed wire shaking with my arrow in it and the cow scurrying away. If I had not miraculously hit the barbed wire, I would have hit the cow! All of us crack up in a tizzy of laughter. Then mom says (mocking me) “I’m not that much of a klutz!”

I did not hit the cow but I think I should give up archery and stay with soccer and lacrosse!