Placement Review

Tibet Theatre:

Tibet Theatre is a movement to use modern theatre as a means to communicate the emotions and messages of a community in exile. Lhakpa Tsering was my direct contact and he is also one of the co-founders of Tibet Theatre. This group is very young and began formally performing July 6^th, 2011. Tibet Theatre gave me access to the original grant proposal and it states there are 7 members to the group, but my interactions were with three people and they were recruiting for the next performance in early January 2012. The group seems to change with each performance with a solid core of people always being involved. From the grant proposal the goals of the group are:

 • offer a safe environment where freedom of expression and speech will not only be valued, but encouraged
• raise awareness of the Tibetan struggle both with in and outside exile communities

• showcase the richness and diversity of Tibetan culture through original plays
• provide a platform for the artistic talents of Tibetan youths and adults
• promote creative thinking within the refugee community
• elevate, enlighten, educate, enhance and empower individuals
• generate community cohesiveness and unity, and
• instill national pride, particularly among young Tibetan refugees.

From the performance that Glynnis, Ginni, and I saw I believe this group is doing an incredible job in spreading their message and will continue to grow and succeed. As an overall review of the group and my work with them, I feel like my time spent researching acting information for their website will provide them with resources that they wouldn’t otherwise have. It was simple work for me, but I don’t think they would have had many ideas on where to begin that process. 

More Pictures

More Thoughts on More Lectures

12/16 The Tibetan Struggle: A Cultural Clash

Prior to this trip and learning about this trip all I knew of the Dalai Lama was that he was a monk who traveled the world giving teachings. I never knew how deeply rooted he was in the Tibetan Buddhist faith. I knew very little of Tibetan Buddhism or Buddhism itself before this trip, and even with my pre-trip research about history of Buddhism I still know so little. Yesterday, we had a speaker who, when I asked Jhon later about him, he said that he was dangerous; a real political activist. Speaking to us he was relatively calm natured, but obviously passionate! He spoke about his vision and opinion on Tibet, his personal history, and his poetry. His vision was of Tibet to be free, but to him it was more of a knowing it would happen, just waiting for the right time. He started talking about his idea of spirituality, not in anyway related to faith, but related to a calm state of mind and peace of mind. He said that the Tibetan struggle wouldn’t ever die because the struggle was within each person. There is such a pride and pure faith in each Tibetan that won’t be squandered. He continued into the unique power that Tibet holds in its natural existence. The culture is so rural that the people are not dependent upon electricity and modern conveniences. The geography of the land is so rugged that the Chinese only got a rail system in place in 2006. He said that was Tibet itself fighting back. His most powerful argument to me was about the Dalai Lama and the pure faith the people have in him. They see no problems with their living style and therefore have no interest in changing to the “better” government of democracy. Why should they give up something that has given them a happy and peaceful way of life for so long in order to change to something that, to them, forces itself in preaching that it is better and kills them if they don’t join? Next, he talked about the current events of Tibet. How from the lack of exposure and results the Tibetans stopped protesting in 1993. To him, this was a movement to stop wasting lives because nothing was happening. From the rest of the world looking in, Tibet appeared to have given up and accepted the Chinese rule. 2008 and the revolt was the opening that Tibet saw to make a new statement. There was no organization that decided this; it was the people wanting to show that the struggle lived on. The final part was to discuss how this newfound struggle and media attention showed the Tibetans the true problems that they face. Before this, all parts of Tibet were acting as individuals they didn’t see the Chinese as invading them so their independence wasn’t threatened. Now with the media coverage and people talking, the once independent people are beginning to see themselves as a country and a people, and this is a unity Tibet has not seen or known before. As for my ideas about all of this: I see Tibet struggling not just against China, but against the world if they turn too much attention from getting help from around the world. With democracy as the “best” type of government if Tibet wants to hold its way of living it will be forever in struggle with the western world. As a sort of conclusion, I should say from what I’ve seen there will be very little struggle inside Tibet to become democratic, it will be the rest of the world struggling with Tibet to force them into democracy. 

Through the Eyes of a Tibetan

12/14 Lhopsang’s Story

Today I went to another placement down the hill at Thangde Gatsel. I helped with some basic computer processes: file transfer and email help and while most of this occupied the computer I had some free time. With this time I got to talk to and hang out with a young painter who works and studies at the school. His name was Lhopsang and he was a Tibetan who came to India in his childhood. He opened his room home to me and shared some of the Tibetan story with me. I have been hearing about the atrocities of the Chinese, but this was the first time I had really experienced it. He started with a documentary that was nothing more than a speech in Berlin about an event that happened at the Nepal-Tibet border. The event was centered on a 15-year-old young girl who wanted to be a nun who was with a larger group of Tibetans who were hiking through the Himalayas towards Nepal. She was 30 minutes from the border after 22 days of walking when the Chinese Border Police saw them and began to open fire. A group of around 70 Tibetans were shot at and scattering when some mountaineers who heard the shots started filming the scene. They have film record of the young nun following in line and being shot from the top of a mountain. She falls and doesn’t get up. She crawls a few feet and stops. After the rest are gone, the police to and see the body. They appear to take pictures like hunters in America and that’s when the film stops. This was the first video to come out of the violence that occurs at the border. Lhopsang continued to tell me how when he was 6 or 7 he did the same type of trek and they got shot at too, but they were closer to the border so they were safe. He also told me a little of his schooling. He started school as soon as he got here, but he only went until he was 14 because then studied for 10 years at Thangde Gatsel. He doesn’t think he’ll ever go back to Tibet.

Nature Around the Globe

12/11 The Adventure to Triund

Triund in the Clouds

How to begin? I will be back here. Or at the very least I will never stop being in the mountains, by the ocean, or anywhere nature is at its prime. I feel most alive when I can breathe and look without seeing human population in every nook and cranny. The pictures of Triund will explain what show what I felt, especially the panoramas, once they get made back in the states. There was a definite feeling of divinity up there because it was a full moon, a full lunar eclipse, and the clouds breaking after an afternoon of hail/snow. The hike up was a nice trail and nothing was grueling. Compared to a lot of workouts I remember this hike got my heart pumping, but nothing too difficult. Once we were on top the atmosphere in the group was wonderful. We bundled up, had tea, and walked around taking pictures when the clouds cleared. The night was full of bonding and temperatures below freezing. My sleeping bag was perfect except the feet, so I may look into a sleeping bag for lower temperatures. The hike down was rather frightening to me because my knee is still below normal in strength- it’s almost back to normal I realize now being at the bottom. Despite the worry of pain and weakness a slightly slower pace kept me feeling great, and even at the end of the hike I was not tired and ready to keep going. So I did, I went and visited with our dear friend Jhon and shared pictures of home, vacations, family, and friends. He was enthralled by my pictures of fishing in Alaska and my adventure in Yellowstone. From there, we went out and had coffee/hot chocolate and talked about cricket. The afternoon that was left was dedicated to relaxing and thinking.

I have one idea that I keep coming across that is worth sharing here. The Tibetan situation is one that I had never really been aware of before. I could not have asked for a better trip to open my eyes to a global issue. For now I will talk about the struggle I see within this community and what I see as the “living deity” of the Dalai Lama. This incarnate form of faith creates a sort of complacency within the followers. To have this person who is considered to be more than human, the followers then don’t have to worry as much about the larger scale problems because they have someone to turn to when things get hard. In the actions of the people here, I notice that the groups trying to take action are having some trouble gaining support because there is such strong faith that His Holiness will take care of it all. I find that both Tibet Theatre and Thangde Gatsel are doing an excellent job of showing the youth and the outside world the actions that they need to take if they wish to keep the Tibetan culture alive.

It Begins

12/11 A Week in Review

My Tibetan Teacher (Dawa) and I

My past five days have been a whirlwind of adventure, excitement, and thinking. I spent most of this week writing a personal journal that I don’t plan to share. I have nearly finished all the work the Tibet Theatre has for me, and I am just going to polish it up in the next few days then talk to Glynnis and Ginni about what to do next. The week itself was fairly regular in its structure. As noted I found a teacher, so we met on Tuesday at 7:00 pm and from Wednesday on at 7:00 am to begin learning. For one hour it is all Tibetan, and I am struggling a bit. Some of the sounds and differences between sounds are so utterly foreign and I have very little language training or knowledge to draw upon. From there it is off to breakfast and a lecture. The lectures were incredible. One was rather boring, but that is to be expected, everyone has different interests. I will highlight the main points of each at the end. The afternoons were good. I was able to complete all of the work and research that the theatre wanted, and I am trying to get access to the website to add all the information I have. I am much happier with the placement after a full week because I have seen their goals and seen their personalities come out. I got to work in their office a few times and they are great people! I wish them the best of luck in their efforts because what they really want to do is share the human spirit.

Monday 12/5: Norbulinka! (Already talked about)

Tuesday 12/6: Himachel Pradesh

-Folk/village life: People still hold their own culture within a larger area

-New Year is celebrated in March

-Buddhist and Indians share temples

-The people accept other cultures, but cherish what they have

-Students learn about culture and write about how the ideas work and how the culture works

-Holidays are when the real tradition comes out

Wednesday 12/7: Lhang Tsering: The Strategy of the Mosquito

-The Tibetan way forward by means of the What, Why, and How

-The “What” is being clear on what you want

-The “Why” is faith in your own reasons

-The “How” is the action, how it will be done

-Tibet 2/3 size of India, but by new lines is small

-Strategic locations along its borders

-Tibetan Plateau with its effects on the monsoon season of Southeast Asia

-Doesn’t believe a mutual peace agreement will work because China won’t gain anything by giving up Tibet

-Tibet holds the greatest resource in the world: water

-How to win back Tibet:

            Two fold campaign

            1. Global Political Pressure on environmental treatment and genocide

            2. Mosquito warfare by causing disruptions in China

            -Knocking out power in major cities and other dysfunctional activities in order to spark the unrest that is in China after 60 years of one ruling power

Thursday 12/8: Students for a Free Tibet

-Chapters in over 60 countries with Headquarters in New York

-Their goal is to reflect the voices from inside Tibet to the world

-Their campaigns about Tibet:

            1. Human Rights

            2. Economic

            3. Water control

            4. Nomadic Rights

-2.5 million nomads being forced to resettle

-1.4 million have already been resettled

-White Wednesday: A movement started within Tibet to wear traditional Tibetan clothes every Wednesday.

Friday 12/9: Tibetan Center for Human Rights

-The Self-Emulations

            -A public act of non-violence to show the deep extent of the problems being experienced

            -Show the desperate state of human rights for the Tibetans in Tibet

            -1998 was the first self-emulation

            -Chinese report on one self-emulation: he was upset about a theft

-Chinese Policies are creating Anti-Tibetan actions

            -Destroying the Tibetan way of life and all hope of rebuilding it

            -Criminalizing acts of individualism.

            -Expression of economic ideas are ok, but expression of self is criminal

-Gain information from within Tibet by interviewing new arrivals and online resources

-950 known political prisoners and 200 disappearances

-Tibetan woman had surgery in Tibet by a Chinese staff, and while she was anesthetized she has a birth control put in without her consent, later caused health issues.

-Tibetans discriminated in business because they don’t have “polished” skills like the Chinese

Quick Note

12/6 Placement and Learning Tibetan

Since I have been feeling better I have been searching for a teacher to learn the basics of the Tibetan language from, and today I got one His name is Dhawa, and for 100 rupees and hour ($2) I can begin to learn a new language. This is wonderful and I am excited! I would like to make a note about my placement because I have more information on the group now and I am growing truly fond of the place. I was given what I would call a formal introduction to the organization on Tuesday when I spent the day working in the office with them. Friday and Monday there were in and out so I worked from the hotel. I just wanted to mention this now because it was a big change from my initial reaction to the placement and I will talk more about the organization and my opinions on the volunteering there later. 

Thangka Paintings and Norbulingka

12/5 Art lives!

The Group After the Workshop

Today was an amazing day! We left in the morning for Norbulingka and what a place! To start with some background on Thangka painting that I left out from the weekend experience at Thangde Gatsel. There are 6 types of Thangka paintings. I should step back even further. The Thangka painting is a Tibetan art tradition that dates back thousands of years .There are six types of Thangkas: gold, red, black, appliqué (stitched rather than painted), and silver; however, the method of making silver Thangkas was lost for hundreds of years and just recently have a few masters begun to make them again. They have a few made and if they last in proper condition then they will know that they succeeded, otherwise they will know they have the wrong method. The most impressive part of all of the artwork was how long these pieces of art will last. According to our instructor, Sarika, the exact blend of minerals and glue could make the Thangka’s color last for hundreds of years! Also, she mentioned a dilemma she faced when trying to start her own school in Thangde Gatsel because it would be easy to not follow the ancient dimensions precisely and teach Thangka making that would be almost perfect, but in doing this the art loses so much. I am happy to say they chose to keep the art in its original form. The training to even begin work on real Thangkas is 10 years. The first step is 3 years of sketching, beginning with the head of a Buddha, which is what we got to experience on Sunday. In this experience I saw how the art has stayed so pure; it is all done by proportions. From the head, the students start moving forward to the body and then onto other people and creatures akin to Tibetan culture. All of this is done without color and without knowing the mixing proportions of glue and minerals. After the training is done it takes 20 years to be considered a master. 30 years of work, and that is why the art is perfect every time and beautiful. This preservation of art and the dedication involved makes me incredibly happy to see. In the modern American society of materialism and globalization I amazed and humbled to see a true human skill being preserved and cherished. I was introduced to the idea when I was young, but it always seems to hit home when I think about art like this. America doesn’t make much of anything. There seems to be a great pride in the skills of business and selling goods, but nobody actually wants to make the goods. I am stuck in my thoughts on this subject because I don’t know enough, but in my purchases I am always much happier to buy a handmade imperfect product or an expensive perfect product of human skill, over the factory line cookie cutter perfect object. Now onto Norbulingka itself; we met Sarika again and she showed us around. Norbulingka serves as both a school and a museum of sorts to preserve Tibetan art and culture. They offer schools of Tibetan philosophy, Thangka painting, and gold and wood working. Sarika is a graduate of Norbulingka in Thangka painting and is actually and untouchable (the lowest Indian class), and was allowed into a Tibetan school with the help of the Dalai Lama. She finished the 10 year curriculum in 6 years. What a women! She has since started Thangde Gatsel, a school open to anyone wanting to learn the art of Thangka painting that offers courses ranging from one-day intros, to the full 30 years of training to become a master. Going through Norbulingka was incredible and almost beyond words. The structure of all the buildings is fashioned after a Buddha in Thangka paintings, if seen from above, and is named for the winter home of the Dalai Lama in Tibet. There are gardens and a guest house at one end signifying the feet of a Buddha, with schools and museums as you move “up” the Buddha. The temple that resides at the top signifying the head is used also as the home of His Holiness the Dalai Lama whenever her wishes to stay there. The statue inside was glorious and the paintings all around were immaculate. To me, it was beyond words and it felt wrong to take pictures (don’t worry, everyone else did). I had this feeling inside that I needed to experience it myself and taking a picture would have distracted my mind from being in the moment and experiencing what was around me. I do apologize to anyone looking for pictures from me. I am discovering my picture taking style is not there to serve as a reminder of what I saw or felt; it is to create a new feeling in someone else. I am fine at capturing pictures that remind me of what I saw, but I want to take pictures that can speak for themselves. I will make sure to take pictures like this, and I will also be borrowing some pictures from others to help you see and experience the parts of the trip when I put my camera down and was in the moment. 

Norbulingka

Photography Fun at Norbulingka

The First Deep Breath

12/4 The First Weekend in Quick Review

Bhagsu Waterfall

Saturday was simply wonderful. A late morning hike up to the waterfall was a peaceful start and helped me to feel like myself again after Delhi the sickness knocked me out. We had more people asking for pictures, and Kyle and I obliged one group. We then proceeded to pick up the pace walking. The shops on the edge of town are much calmer; not one is constantly saying, “Hello friend!”(I will talk about that later). From the waterfall we came back and relaxed, napped, I went to see Jhon, went scarf shopping, and walked the Kora. My dinner was Korean food, not what I was expecting to find in India, but still good. I got another round of sickness later that night, so I didn’t sleep well. This morning was Tangka painting and it was incredible! I took some notes and will write more when I am not so tired. I got a strong wave of sickness and started Cipro today (heavy hitting antibiotics), and as I lay now in bed I have my first feelings of nostalgia. Not because I really miss home, I do, but I miss how good I always feel at home in both the physical state and in the company.

 To finish the idea of “Hello friend” I am still very sheltered when it comes to other cultures, but one thing I always think about is the difference between friend and amigo. In the Spanish speaking world, as my understanding goes, to call someone an amigo/amiga is an incredible compliment. There is reverence in the name, and it means they are someone you consider truly close. In America, we seem to throw the word friend around to nearly anyone we know beyond their name. I have been trying for the past few years to make a distinction in myself and only use friend when I mean it. Obviously it is socially expected to say friend more commonly so it’s a pattern I have, but I always stop and think whenever I say it and will usually correct myself to say close friend or true friend when I really mean it. With this in mind, I hear the phrase “Hello friend” and I am hurt a bit to hear that title of friend thrown around to anyone that walks by because that person selling has no interest in the person behind the wallet.

Another India Shot

The Two Days of Toilet Occupation

12/3 Day 4 in the Dharamsala/McLeod Ganj

The Kora at Sunset

The train ride was nothing to speak of. I finished a book, ate snacks, laughed, had tea, then got sick and suffered through a 3 hour taxi ride with then two days of recuperation. The taxi was a whirl of cold air, lights, and going uphill. Day one in McLeod Ganj: sleep and puke. So fun! Day two: feel better, eat food, feel bad, sleep, feel better, venture out and walk the Kora! Such an incredible place, that will be my evening place tonight, pictures at sunset. Then suddenly it was Friday and we were off and going. The mornings are lectures and first on the list was the Vice President of an organization Gu Chu Sum that is heavily involved in the freedom of Tibet and the sanctuary of ex-political prisoners. Ideas of his talk will be a separate entry. From the lecture I was feeling very weak so I wandered back to bed for a nap. The afternoon was volunteer placements and I will hold that in reserve as my first impression was not positive and I feel that I need to wait longer before expressing feelings on that. After this was done Glynnis and I went to see Jhon. Jhon is a purely wonderful person. Originally from Kashmir, he owns and runs a jewelry shop, is constantly livid with energy, and always up for some tea. I will be mentioning him more, I am sure. I have an idea rant to go on today with a comparison of cooperation in trade. I notice that as an American I have what seems to be an over zealous tendency to say thank you. At home, to not say thank you is such an insult; however, here, thanks are hardly mentioned unless they are truly meant for some event of major importance. Seemingly in contradiction to these spoken habits, the Indians, Tibetans, and Kashmiri people seem to be far more humble and cooperative with each other. There is no thanks spoken not because there is no appreciation, but because it is understood as a part of being a person and member of society. I find it interesting that American culture seems so offertory in its words, but in emotion and action is so lacking compared to this foreign culture that uses less words and more language.

Gu Chu Sum Vice President Lukar Jam.
He used our contact Yeshi as a translator for this talk so I think a little bit got lost in translation, but nonetheless, the main theme of his introduction was the Tibetan fight itself. He gave some background from the Tibetan side about the original invasion of China, and talked about the self emulations. I hadn't even heard about these before we came but he said these suicides are not a sign of giving up. He made sure to clearly state the desire to have a completely independent country, he doesn't want to be labeled as part of China, and if they are to be labeled that way, it is up to Tibet. I will add two more of his ideas on hear that really moved me. First, he believed that the development of countries depends on the qualities of humans within that country. This was something that really stuck out in my mind because I've never heard it said quite like that. Second, every person in the world is responsible for whether the world is good or bad, and those with more resources and education have more responsibility. The questions raised some good points, how the middle way of Buddhism fits into the struggle of Tibet and the Dalai Lama stepping down as political leader. His opinion was the middle way is an ideal and used as a business, but it cannot solve the struggle. There is just no way, there needs to be strong definite action. As for the stepping down of power, he believed it was a smart move to keep the faith and political power of Tibet even when the Dalai Lama passes in the future. He concluded by saying the hope of in Tibet is in the younger generation, not in the politics.