freedom in exile.

This past week, Rebecca and I braved the travel gods and made the journey to Dharamsala in the only way possible: by bus, resulting in one of the more interesting bus rides so far...

Usually I have the uncanny ability to fall asleep on public transportation, however a 14 hour overnight city bus that involves sitting on the back bench seat, which does not recline, with four other people, is not my idea of ideal. Especially when you are in the middle of the bench and get no breeze from the windows. Once about every five minutes we would be speeding along and hit a mighty big bump, amplified by 20 thanks to the incessant speed at which we were going. My head hit the ceiling. Twice. Sleep was absolutely not an option, and so by the time we pulled into Dharamsala, I was entirely removed from myself and in a zombie state. 

 

Above Dharamsala, in Mcleod Ganj, is where we spent all of our time. It is home to the Tibetan government in exile as well as His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama and hundreds of other Tibetan refugees. Thanks to a pretty open schedule, I was able to spend a lot of time interacting with the locals and hearing their stories. In America, barely anyone knows the story of Tibet. Sure I had seen the Free Tibet t shirts and bumper stickers back home, but living preoccupied, I never stopped or bothered to learn the full story. So here is a quick history lesson for those of you who might need a refresher:

In 1949, the Chinese government marched in and took over, or as they say, "peacefully liberated" Tibet. Since then about 1.2 million Tibetans have been killed, and about 90% of their cultural heritage has been destroyed. More than 250,000 refugees (including the Dalai Lama) have fled their homeland, traveling by FOOT over the Himalaya, to seek sanctuary in India and Nepal, hoping to find freedom in exile.

Still today, China continues to invade Tibet, forcing the people to face unimaginable persecution. 

Time is becoming more of the essence considering that the Dalai Lama is getting older, and the Panchen Lama, the monk who is supposed to pick the next Dali Lama, was abducted by the Chinese government when he was six and hasn't been seen or heard from since.

Public protests are becoming more and more common over here in India: just the other week in Delhi, a 28 year old man who had fled Tibet 5 years before, lit himself on fire in public, just to make a point to China that what they are doing is unethical. This has been the 29th person to light themselves on fire in the past year. Hearing students talk about it, I knew I needed to learn more, and what better place than Dharamsala?

Many of the Tibetan refugees have relocated to Mcleod Ganj, making it the center for Tibetan exiles. We were able to visit many museums and monuments about the past 60 years in Tibet and it was absolutely shocking. I left each feeling an overwhelming urge to do something to help out, to at least spread the word and break the silence, sharing the story that is always under wraps.

If you're interesting in learning more, or helping out in anyway, try checking out 

http://www.freetibet.org/ 

 

Many of our days were spent walking from palace to museum to temple to palace to restaurant, and repeat. But we also had a good chunk of time to spend with fellow tourists. Rightfully so, McLeod Ganj boasts many volunteers from all over the world, one of them led an afternoon session on making trash wallets, and of course I attended. There were about 20 people there, and for every 5, a new language was spoken. This made it quite hilarious, especially considering everyone was frustrated and swearing in their respective native tongues. I managed to construct what a few might consider a masterpiece, although the milk box wasn't properly washed to it carries a nice, natural aroma...

Tibetan people are easily the nicest people I have come across in my travels. They are genuinely interested in what everyone has to say, appreciate all that life has to offer, and are constantly insightful. It was great to simply sit in the middle of the bazaar and watch time go by. As one of my last travels in India, I am very satisfied with the way it turned out. Mcleod Ganj has a rejuvenating and peaceful quality and I left feeling more than ready to take on the fourth quarter. 

 

Throughout India, including in Mussoorie, there are many Tibetan orphanages and schools; these children either made the journey here with family friends while their parents stayed behind in opression, or they never made it all the way here. On our way back from the village a few weeks back, we stopped for momo's at Happy Valley, the local Tibetan school and refuge. Two of the students who were with us are Tibetan and we were able to arrange what could easily have been the event of the month, a basketball game involving their staff, and Woodstock students.