Tibetan Memories

The recent events in Tibet have caused it to be on my mind a lot lately. I taught English there for 6 weeks in the summer of 2002. There were some team tensions but overall it was a really great experience. The city of Lhasa and the people I met there were wonderful.

I have been reflecting on what I saw there in terms of the treatment of the Tibetan people. We were there as teachers and our organization made it clear to us that we shouldn't do anything to jeopardize our present there. So, we didn't ask any questions of our students about the political situation. But, we could still see things going on that pointed to oppression.

We were told not to go our much on the day of the Dali Lama's birthday. There was the potential for protests or demonstrations that could lead to altercations between the Tibetans and Chinese. The day before, as we were walking along a main street in front of the Potala Palace, a huge parade of policemen went by. I'm not very good at guess numbers, but at least 100 officers drove by on motorbikes and in police cars. The apparent message: don't try anything tomorrow, we're here and we're prepared. That was the most obvious display.

When I was in Lhasa, the population was about 50% Tibetan, 50% Han Chinese. There were (are?) incentives from the government for Chinese to move there. A new street had just be redone with a distinctively Chinese feel (neon light palm trees, coloured fountains, pop music blaring) as opposed to a Tibetan feel like at the Barkhor (prayer flags, yak hair, saffron and burgundy). We met a Tibetan man who was unable to get job, aside from the serving one he had at an Western-style bakery, because he did not speak Mandarin. The best English-speaking Tibetan was denied the scholarship reserved for a Tibetan student presumably because of his family connections to the Tibetan government in exile.

Those were small observations. I do not doubt the passion of the Tibetan people to seek independence, or at least greater autonomy. I pray they can send their message loudly but without violence. But I know, sometime that seems like an impossible task.

Hopefully I will be able to return the beautiful city of Lhasa one day. It enchanted me. Despite the team tensions I experienced on that trip, when I look back on it, I remember first and foremost the amazing experience that it was.