Home, Sweet Home

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Leaving the Nest

Last weekend, I packed up my belongings from Ama and Apa’s house, rented a car for 30 Yuan ($2.50), and moved to Dawu. It was a poignant goodbye with my adopted Tibetan family, but I promised to return for visits at least once a month. The car was filled with Tibetan cowboys, all fascinated by the idea of a Western woman coming to live in Amdo. “Why are you here?,” they asked. “How old are you?” “How much is Yartsa worth in America?” “Do you have an Amdo boyfriend?” Sometimes out of the blue, one of them would slowly say “America,” luxuriating in the sound of it, as though the melody had some kind of delicious, exotic flavor.

A Place to Hang my Hat

After the three-hour journey, I met with Tubdrel, an old friend of Lama Chonam’s, and he took me to my new, very swanky digs, located in the nicest building in town. It is bright pink, and to the American eye, looks like a public housing project. The inside is unquestionably luxurious - an actual toilet, a shower with hot water, and a tiny kitchen with a sink, a freezer and a single, functional stove burner. The apartment is fully furnished with a large, comfy bed and huge leather couches. The décor is decidedly Chinese. Images of Hello Kitty adorn the walls of the master bedroom. Figurines of laughing Buddhas, jade dragons and hand-carved elephants litter the rooms of enormous furniture, which is often covered in sheets of decorative plastic. All of this for the outrageous bargain of $36 US dollars a month! Since it is “summer,” the heat in the building is off. “Summer” means a high of about 40 F, so I am constantly swaddled in head to toe polar fleece and wrapped in my down sleeping bag.

Hospitality

There is nothing like Tibetan hospitality. When you're a guest in a Tibetan’s home, they often will give you their own bed while they themselves sleep on the floor. When you go to pay a friendly visit, you are offered the finest snacks and foods they otherwise would not indulge in themselves. There is no short visit here; staying in someone’s home for less than two hours is unheard of and slightly rude. Even workmen and taxi drivers are invited in for a few rounds of milk tea. Now that I have my own home, I too must play the part of hostess. I’ve stocked up on the traditional candies and cookies to be set out for guests, and an ever-brewing pot of tea is always on the stove. I’m ready to fly into action, bustling about, keeping my eye on cups to be sure one is never less than half full. I’m not ready to offer meat though - huge hunks of yak or lamb, freshly boiled, gnawed right off the bone or carved by each person with an enormous knife. My guests will have to be satisfied with cookies, candies and tea.

Last night, I was in a store looking to buy tsampa. Tsampa is roasted barley flour which is then mixed with milk tea and butter, making a somewhat cream-of-wheat-esque, peanut-butter-ish flavored food. In such cold weather, it really sticks to the bones. Three Tibetan ladies overheard my inquiry to the shopkeeper. “We have tsampa at our house,” they said to me. “You can’t buy it in these stores.” So, I followed them home, expecting a short jaunt, but ended up on a 25-minute hike, slightly out of town to their home. All the way, we engaged in chitchat. “Is there tsampa in America?” “Our tsampa is very fresh!” Finally, we arrived at their home, which was actually two small tents and an outdoor stove. They gave me an enormous bag of tsampa, and refused to let me pay! “We are friends now,” they explained. “When we are in America looking for tsampa, you can give us some.”

Sickness, filth, and cat-calling Tibetan cowboys aside, it is moments like this that make all the difference.

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Photos

Hanging Out in Cowboy Town
Here, I am with Ama (center) and a sweet and funny friend named Gulo, relaxing on the street the day before my move to Dawu.

Yes, That's a Lamp...
And though it is hard to see, the bottom is a mini-fishtank, filled with water, plastic fish and decals of ocean scenery.

New Friends Over Tsampa
These three women, natives of an area called Labdrang, are headed to their homeland in search of yartsa. Yartsa season is now nearly over.

Comments

[Rachel]

I **LOVE** the lamp!
I'm so glad you are feeling better and found a home. Love, Rachel

[anne bannister]

Great Writing
Thanks for taking time to describe your experiences. You are a great writer and, sitting here in Ann Arbor, it is good to learn more about this other world.

[anne bannister]

Noah
Noah is doing GRRRRREAT! He really likes Big Kitty and Max and has thoroughly investigated all parts of 612 North Main. He would like to explore the great outdoors, but this hasn't happened yet. He does get to sit by the open (cracked-open) window and smell the breezes. He is a really sweet PRINCE and I am so glad to have him here.