what a week

hi girls, how was your week? mine had been pretty exciting. last tuesday was Dalai Lama's birthday and a holiday at school so the whole family went to celebrate with the tibetans. big day! the night before, Acha-la already briefed us (me and Asha, an american girl who is studying tibetan language who is homestaying with us) on our schedule, get up at 6am, clean up, put on our best chuba, have 'deytsi' (tibetan sweet rice - special celebration food) for breakfast then go to granduncle's house at 7am, then set off for the celebration venue at 7:30am. this is Asha in my chuba. i dressed her, haha in my turquoise earrings and sandals and Acha-la's bag. she looks great! gosh.. you know it feels exactly like chinese new year. putting on your nicest clothes and looking your best. everyone is so excited.. haha..especially miss tenzin yangkyi because she gets 100 rupees from her mom and her favourite pizza dinner from us. she started counting down to this special day like 5 days before, each time reminding me that we are having pizza. 'Dalai Lama's birthday, we all eat pizza yeah?' every morning, i wake up or get back from school, i am asked that. haha....
i made a short sleeve flowery chuba. satiny wrinkle free material, great for summer. miss tenzin yangkyi shot this. haha.. no head.. we lined to present katas to the photo of Dalai Lama. miss tenzin yangkyi with her friends. miss tenzin, photographers' favourite. 2 cameras shooting away at her and she is a natural. supermodel in the making... check it out.. she is posing haha.. they all love picnics. many families bought their own food, eating and watching the tibetan school children perform songs and dance. so happy and simple. but at the same time, about 400 tibetan monks were put into jail for going to the celebration by the nepalese police. this is so sad.. and outside the venue, there were so many nepalese police standing around, with shields and helmets. its crazy. its a good thing we set off really early, we met many others who were stopped on their way to the venue by the police and were asked to turn around. they have to try many different routes and times to try to get to the celebration. girls, we must appreciate our freedom and support human rights. i am feeling really tired actually. everyday there is so much going on.. haha.. last nite i helped put conditioner for miss tenzin as her hair is always entangled after washing. teaching her how to do it. and another night, we taped her books, she is a rough little girl. all the pages from her books coming out! every nite i have different activities with her. last nite we had tuition. she is the teacher and i am her student of coz. an hour of tibetan and english conversation. she is too serious! haha... she gives me tests and spelling and homework! i am so tired after a full day of school. school ends at 4:30pm, i got home about 5pm, after my shower i was thinking of taking a nap. but no! i have to 'play' tuition with her. but it was really helpful. after my little quiz where she would choose some words and say in english, and i have to say in tibetan, and which of coz, i failed badly! now i remember what is spoon, cupboard, puppy, dog, sports, table in tibetan. and also thanks to Acha-la, now we must do our best to speak tibetan during meal times. she came up with the idea and initially i thought she was joking. but nope.. she is serious. haha.... but it is very helpful, just after a day, i have learnt a lot of sentences. so thanks Acha-la and miss tenzin, my 2 wonderful tibetan teachers. and check this out! i was greeted by 2 cows 3 days ago! not one, but TWO! one at each side... my goodness... they really love it here. in school, miss yangzom teaching us how to sew the cotton cloth to the bamboo sticks while the students are playing. haha.. pema, brazilian girl in year 2 making fun of the youngest girl in class, also in year 2. all my senior schoolmates. i really love it here. the atmosphere in school is so happy. and people are always joking and laughing.. and i find myself laughing and joking all the time too. haha... even though the living environment is harsh, but the joy i feel seems to dominate everything else. today is rubbish day. the rubbish get piled up over the week, and this morning the truck came and everyone came out with the bags of garbage. and this is how they do it, the workers putting all the piled up rubbish into bags manually by hand. and last nite i saw some kids rummaging through for toys and cds and anything they like. i also saw dead rats in the pile.. so sad.. aent we lucky?
OK! my battery is running low... have a great weekend. tomorrow i am going to work with Acha-la on making mala beads to help support her family and also myself. i will mix and match the beads and colours and she is an expert at making them. you see, my monthly rent is equivalent to supporting miss tenzin and her sister's school fees every month. so i am going to start this little mala project. i will tell you more about it soon. stay tuned girls! love you!
let me end this post with this sweet photo of miss tenzin sleeping and these meaningful words from Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche - “The big difference between myself and others is in numbers – there is only one of me, but countless others. So, my happiness and my suffering are completely insignificant compared to the happiness and suffering of infinite other beings. What truly matters is whether other beings are happy or suffering. This is the basis of the mind determined to attain enlightment.”