Tag Archives: tibet

on travel / wanderlust

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on travel DFWMy older brother is hopping around Europe, taking breaks from his Italian studies to frequent junkyards for car parts and snowboard in the French Alps under the shadow of Mount Blanc (1). My younger brother is hopping across Australia, playing with kangaroos, koalas, eating vegemite, and learning some rad slang like “sunnies” instead of “sunglasses” (2). My father, a pilot, keeps bicycles in Paris, Barcelona, London, and other international cities so that he can cruise around on his layovers. At the moment, he is in who-knows-what-province of Thailand for the nation’s new year celebrations—an epic water fight called “Songkran.” A cousin of mine also traveled through Thailand recently, while his brother filmed a documentary for VICE on HBO in the Philippines and North Korea, among other places (3).

Wanderlust runs in my family; we may or may not have gypsy blood. And while everyone else travels around the globe, I’m still stationary, thinking about where I’ve been and where I’m going.

on travel SF

My life looks pretty settled lately—working two jobs seven days a week, stashing some cash, carving out time to work on handmade journals, photography, and writing. Deep down, I know that all too familiar & metaphorical itching in (not on) my feet can only be cured by hopping on an airplane to a nation where I know no one, and no one knows me. Travel changes you, but I’m realizing that it’s time to change the way I travel—instead of traveling alone, venture forth with others; instead of running away from one place, run towards the next.

My days in India, Tibet, and Thailand feel decades behind me now, and I find myself walking over the cobblestone and brick of my hometown, wondering if I should find a hermitage in the woods and stay put instead. Then, I strike up a conversation with a woman from Cambodia who left in 1981, watch an episode of VICE that completely shatters my reality, and read about the fatal landslide in Tibet, 40 miles from where I lived in Lhasa (4). It makes me realize how much I’ve seen and experienced, but more importantly: how much I don’t know, and how much remains to be seen.

1. http://jakeitalia.tumblr.com/
2. http://wannagotothelanddownunder.tumblr.com/
3. http://hbo.vice.com/
4. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/03/world/asia/deadly-tibetan-landslide-draws-attention-to-mining.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

nanowrimo day two: word vomit

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It is incredibly freeing to word vomit all over a computerized document for 50,000 words in thirty days. “Freeing” was one of the last adjectives I would have thought I’d use to describe NaNoWriMo—National Novel Writing Month—but the initial feeling of trepidation has subsided, restraints have been lifted, expectations eradicated. Getting everything out of my head and into a first draft is cathartic, regardless of how good or bad the writing can be. Truth is, I’ve started and stopped multiple manuscripts before this, only to get caught up trying to rewrite the passages I’ve already written, never moving forward or reaching the finish line.

And what am I writing, you ask? A largely autobiographical piece, excavating and fictionalizing the last year of my life, which brought me from Tibet to New York to India. During that time period, I left Tibet knowing I might never go back, did two things I swore I’d never (signed a lease on an apartment and accepted a salaried position), semi-settled in Brooklyn, fell (hard) into a long-distance relationship, lost said salaried position, and moved to India for a British guy—a move that lasted a mere seventeen days.

The year was marked by a series of failures. At least, that’s what I originally thought, but in excavating I’m aiming to reassign the failures, find the inherent wisdom, figure out exactly what happened and why in order to better understand the significance of it all and ultimately move forward.

If I end up with a 50,000 word draft that could be reworked into a piece of literature, then that’s fantastic. But if I end up with pages upon pages of catharsis and word vomit, that’s alright with me too. As long as I learn something in the process it will be worthwhile, which is something I have to continually remind myself of each time the prospect of a blank page overwhelms me.

If you’re taking part in this year’s NaNoWriMo, or have participated in the past, please comment or get in touch with me. I’d love to hear from you! Whether you’re participating or not, you may track my progress at: http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/participants/e-v-de-cleyre

Tibetan self-immolations reach Lhasa

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On Sunday two young Tibetan men self-immolated in Lhasa, one of whom died at the scene before police swiftly erased any trace of the incident (BBC). I called a friend in the city, and we discussed everything other than the incident. It went unmentioned, as these things do in Lhasa, where talk is dangerous.

At least 37 Tibetans have self-immolated since March of 2011, with most of the incidents taking place in eastern Tibet, an area the Chinese government considers a part of China. Sunday’s self-immolations were the first to spread to central Tibet and its capital, and the two young men chose one of the city’s most pivotal landmarks as the backdrop to their protest against China’s repressive rule—the Jokhang Temple. Built in the 7th century, the temple is one of Lhasa’s most important Buddhist sites, and it lies at the center of the Barkor, a devotional circuit where pilgrims circumambulate and a neighborhood of sorts where many Tibetans reside. A police station is located close to the entrance, and tents are set up along the route around the temple, under which a handful of policemen sit drinking tea and smoking cigarettes. Any sign of dissidence would surely be quelled instantly, but knowing this did not deter the two young men. Neither did the possibility of their death.

Up until Sunday the self-immolations occurred in places I had never before seen, and thereby could not fathom. The mind has a hard time comprehending disasters, especially in places it has never seen. Maybe this is why those who never saw the World Trade Towers standing had a difficult time interpreting the significance of their fall. Maybe this is why we photograph and film and erect museums and memorials–not to remember (because remembering is difficult) but to explain, to portray what once was.

Yet I have seen the Jokhang Temple, I have walked through the plaza countless times, and I still cannot fathom what it would be like to watch two young men light themselves on fire at the base of the enormous temple, the sheer size of which is diminished through a lens. Would they look somehow smaller in the shadow of it, or larger than life? How many would notice, but more importantly, how many would understand? How many would comprehend? How many would remember?

If the Chinese government were to have its way, no one would. In China, online searches for Jokhang Temple “turned up a message saying that according to laws and policies no search results could be shown” (NYTimes blog).

The Jokhang Temple’s main entrance, as viewed from the end of the plaza; 2011.

An image of the self-immolation in front of the Jokhang Temple, from Woeser’s blog: http://woeser.middle-way.net/2012/05/527.html

“This strip of four photos is circulating on Weibo, showing one of the self-immolations in front of the Jokhang in Lhasa on Sunday. The front of the Jokhang is visible in the first photograph, and behind it the Tashi Mandala hotel, and one of the two darchen or prayer flag poles in the square is visible in the last two photos. The pictures show a young man on fire walking across the largely deserted square as two young men run towards him with a cloth; the two young men trying to put out the fire with the cloth; two local policemen putting out the fire with a fire extinguisher and a cloth; and a western tourist taking photos.” Robert Barnett, founder and Director of the Modern Tibetan Studies Program at Columbia University

woodwork: norbulingka

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The studios were situated on the floors between the stairwells; desks erected beside floor-to-ceiling windows allow artists to bathe in natural sunlight day in and out. Most of the desks were empty, save one. The man greeted us in Tibetan, and we spoke briefly, just long enough for me to learn that he once lived in a village near Lhasa, Tibet.

The Norbulingka Institute was built in the late 1980s to preserve Tibetan culture and artistic traditions. Read more about woodwork on their website:
http://www.norbulingka.org/index.htm?http%3A//www.norbulingka.org/woodwork/index.htm

photo of the day: deden tsuglagkhang

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An empty chair rests beside the entrance to the main temple of the Norbulingka Institute, called the Deden Tsuglagkhang in Tibetan. The wind lifts and drops the sheer white curtain, exposing the massive gilded copper Buddha inside.

The Norbulingka Institute was built in the late 1980s to preserve Tibetan culture and artistic traditions. Read more at their website: http://www.norbulingka.org/

Jamphel Yeshi’s Letter

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How many Tibetans must light themselves on fire in an act of protest against China’s repressive rule before the world stops to take notice? Thirty.

On Monday, a 27 year-old Tibetan man doused himself in a flammable liquid and struck a match, engulfing his body in flames as he sprinted 50 yards in the midst of an estimated 600 protesters. The method was the same as the 29 who came before him, but unlike those, Jamphel Yeshi’s self-immolation was set in a democratic nation, in plain view of a massive audience, and plenty of camera lenses and mobile phones captured his protest as soon as it happened. In the next twenty-four hours, the images exploded across the internet, and the story was seemingly everywhere—from news desks in Cambodia to the New York Times.

Since January alone, 18 Tibetans have self-immolated inside Tibet, but the world has seen no videos, merely pixelated cell phone images of a few of the 30 total incidents since 2009; evidence of China’s crackdown in Tibet. Jamphel Yeshi’s protest swept through the media seemingly as quickly as the flames that engulfed him, because he was visible—there was immediate access to images and witnesses, and no need to navigate the Great Firewall of China. On top of this, Jamphel Yeshi left a hand-written letter, penned on the 16th.

The fact that Tibetan people are setting themselves on fire in this 21st century is to let the world know about their suffering, and to tell the world about the denial of basic human rights. If you have any empathy, stand up for the Tibetan people.

We demand freedom to practice our religion and culture. We demand freedom to use our language. We demand the same right as other people living elsewhere in the world. People of the world, stand up for Tibet. Tibet belongs to Tibetans. Victory to Tibet!

In an NBC news report featuring a clip of Yeshi’s self-immolation, a professor in Hong Kong remarked that, while the Chinese government continues to offer “economic support” in Tibet, the Tibetan people are expressing that they want “more autonomy, better respect for their religion and culture.” This assertion is wrong on two counts.

First of all, many fail to express how the “economic support” hardly helps Tibetans directly, and comes at a devastating cost to freedoms of speech, religion, and movement. Likewise, infrastructure and development are contributing to catastrophic environmental issues that endanger Tibetan livelihoods in the region—these include changes in hydrology, loss of biodiversity, rampant mining and resource extraction, grassland desertification, and permafrost degradation.

Secondly, the Tibetan people are certainly not calling for “more autonomy” and “better respect for their religion and culture” because they possess neither respect nor autonomy from the Chinese government, only superficially. Each of the Tibetans who have self-immolated, along with countless others that have risen up in protest this year alone, have not called for more autonomy or respect; they have demanded freedom and/or independence, and the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Tibet.

On Wednesday, Jamphel Yeshi succumbed to the burns that covered ninety percent of his body, dying in a hospital bed in India. That same day, Chinese President Hu Jintao arrived in New Delhi, India for the BRIC Summit, and a 20 year-old monk in eastern Tibet self-immolated and died—an indication that these tragic acts will continue.

Now that we know how many lives it costs for the world to take notice, the question remains, will people act?


More information: 

International Campaign for Tibet, Self-Immolation Fact Sheet:
http://savetibet.org/resource-center/maps-data-fact-sheets/self-immolation-fact-sheet

Stand Up for Tibet, Self-Immolation Fact Sheet:
http://standupfortibet.org/further-information/

Stand Up for Tibet, Get Involved: http://standupfortibet.org/

News and resources:

Lhasa Rising, the official blog of Students for a Free Tibet India (contains an alternate translation):
http://lhasarising.wordpress.com/2012/03/27/statement-on-the-self-immolation-of-a-young-tibetan-in-delhi-india-march-26-2012/

CBC News, Tibetan sets self on fire in New Delhi protest (graphic images):
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2012/03/26/tibetan-burning.html

New York Times Blog, Tibetan Activist Who Self-Immolated Leaves Letter Behind:
http://india.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/28/tibetan-activists-letter-explaining-his-self-immolation/

New York Times, India Tightens New Delhi’s Tibetan Districts on Eve of Summit:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/29/world/asia/india-tightens-new-delhis-tibetan-districts-on-eve-of-summit.html?src=tp&smid=fb-share

New York Times, Tibetan Exiles Rally Around Delhi Self-Immolator:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/29/world/asia/tibetan-exiles-rally-around-delhi-self-immolator.html

New York Times Blog Tibetan Who Self-Immolated in Delhi Dies:
http://india.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/28/tibetan-who-self-immolated-in-delhi-dies/?scp=1&sq=Jamphel%20Yeshi&st=cse

BBC News, Tibetan self-immolation activist in India dies:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-17534104

Wikipedia, Immolations by Tibetans protesting Chinese rule:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-immolation#Immolations_by_Tibetans_protesting_Chinese_rule

World Water Day & Tibet

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In 2010, I completed independent undergraduate research in Ladakh and Tibet on the environmental issues currently plaguing the Tibetan plateau. In honor of World Water Day, I have included an edited excerpt of my work below. Please note, citations have been removed from the text but have been mentioned below. 

Snow peaks, glaciers, and glacial lakes have earned Tibet the nickname the “Water Tower of Asia,” given that it is the leading supplier of water in the region. Home to several thousand lakes, the headwaters of nine of Asia’s major rivers, and one-sixth of the world’s glaciers, water is the plateau’s most vital resource. It supplies nearly half of the world’s population with fresh water, or 85% of the population of Asia. In short, what happens to Tibet’s environment will directly impact half of the world, and indirectly effect the other half—a fact that should not be overlooked on World Water Day. Continue reading →

Feels like Lhasa

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Three young Tibetan men sit by the front window, clutching tingmo in hand, conversing in Tibetan as they dip the steamed bread into dishes teeming with meat, vegetables, and dried chillies. At the back of the restaurant, under a panoramic poster of Tibet’s capital city, Lhasa, four monks share a massive hot pot with individual bowls of rice, sipping from glass bottles of Mountain Dew between fits of hysterical laughter, wiping tears from their eyes with the edges of their maroon robes. It feels like Lhasa.

Chusum Restaurant’s eight tables are usually occupied by Tibetans feasting family-style on a handful of dishes, reminisce of the back-alley tea houses in Lhasa, where small restaurants are cubby-holed throughout the ancient Barkor district. A curtain hangs over their door, the air is thick with smoke pooling out of the kitchen, and Tibetan pop songs play through tinny speakers, while Tibetans congregate at a few dusty tables with benches to share tea or a steaming bowl of soup.

However, Chusum’s menu is more extensive than the average Lhasa Tea House, with a variety of delectable dishes like stir fried greens and mushrooms, ping (glass noodles) sautéed with green onions and bok choy, shogo khatsa (a signature Tibetan dish of potatoes and spices), mutton stir-fried with vegetables and dried chilies, all accompanied by a bowl of rice or tingmo—steamed Tibetan bread. Likewise, compared to the average Lhasa Tea House altogether devoid of a menu, Chusum’s picture menu offers the comfort of actually knowing what you’re ordering. The only exception is mystery dish #23, which remains nameless on the shiny, laminated menu.

Chusum has one more thing that you won’t find in the average Lhasa Tea House—a large photograph of Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader, the 14th Dalai Lama, proudly enshrined over the counter. Banned in Tibet, His Holiness’ image is rarely found in Lhasa, and its presence in McLeod Ganj and Dharamsala serves as a reminder of religious freedoms that Tibetans are denied in their homeland.

Chusum Restaurant (Tibetan: ཆོལ་གསུམ་ཟ་ཁང།), located on Jogiwara Rd. (near the main square), McLeod Ganj, Dharamsala, HP, India
Prices range from 40-200 Indian Rupees for dishes (USD $1-4)

Late Night Letters: Time to Say “Enough!”

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Dear friends,

Thank you to all of you who heeded the call to action and pledged to Stand Up for Tibet. If you haven’t yet, there is still time to add your signature. As I write this, we are on the brink of reaching 21,000, and now that we have hit our initial goal of 20,000 by November 2nd, we are aiming higher and pushing for 30,000 signatures by Thursday, November 3rd—the day that the G20 begins in Cannes, France, and world leaders meet with Chinese President Hu Jintao. It is not too late to Stand Up for Tibet.

Sign the pledge here: http://standupfortibet.org/enough/dk-speakup-petition-1/

Continue reading →

Stand Up for Tibet

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This morning, I awoke to images of monks engulfed in orange flames. One was walking, the other was sprawled out on the pavement. In another photograph, a monk lay face down on the ground, his maroon robes now blackened and charred. (Warning: graphic images) Continue reading →