A Tibetan Story

I am in the village of San Juan in Tenerife attempting to rent a vehicle for the remaining few days of my vacation (see post Cars With Memories), and inevitably my mind wanders to one of the many recollections encapsulated within those Cars With Memories.

We are approaching the end of the 1990’s, and on this winter's day in Helsinki Hugo, aged six and Sophia, aged two are seated in the back of their Mama's Tank, otherwise known as the Toyoya Land Cruiser (see post Tanks And Treasures). I am running an errand, to where I no longer remember for this detail is no longer of significance and a winter storm has arrived in Finland's capital city covering the streets with immense snow drifts. We are in a European city, yet looking around me it feels like Alaska, so deep is the snow, so cold is the wind, and so singularly beautiful is the surrounding landscape of trees and bushes all heavily laden with snow. My precious cargo seated behind me is happily occupied each with their own matters, and as I drive through this captivating arctic landscape I switch on the radio to accompany me on my journey. Sofia is blissfully sucking her thumb, whilst Hugo is transfixed with his collection of ice hockey cards, and the delicious tranquillity that reigns invites me to listen into the discussion which comes out of the radio channel I am tuned into. 

It's an in-depth interview introducing the Plan International sponsorship program which promotes the education of children in all countries and in all corner of the globe, via a simple and small monthly donation made by adults who become godparents to a child of their choice and in the county of their choice. I am intrigued by the entire concept; Mama always instilled in us girls the importance of an education, a career and a driver's licence. In this way, a woman is able to ensure her complete self-reliance and financial independence from men. Just like my Sister, Sis, I have achieved all three and the program I am listening to makes me realise that there are children 

Now I am mesmerized and listen avidly, and as soon as I arrive home I unload my cargo of children and continue following this fascinating topic on the kitchen radio. At this moment I realise that I too want to participate in this marvellous program and so help a young child somewhere on this planet to achieve what this little girl from an Island off the coast of Western Africa has attained and more (see post Share The Moon). After the program is finished and I have duly noted the contact details, I send an e mail to the organisation informing them that I would be honoured to join their sponsorship program and that I have a few simple requests; I wish to sponsor a young child who is a girl, and in addition to this she must come from a part of the world where her gender puts her at risk of possible discrimination. Aside from that, they are free to assign me whoever they wish and from whichever corner of our diverse Planet they see fit. And I duly let fate take its course and allow the River of Life to freely flow along its own path. 

Around this time, in a far away place from Finland, a nine-year old girl and her five-year old brother are in Lhasa, the capital city of Tibet with their father. The children have already bid goodbye to their mother in their remote village home of Eastern Tibet, and the father is now preparing his daughter and son for the unforgettable journey of their lives. For along with her brother, this nine-year-old will join other Tibetans and leave their precious homeland, trekking across the snowy Himalayas, into Nepal and finally onto India. As with many other rural families, the parents have decided to send their children to India in the hope that they will receive an education not attainable were they to remain in Tibet. If indeed blessed, they may well be fortunate enough to also meet with his Holiness, The Dalai Lama. It's deep winter and the Himalayan mountains are covered with snow so making it the best time to escape; with these difficult conditions underfoot, the chances of being discovered and detained by the Chinese Authorities are minimalised. 

Known as The Roof of the World and rising to over four-and-a-half kilometres above sea level, Tibet is home to the World's largest and most elevated plateau. Surrounding this plateau are the imposing mountain ranges that harbour the world's two highest summits, Mount Everest and K2. Whilst the world's top mountaineers regularly attempt to summit their forbidding peaks, the remote area surrounding these peaks is home to ethnic communities living lives largely untouched by the passing of time. One such area is the Buddhist region of Tibet, home to just over three million inhabitants. Now a part of The People's Republic of China since its annexation in 1951, every Tibetan dreams of the day when their country will be liberated and just as it was before this date. For now, it is but a Tibetan dream, but the possibility of giving their children the possibility of freedom and an education is an attainable reality. But this reality comes at a price, and for this reason this father is in Lhasa with his children on this day, at this moment and at this hour. 

Tears stream down the father's face as his bids his daughter and son goodbye. They have never seen their proud and noble father weep in this uninhibited way. Unlike them, he fully understands that they might never meet again, for he will not be joining them on this journey. The brother and sister join a group of twenty-five persons amongst them adults and children, and together they begin the long trek crossing the snowy mountain range to freedom. Sleeping in the day time and moving at night, they embark on a tortuous journey that lasts over forty days; confronting cold, hunger, soaring mountain peaks, sweeping rivers, and also death. Yet they never give up on their goal of reaching the safety of Nepal, and in moments of great distress the nine-year-old girl comforts her frightened younger brother. For she must, she is now his only family.  

The relief of reaching Nepal does not last long, for they are swiftly detained by the authorities and faced with the stark reality of being returned to Tibet, but fortune looks upon them. A Tibetan hears of their plight and they are soon rescued by a humanitarian organisation. Finally they have reached freedom. The children of the group are assigned to Tibetan children's villages in Northern India just on the other side of the border from Nepal, and so their parents dreams are realised. Amongst these children is the same nine-year-old girl from the small village in Eastern Tibet.

Six young girl pass through my life as sponsored goddaughters since that cold winter's day when I first become aware of this program. First from India, and then later Thailand. Some fall away due to life's natural attritions and are then replaced by newer ones. I still sponsor two today. One of these six girls leaves an indelible mark on the course of our family history; she grows into adulthood, duly leaves the program and our lives diverge, only to be brought together years later by an unexpected friend request on Facebook. Once again our life rivers slowly converge, and on a warm and sunny September afternoon nineteen-years after the initial sponsorship program began, the Finnair Delhi to Helsinki plane delivers our family a twenty-eight-year old young woman and unbeknown to us at that moment, a sister for Hugo and Sofia, and for myself a daughter. She was the nine-year-old girl of this Tibetan Story and our family of three once again becomes four.

To be continued....

Next post 11th August : Automatic Transmission


Note: All written content is the intellectual property of this Author. Image material is drawn largely from Pixabay with occasional additions from private family archives.