It was an unplanned trip, where I booked a ticket to Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan States, and from there, took a 15 hours bus ride to Ganzi (or Garzê) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture.
I was the only one who did not look like a Tibetan. During the trip, I met a young lady named Qi May Ze Young. Tibetan names are usually composed of 4 words. After hearing my reasons as to why I was traveling to her part of the world, the young Tibetan lady was kind enough to extend a warm invitation for me to stay with her family. I was thrilled at the offer and was looking forward to seeing where this journey would take me. When I reached her home, I received an incredible welcome. It was unbelievable to receive so much kindness and have people who open their doors without any fears to a stranger like me.
Tradition and modernity: Every day was a new experience as her family and the monk took care of me and brought me to various places to experience both the tradition and the modern world of Tibet. There was no water system, toilet, or shower in the house, but after a few days, I found out they had wifi - It was so funny because I was cut from any internet connection in the house and never thought of asking them if they had wifi as the question did not cross my mind. At one point in time, they did not understand why I was not using my phone for translation, and it was then they asked me why I was not using the wifi. It was so funny. During temple celebrations, some Tibetans donated to the monk via touch pay from phone to phone with Wechat. How traditional life incorporate modern element. I stay in touch these days with the family.
This story is from the October 2020 edition of Lens Magazine.
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This story is from the October 2020 edition of Lens Magazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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