Momos and black tea

I am having to send this post via email instead of
entering the weblog site itself. Another afternoon
storm has trapped me in an Internet shop running Red
Hat Linux (big western howdy to Mr.Inman!), and I do
not seem to be able to run the Blogger.com java from
here, so the formatting of this post will be a shot in
the dark.

I just spent the afternoon learning from Rinchen Tsomo
and her friends how to make momos, a Tibetan
traditional steamed dumpling. I was lousy at making
them, which led to some good laughs. Then I had a
Tibetan alphabet and language lesson. The hospitality
I have been shown has been remarkable. I am offered
tea the moment I arrive at Rinchen's and my cup never
even drops to half full. I am going to float away on
all the black tea I have consumed, and then today they
tried to stuff me with more momos than a man can
possibly eat in three sittings, let alone one. In
return I have become a bit of an English tutor to
whomever I meet at Rinchen's. We are having fun.

I took the opportunity to ask one of Rinchen Tsomo's
friends about why he came to India. Tsewang is a
twenty-something student who wants to be a history
teacher so that he can "teach others about the true
history of Tibet because the Chinese tell lies." He is
the only member of his family here in Dharamsala, and
he said he came here "because of freedom of ideas, and
to meet the Dalai Lama." He also wants to learn
English so that he can teach history to a broader
audience. Tsewang's English is a little rough around
the edges...okay, it's no great shakes, and it took us
a while to understand each other, but he insisted that
he would like to answer questions that our seniors
might have about conditions in Tibet, and the history
of the Tibetan people. I will send Mrs. Hays his email
address and she can share it with you. Tomorrow
morning I hope to visit some agencies that might have
some more good info for your current studies,
seniors...

Are there any eighth graders reading this? I would
love to hear from you at larryhays2@yahoo.com, and
that goes for sixth graders, too. I will do my best to
respond in a timely fashion.

The rain is subsiding, so I am going to go find a
quiet spot where I can study my Tibetan alphabet...