Tibetan Plateau and My Childhood

There is only one word which can describe my childhood. The word is “carefree” that so many kids do not understand, although they have delicious food, beautiful clothes and pretty toys. For me, the childhood that I spent on the Tibetan Plateau, simple yet happy, has constantly provided me with many fond memories.

I was born in big family in a small village on the Tibetan Plateau, the youngest among four children. The beautiful village was surrounded by many rivers and mountains. I can remember clearly our family could not get enough food then I was young; even so, I would still say that my childhood life was a happy one compared with that of many urban children nowadays. We didn’t have so much pressure and burden from school work. I always went to play outside with my friends. We often went to climb mountains and flied kites on the hills; when we got tired, we would sit down together on the grass, talking or singing the songs. Sometimes we simply lay on the grass to look at the blue sky, closing eyes to dream about our future life. I was so eager to see the outside world beyond the mountains, but I couldn’t, and it became one of my great dreams. In addition, kids growing up in those days did not have a lot of toys to play with at home. I didn’t have much delicious food or snacks to eat. Our everyday staple food was Tibetan tea, butter and toast. I always remember what happened to me when I was six years old: I had fought over an apple with my brother, who wouldn’t give it up to me. In the fight, I was injured from bumping into a tool. This incident left a small scar on my face. Despite this, my bother and I always missed those silly childhood mischiefs and are nostalgic about those had but happy-go-lucky days living in the plateau countryside.

As time elapsed, I had to go to primary school. My family moved to a city, about seven hours drive from the small village where we lived -- my father got a job there. I remember that the first day when my school started, my mother bought the new schoolbag for me and my father took me to the school. I cried a lot because I have to go to a Chinese school. I was very nervous and scared about myself, because at that time I couldn’t speak good Mandarin; I only spoke Tibetan at home. Although this was a Tibetan area, there were more Chinese speakers than Tibetan speakers; so I was very worried about my language ability. But it turned out that my worry was totally unnecessary because the teacher was nice and could speak both Mandarin and Tibetan languages.

The only one bad thing I ever experienced happened when I was in grade two. A girl, older and taller than I, thought of herself as the Queen in the class. Sitting behind me, she would often hit me in the neck with a stick. She not only bullied me but also threatened me not to tell the teacher. I thought she treated me like that because I was a Tibetan from a small village. Later, I told my father and my father went to see the school principal about it. Ever after that, the classmate became friendly to me. That was the only awful thing that I had ever encountered, but it didn’t prevent me from thinking of my childhood as a precious memory in my life.

At the same time, I think my childhood is a valuable gift. The gift endowed me with my initial knowledge about the world. Although I didn’t have many toys to play with and I couldn’t watch TV every night as kids nowadays often do, but there were still many colorful things that my childhood left in my memory. I could remember my parents never gave me extra homework to do as long as I finished my regular homework; so I got plenty of time to read the books that I enjoyed. During that time I read many books and heard many stories from people. I knew that if I wanted to become an able person I must study hard. So I made up my mind to devote myself to hard study. I was determined to get admitted into a university so that I could see the outside world after graduating from high school. Now that I have graduated from a university in China and have began a new life in Canada, I believe all my accomplishments so far can be attributed to my childhood life experiences that have made me such an optimistic person. Besides, for a child growing up on the plateau, the happiest moments were the tebit festivals. During the festival season, I would wear traditional Tibetan clothes and followed my parents the Monastery on pilgrimage, which my parents hope would bring good luck to my family next year. Our family would invite some relatives to my house. As you know, Tibetan is a very hospitable people. The host would give you a toast and barley wine when you come in a Tibetan family. You are supposed to take three sips and then drink it up. Treating guests with the special milk tea is another daily etiquette. The host would present the guests with a white Hada, a long narrow scarf made of silk, embodying purity and good fortune. For us kids, what could make us happier than being able to play outside and eat delicious food? In a word, holidays brought us the happiest times in the whole year.

In my memory, August is the most beautiful time in a year. My family would take long trips into the prairie. We built a tent like a house and cooked a lot of good there. Men and women would dance around bonfires to the old Tibet songs sung by shepperds.Various flowers were blooming in the grassland; horses, cows and sheep roamed freely outside; sometimes you could see hawks fly in the sky .What a beautiful landscape!

Many years have passed since I moved to other cities to continue my study away from my hometown; many years have gone by since I waved good bye to my carefree childhood. I had been to many parts of China to attend university, to work and to seek career opportunities. I seldom have chance to go back to my hometown and see my old friends. I remember the last time I went back to my hometown right before I came to Canada. I found many changes have taken place. As I stood in the street I couldn’t find the small river where I used to go fishing; neither could I recognize the place where my old friends and I would like to chat and talk. I know my memory just kept things of the past, but the time has moved ahead: there were lots of new buildings and older and familiar faces have been replaced by those of the new generations.

Today, I still remember the time that I was carried on my mother’s back, listening to her singing the old songs. I still remember how I played hide-and-seek with my old friends at night in the summer; I still remember why I burst into tears the first time when I went to school… Simply how could I ever forget!

The only regret that I had from my carefree childhood is that I almost forget my native Tibetan language. After so many years away from my hometown, I couldn’t use the Tibetan language to express myself. I really want to let my child remember that the birth place of her mother is the beautiful Tibetan Plateau - beautiful, mysterious, and rich in culture.

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