I should start with giving an update on the condition of my hands. Over the week, the swelling had been spreading to my other fingers and although they weren't hurting, I could feel the tightness in the joints. I went back to the doctor's on Wednesday and he gave me some tablets and cream. I used them as he said but didn't notice any improvement. In fact, quite the opposite and by Friday, I went in again and explained that it had just got worse. He said I should go to a medical centre in Tanda, 20km down the road as they have skin specialists there. I asked Choephel to go with me and we went after breakfast on Saturday. With it spreading, I feared the worst. What if it was an infection and it was going to lead to amputation? It may sound far-fetched but these things go through your head when you don't know what the problem is.
The taxi-driver even helped us find our way around what was actually a big hospital. Fortunately, there were very few patients there so I went straight on to see the doctor. She told me that I had chilblains and prescribed me some medicine and cream and told me to keep warm. I guessed that meant it wasn't serious so I bought the things and joked that at 140 Rupees (£2), I couldn't even claim for that on my health insurance.
We went back and I put the cream on and sat in the sun reading. Fortunately, the weather had got a bit warmer again so I wanted top make use of it. I stayed at the school for the weekend to make sure I wouldn't go anywhere colder and wore my gloves as much as possible. On Sunday morning, I could tell as soon as I woke up that my fingers felt better and were more mobile but of course, I will follow the advice and stay warm, etc. In fact, I am typing this while wearing my thermal gloves and I keep having to go back to correct my typos! But it's a small price to pay for having healthy hands again.
Regarding the events of this week, there has been a lot going on. We got that bombshell on Monday that there would be no school for 2 weeks because of Tibetan new year but the Americans had an idea to give tutoring to those students who would be around. It got the thumbs up so we will all do that, rather than have to spend a lot of money on travelling for that much time.
We didn't have lessons on Wednesday afternoon as we went to the Dalai Lama's temple in McLeod to join a peaceful demonstration of solidarity for Tibetan freedom. We sat with hundreds of monks and Tibetans around the outside of the temple as they prayed.
It was a cold day and I wanted to go and have a coffee so left after a couple of hours. There was going to be a procession in the town at sunset with candles but we decided to go back before everyone was trying to get the buses. It was a shame to miss that; I would have liked to see that and get some photos.
On Thursday, it was the momo party. This is a Tibetan food that I mentioned before – small pastries filled with vegetables or meat. All the students helped to make them and us teachers also wanted to learn it. I chopped some onions and when the filling and pastry was ready, the students showed us how to fill them and close them. It was essentially simple to do but takes practice. However, it is a good community event and something I would like to take back with me.
We ate them in the TV room and they were really good. We played a game where everyone sings, someone shouts stop and everyone has to freeze. The first person to laugh has to eat another momo. It was a fun evening and during it, Choephel got a phone call saying that the Archbishop Desmond Tutu was going to have a public meeting with the Dalai Lama tomorrow morning. Lessons got cancelled again so we could attend. Wow, that was something out of the blue! Not only could I finally see the Dalai Lama, but also with another great spiritual leader.
We got up early, had some more momos for breakfast and got the bus to Dharamsala. ^From there, we walked up the hill to McLeod as the others got car-sick from going up in the jeeps. I joined them to get warmed up and to get some exercise. It took about 40 minutes and was very steep in places but I was certainly warm when we got there. We went straight to the temple and I managed to smuggle my camera in as the woman in a shop wouldn't take anyone else's (but I didn't use it in there). We thought it would start at 10am but it wasn't until about 11.30. Fortunately, it wasn't cold and when they finally came out, it was really nice to see and hear. Both leaders were so laid-back and they joked with each other in a very informal way. I kept thinking 'China – how can you say he is a terrorist???' Tutu gave a speech saying how much he thought everyone here was beautiful and that he begged China to let Tibet have autonomy. I wonder what Chinese politicians could really think about this. It was so friendly and peaceful; there's no way they could say anything about it was wrong. Unless they want the entire world to know they are liars, of course.
With me wanting to let my hands recover, I stayed around at school and read and played games and got the chores done. Next week is the last week before the 'sort-of' holidays so I'll see what we can organise for that time.
This is one of my classes, so you can see how we have to study. There are only 2 proper classrooms so we have to make do with studying in a bedroom. I've censored the students' faces because Chinese officials use photos from Tibetan organisations in India as evidence that Tibetans have been invloved in something anti-Communist. Tibetans can even face imprisonment for possessing a photo of the Dalai Lama...
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