A Kid's Life Changed by SMD- Dawa Tashi

On Pilgrimage With SMD Friends (Dawa 3rd from L)

Nepal is known as mountainous country. In each and every corner of Nepal there are people from all walks of life who differ in culture, language, religion and lifestyle. However, they come together as one and are known as Himalayan people.

My parents are Himalayan, as I am. They are originally from Tibet, but after the invasion of Tibet, many Tibetans escaped to Nepal and settled in the mountainous area on the Nepal side of the border.

On the 2nd February 1989, I was born to Mr. Pema Laptsen Lama and Mrs. Dolma Lama in a village called Dzum (Chhekampar), which is situated, in Gorkha district, Gandaki zone, in the western part of Nepal. I was born into a family of seven members. I am the youngest. I have two sisters and two brothers. My eldest brother is a Buddhist monk and my sister is a Buddhist nun. My other brother lives in Dzum to care for the land and the home that my father left. My other sister got married too, and now she has her own family. I remained in Dzum until the age of seven.

Dzum is very famous for Buddhist reasons. The culture and language in Dzum is similar to that found in Tibet. In Dzum there is no electricity, communication system, transportation, or good education. All that is provided are two government schools. I attended one of them for a year. It is very poor and the teachers are unqualified. There are no tables, chairs or chalkboards in the classrooms. Very few children are actually able to attend school, because most of them are stuck doing work such as housework, herding animals, and collecting firewood, water and fodder for the animals. Due to lack of education in Dzum the main occupation is farming.

Trekking Into Tsum (Dzum) in the North of Nepal	Better Than SUVs
Tsum Bridge (It can take 21 days to trek in if the bridges are washed out)	The Trail into Tsum

When I was seven, my brother, Lama Pema Tsewang, who is a monk of Thrangu Tashi Choling Monastery established by the Venerable Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche, sent a letter to our parents saying that I was admitted to Shree Mangal Dvip Boarding School. Not able to pass up such a great opportunity I parted with my family, village and relatives in tears, and I came to Kathmandu with the dream of a better education. It takes five to seven days to reach Kathmandu from my village and there is only one day that we are able to travel by bus, the rest of the traveling is done all on foot. We have to carry our food and other necessities on our backs throughout the entire trek. There are very few hotels and lodges along the way and none of them are in good condition. Even if there was a hotel, we couldn’t afford it. Most nights, we sheltered under big trees and in caves. At that time I had no idea where I was going or what I would be doing once we reached Kathmandu. I had never seen television before, and since in my village we walked everywhere I had not seen any kind of transportation before, but when I got to Kathmandu, I was surprised! I joined the SMD family at the end of 1994. From the moment I arrived I could see that SMD is one big family where there are different people from different corners of Nepal whose backgrounds are just like mine.

When I joined SMD, for the first month I was always crying. I kept thinking of the moment when I would get a chance to go back to my village and see my family. I was missing them very badly. In this way I passed days, weeks, and months. A year went by and I got many friends, and I became a member of the SMD family. I came to know more about what SMD is doing, and what these schools mean for Himalayan kids. For thirteen years, from 1994 to 2007, I lived with the SMD family and continued my schooling.

I have done so many things during my time at SMD. I participated in the all the cultural activities, such as dancing, singing and playing in the school band for events like Parents’ Day, Rinpoche's Birthday, Karmapa’s birthday and so on. I also took part in all the sports. I was both School Captain and Hostel Captain for several years, and was also a member of the ECO-club, the Student council, the School band, Inter-house Captain and a leader of Dr. Jane Goodall’s international organization for kids, Roots and Shoots. SMD was not only my school but it also became my second home. After finishing my SLC (School Leaving Certificate) exam and completing my fourth month of service to the school, it was time for me to leave SMD and Kathmandu. So I decided to come to Toronto to continue my education. Again, arriving in a new place brought me back to thirteen years ago to when I first arrived at SMD. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about the SMD family, and the impact they have had on me.

In Vancouver

SMD has taught me how to stand on my own feet. SMD is not only a place where we can learn to read and write only, but also it teaches us important life lessons. The main aim of this school is to preserve and promote Himalayan culture and language, to provide a modern education to Himalayan kids and most importantly, to preserve the teachings of Lord Buddha and to keep Buddhism alive all over the world. I have learned about different cultures, languages and the teachings of Lord Buddha from this one-of-a-kind school. I have also learned how to be kind, to have bodhicitta (pure heart ) and to have patience and determination. I also learned about love and compassion. During my stay at SMD I was supported, loved and cared for in all my endeavors. All the opportunities that SMD is providing for Himalayan kids are very good and can't compare with other schools in Nepal.

If I didn't have an opportunity to enter SMD and had stayed in my village then I might have gotten married already and would have my own family by now. I would have become a farmer, just like the rest of the people in my village, working in the fields and taking care of the yaks. I would have missed out on an education and would have continued to live in the dark without any knowledge of the world, but today with the great help of Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche's school I can read, write, understand and know little about the world. I don’t know how long I can travel in this world for, but I think I can accomplish and spread a message that SMD has taught me. I could never fully put into words how much SMD means to me, but I can say that SMD has changed me for the better and made me into the person that I am today.

SMD means a lot to me and I am forever indebted. I would like to thank SMD from my bottom of heart and I wish and pray that in future I may give back to SMD what they have given me.

Dawa Tashi