Nightlife is a big part of living in any city. Tibet is no exception. Most students will stay induring the week but if there is someone's birthday in the dorm we usually go out as a group onthe weekend. This past weekend was my very good friend's birthday party, so some Tibetanfriends and us foreign students went out for our first real night out on the town in Lhasa.After a vegetarian dinner at "Holy Land" Restaurant about 12 of us continued on to adanc...

Volunteer teaching Learning a new language is difficult. Learning Tibetan is down right hard. However, being able to share your native language with someone as you learn their native tongue is a fascinating experience. This kind of language exchange is exactly what occurs in my life every Friday afternoon. The class I help teach on Fridays is a group of young adults (shö nu) age 14-24, who dream of being tour guides, teachers, and translators. I met their ...

Halloween in the Land of Snow Halloween comes but once a year and this year's was a memorable one. Trying to put on a Halloween party outside of the States is a challenge within itself but trying to put one on in Lhasa was a different kind of challenge. In many places the concept of Halloween itself is unfamiliar, not just the implementation or adoption. However, in Lhasa Halloween in its entirety ( candy, costume, trick or treating, dress up party) is almost un...

High Altitude Solar Oatmeal Cookies1 cup organic whole wheat flour1 ½ organic rolled oats2 teaspoons cinnamon2 teaspoons baking soda1 teaspoon salt1 cup raw sugar1 banana½ cup raisins½ cup goji berries½ chopped socked raw almonds (pre-sock in warm water for 20 min)½ cup organic olive oil½ waterStep 1: Mix dry ingredients in one big bowl, except the raisins, berries, and almondsStep 2: Mix oil, water, raisins, berries and almonds in separate bowl.Step 3: Put...

Blog Post 2 Unexpected MusicThe Tibet University (TU) campus is one full of unexpected music. When we first arrived we were pleasantly or unpleasantly surprised to find that at 7:30 am every weekday morning Chinese music and exercise instruction is blared over the campus-wide loud speakers. Not to be out done by afternoon and class passing time music, the morning music is always loud, persistent and never sonorous. I prefer the afternoon and early evening music (...