Lobsang Tenzing
Looking back and forward
by Ka Bao Lee
|
He plowed the land like any other season. He planted the seeds like he had done in years before. They thought that since the land
was plowed and the plants were growing that he was going to stay. But he had other plans. When night came, Lobsang Tenzing's
father gathered his family, his wife and four children, and headed for the border of India.
The 20-day trek was risky but it was more dangerous to stay in Tibet. It was no longer their country; the Chinese had taken over. "My
father was put into prison because my father was a local leader," Tenzing told this writer. During the time of the escape, Tenzing's
father was under house arrest.
The days the family spent running towards freedom were nothing like any of them had ever imagined. When there was sunlight, the
family hid in silence. As soon as darkness crept in, the family moved closer to the border. But freedom seemed so far away when
running by foot. Lobsang Tenzing was only a few months old and has no recollection of the escape but his parents and older sisters
remember those days clearly.
Once they reached India's border, the family, like so many others, lived in refugee camps. Tenzing remembers the horrible
condition of the refugee camps, especially the soiled food. "Conditions were bad in the school," he said. "Sometimes you had food
like porridge which was filled with stones and sometimes you could see worms; but there was no choice. You throw away the stones
and worms and you have to drink it, otherwise you would starve." The grim conditions of the camps only made familial ties much
stronger. Tenzing recalled that as a child he was happiest when school was out and he got to spend more time with his family.
As time passed, Tibetans began to establish their own community in India. The once lifeless refugee camps became lively Tibetan
communities equipped with Tibetan schools, temples and culture. In this new community, Tenzing now an adult, became a teacher.
While teaching, Tenzing met another teacher by the name of Kesang Lhamo. Eventually, the two fell in love and got married.
Even though life seemed better than before, Tenzing knew there was something better out there. In 1992, through sponsorship
from a family in Madison, Wis., 26-year old Tenzing arrived in the United States. However, the idea of finding a better life in America
meant leaving behind the one stable thing in his life, his family. Tenzing was the only one who could come to the United States,
leaving his mother, sisters and wife back in India. His father had died when Tenzing was only 13 years old.
Adjusting to the new world was hard for Tenzing, but his Tibetan background really helped him. "Tibetans, are very, very adjustable,"
Tenzing said. "We came to India and adjusted pretty well. So in the United States we adjusted pretty well too." Tenzing also gave
credit to his sponsors. He said that they are "good people" who helped facilitate and guide him to success in America. Tenzing still
has a relationship with them today.
Alone in a strange new world, Tenzing missed his family more than anything, especially during Tibetan holidays because he didn't
have anyone to celebrate with. However, Tenzing used this as a motivation to work even harder to bring his family to the United
States. Tenzing went to work full time while also attending school full time. Tenzing's goal was to have enough money to bring over
his family without any financial support from the government.
His immediate family would not join him for another five years but in the meantime he found another family in the Tibetan
community in Madison. The Wisconsin Tibetan Association (WTA) provided Tenzing the support that he needed. Tibetan holidays
were no longer celebrated alone, but with hundreds of Tibetans in Wisconsin. Tenzing said that the WTA is a close-knit community
dedicated to preserving the Tibetan culture.
In 1997, Tenzing's wife was finally able to join him in the United States. His mother and sisters stayed in India. Tenzing understood
that since the 9/11 attacks on the United States, the process of bringing his entire family to the U.S. has become much more difficult.
However, Tenzing also says that his mother did not want to come to the United States because she didn't want to be alone. She
feared that her children would be busy with their new lives in America and forget her. At least in India, where the Tibetan culture has
already been established, she will still have people around her. Tenzing respected his mother's decision and supports her in some
ways. Although he misses her, he said that he tries to go back to India every three years to visit her and his sisters.
Tenzing and his wife worked extremely hard together to build a better future for themselves and their own family. Today, Tenzing
has two daughters in college and has become much more involved in the second family that gave so much to him, the Wisconsin
Tibetan Association. Tenzing is now the president of the association with over 450 members. "I know each and every one," he said.
Although Tenzing escaped an unknown life in Tibet, he is determined to bring attention to his country and his people so that one
day he and his family can return and reclaim the land that was plowed and those plants that grew on that land. Tenzing said with
hope in his eyes, "Ultimately, we will get our independence."
Lobsang Tenzing
(Back, right) with wife
Kesang Lhamo and
daughters (Front l-r)
Tenzin Dhanze &
Tenzin Khando