The top of the world is my nation-its generous people are very faithful and respect their elders. I am from Lhoka is part of Tibet, it is the place where we Tibetans consider our ancestors are from and also where Buddhism first came and many high lamas were born in that place. I was born on 8th August 1986 and my name is Chungkyi. I have three siblings, an older brother, an older sister, me, the third one, and my younger brother. My family is farmers. I went to primary school for more than two years. The school was nearby my home. I studied Tibetan and Chinese, but I couldn't go to school anymore because the school fees were very high. Then I helped my elder sister in our small shop, where she was selling different things. It made some profit for our family. My family is not so rich but not so poor. My sister never went to school because of our family background. In 2004, I decided to come to India with some friends. I didn't tell my parents about it. On 1st September, around 10pm, we set off on our journey from Lhasa with 12 Tibetans like me. We paid 1500 yen for a guide. At that time I didn't feel sad but in my mind I very clearly remembered the last conversation I had with my parents. For a month we crossed many mountains, rivers and deserts. We kept walking at night and slept during day times in order to escape safely from the Chinese soldiers. It was extremely cold in the Snow Mountains and the whole journey was very dangerous. However, we made it to the Tibetan Reception Centre in

Nepal safely. Actually I really missed the days I had with my parents , and during my long journey in the snow mountains, I especially missed the hot meals my mother used to serve me. Fortunately, we were given clothes and delicious food after we arrived at the Tibetan Reception Centre in Nepal, without paying any money.

Seven days later we arrived in Dharamsala. When I first saw Dharamsala,it was a strange place totally different from the place I had imagined. Also I didn't know Tibet had three main regions and people from different regions had different dialects. So, everything seemed very strange for me and I was woken up suddenly - that was the feeling I had. When I saw H.H.DALAI LAMA the first time, it was beyond my ability to write in words.

I went to Shugseb Nunnery Institute to study Buddhist philosophy for six years.

In 2010 I left the Nunnery and I lived at Norbulingka for a year. During that time I worked in Thsamling . There were many foreigners coming to learn the Tibetan language, so at that time they asked me about Buddhist philosophy, but I couldn't explain it to them in English. Actually, I wanted to tell them about the Tibetan culture and about the Tibetan situation in Tibet.

Since then, I have had a strong desire to study English. Fortunately, I sat the entry exam for E.S Tibet School and passed the exam. Now I'm studying at E.S Tibet. I have been enjoying it a lot because we are provided with very good facilities to study and it offers me an opportunity to renew my life.

Last but not least, I want to say very strongly how much this school benefits our society. So, I would like to say thank you very much to those who provided such an amazing environment for us to study and to live.

Thanking you

E.S.Tibet Student
Chungkyi