My name is Dhuk Bhum. I was born in a small peasant family, in Rab Gong, an area of Amdo in Tibet. Rab Gong is the centre of Tibetan traditional art and culture. My village's name is Dolong, which is a farming community like other villages. We farm a variety of crops like wheat, barley, and some sorts of vegetables. Farming is a main resource of our village. During the summer time, the village people work happily in their green fields, that is really colourful for them.

In 1986, in my homeland, everywhere was covered by freezing snow, when my mother gave me a new life. I don't know my birthday like many other Tibetan children. My mother often told me it was winter at the time of my birth. Of course I grew up with her warm hands and kind heart. I have four sisters, one brother and my mom. All of them are living in Tibet right now. Unfortunately, my father passed away from our lovely home in 2003. I miss him very much. When I am alone, I get some trouble on my face sometimes. But who can stop death?

Since I was six years old, I looked after some small cattle near my home after my parents went to work. Looking after cattle was not only my job. In my village, there were no children who didn't have small duties at home. But in my village, people always thought that I was the most obedient

child among them. Sometimes their parents used me as an example to scold their innocent children. My childhood was spent with cattle and playing games with friends in my home town. There were a lot of footprints around the village, but I didn't have any chance to put my footprint in any school gate.

When I was 12 years old, my father sent me to a small school, where we had only one teacher. He taught us only Tibetan and Chinese characters. We studied about ten months without text books and pencils. When we did our homework, we wrote the Tibetan alphabet on the school ground with our fingers. That was my school life. I spent my school life laughing and crying as other children did. My father hoped I wouldn't be a Chinese high official. He wanted me to know how to read and write the Tibetan language. He wanted me to be a monk. There were a lot of children who never got the opportunity to go to school in my village.

I couldn't finish my primary school completely. That is the biggest regret in my life, but I never stopped learning Tibetan, because I went to a local monastery called Rongbo monastery. It is the biggest monastery in Rab Gong. Around five hundred monks come from different places in Tibet to study Buddhist philosophy and Tibetan grammar and literature. I was there for about eight years and studied Buddhist philosophy. During those years, I

thought it was not enough to speak one language in this modern century, so I looked for an institution to learn different languages in Tibet. But I couldn't find one.

In 2006, I escaped to India very secretly. It was not so easy to cross the Himalayas by walking. Fortunately, I got to the Tibetan Reception Centre safely in Nepal. After one month, a Tibetan reception official sent us to Dharamsala, which is a very peaceful place. Luckily we got to see His Holiness the Dalai Lama one beautiful morning. He gave us a speech about Tibetan issues and the need to study as much as we can. Because of that, I have started to find out what is the purpose of our life. In the past, I had thought my life was in the dark without education.

I went to a school near Dharamsala called Tibetan Transit School, where I learnt Tibetan and English for more than three years. Because of a physical disease, I couldn't stay there any longer. This year I got a chance to enter E.S. Tibet School, which is an excellent opportunity for me to improve my English. I believe at this school I can stand on my own feet and become successful in my goal to be a teacher when I return home. I really want to be an English teacher in Tibet after finishing at this school.ast can share what my teachers have taught him with those who are deprived of proper education

just like I used to be. I think that the proudest moment of my life will come

Thanking you

E.S.Tibet Student
Dhukbhum