My name is Tashi Tsetso and I came from Kham Deru in Tibet. My country is surrounded with Snowy Mountains. There are a number of forests full of different animals that you have never seen before. Yaks and sheep like stars in the sky, spread all over the beautiful grasslands. Apart from that, there are also many rivers which are supposed to be the source of the many rivers in Asia.

All in all, people are not interested in education in my country even though they have good facilities to send their children to school to learn things. Therefore many young people in my country don't get the opportunity to study. I was sent to school for two years and after that my father stopped me going to school although I wanted to study hard as much as I could.

One day when I was working with my father, sister and younger brother on farm, I heard them talking about His Holiness the Dalai Lama. I was really excited to think I might see him. Since I did not have anything in my mind about how to get to India I had to search for a guide and paid 5000 Yuan I was put in a car and the guide warned me, "You cannot shout and if you do then the police will catch you". We arrived at Weigh Bridge. The police weighed the car with me inside. I was extremely afraid the police would see me. My heart was in my mouth. Fortunately nobody saw me in the car.

When I turned up to the Tibetan Refugee Centre a man asked me where I was from and what my good name was. "I come from Tibet and my name is Tashi Tsetso", I answered. The man again asked me whether I was from Kham, Amdo or Utsang. I was confused with what the man was talking about because I really did not know what those areas are. I had not even heard about it before. I thought Tibet was just Tibet and no different parts such as Kham, Amdo and Utsang that we have now.

When I was in the refugee reception centre in Dharamsala an old man said to me, "Today you are going to see His Holiness the Dalai Lama". I was ecstatically happy to hear that. So I went to the Dalai Lama's temple to see him with other refugees. When I saw him I was both sad and happy. My tears were out of control. He gave us advice on how to be a good person. Above all, "You are very young so do not waste time and do study hard", he said to me.

After I got the audience from the Dalai Lama I was sent to a school called TTS. There were around six or seven hundred students coming from Tibet. I promised myself to study very hard as much as I can as the Dalai Lama had advised me. In that school we had computer, English and Tibetan subjects to learn. I did my best in that school.

Right now I am at E.S-Tibet to learn more for my future that will help me to do something good in society and of course I can stand on my own feet. After this school if it is possible then I would like to be a teacher and teach everything I learned from this school to others in Tibet. In the end I would like to say thanks to all the members of this school who gave me such a good opportunity to study.

Thanking you

E.S.Tibet Student
Tashi Tso