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A Visit to my Sponsored Child

by Richard Harlan

October, 2004

 I visited Kham for two and a half months this fall and here is one of many stories I came home with.

 One of the three girls I sponsor is Nyima Tsimu who attends high school in Batang, so at the end of September I headed off to Batang to meet her.  An overnight in Litang and a rough road to Batang brought me to my destination on a Wednesday, one day before National Day, October 1.

 Standing in front of my hotel the following morning, I saw kids in school colors passing by so I joined the stream to see where it would go.  Well, it went into a school campus and I followed.  As it turned out it was the wrong school, but I got redirected and soon entered a second campus.  As before, the kids were friendly and I began asking for Nyima Tsimu.

Tsimu (left) and Tseren, her best friend Tseren in the school dormitory.

 I was probably pronouncing it wrong because no one had a clue, but after a while two girls approached and one said, “I’m Tsimu, the girl you sponsor”.  The other girl was her best friend, Ciren, who is sponsored by Dana and Bill Isherwood.  I was soon ushered into their first period class, English.

 After greeting me the kids all took their seats, but the teacher had not yet arrived.  I took the podium and began to talk to them, introducing myself and telling them about my trip.  When the teacher arrived he took a seat at the back of the room and I continued for another two or three minutes.

 I stayed for half an hour observing the class before excusing myself to go look for someone in the administration.  It was still all closed.  As I was leaving the campus, the two girls caught up with me saying their teacher thought they would learn more English talking with me than they would in the classroom.  They showed me their dorm room and I took some pictures before we headed back up the street together to get me some breakfast.

 I had a wonderful four days getting acquainted with the girls and the town of Batang, an easy going, laid back place; horses and donkeys on the main drag, pigs in front of the hotel, a lively disco and many sidewalk tea shops.  I had dinner twice with Tsimu at her uncle’s house, meeting that whole family.  We went to the disco which had costumed Tibetan dancers as well as customers dancing Tibetan dances.  Tsimu loves to dance.

 I said goodbye and returned to Litang on my way to Tsimu’s hometown of Derong.  That is, she went to middle school there.  Her home was three hours south of Derong in the village of Waka, right on the Yangtse River.  Since I was going to Waka anyway to deliver some clothing to a boy in a boarding school there, I decided to ask about Tsimu’s family while I was there.

Tsimu's home

 The boy’s teacher did not know them, but we headed down the street and I guess word preceded us, because before long a lady comes up to the road from the market and introduces herself as Tsimu’s mother.  We were invited to her house for Tibetan butter tea and fruit.  I gave her a photo of the girls I had taken the week before and we had a wonderful time.

 I invited everyone to lunch before returning to Derong.  I think the teacher spoke for all of them when he said how excited and proud he was to have someone from the outside take an interest in his school and his village.  It certainly is not on the tourist track and is exactly what I like to do.