Min tibetanska barndom i Zorgay - Life and Culture on the Tibetan ...

19
MY TIBETAN BOOTS
W
earing Tibetan boots, the pride of our ancestors, was
shameful during my school days. Not one of my
schoolmates wore Tibetan boots, even if their feet
were numb from the cold. I was a laughingstock among
students because of my warm, beautiful Tibetan boots, which
Father made especially for me. The students called me 'nomad
boy' because I wore a Tibetan robe, my special boots, <strong>and</strong> my
home-sewn hat. Even though my Tibetan boots made me odd
looking, I was confident.
In winter, I told Father my feet were cold in rubbersoled
shoes <strong>and</strong> begged him to buy me a pair of warm shoes. I
warmed my frozen feet against his body every night when we
got into bed. This <strong>and</strong> my appeals prompted him to make me a
pair of Tibetan boots <strong>and</strong> line them with straw to better keep my
feet warm. I did not need to wear socks because my feet were so
warm in my new boots, which I thought were beautiful.
Other students stamped their feet to get warm while at
the same time calling my Tibetan boots old fashioned,
primitive, <strong>and</strong> uncivilized. I ignored them. I did not need to
stamp my feet for they were warm in my boots. However, they
were difficult to wear. My brothers joked at my awkwardness
<strong>and</strong> aptly called me 'Clumsy'. It was also hard for me to tie the
bootstraps tight around my calves. They were often loose <strong>and</strong>
dangled down around my shins <strong>and</strong> ankles. Father noticed this
once <strong>and</strong> tied the laces so tightly that they left wounds. A scar
on my left calf reminds me of my Tibetan boots <strong>and</strong> the
difficulty I had keeping up with my schoolmates when we left
school for home.
The way to my home is steep <strong>and</strong> difficult to walk up.
When the laces were tied tight, it was hard to walk <strong>and</strong> painful
to go fast. I was always the last student to reach home, which
led a friend to say, "Please don't wear those boots. Not only do
they look odd, but you can't keep up on the way home."
I did not want to admit that it was because of my boots
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