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

<strong>and</strong> said, "No, it's because I 'm clumsy <strong>and</strong> can't walk fast." I
then put my h<strong>and</strong>s on his shoulders <strong>and</strong> added, "Friend, wait
<strong>and</strong> see. Some day, I promise I'll catch up with you boys."
"I hope that day will come soon," joked my friend.
Though it was difficult to walk home from school, it
was very easy going to school. In the mornings we did not go
along the path, but slid down a natural ditch that had been
eroded by rainwater during summer. This damaged our clothes,
particularly my boots.
Tibetan boots have leather soles <strong>and</strong> after you wear them
for a month or so, the soles have holes. This happened to my
Tibetan boots, making it even more difficult for me to walk fast.
A few of my classmates were once discussing something
that seemed interesting. They burst into laughter as soon as they
saw me. I asked curiously, "What's going on? What are you
talking about?"
"We are asking each other riddles. Do you want to join
us?" one asked.
"Sure. Why not?" I said confidently.
They winked at each other, further bewildering me. I
thought they were plotting to ask me a difficult riddle. Then one
asked, "Something you know, the ground knows, but the sky
doesn't know. What it is?"
When I was about to give up another boy said, "You
know it better than anyone else, because you have it."
"I have no idea. Please, tell me," I said.
"Really? It is…" they said <strong>and</strong> then burst into renewed
peals of laughter.
"The holes in the soles of your boots," they said in
unison, which embarrassed me so much that my face became so
hot that I thought it might explode.
Afterwards, I was an even bigger laughingstock among
teachers <strong>and</strong> students. I wondered whether they made fun of
their own parents, many of whom also wore Tibetan boots.
Even though I was teased relentlessly because of my boots, I
still liked them because they were warmer than modern shoes.
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