T*betans, Through the Eyes of a Foreigner

So I have a personal blogg that I write in about my experiences in China. The blogg is basically about various cultural immerion experiences and the reactions I have about them. Below is my very first blog and is much lighter and less controversial than some of my other entries. After reading this entry over, I realized that I could have been a bit more critical about my ovservations and more detailed about some other cultural elements. However, I think it illuminates a fun light side to Tibet (to contrast our recent conversations) about a foreigners exposure to T*betan culture in China. I think it wil serve as an interesting juxtoposition to our experiences when we visit Qinghai and Ghansu (which i am still hoping we get to go, despite everything).

Well, to put it simply, today I won a tibetan dance competition!!! So our program director tries to take us out to dinner once a week and this week we went to a traditional T*betan restaraunt with t*betan folk dance and music performances. It was really great. I was all smiles the whole time, "ooohing" and "ahhing" excitedly like the little foreigner I am. The food was great and very similar to Indain food. Our table ordered malai kofta and palak panir... it was great!! I was starting to miss Indian food already. Everyone, espeically some of the performers that we would soon meet, were dressed in traditional T*betan costumes filled with vibrant colors and embroideries. The whole environment was decorated in a similar fashion with intersting wood furnishing (with a slight pottery barn feel to it) and lights everywhere. The atmosphere was loud and I felt like we were at the circus waiting to be entertained with food and performances. Well any wayz... while we were eating, laughing, and sipping our "butter tea" the traditional dance performers were going around to each table and singing their native songs. When they came to our table we were all so into it. We were clapping and shouting out the weirdest cheer sounds. The singers sounded like they were screeching and I even saw one of the "fuyans" (waitresses) covering her ears because the pitch of the screeching would reach certain notes that only dogs could hear. The dancing was awesome. It reminded me of garba (that Indian circle dance, for those of you who don't know it... I think I've taken most of you to one). Sooooo MY THING! So towards the end of the first part I got up and joined in, while the tibetan dancers were dancing around a circle around the tables throughout the restaraunt. It was great! I was given the message that this is how traditional T*betans celebrated. During the second part they announced, in Chinese, that they wanted four girls to get up on stage. My directer and everyone that understood was like ANJ GO UP THERE!!! I was pretty much up for it because i was in one of my outgoing moods that allowed for me to make a fool of myself and have fun. My roommate, Katie, came up with me too!! Thank God! The game we were to play was to have our backs to the audience and the first girl would imitate the dancer who was showing her a movement (we could not see the dancer do these moves). Then the second girl, me, would turn around and the first girl would show me the moves she learned and I would have to imitate her. After that, I would show the third girl and then the third girl would show the fourth girl. At the end the announcer and a translater began asking us questions about the game and how we felt about it so far. I replied in the little Chinese I knew and everyone in the audience (and the performers) loved that and started laughing and clapping. After this, the audience was to shout out who would be the winner of the game. I WON!!!! It was awesome! I got really expensive inscents (according the the announcer) and a cd (I don't know what's on it). That wasn't all...the winner had to stay on stage after the other volunteers sat down...and had to pick something to do one stage (either sing or dance for the audience). I told them that I would learn a complicated tibetan dance move and immitate that as my choice. i did pretty well, so i was told. It was really similar to bhangra moves (a dance style from the state of Panjab in India).... haha (jen, totally thought of you!). It was pretty awesome and my table was roaring with laughter and excitement. Needless to say, it was a pretty sweet time! Well, that's all I have for now... I'll post the next time something exciting happens! CIAO MY LOVES!!!!