Ngari Institute Foundation

 I called for help and my family took me to the hospital since my arm was broken. I had an operation on my arm, and while I felt better a few weeks later, my arm is no longer straight.

In the winter, I met with an uncle and his young son, who at that time were living in Ladakh. They spent a few weeks with us in Himachal Pradesh and asked if I would like to move to Ladakh with them. I said yes.

After a few weeks, I started in the Ladakhi School called B.V.N. I made many friends at B.V.N and they all spoke Hindi. It was a very good school and although I was a naughty student, I still performed well in my classes. I always ranked among the top 3 in my classes. Until now, I still remember my friends at B.V.N School and will never forget them.

Somehow, my uncle pulled me out of B.V.N. School and took me to the Hostel of Ngari Institute of Buddhist Dialectics (NIBD). There are many monks and children at the hostel and they all speak Ladakhi. I did not understand their language since I always spoke Hindi. Slowly, slowly, I learned the Ladakhi language and their writing characters called “Bothi”.

When I first came to NIBD in 2015, I was placed in 5th grade, where I learned Ladakhi and Bothi. I was still a naughty student but did well in my studies. In the final exam, I came in 3rd place among 7 to 8 students in the same exam. My hostel’s monk and my family were so happy with my performance, and I was enrolled in the 6th grade.

I changed my school again in the 6th grade. I was then enrolled in the T.C.V. School, and here everyone spoke Tibetan, which I did not understand. It was very difficult for me to understand the subjects like Math, English, Tibetan and Science. I always found Hindi to be easy which I learned in 1st grade; while the Tibetan language is so difficult. I did my best in trying to understand the teacher. There were some Ladakhi children in my class and they helped me with the Tibetan language, and they became my new friends. I did well in my classes and was moved to the 7th grade. Then came the winter break.

I was going home in Himachal Pradesh for the winter holiday to spend a few weeks with my family. One day while I was doing the homework, my brother called me to the living room. Here I saw my father, mother and a strange man. They told me to sit down and my father asked if I recognize the stranger. I said I don’t know; then my father told me that the man is my real father! I was so surprised and then I was told of my life story before the man left.

It all started when I was very young. My real father and mother were very poor as they had three sons and one daughter. For some reasons, my mother left the family with one of her sons. I was left behind with my father, a brother and a sister. Until now, I have no idea where my mother and the other brother are. Eventually, I was adopted by a couple and brought into a new family, whom I called father and mother to this day.

Although I realized now that they are not my real parents, and their children are not my real siblings, I still love and accept them as my real family. They cared for me, gave me a home to stay in, food to eat and loved me. It has been my second home.

It is the same as when I moved to Ladakh with my uncle. I looked up to him as my father since he also took care of me and loved me. That is my third home!

Just like that, what I had in NIBD is my fourth home. The monks were not my parents, but they took care of me like my own parents. They gave me food, shelter and books to study and this is my fourth home. I feel lonely but maybe God will always help me, and I will try to become a good person.

I don’t know what is going to happen in my future, but I know what happened in the past is that God protected me from difficulties and dangers. I think God will continue to help me in the future and I will become someone good and unique.

I will give respects to all my parents and prove to them that I will grow up to be a self-disciplined, hardworking person with good manners. Afterall, they all cared for me and loved me!

Composed by Stanzin Wangtak, Class 9th.