Strike a pose, girl!
Children work in Tibet.  We frequently
saw them in the fields.  Organized child
labor is discouraged, but many family
operations use their children.

Ready to watch mama do the washing.


No TV or smartphone to distract this
kid, who made a great toy out of a
string, a shoebox and some bells.

Young boys between the ages of 6 and 12 are recruited
by monks.  Long before they have the maturity to
accept a life of monastic celibacy,  they start on years
of prayer, meditation and sparse food.   Some,
 like our guide, don’t become monks, but
 continue to teach others about Tibetan religion.
But even he admitted that many monks have lost
their way since the Dalai Lama left Tibet in 1959. 
Heavy  corporal punishment and sexual abuse has
been repeatedly reported.
  http://www.tibettelegraph.com/2013/06/what-
lies-beneath-robes-are-buddhist.html 
The granddaughter of our bus driver, who said,
“Bye bye!” and blew me a kiss.  My heart melted
like a tub of yak butter.
Tibet’s children face a life under oppressive Chinese rule.
Even if they know no other life, they are losing their traditions,
their language and their dignity.