1. eo Liu in Tibet (continued)
Interview with Leo Liu, ‘16
by Raul de la Guardia, ‘16
So tell me what you did last summer.
Last summer, I went to Yushu, Tibet
to help teach English and Math to the poor
in the area and to experience Tibetan
culture firsthand.
Why Tibet?
About 4 years ago, Tibet was rattled
by a massive earthquake. I remember doing
fundraising work to help support people that
lived in the poor area of Yushu. I remember
raising basic goods and such to help
support as many people as we could. So a
couple of years ago, when I sought to make
a change for the better and do something
impactful, Yushu immediately came back to
mind. I had met people that lived in Yushu,
and I sought out a volunteer job that would
let me help others, but also allow me to be
independent. Education is one of the
greatest gifts anyone can offer, and I was
honored to bring that gift to the youth of
Yushu. Tibet gave me this opportunity.

2. What sorts of hardships did you face
while working there?
The first thing that comes to mind is
the elevation. Being in the Himalayan
mountains, the altitude really gets to you. I
remember the day after my arrival I was
barely able to walk and teach because of
how thin the air was. The other big issue
was the lack of clean water. Most of the
villagers relied on a river for their water
supply, which was of course extremely dirty.
But it was useable, and we were forced to
carry water from it to and fro in order to
wash.
Where there any sociopolitical issues
that you encountered?
The relationship between Tibet and
China is still extremely tense, and that was
made clear on my travels. As Han Chinese,
there was certainly a negative aura that
seemed to set some villagers off to me. Han
Chinese have a reputation of trying to force
the Tibetans to modernize, but once they
knew why I was there it was no longer a
problem.
How would you describe the area you
worked in?
The most striking thing about
traveling to a place like Tibet is the poverty.
You see it as soon as you get off the plane.
Once I arrived in Yushu, the gravity of the
situation became even more clear. In the
first world, receiving such basic education at
that age would be unheard of. But I would
be lying to you if I said these people were
not inspired by knowledge. They were
immensely grateful for my help, and their
powerful message of thanks is something I
will always remember. Opportunities to
learn are few and far between, and it was
clear that these guys cherished what I was
offering them. The tears shed as I left nearly
broke my heart.
Would you go back?
Absolutely, I would certainly return, and I
am planning on doing so!
To see the website of the school where Leo
taught, go here: www.dodoschool.net
To see Leo’s students singing a song he
taught them, click the photo below:
Video of Students singing.m4v