Last weekend was Tibetan New Year, my second one away from home. Today, I want to talk about how I’ve celebrated this tradition at college and what celebrating traditions away from home is like at Wellesley.
I am super fortunate to know other Tibetan students here at Wellesley and have a small community with them. To celebrate the new year, we went to Allston on Friday night to feast on some Korean food. Allston is a neighborhood in Boston bustling with East Asian restaurants and cafes; from Wellesley, it takes a twenty minute train ride to Boston Landing and a short walk to get there. At the restaurant, we ordered way too much food and left feeling properly stuffed.
Our dinner
Khapse is a cracker-like treat typically enjoyed during Tibetan New Year and my parents mailed me a large packet of it just for the holiday. I shared and enjoyed it with my friends over dinner.
Khapse
The next day, I visited my relatives who also live in Boston. We dressed in traditional clothes and visited a temple for new year’s blessings. And this coming weekend, my Tibetan friends and I plan on going to a Tibetan New Year’s party in Boston.
Outside the temple
Overall, I had a great weekend celebrating the new year. It can be difficult to celebrate away from home, but what I have learned is to find alternative ways to continue traditions here at college. Last year, my Tibetan friends and I cooked our version of a traditional new year’s soup and shared it with friends. You don’t have to celebrate traditions the same exact way you would back home. Instead, develop your own spin on it and adapt your traditions to being at college. For example, we just used the best ingredients we could find at the nearest grocery store for last year’s new year’s soup. The soup turned out delicious and is a fun memory of enjoying my culture here at college. Don’t be afraid to celebrate traditions away from home!
Thank you for reading this week!