Through The Storm

Yangchen Dorjee has been through it all, yet she stands tall

Story by Myasia Butler

Photos contributed by: Jhamtse International School

At an age when most American girls are playing with Barbie dolls and hopscotch, Yangchen Dorjee was forced to be the head of her household.

Born July 1, 1967 to working-class parents, Dorjee had a hard childhood. Her parents walked through the snow from Tibet to Nepal to escape the politcal strife occuring in their native land. They walked through the Himalaya Mountains carrying only the clothes on their backs and dreams of starting over. Behind in Tibet, they left their families and the souls of their six children that were killed during the invasion. Dorjee, the youngest of eleven children, had a lot of responsibilities to fulfill.

“We didn’t have any money for a doctor so we went to the oracle. She told me when disease was going to go away at age 13. She was 3 at the time, so I used some Tibetan remedies to help cure it since I couldn’t afford medicine. It eventually went away”

Even though Dorjee was born in India, she still felt the backlash of the Chinese invasion of Tibet. In India, her family was given a bamboo hut in the jungle with farmland to cultivate and animals to care for. The Indian government provided Tibetan refugees with acres of farmland so they would be able to start over. In these refugee villages, Tibetian families lived as if they were still in Tibet, making it easy to preserve their culture.

“There were different Tibetan families, so all the culture was still there. Our parents did everything as if we were in Tibet so there wasn’t a chance of losing the Tibetan culture” Dorjee says.

Growing up there weren't any laundrymats, so the young girls had to go to the river and wash out the families dirty clothes. While at the streams the children were susceptible to catching many diseases, because the area wasn’t sanitary.

Phurbu Dolma, Yangchen Dorjee’s mother recalls how her daughter contracted polio as she went to collect wood for the family in the jungle area. Polio is a highly infectious disease that attacks the central nervous system and can lead to paralysis.

“We didn’t have any money for a doctor so we went to the oracle. She told me when disease was going to go away at age 13. She was 3 at the time, so I used some Tibetan remedies to help cure it since I couldn’t afford medicine. It eventually went away,” says Dolma.

Growing up Dorjee, remembers a hard childhood. Her day started at 5 am. She would have to go into the fields care for the crops, milk the cows, make butter, yogurt and cheese from the milk, and make breakfast for her family.

“She is compassionate. She always puts other people’s needs before her own”

She would then walk several miles to school carrying two buckets of milk while balancing her books on her head. Her family would sell the milk to the local restaurants and it was Dorjee’s job to deliver it.

After her parents escaped Tibet, her father’s health began to decline due to climate changes. In Tibet, the average temperature is below zero degrees, so his body was not able to adjust to the change, causing him to become very ill. That left Phurbu Dolma, Dorjee’s mother, to become the sole breadwinner for the family.

For two months every winter, Dolma would travel to South India where she sold hand- knitted sweaters at the market place. This left 10-year-old Dorjee to care for the farm, her family and go to school. Dorjee didn’t complain one bit, she took on the responsibility and still excelled in school.

“She is compassionate. She always puts other people’s needs before her own” says her husband, Tenzin Dorjee. Tenzin was captivated by her presence at a youth conference for human rights issues where they both worked as delegates.

They had lunch several times and remained close friends before Tenzin popped the question.

“We weren’t even dating. I just knew I was ready to settle down and she was the one” says Tenzin as his eyes fill with excitement and he smiles from ear to ear.

Tenzin attended Duke University while maintaining a long-distance relationship with Yangchen. Yangchen wanted more opportunities so she decided to move to the United States. She settled in New Jersey where she worked in finance for several years. The Dorjee’s wanted a slower lifestyle so they decided to move to the North Country.   

They settled in Plattsburgh, NY and opened a Tibet accessory store.  The store features different scarves, bracelets, chains, rings and specialty goods imported from India.

The Dorjee family has gotten over the hurdle of oppression but it’s not out of their minds. This year marks the fiftieth anniversary of their country being seized by China. They have endured so much pain, but they have used it as a leading force to help give back to other Tibetan refugees.

Yangchen and her brother Lodoe Sangpo opened up a boarding school, Jhamtse International  in a small remote village in India for Tibetan refugees.

There is a rigorous selection process but once the children are selected they are given everything for free. According to the Jhamste International school website, Jhamste is dedicated to ending suffering and bringing about proper change through education, community programs and projects based on love, compassion and wisdom.

“Most of the children have to care for their siblings so they can’t attend school. You see five year olds walking with babies attached to their backs. We are giving them a chance to get their education” Sangpo says.

The ways people deal with adversity vary. Some can’t withstand the hardships and succumb to their environment whereas others use it as ambition to keep fighting and excel. Dorjee used it to excel.

The Dorjee’s will continue to inform Plattsburgh residents about Tibet’s invasion. It won’t physically help Tibet, but raising awareness is a step toward hopefully ending the oppression.

Have you ever shopped at Tibet-Asian Accessory shop in Plattsburgh?