Mary Polk-Bauman shared her experiences working at the Tibetan orphanage Home of Hope over the summer through a presentation on Friday March 5, alongside Andy Housiaux, Instructor in Philosophy and Religious Studies. Housiaux’s presentation complemented Polk-Bauman’s by providing a background on Tibetan culture and history explaining the current human rights situation in the region. Polk-Bauman traveled to Tibet last summer after a family friend invited her to work at the Home of Hope orphanage. She spent her time with the children and teaching them English when other teachers were unavailable. Polk-Bauman became interested in Tibet her Lower year through Housiaux’s class, “Introduction to Asian Religions.” Polk-Bauman requested Housiaux’s involvement in the presentation because he introduced her to the region. Polk-Bauman said that her time in Tibet was amazing, and unlike anything she had experienced. “It was life-changing. I had never been to Asia, and there was this completely different world in rural Tibet,” she said. “I wanted to share my experience and spread knowledge about places like Tibet,” added Polk-Bauman. Additionally, Polk-Bauman had the opportunity to see a monastery that no American had seen before, making her the first American to ever visit that location. The children at the orphanage made an impact on Polk-Bauman. “The children were great and very welcoming,” she said. “Home of Hope is unique in that it is trying to preserve Tibetan culture and give the children a Tibetan home,” said Polk-Bauman. “Home of Hope is really a movement to preserve years of ancient heritage in the next generation that also creates a real nurturing home that will be the children’s, children who would otherwise be abandoned, family for the rest of their lives.” Before Polk-Bauman’s presentation, Housiaux provided a general account of Tibet. He discussed Tibetan history and culture, focusing on the current ethical dilemma regarding the human rights of the Tibetans. “I wanted to talk about the historical relationships between Tibet and China and present some complexity. I tried to bring attention to the two competing narratives about the situation in Tibet, and the strengths and weaknesses of each,” said Housiaux. “I talked about why China tried to seize Tibet, why Tibetans think that Tibet is independent of China, and why human rights in Tibet are essential,” Housiaux continued. Housiaux believes that the Chinese occupation in Tibet is cultural genocide. “The human rights issues in Tibet are very important, and the Tibetans have rights that need to be respected,” said Housiaux. Housiaux believes that the Tibetans deserve their rights simply because they are human beings. He said that some people say that the Tibetan people are pure and good, and voice this as the reason for the argument for Tibetan human rights, but that this argument is unreasonable. “Some people describe Tibet as a pure land, but that’s not correct,” said Housiaux. Housiaux said that whether a person is good or bad should not dictate the depth of their human rights, and that the Tibetans should have their rights because they are people, not because of idealized visions of Tibetan society. “I think the students really connected to Mary’s presentation,” said Housiaux. “They seemed interested in a part of the world we do not really talk about,” he added. “It was such a great feeling being able to really share my experience in Tibet with other people in depth,” said Polk- Bauman. “My hope is that Mr. Housiaux and my presentation really inspired people to look further into these issues and into other organizations like Tibetan Home of Hope,” she continued. “I hope to be able to do more at Andover to help Tibetan Home of Hope and learn more about the past and current conflicts in Tibet,” Polk-Bauman said. The event was hosted by the Andover Philanthropist Society, of which Polk-Bauman is a board member. Susanne Torabi, International Student Coordinator, approved the presentation.
