What My Mother Risked in Smuggling Me Out of Tibet

Reflections on the promise of life beyond a border

Photo: Mikael Kristenson on Unsplash

I want to remember every detail about that day — the physical surroundings, the weather, our companions, and above all, everything about my late mother — but I can’t. All I remember is that she was holding me by the hand while my baby brother was snuggled inside her chupa, a traditional Tibetan…