Anonymous, "Registration of Certificate", contributed by Tenzing Wangdak, Platform for Experimental Collaborative Ethnography, Platform for Experimental Collaborative Ethnography, last modified 13 December 2024, accessed 21 December 2024. https://worldpece.org/content/registration-certificate
Critical Commentary
“ཨ་ལྕག་ལགས་ (a lcag lags),[1] ” I say, “Just have your documents ready and slide them under the window when the officer asks you to show them. He will ask about your husband, where will you be staying in San Francisco, and your family. Just general questions. Don’t worry. Make sure you answer exactly what he asks you and nothing else, OK?”
“ལ་སོ་ ( La so). [2] My friend told me that the མགོ་ སེར་ (mgo ser) officers are stricter,” she says, referring to those we might identify as ‘foreigners’ or white people as those with ‘yellow hair.’ “I hope I don’t get him.”
Modern migration is defined by documents and gatekeepers that validate them. Acha’s concerns about the Gopse gatekeeper reflect this reality, from the Indian officials who grant Tibetan refugees their residential permits, to the Embassy and Immigration officers who determine their entry into the West.
“ཨ་ལྕག་ལགས (a lcag lags). It doesn’t matter. You have your documents, so you will be fine.”
[1] ཨ་ལྕག་ means elder sister while ལགས་ is a Tibetan honorific.
[2] ལ་སོ་ is a Tibetan term that, loosely translated, means, “Okay”