With ISI members to Tibet
After the conference in Beijing we had booked with some participants of the ISI conference a tour to Tibet. It started with two days that we had to get up very early to take a plane to a Chinese town of little interest. Especially the second day annoyed us a lot. We had to get up again at 4 in the morning to go to the airport where we arrived at 5 o´clock then we had to wait till 8 for the plane. Around 11 we arrived in a town where we were supposed to go to the zoo with the panda bears. I told the organization that I did not wanted to go to the pandas but to the hotel. That was impossible they said. But I insisted that I did not want to go to the pandas. That was also not possible they said. Some other participants joined me and so we insisted. It took an hour before they realized that they had to bring us to the hotel.
To Lhasa
The next day we went by plane to Tibet. The flight over the Himalaya was impressive but the airport was quite far from the capital Lhasa where we would go. So we went in a bus to Lhasa. Also this trip was impressive. The guide told us that the next day it would be a feast in Tibet for the “liberation of Tibet” by China. Just after arriving in the hotel in Lhasa we heard
a big bang and thought that this was part of the celebrations. However, a bit later we were informed that it was an effort to blow up the monument of the liberation of Tibet by China. Then followed the information that a number of people of our group had to move to another hotel. Later we understood why: because a lot of militaries arrived and needed a place to stay. We stayed in the only Western type hotel but others went to another hotel. That turned out to be very primitive as they told us later. Fortunately we did not go there because I became ill and had to stay in bed.
The next day we went by plane to Tibet. The flight over the Himalaya was impressive but the airport was quite far from the capital Lhasa where we would go. So we went in a bus to Lhasa. Also this trip was impressive. The guide told us that the next day it would be a feast in Tibet for the “liberation of Tibet” by China. Just after arriving in the hotel in Lhasa we heard
a big bang and thought that this was part of the celebrations. However, a bit later we were informed that it was an effort to blow up the monument of the liberation of Tibet by China. Then followed the information that a number of people of our group had to move to another hotel. Later we understood why: because a lot of militaries arrived and needed a place to stay. We stayed in the only Western type hotel but others went to another hotel. That turned out to be very primitive as they told us later. Fortunately we did not go there because I became ill and had to stay in bed.
The tour and the palaces
Irmtraud went the other days around the different palaces with the group. At the breakfast I told, for a joke, a Danish statistician to take care of Irmtraud because I could not go with her. He was very attentive and indeed went with her through all the monuments. An impression of the tour can be seen in the video below.
Irmtraud went the other days around the different palaces with the group. At the breakfast I told, for a joke, a Danish statistician to take care of Irmtraud because I could not go with her. He was very attentive and indeed went with her through all the monuments. An impression of the tour can be seen in the video below.
Fortunately, the video does not include smell because the smell of the yak cows was everywhere in Tibet. They even put the yak butter in the tea which was unbearable.
The last day I was able to go out of bed and we took a taxi to have a look at the Potala palace where I saw a big plaque saying: “The Palace is restored with the help of the Chinese government”. It did not mention that firstly the Palace was destroyed by the same government.
The last day I was able to go out of bed and we took a taxi to have a look at the Potala palace where I saw a big plaque saying: “The Palace is restored with the help of the Chinese government”. It did not mention that firstly the Palace was destroyed by the same government.
Happy women in Tibet
While Irmtraud went around I was reading in bed the Chinese newspaper in English. At that moment Hillary Clinton held a famous speech in “the 4th UN conference on women” in Beijing. There she asked for more rights for women. At the same day the Chinese newspaper mentioned that the woman in Tibet had never been as happy with their life as now under the Chinese government. This was for me rather unbelievable. The men blew up the monument of their liberation and "the women never would have been so happy before". How could that be in this poor country where China tried to control everything?
While Irmtraud went around I was reading in bed the Chinese newspaper in English. At that moment Hillary Clinton held a famous speech in “the 4th UN conference on women” in Beijing. There she asked for more rights for women. At the same day the Chinese newspaper mentioned that the woman in Tibet had never been as happy with their life as now under the Chinese government. This was for me rather unbelievable. The men blew up the monument of their liberation and "the women never would have been so happy before". How could that be in this poor country where China tried to control everything?
ISI cultural difficulties
The most interesting story of this trip I heard on the way back. By chance I was sitting in the plane next to a female board member of the ISI who had been member of the organizing comittee of the ISI conference in Cairo. She told me about her experience. She had to cooperate with the Egyptian statistician . This seemed to be the first time that he had to work with a woman in a formal organization. He did not know how to behave and there were many occasions where problems occurred. He did not expect her to make proposals and organize things. He could not normally talk with her during the meetings. Nevertheless, the conference was well organized as we have mentioned earlier.
Preparing for the next conference in Beijing there was a preparatory meeting planned in Milan. Some days before the meeting, she got an invitation from the Egyptian colleague for a meeting in a hotel. She accepted the invitation and went there for a dinner. During the dinner he put a little box on the table and asked her to become his wife. He did not say if she would be his first, second or third wife. She was very embarrassed with this situation and now she did not know how to cope with this situation. Later I met her again and it seems that she had been able to escape this honor.
The most interesting story of this trip I heard on the way back. By chance I was sitting in the plane next to a female board member of the ISI who had been member of the organizing comittee of the ISI conference in Cairo. She told me about her experience. She had to cooperate with the Egyptian statistician . This seemed to be the first time that he had to work with a woman in a formal organization. He did not know how to behave and there were many occasions where problems occurred. He did not expect her to make proposals and organize things. He could not normally talk with her during the meetings. Nevertheless, the conference was well organized as we have mentioned earlier.
Preparing for the next conference in Beijing there was a preparatory meeting planned in Milan. Some days before the meeting, she got an invitation from the Egyptian colleague for a meeting in a hotel. She accepted the invitation and went there for a dinner. During the dinner he put a little box on the table and asked her to become his wife. He did not say if she would be his first, second or third wife. She was very embarrassed with this situation and now she did not know how to cope with this situation. Later I met her again and it seems that she had been able to escape this honor.