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My plan was to study Kham dialect at SWUN, the Southwestern University for Minority Nationalities (known locally as Minzu Daxue). My advisor had attended the same university for his doctorate. SWUN was in downtown Chengdu, Sichuan’s capital city, in a predominantly Tibetan neighbourhood. As such, it offered many opportunities. Much of Tibet’s trade with China has historically come through Chengdu and Tibetans from different parts of the plateau visit it, especially during the cold winters. Added to this, many Tibetans attend SWUN. This would give me the chance to practice Tibetan with Tibetans. Chengdu was also a stone’s throw away from Nangchen. If I wanted to travel to Tibet, it was quite managable, and I had several ways to get there.

My flight to Chengdu was pleasantly smooth and direct. Air Canada had opened a direct flight from Montreal to Beijing and I had a short stopover before catching a connecting flight. Special dignitaries from Montreal City Hall, the Canadian Government and the Chinese embassy were gathered in Montreal’s international airport to celebrate this inaugural flight. There was a pleasant optimism in the air. This was unlike my flight to Kathmandu in 2010. There, I had 2 stopovers, a 6-hour layover in Amsterdam, and a wild 10-hour layover in Delhi. My mother had thought it wise for me to wait out the stopover in a hotel. Unfortunately, there were no less than 3 attempts to divert me from the hotel and I finally checked in ornery, and jet lagged. By contrast, landing in Beijing, I was greeted by a bright, open airport that hummed in an organized way with travellers. I made my connection without difficulty. It was night when I landed in Chengdu and Helen, a family friend, met me at the airport.