I Am Excited

- Tenzin Tsundue

It’s intimidating being in a new place, not knowing many people or much of their language. But what’s more intimidating is knowing that while you’re in this new place, you have to complete this huge project which requires the help of the people you don’t know and can’t easily communicate with.
I believe this intimidation may be one of the main reasons that my film has not taken off quite as quickly as I had imagined. However, in the last couple days, a combination of things has gotten me excited about the project and given me the energy and determination to get things rolling. One of these things was realizing that we’ve already been gone for a month and only have two months left. Another was writing about the project to my mentors, friends and family and remembering that this film is not something I have been assigned to do; this is a film I truly want to make. Another was the simple act of meeting and talking to nice people. Being shy by nature, it’s not always easy for me to strike up a conversation with a stranger. But practically every time I have done so I have made a new friend, thus making it that much easier to say something to the next stranger. (For most people here, just knowing a phrase in their language is a great way to strike up a conversation).
The fear of time running out, remembering my passion for the film, and meeting these nice people was enough motivation to make me do something drastic: buy a cell phone.


I’ve received a lot of help from others in setting up this project, but I’ve been selfish in my ways, expecting everyone to help me through my own preferred medium of communication which is e-mail. The people I have been communicating with however only check their e-mail once a week or even every other week. I realized that I can’t just wait for people to help me. I need to do what I can to make things easier for others to help. And that meant getting a cell phone.
Already this $20 phone has yielded results. Last night I called Tenzin Tsundue, a member of the Friends of Tibet organization, and set up an appointment to meet him today. We met in the Peace Café. I spotted him almost instantly by his signature red bandana that I had heard he always wears around his head. Sitting down and getting a closer look at him, he actually looked like the Tibetan version of Johnny Depp. His energy, on the other hand, and the down-to-business atmosphere of our meeting reminded me more of my meetings with Jeff Parkin, one of my mentors.
Tenzin was just the guy I needed to talk to. I gave him a brief explanation of the film and he immediately took my notebook and started writing down the names of people he recommended I talk to. Everyone he suggested sounded like a perfect character for the film. Now it’s just up to me to track them all down.

So things are in motion. I just need to stay motivated and keep contacting people. With Tenzin’s help as well as Sonam from the Tibetan Centre for Conflict Resolution, I am starting to see how the pieces could potentially fit together.

I am excited