self portrait Saturday: out & about

Mommy got out today!

L watched Little N all afternoon so that I could have some time do whatever I wanted.  At first I planned to go to a movie.  But then I remembered that this was the first day of Tibet Fest 2013.  One of the Dharma School teachers had told me about it as the monastery is for Tibetan Buddhists. Curious, and settled on the fact that movies happen every weekend, I decided to go check it out.

At first I was kind of underwhelmed.  Tibet Fest was just a bunch of booths with same stuff that gets sold at every kind of Fest.  Silver jewelry.  Woven bags.  Flowy skirts.  But I took second look with the intention to learn something.  What was truly Tibetan about Tibet Fest?

The main stage is where all the action was. Tibetan folks and their friends watched the singers and dancers in traditional dress and playing traditional instruments.  A couple little children danced at the back of the audience.  To the left of the stage I found the booth for the Tibetan Association of Washington, where they had a couple of booklets about Tibet and a program for Tibet Fest.

In the mix of booths, I also found one raising support for the Tibetan Buddhist nuns (Tibetan Nuns Project) and another selling books for children.  Upstairs there was a room showing Tibetan films, mainly documentaries.  On my way out I passed a stand selling Tibetan drinks and cookies, so I bought a cookie for the trip home.

Overall a good outing for a mommy who rarely gets to explore her world, never mind the world at large, on her own these days.