Friday 24 February 2006

Tibetans on my street

Tibetans in a town/city like Granollers? Yes! Strange but possible. I fist spotted them last X-mas in a square next to one of our 2 local libraries, selling Tibetan things in a stand, besides the stand of an Argentinean man selling mini-books (there was also some stand of Brazilian people selling jewellery). I had some short talk with these tibetans in Granollers (a young woman and 2 men), and they confirmed that it was their first X-mas selling stuff in Granollers. They talked to me about the high prices of everything in Barcelona and how expensive it was to have a shop there in the big city. Then X-mas craziness of buying-buying-buying faded away in early January (it’s Spain and people have to buy presents till 6th January) and so did these 3 tibetans, until one day, having a walk with a friend (Sandriiiii!!!), we saw them entering some stuff into some building. Oh! Tibetan people living in Granollers (I think there were already a couple of them living in this town, according to some report on local TV). Some other day I came across one of the Tibetan men while walking around the town/city centre (I said nothing, thinking he and the other Tibetans might not remember me and in fact, I had just had a short conversation with them). The day I had to take the exam on introduction to Tibet and Mongolia, again, I came across these tibetans, but there was a new one, a baby with them! Then, every 2 Fridays, these Granollers-tibetans have a stand placed on the main square, in front of the Town Hall, beneath the Porxada and sell a few Tibetan things, fewer than in X-Mas time...and stay there morning and afternoon together with Argentinian, African, Brazilian, Spanish and Catalan stands selling many kinds of things. And the last episode took place today, about an hour ago. I had lunch with a friend (Dr. Karl!) at a Tibetan restaurant in Barcelona and we spent most of the afternoon having a look at some shops and visiting Casa Asia....on the train back home I met another friend (who I hadn’t seen for aaages). And some meters before reaching home, I saw 2 of the Granollers-tibetans....in front of DIA autoservei i descompte!!! Tibetans buy at DIA supermarkets!. But why the one in my street? Here come my hypotheses concerning their residence. Do they live in that building Sandri and I saw them entering some stuff??? If so, why coming to a supermarket here, when they have a Caprabo supermarket close to that place...and I think also a mercadona (is it there where you can find that brand named Hacendado, which I find really funny...but I do respect it, since Sandri praised the quality of some hacendado products). Maybe it’s useful to be able to speak some Tibetan and to be studying it...

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