Outpost in Beijing gives mixture of home, culture and learning

Migmar Chodron, a student at the school, likes dancing and is a member of the school's dance club.

"I really like the Tibetan Culture Week and guozhuang time every Saturday," the 16-year-old said, referring to traditional Tibetan dance. "It feels like home." She said she also enjoys Tibetan language classes.

"It is my culture and history. It is always good to know my culture to have a deeper sense of who I am," she said.

Zhang, who has been working at the school since 1991, talks to the students as if they are her own children.

"The majority of kids are not going home for the Tibetan New Year, which is normally during the winter vacation. We celebrate together," Zhang said.

"The school has been fully decorated with colorful flags. Students are decorating their dorms with lucky patterns. Everybody is shouting zha xi de le ("good luck" in the Tibetan language). It is always a lot of fun."

Additionally, Zhang said, students and teachers are dancing guozhuang and eating traditional Tibetan food together.

"Since the children are away from home, our faculty is playing the role of teachers and parent," she said.

"As a parent, it is very important to respect their culture. More than 90 percent of graduates have returned to Tibet after graduating from college, working in government, in schools and almost all fields across the autonomous region.

"Many of them keep in touch with their 'mom and dad' (teachers) in Beijing."

Palden Nyima in Lhasa contributed to this story.