Up near the Ithaca College campus on Ithaca’s South Hill lies the North American Branch of Namgyal Monastery, the Dalai Lama’s personal monastery. The Dalai Lama, the spiritual and political leader of Tibet, lives in exile in Dharamshala, India. And when he comes to the United States, he stops in Ithaca, New York.
There is a strong Tibetan community in Ithaca. Almost twenty families of Tibetan origin live around the town. There is an Ithaca Tibetan Association, which includes every Tibetan Ithaca and organizes gatherings and celebrations of local holidays. There are usually big parties once a month where the whole community gathers at someone’s house. On special occasions such as Losar – the Tibetan New Year – or the Dalai Lama’s Birthday, Tibetan Ithakans celebrate at the monastery on the South Hill.
I interviewed some Tibetan Ithacans last year for a podcast on the Tibetan diaspora and how a group of people from so far away have found a home in what often feels like the middle of nowhere. This is often what Ithaca feels like, especially to Cornellians. Students who come from around the world, often near large cities or metropolitan areas, sometimes see Ithaca—dubbed “10 square miles surrounded by reality,” (a catchphrase first coined by Peter Hansen in Ithaca Magazine in 1993 that has become a symbol of pride for Ithacans) – and think that “reality” makes our small town feel almost isolated.
But this is not necessarily true: Ithaca itself is of this world. I’m not just talking about Cornell, with its thousands of international students, over 50 languages offered and a wide range of multicultural programs, or its reputation around the globe. I mean when you leave campus.
Ithaca is not only surrounded by reality – Ithaca it’s reality. It is diverse and beautiful, full of immigrants, people of color and different cultures. Being Itakan means celebrating this and being a part of it.
Look around the city. In Collegetown, the Commons, the Farmers Market, and just about anywhere you find Ithaca, you’ll see immigrant-run businesses and a variety of cultures. Tibetan Momo Bar, a downtown Tibetan restaurant and a feature at the Farmers Market, offers traditional Tibetan momos (Tibetan-style dumplings) and some of the best noodles I’ve ever tasted. In fact, you can find all kinds of cuisines running through the Ithaca dining scene. You will see East African, Middle Eastern, East Asian and Latin American foods.
Ithaca has actually been a haven for refugees throughout its history. The example of the Tibetans is one of the most prominent: in the early 1990s, the US authorized the admission of 1,000 Tibetan refugees, and Ithaca was one of 10 resettlement sites chosen across the country. Fifty Tibetan refugees arrived in 1991 and Namgyal Monastery was founded a year later.
In 2016, Ithaca was approved to accept 50 refugees a year, and in 2017 it became a sanctuary city. Refugees from Syria, Venezuela, Afghanistan and Myanmar have settled in the small Finger Lakes town since then.
For many refugees and immigrants alike, it can be difficult to feel at home in a new country and maintain one’s culture. Organizations like Ithaca Welcomes Refugees, founded in 2015 in response to the Syrian refugee crisis, have worked to achieve this goal and help refugees integrate into a new country without an assimilationist breakdown of culture. Tibetan Ithacans, for example, are active in the Ithaca community and maintain a strong Tibetan identity.
Cornelians often look at Ithaca and see the middle of nowhere. To some extent, this is understandable. It’s curious how so many people from all over the world can end up here in the Finger Lakes, of all places.
Ithaca, however, has become home to people from all over, with or without ties to Cornell. Cornellians should appreciate the city they have for being so diverse and multicultural. We got to try new cuisines and meet people who traveled to get here. We need to learn about different cultures in our classrooms and appreciate them in all reality.
This is not just the middle of nowhere. Ithaca is full of cultures and people from all over the world who openly celebrate their identity and proudly call the Finger Lakes home. It is beautiful and deserves to be celebrated.
Daniel Bernstein is a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences. He can be reached at [email protected]. Feel Bern takes place on alternate Thursdays this semester.
