Home made signs

We ended up staying with our monk friend Yone for three nights. He was a great host. He spoke a Tibetan dialect and very little mandarin yet through pointing and gestures was able to communicate incredibly well. His brother paid him a visit one evening and soon we understood where Yone's gift for communication came from. His brother was deaf, and we sat and watched as they spoke a home made sign language with remarkable ease... When Yone left the room, we 'chatted' with the brother. We found out he was married, had three kids, 200 yak, 70 sheep and 10 horses. His middle child was also the first in his class. The brother was delighted to 'chat' with someone who understood. We found out more from him in silent language than we often do from others who can speak.