Yak cheese, Tibetan pop and dentures

This morning we helped take the family's baby yak to the mountains. Then we helped the grandfather lay out yak cheese in the sun to dry. We arrived at this village late into the night and by chance found lodging with a family; mother, sons and daughter, grandchild and grandfather. It is a really hard working family, but pretty well off judging by the colorful paint and stores of food to last three winters lining the interior walls. No foreigner had been seen in the last three years so our appearance was a great surprise. They were so welcoming and friendly, we agreed to stay an extra night. We sat with them in their comfortable earthen walled living room, observing and sharing... wanting to help but not knowing how. The ingredients in our food were familiar, but not the whole ritual for preparing the food. Once diner was ready, the TV flips on. Then surprise! the DVD come out and we eat to the tunes of a fur-clad female sleeveless trio bopping to a backdrop of mountain tops and prayer flags: Tibetan pop. (we'd later come to realize DVD players are standard equipment in this region's homes) Later in the evening the lively octogenarian grandfather decided to give us an anatomy lesson in Tibetan. He started with the facial features stopping short at teeth because... well he had none. At this, the family began teasing him to show us his teeth. Reluctantly he reaches deep into his cupboard, produces a shiny set of dentures and slips them in. First comes a tentative grin, then a broad white smile that catches everyone off guard. The whole room vibrates with laughter at the sight of their grandfather with a crest white set of teeth. In a minute, the dentures come off. But he makes a great show of it pretending they are stuck. He's happy to make everyone laugh at his expense. I felt lucky to be a part of this spontaneous family moment. I thought of home and of how many miles away we were and about the serendipitous journey that brought us here.