Around 8 am on Monday, Kelsang Palmo began packing luggage for her son, who was about to start junior high school in the Gyirong county seat, about 70 kilometers away.
She stuffed a backpack with homemade Tibetan flatbread, apples, packaged cakes, cold medication and a thermos, along with a suitcase containing winter clothing and other daily necessities.
After a mudslide struck Gyirong Port in the Xizang autonomous region on Wednesday morning, Kelsang Palmo and her family from Kopa village, near the hardest-hit border crossing, were relocated to a hotel to avoid secondary disasters.
Despite the disruption caused by the mudslide, authorities have tried to maintain a sense of normalcy for local villagers, allowing the rituals and rhythms of daily life to continue.
Kelsang Palmo's son was among five children staying at the hotel who were picked up by an arranged vehicle around noon on Monday and taken to junior high school.
Throughout the morning, doors were left open as neighbors popped in and out of rooms, offering khata — silk scarves traditionally presented when welcoming or seeing off guests — to the children.
"In our tradition, each household also gives departing students some pocket money — maybe 5 to 10 yuan ($0.74 to $1.48) — as a blessing, and also so that they have some change to buy snacks while away from home," said Karma, head of Kopa village.
The temporary shelter at the hotel provides free accommodation, including three meals a day, as well as medical care and psychological support, for about 120 relocated residents from Kopa and Trungsi villages.
"We also have a group of volunteers helping address their needs. These past few days, some have accompanied parents who are not familiar with this area to nearby stores to purchase items such as winter jackets for their children," Karma said.
As relocated villagers are unable to tend to their cattle, chickens or crops at home, several officials have also remained in the village to help with poultry and farm work.
"They stay in facilities that have passed safety inspections, and we are constantly monitoring local environmental conditions to ensure their safety as well," Karma said.
Butri and her brother, Migmar, were both excited to start the new semester.
"I really like the free meals provided here, especially the white rice," Migmar said. "But I am also looking forward to visiting the school because I've never been there."
Butri said she was keen to meet her new classmates and kick shuttlecock with them.
While life continues, traces of the disaster remain visible.
The thumping of helicopters flying overhead can be heard constantly at the hotel. Residents have also put their favorite pastime of dancing and singing on hold out of respect for those who lost their lives in the mudslide.
Sangmo, mother of the siblings, occasionally scrolled through video clips of the mudslide sweeping down the area. She did not see the waves of mud and ice herself, but she remembers hearing a deafening sound at the time.
"It was horrifying," she said. "Our life here is nice, but I also miss my home."