...in Sri Lanka is interesting. I'm not going to go in depth but just talk about the thing that prompted this blog. I just saw a Sri Lankan music video which obviously is indicative of the growing interest in hip-hop and other 'western' musical trends. Unfortunately I feel that its influence comes from the gimmicky commercial success that hip-hop has enjoyed rather than the means of expression that spawned a hugely significant social movement that forms it's foundations, or at least what I perceive them to be.
I'm reminded of Blackthought's words: "The true principles of hip-hop have been forsaken, its all contractual and about money making" which were written many years ago, however I wonder if perhaps this commercial exposure will prompt a few to look deeper into the vibrant and great history of this art-form in which case perhaps its not a bad thing? Though its far from an ideal representation of hip-hop...
Are there any 'headz' out there who know what I'm talking about???
Thursday, June 04, 2009
Before the inspiration...
...escapes me. I just watched President Obama's speech in Egypt and all I can say is that I thought it was brilliant. I know there will be some cynics somewhere who claim that it is empty rhetoric and flashy propaganda but I think its much more than that. Its positive, its sincere and its epic!
If there are people who cannot see the value in what this man is saying, then I say they are deliberately closing their eyes and refusing to listen to wisdom. There were so many significant things that were included in his speech but I'm sure that many political analysts will be focusing on the things he didn't say, that pessimists will be refuting that it will have any effect and perhaps most people won't even care.
But I care, and I think it's something to be happy about...words like that can only have positive effects despite the counter-propaganda that I'm sure is already being formulated to further lengthen conflict throughout the world.
How does this relate to my current trip? Well the school I am at now (www.horizonlanka.org) is in need of teachers, and as Obama suggested that such partnerships could be made online so it can and has been done here and as he talks of religious tolerance, then this country is a shining example of religious harmony.
I'm not naive, I'm not a hippy nor am I ignorant to the reality of governments and their hypocrisy but I am an idealist and it fills me with joy to witness an American President genuinely offering words of such historical significance and linguistic elegance to the whole world.
Cynicism is unhealthy and my rosy shades are firmly planted upon my face :)
If there are people who cannot see the value in what this man is saying, then I say they are deliberately closing their eyes and refusing to listen to wisdom. There were so many significant things that were included in his speech but I'm sure that many political analysts will be focusing on the things he didn't say, that pessimists will be refuting that it will have any effect and perhaps most people won't even care.
But I care, and I think it's something to be happy about...words like that can only have positive effects despite the counter-propaganda that I'm sure is already being formulated to further lengthen conflict throughout the world.
How does this relate to my current trip? Well the school I am at now (www.horizonlanka.org) is in need of teachers, and as Obama suggested that such partnerships could be made online so it can and has been done here and as he talks of religious tolerance, then this country is a shining example of religious harmony.
I'm not naive, I'm not a hippy nor am I ignorant to the reality of governments and their hypocrisy but I am an idealist and it fills me with joy to witness an American President genuinely offering words of such historical significance and linguistic elegance to the whole world.
Cynicism is unhealthy and my rosy shades are firmly planted upon my face :)
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
Mosquito kill count...
...is approximately six. Swatting mozzie's when they bite you is like second nature for most Sri Lankan's however I still try to avoid killing them unless it's absolutely neccessary, taking precautions such as wearing socks, long trousers and a long sleeve jumper in the evening and hoping that I won't sweat myself into extinction.
At 3am in the morning though, it is hard to maintain one's strict Buddhist values when one discovers that a 'lone raider' has infiltrated the mosquito-net-sanctuary of peaceful sleep!
I'd say that about 80% of all my many mosquito bites (they love me) I don't even feel at the time, but you can be sure they'll leave something for you to remember them by when it swells up and starts itching incessantly...just another of my many allergies, mosquitoes.
At 3am in the morning though, it is hard to maintain one's strict Buddhist values when one discovers that a 'lone raider' has infiltrated the mosquito-net-sanctuary of peaceful sleep!
I'd say that about 80% of all my many mosquito bites (they love me) I don't even feel at the time, but you can be sure they'll leave something for you to remember them by when it swells up and starts itching incessantly...just another of my many allergies, mosquitoes.
Friday, May 29, 2009
You know...
...you're in Sri Lanka when you see a soldier with a 'Hello Kitty' backpack on and an elderly woman doing the gardening in a sari! Its brilliant, I love it here.
So many things to observe; contrasts, behaviour, customs etc. So many amusing and interesting thoughts come and go, and yet as is my nature, I procrastinate their capture and so when I sit in front of the computer with the intention of blogging, 'my mind escapes me' to use that quite bizarre English phrase. They're all up there somewhere...
So many things to observe; contrasts, behaviour, customs etc. So many amusing and interesting thoughts come and go, and yet as is my nature, I procrastinate their capture and so when I sit in front of the computer with the intention of blogging, 'my mind escapes me' to use that quite bizarre English phrase. They're all up there somewhere...
Monday, May 25, 2009
Something to celebrate...
...is the fact that in the statement the LTTE have just released they said they will seek their aims through non-violent means. That is really something to celebrate because surely that more than anything else signifies the end of the war. Of course, perhaps the fact that their upper leadership was wiped out leaves them with little choice but if their supporters also seek peaceful resolution then the fear and suffering of terrorism and war can truly be something of the past for all the people here.
One of the greatest...
...things about Sri Lanka is the fact that you don't have to know anyone's name, and for me this is a blessing as my ability to recall names is often abismal. Basically you can refer to anyone and everyone as a brother or sister, which is an ideologically beautiful thing as it effectively means the whole country is one big family and it eases the burden of meeting so many people in such a short space of time.
Its generally based around age, so if you want to address a male older than you, you would call them 'aiyah'. For a male younger than you, 'mali'. For females, you say 'aki' and 'nungi' respectively. There are however, as with everything, exceptions. If there is a significant age gap between you and the person you want to talk to and they are older than you, you call them 'Uncle' or 'Aunty'. All of this works perfectly well with complete strangers which I find kind of funny, can you imagine calling a stranger in England 'Uncle'??? I suppose the British equivalents are 'Sir/Madam' and 'mate'. Also, you wouldn't refer to a Buddhist monk or another person in a position of authority in this way. To show respect to such individuals, it is common to worship them...literally on one's hands and knees, and such practice is extended to monks, teachers, parents etc.
Anyway, last night I sampled for the first time something called 'kottu roti' which is made with ultra-finely chopped chicken, egg, spices and a hell of a lot of chilli! As tasty as it was, and it really really was, I think this morning my stomach is feeling the effects and so the yin/yang of the pleasure/pain paradox is evident here on this beautiful day in Sri Lanka.
Peace out.
Its generally based around age, so if you want to address a male older than you, you would call them 'aiyah'. For a male younger than you, 'mali'. For females, you say 'aki' and 'nungi' respectively. There are however, as with everything, exceptions. If there is a significant age gap between you and the person you want to talk to and they are older than you, you call them 'Uncle' or 'Aunty'. All of this works perfectly well with complete strangers which I find kind of funny, can you imagine calling a stranger in England 'Uncle'??? I suppose the British equivalents are 'Sir/Madam' and 'mate'. Also, you wouldn't refer to a Buddhist monk or another person in a position of authority in this way. To show respect to such individuals, it is common to worship them...literally on one's hands and knees, and such practice is extended to monks, teachers, parents etc.
Anyway, last night I sampled for the first time something called 'kottu roti' which is made with ultra-finely chopped chicken, egg, spices and a hell of a lot of chilli! As tasty as it was, and it really really was, I think this morning my stomach is feeling the effects and so the yin/yang of the pleasure/pain paradox is evident here on this beautiful day in Sri Lanka.
Peace out.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
So...
...celebrations are continuing today despite the media reports and concern for civilians being expressed in the Western media.
Last sunday I took a trip with some students to a place called Tantirimale which is the site of an ancient temple built into a huge rock. It was the first time most of them had been so very exciting for them and for me, the first time I had travelled by tractor for two and a half hours on a road that at best felt like sitting on top of a washing machine!
When we arrived at the temple, as per custom, we removed our bata (flip-flops) and went forth. Over the next three hours I learnt that village boys have feet made of steel and I have feet like cotton wool. I'd strongly suggest that if like me, you have beautiful soft feet, don't go clambering over baking hot jagged rock in the midday sun barefoot. Every step became a challenge as I sought to minimise the the pain. Nonetheless we all had a lot of fun and the boys were running and jumping everywhere, while I followed with little baby steps, haha.
On the way back, the students were incredibly excited to spot trees bearing fruit called Pul-lu (unofficial spelling). These are tiny little berry type fruit that kind of look like mango's and are very sweet and tasty. The boys wasted no time in scaling these quite big trees and relieving the them of their ripened produce.
Last sunday I took a trip with some students to a place called Tantirimale which is the site of an ancient temple built into a huge rock. It was the first time most of them had been so very exciting for them and for me, the first time I had travelled by tractor for two and a half hours on a road that at best felt like sitting on top of a washing machine!
When we arrived at the temple, as per custom, we removed our bata (flip-flops) and went forth. Over the next three hours I learnt that village boys have feet made of steel and I have feet like cotton wool. I'd strongly suggest that if like me, you have beautiful soft feet, don't go clambering over baking hot jagged rock in the midday sun barefoot. Every step became a challenge as I sought to minimise the the pain. Nonetheless we all had a lot of fun and the boys were running and jumping everywhere, while I followed with little baby steps, haha.
On the way back, the students were incredibly excited to spot trees bearing fruit called Pul-lu (unofficial spelling). These are tiny little berry type fruit that kind of look like mango's and are very sweet and tasty. The boys wasted no time in scaling these quite big trees and relieving the them of their ripened produce.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Is it over?
Sri Lankan news sources have been saying for the last hour or so that the LTTE leader is dead and that they have identified his remains. The BBC has just caught up with this after saying he was still alive and surrounded and that the Sri Lankan defence ministry were confirming this.
I am surrounded by a group of hysterically happy women who are watching the Sinhala news in this computer lab. The news is confirming that it truly is over and much to my enjoyment, they are playing the star wars theme tune in celebration! Awesome! Also, I can hear many gunshots erupting nearby which I assume are also celebratory discharges made by the 'civil security force' in the village in which I am now staying.
To say that Sri Lankans are glad to see the end of the war would be a massive understatement. It is the incentive that ensured popular support for the current government. Most people that I have come into contact with have been glued to their tv sets every evening to follow the almost daily developments of this conflict and its rapid acceleration in the last few months.
I think that this could possibly be the most positive event in the history of this country...for all Sri Lankans. Those who I have talked to seem to be indoctrinated with a general sense of tolerance, national unity and a desire for peace.
I hope that in some way the end justifies the means and that lasting peace and prosperity can prevail to gradually heal the wounds suffered by ALL in this conflict.
I am surrounded by a group of hysterically happy women who are watching the Sinhala news in this computer lab. The news is confirming that it truly is over and much to my enjoyment, they are playing the star wars theme tune in celebration! Awesome! Also, I can hear many gunshots erupting nearby which I assume are also celebratory discharges made by the 'civil security force' in the village in which I am now staying.
To say that Sri Lankans are glad to see the end of the war would be a massive understatement. It is the incentive that ensured popular support for the current government. Most people that I have come into contact with have been glued to their tv sets every evening to follow the almost daily developments of this conflict and its rapid acceleration in the last few months.
I think that this could possibly be the most positive event in the history of this country...for all Sri Lankans. Those who I have talked to seem to be indoctrinated with a general sense of tolerance, national unity and a desire for peace.
I hope that in some way the end justifies the means and that lasting peace and prosperity can prevail to gradually heal the wounds suffered by ALL in this conflict.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Ok...
So I haven't quite kept up with the journal format...nor the journal itself infact. I've been too busy...well, when I say busy I mean that in Sri Lankan terms. It is incredibly hot in this country and yesterday I travelled into the dry zone so it ain't getting any colder though the rain should be starting anytime now.
The hot climate demands that one seeks shade when in the sun, and most time during the day is spent inside, by a fan if you're lucky. However, having observed several outdoor labourers, I am astounded by their resiliance to the heat. Sweating, i've decided, is perfectly normal and one just has to accept that its going to happen. My natural reaction to sweat is to feel discomforted by it but out here it is utterly unavoidable so I am accepting and embracing it, after all, its supposed to cool one down.
While I was in Negombo, I made several visits to a local school with a friend who is an English teacher there. On the first day, I was presented with approximately 40 Sri Lankan students between school and university age. Yes, 40! I was given a vague instruction to just...talk. About anything and everything. So for the next hour, I was looked at in bemusement as I talked about whatever came to mind. Despite their generally high level of English ability, my accent and pronunciation provided a challenge for them, but this was the point. Indika, their teacher constantly stressed the importance of being able to understand crazy foreigners such as myself because despite their high level of intelligence and in some cases, qualifications, they oftened complained about the difficulty of understanding english speaking foreign nationals. I explained to them that this difficulty is universal in the learning of any language and demonstrated my very limited sinhala skills, much to their hysterical amusement. Laughing at people in sri lanka is not considered rude and my simplest mannerisms would sometimes instigate a great deal of laughter.
The hot climate demands that one seeks shade when in the sun, and most time during the day is spent inside, by a fan if you're lucky. However, having observed several outdoor labourers, I am astounded by their resiliance to the heat. Sweating, i've decided, is perfectly normal and one just has to accept that its going to happen. My natural reaction to sweat is to feel discomforted by it but out here it is utterly unavoidable so I am accepting and embracing it, after all, its supposed to cool one down.
While I was in Negombo, I made several visits to a local school with a friend who is an English teacher there. On the first day, I was presented with approximately 40 Sri Lankan students between school and university age. Yes, 40! I was given a vague instruction to just...talk. About anything and everything. So for the next hour, I was looked at in bemusement as I talked about whatever came to mind. Despite their generally high level of English ability, my accent and pronunciation provided a challenge for them, but this was the point. Indika, their teacher constantly stressed the importance of being able to understand crazy foreigners such as myself because despite their high level of intelligence and in some cases, qualifications, they oftened complained about the difficulty of understanding english speaking foreign nationals. I explained to them that this difficulty is universal in the learning of any language and demonstrated my very limited sinhala skills, much to their hysterical amusement. Laughing at people in sri lanka is not considered rude and my simplest mannerisms would sometimes instigate a great deal of laughter.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Sri Lanka journal...
26/04/09
12:10pm
Ok. Here I am. On a plane to Kuwait. Shit! I am embarking on an epic journey (epic, relative to my life, not so epic compared to travelling to the moon). This is the first time that I have been out of the country on my own. "Aagh!" my mind screams yet simultaneously there is a sense of peace. Strange it is how one can feel two very different things at the same time. Fear and excitement. Anxiety and liberation. I wonder if this is infact the nature of all human experience, of just mine. The conscious mind will think whichever way it is directed in the present moment however the sub-conscious mind may contradict those thoughts with its deeply rooted beliefs. On that note and the rather relevant tangent of contemplating the mind, I will attempt to get some sleep as I am rather tired. Parting with my beautiful girlfriend at the airport was painful and difficult but left me feeling uplifted and so an unpleasant feeling was transformed into a pleasant one. Such is the nature of life.
13:35pm
The attempt to get some sleep failed diabolically due in part to the loud inevitable wailing of two small children and the impending arrival of lunch which turned out to be unexpectedly satisfactory. The lunch has now gone but the wailing is prevailing (unintentional rhyme!) in intermittent bursts and in some kind of tandem relay between the aforementioned nippers. The psychological processes of small children are fascinating but I won't go off on one about that. Alternatively, I'd like to remark upon the fact that the in-built television directly in front of me doesn't work. My initial reactions are very British; I'm a bit disappointed as if some part of me was actually looking forward to staring at this 8x8cm screen (dimensions estimated as I left my tape-measure-on-a-keyring at home, looks like I'm gonna regret that), listening through the crusty uncomfortable headphones for hours. But enough with the complaining! A lady sitting in the row in front, of apparent New Zealand-ish origin has just moved further back in the plane as she simply "cannot handle the baby noise". Perhaps we should all move, to get away from the screaming kids or better yet, put them all in first class! Hmm, I see the potential for noisey-child-class, anyone? Or grumpy-inconsiderate-lady-class?.
ANYWAY, my non-functioning personal tv is infact a blessing in disguise; it has provided me with the motivation to write the above rambling nonsense, may be an opportunity for some sleep (the kids had gone quiet, until I wrote that!) or could be a good time to start one of the many books I have with me. As a separate observation, it is interesting to note that the two sri-lankan men to my right have both fallen soundly asleep while the two english men to my left are struggling with their attempts to rest despite having allegedly had only one hour's sleep lat night. What chance does an englishman of sri lankan origin whose had three hours sleep stand?
14:36
Ok, not much. None infact. But I can't blame the kids this time, they've been relatively quiet since Miss New Zealand departed, how ironic! Perhaps her frustration and anger at their noise was only upsetting them further in a negative downward spiral. Unfortunately, the proverbial baton of noisemaking has passed on to a Nepalese-looking-gentleman behind me whose headphones are painfully loud...even for me! Another child had also chose to the enter the relay but that was shortlived. On an earlier trip to the toilet, I noticed there were several small children near the back and I'd feel very bad for Miss NZ if the game of "pass the wail"
spread to her new location yet I'd also be laughing uncontrollably, on the inside of course. The truth is, I was unable to sleep because my mind wasn't at rest, and I felt compelled to write and to be fair, my present surroundings aren't exactly conducive to sleep. I'm a fussy sleeper and sitting upright, surrounded by crying children makes a hilarious antithesis to my ideal sleeping conditions. However, my tv has magically sprung to life...but I think I'm gonna opt for failing to sleep over wathing tv. We are currently flying over Turkey and apart from the relentless blasting drone that is the sound of airflight...all is quiet. Peace out.
I did manage to get some sleep in the end, and on the next flight as well from Kuwait to Colombo. This is infact a journey to Sri Lanka, not the Middle East as may have been suggested earlier. And so here I am again. The motherland of my parents! The first thing to remark upon is the heat. The send thing is the heat and the third thing again is the heat. I'll write some more again later when I'm not drowning in my own sweat!
Ok. Here I am. On a plane to Kuwait. Shit! I am embarking on an epic journey (epic, relative to my life, not so epic compared to travelling to the moon). This is the first time that I have been out of the country on my own. "Aagh!" my mind screams yet simultaneously there is a sense of peace. Strange it is how one can feel two very different things at the same time. Fear and excitement. Anxiety and liberation. I wonder if this is infact the nature of all human experience, of just mine. The conscious mind will think whichever way it is directed in the present moment however the sub-conscious mind may contradict those thoughts with its deeply rooted beliefs. On that note and the rather relevant tangent of contemplating the mind, I will attempt to get some sleep as I am rather tired. Parting with my beautiful girlfriend at the airport was painful and difficult but left me feeling uplifted and so an unpleasant feeling was transformed into a pleasant one. Such is the nature of life.
13:35pm
The attempt to get some sleep failed diabolically due in part to the loud inevitable wailing of two small children and the impending arrival of lunch which turned out to be unexpectedly satisfactory. The lunch has now gone but the wailing is prevailing (unintentional rhyme!) in intermittent bursts and in some kind of tandem relay between the aforementioned nippers. The psychological processes of small children are fascinating but I won't go off on one about that. Alternatively, I'd like to remark upon the fact that the in-built television directly in front of me doesn't work. My initial reactions are very British; I'm a bit disappointed as if some part of me was actually looking forward to staring at this 8x8cm screen (dimensions estimated as I left my tape-measure-on-a-keyring at home, looks like I'm gonna regret that), listening through the crusty uncomfortable headphones for hours. But enough with the complaining! A lady sitting in the row in front, of apparent New Zealand-ish origin has just moved further back in the plane as she simply "cannot handle the baby noise". Perhaps we should all move, to get away from the screaming kids or better yet, put them all in first class! Hmm, I see the potential for noisey-child-class, anyone? Or grumpy-inconsiderate-lady-class?.
ANYWAY, my non-functioning personal tv is infact a blessing in disguise; it has provided me with the motivation to write the above rambling nonsense, may be an opportunity for some sleep (the kids had gone quiet, until I wrote that!) or could be a good time to start one of the many books I have with me. As a separate observation, it is interesting to note that the two sri-lankan men to my right have both fallen soundly asleep while the two english men to my left are struggling with their attempts to rest despite having allegedly had only one hour's sleep lat night. What chance does an englishman of sri lankan origin whose had three hours sleep stand?
14:36
Ok, not much. None infact. But I can't blame the kids this time, they've been relatively quiet since Miss New Zealand departed, how ironic! Perhaps her frustration and anger at their noise was only upsetting them further in a negative downward spiral. Unfortunately, the proverbial baton of noisemaking has passed on to a Nepalese-looking-gentleman behind me whose headphones are painfully loud...even for me! Another child had also chose to the enter the relay but that was shortlived. On an earlier trip to the toilet, I noticed there were several small children near the back and I'd feel very bad for Miss NZ if the game of "pass the wail"
spread to her new location yet I'd also be laughing uncontrollably, on the inside of course. The truth is, I was unable to sleep because my mind wasn't at rest, and I felt compelled to write and to be fair, my present surroundings aren't exactly conducive to sleep. I'm a fussy sleeper and sitting upright, surrounded by crying children makes a hilarious antithesis to my ideal sleeping conditions. However, my tv has magically sprung to life...but I think I'm gonna opt for failing to sleep over wathing tv. We are currently flying over Turkey and apart from the relentless blasting drone that is the sound of airflight...all is quiet. Peace out.
27/04/09
14:14PM (Local Time)I did manage to get some sleep in the end, and on the next flight as well from Kuwait to Colombo. This is infact a journey to Sri Lanka, not the Middle East as may have been suggested earlier. And so here I am again. The motherland of my parents! The first thing to remark upon is the heat. The send thing is the heat and the third thing again is the heat. I'll write some more again later when I'm not drowning in my own sweat!
28/04/09
12:01pm (Local time)
Day 2: Its approximately 35 degrees outside so i'm inside vegetating by the fan. I did so much yesterday! We went to a local fruit and vegetable market and to what I can only describe as a fish auction! We also went to the beach and I have met lots of lovely people, in just one day! I've been picking up as much of the language as I can. Its hard!
Day 2: Its approximately 35 degrees outside so i'm inside vegetating by the fan. I did so much yesterday! We went to a local fruit and vegetable market and to what I can only describe as a fish auction! We also went to the beach and I have met lots of lovely people, in just one day! I've been picking up as much of the language as I can. Its hard!
29/04/09
15:15pm
Anyone who knows me, knows that I love Sri Lankan food and I feel so incredibly fortunate to be here eating it everyday! Curry for breakfast, lunch and dinner! Sri Lankan food is the best in the world hands down and I think I'm starting to understand the logic behind eating spicy food in an insanely hot country. You see, when one eats spicy food, one sweats because the food is so hot, and as one is already hot, the extra sweat cools the body down leaving one refreshed. Sri Lankans however, don't sweat when they eat which kind of punches a big fat hole in my theory! Anyway, I've said before, spicy food enhances the overall flavour, you just have to push past the pain barrier! Sri Lankan food is far superior to Indian food (I'm basing that opinion on my extensive experience of English curry houses before I'm accused of making rash sweeping statements!). It is very healthy; lots of vegetables and fish and it basically all tastes amazing and so I shall leave it there with my mouth on fire and head dripping with sweat!
Anyone who knows me, knows that I love Sri Lankan food and I feel so incredibly fortunate to be here eating it everyday! Curry for breakfast, lunch and dinner! Sri Lankan food is the best in the world hands down and I think I'm starting to understand the logic behind eating spicy food in an insanely hot country. You see, when one eats spicy food, one sweats because the food is so hot, and as one is already hot, the extra sweat cools the body down leaving one refreshed. Sri Lankans however, don't sweat when they eat which kind of punches a big fat hole in my theory! Anyway, I've said before, spicy food enhances the overall flavour, you just have to push past the pain barrier! Sri Lankan food is far superior to Indian food (I'm basing that opinion on my extensive experience of English curry houses before I'm accused of making rash sweeping statements!). It is very healthy; lots of vegetables and fish and it basically all tastes amazing and so I shall leave it there with my mouth on fire and head dripping with sweat!
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