...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...
Friday, May 29, 2009
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.
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