Serendib
I avoid walks to the Panadura town, or market place, because I hate having so many people around me. However, on Friday, I accompanied Amma to the town and besides the few times I had to swear (some people are idiots), the walk was pretty interesting.
Amma decided to go to this kadey to buy vegetables. So while she joined the queue, I stood outside the shop, waiting and looking around. Then a lady asked me to help her put her bag of vegetables in another bag. She said, 'thank you' and left. I wanted to help her, but if she hadn't asked, I'm not sure I would have found the guts to offer help. I find it difficult to talk to people so even offering help is a big deal to me. But she asked for my help and I was able to give it to her. And this is something I love about this country; the opportunities it offers.
Then I saw all these dogs running down the road and I'm really scared of dogs. So I was afraid and already feeling sweaty and light but I noticed how the dogs had gathered around this old lady. And she kept petting them and they were so happy to see her. All this made me feel happier and the rest walk went well and even though there were so many people and I was feeling tired, I was happy to belong to this place.
The next day I left for Jaffna. I love Jaffna so I was obviously excited. On Saturday, I went for the Jaffna Music Festival which was amazing and that day realized that it doesn't take much to be happy. I'm generally moody and bitter. I'm not very patient. However, that night I couldn't help wondering if maybe I could be a better person.
One of the people I had a conversation with that day was Sachin Bhandary, who is in Sri Lanka for The 12 Project. In Sri Lanka, he looks for positive stories.
Rarely do we appreciate what we have and rarely are we aware of what we have. I do complain about Sri Lanka, but I generally complain about life and the universe instead of thinking the things that irk me are Sri Lankan things.
For instance, the traffic. I spend quite a lot of time sitting in a vehicle cursing the traffic lights, traffic cops and idiots who shouldn't be allowed to drive. However, I've also spent at least ten minutes watching a traffic light go from 100 to 0 three time and this was just to travel a distance that can't be more than the distance from my home to the top of the road. This was in Thailand and when I feel tired of Sri Lanka because of the traffic, I think of Thailand and the traffic there.
And then I feel better and I realize that the things I complain about are part and parcel of life and are things I'll have to face regardless of where I am.
So Sri Lanka isn't this godawful place that we need to escape from.
We were to leave at 6am on Sunday and head back to Colombo. My friend and I decided to join another friend so we would have time to walk around Jaffna town. We later learned that the people we came with didn't leave until 9am but I was glad we decided to join our friend. We told him we'll meet him in the town, and set out from the place we were staying. Two girls with backpacks weighing on their shoulders and empty stomachs. So our first stop was obviously a little kadey. There we had a nice cup of hot milk tea and small roti.
We then set out again and walked to the Municipal Grounds. From there we walked to the Jaffna Fort but decided against walking in there, so instead we walked around it. During our walk, we made two friends, although one left us after a while. Remember how I said I'm afraid of dogs? Well, our friends were dogs. The black guy stayed on and trotted behind us throughout our walk.
We then took a break and although somewhat tired (I'm not at all fit), we were content. There's something about early morning Jaffna. There were few people on the road, and we spotted at least two men seated near the road or squatting on the pavement reading newspapers. But Jaffna was quiet, and although I had many things to complain about, my mind seemed quiet.
We then joined our friends and that was tons of fun. We had meals at small kadeys, sipping hot tea and enjoying good food. We had mango juice with ice cream for breakfast. During my fourth visit to Jaffna, I finally went inside the Nallur Kovil. We sat in the van patiently while buffaloes and monkeys crossed the road. We ate a huge and sour orange and I felt like a kid again. We joked around, we laughed.
There were times when we were silent too. Each lost in their own worlds.
And as we left Jaffna and closed in on Colombo, it kept hitting me how truly beautiful Sri Lanka is. And this takes me to #LankaPositive. See, Sri Lanka is full of amazing people and Sri Lanka is a great place to live. I say this despite the crimes we hear of and the beliefs held by certain people. I say this because Sri Lanka as a whole is more than all that.
I've had strangers help me. At Jaffna, people we've never met before went the extra mile for us. They helped us even though they were getting nothing out of it. Well, they were getting nothing of monetary value.
The sad thing is that Sri Lanka or Sri Lankans are often portrayed inaccurately. It hurts when people look at you in surprise when you help them. Weren't ambalamas built for tired travelers? Weren't water fountains built for thirsty travelers? Then why is it so surprising when people help each other? Sri Lanka should be full of positive stories and it is.
When we got off near Royal College, Colombo, the driver of the vehicle, who I hadn't said much to during the journey, gave me an orange they had plucked from a farm in Jaffna. He didn't have to. He could have kept it for himself, but he insisted that I should keep it.
It's easy to complain and whine. Something is always wrong and we have so many ways to complain. But maybe it's time we looked at the plus points of this country.
On Saturday, I listened to sufi music. I listened to music from various part of Sri Lanka. I listened to an Indian band and a Bangladeshi band. I listened to music even though I didn't understand the lyrics. I didn't know the language. But I understood the music. And with the Jaffna wind blowing against us, I couldn't help pushing away those bitter thoughts and just live and be happy.
It's not difficult to be content in this country. It's actually easy. If only you try.
Think of your #LankaPositive stories. Share them. It's high time we pushed away the anger, divisions and hatred. It's high time we let it all go and just lived.
I'm twenty one. I have a job I love. This job gives me the opportunity to travel. Walking along the roads in Jaffna, I knew that that was what I wanted to do. I wanted to cut all the strings that held me down. I wanted to just live.
And maybe I'll be able to.
Amma decided to go to this kadey to buy vegetables. So while she joined the queue, I stood outside the shop, waiting and looking around. Then a lady asked me to help her put her bag of vegetables in another bag. She said, 'thank you' and left. I wanted to help her, but if she hadn't asked, I'm not sure I would have found the guts to offer help. I find it difficult to talk to people so even offering help is a big deal to me. But she asked for my help and I was able to give it to her. And this is something I love about this country; the opportunities it offers.
Then I saw all these dogs running down the road and I'm really scared of dogs. So I was afraid and already feeling sweaty and light but I noticed how the dogs had gathered around this old lady. And she kept petting them and they were so happy to see her. All this made me feel happier and the rest walk went well and even though there were so many people and I was feeling tired, I was happy to belong to this place.
The next day I left for Jaffna. I love Jaffna so I was obviously excited. On Saturday, I went for the Jaffna Music Festival which was amazing and that day realized that it doesn't take much to be happy. I'm generally moody and bitter. I'm not very patient. However, that night I couldn't help wondering if maybe I could be a better person.
One of the people I had a conversation with that day was Sachin Bhandary, who is in Sri Lanka for The 12 Project. In Sri Lanka, he looks for positive stories.
Rarely do we appreciate what we have and rarely are we aware of what we have. I do complain about Sri Lanka, but I generally complain about life and the universe instead of thinking the things that irk me are Sri Lankan things.
For instance, the traffic. I spend quite a lot of time sitting in a vehicle cursing the traffic lights, traffic cops and idiots who shouldn't be allowed to drive. However, I've also spent at least ten minutes watching a traffic light go from 100 to 0 three time and this was just to travel a distance that can't be more than the distance from my home to the top of the road. This was in Thailand and when I feel tired of Sri Lanka because of the traffic, I think of Thailand and the traffic there.
And then I feel better and I realize that the things I complain about are part and parcel of life and are things I'll have to face regardless of where I am.
So Sri Lanka isn't this godawful place that we need to escape from.
 |
| Pic by Kusumanjalee Thilakarathna |
We then set out again and walked to the Municipal Grounds. From there we walked to the Jaffna Fort but decided against walking in there, so instead we walked around it. During our walk, we made two friends, although one left us after a while. Remember how I said I'm afraid of dogs? Well, our friends were dogs. The black guy stayed on and trotted behind us throughout our walk.
 |
| Pic by Kusumanjalee Thilakarathna |
We then joined our friends and that was tons of fun. We had meals at small kadeys, sipping hot tea and enjoying good food. We had mango juice with ice cream for breakfast. During my fourth visit to Jaffna, I finally went inside the Nallur Kovil. We sat in the van patiently while buffaloes and monkeys crossed the road. We ate a huge and sour orange and I felt like a kid again. We joked around, we laughed.
There were times when we were silent too. Each lost in their own worlds.
And as we left Jaffna and closed in on Colombo, it kept hitting me how truly beautiful Sri Lanka is. And this takes me to #LankaPositive. See, Sri Lanka is full of amazing people and Sri Lanka is a great place to live. I say this despite the crimes we hear of and the beliefs held by certain people. I say this because Sri Lanka as a whole is more than all that.
I've had strangers help me. At Jaffna, people we've never met before went the extra mile for us. They helped us even though they were getting nothing out of it. Well, they were getting nothing of monetary value.
The sad thing is that Sri Lanka or Sri Lankans are often portrayed inaccurately. It hurts when people look at you in surprise when you help them. Weren't ambalamas built for tired travelers? Weren't water fountains built for thirsty travelers? Then why is it so surprising when people help each other? Sri Lanka should be full of positive stories and it is.
When we got off near Royal College, Colombo, the driver of the vehicle, who I hadn't said much to during the journey, gave me an orange they had plucked from a farm in Jaffna. He didn't have to. He could have kept it for himself, but he insisted that I should keep it.
It's easy to complain and whine. Something is always wrong and we have so many ways to complain. But maybe it's time we looked at the plus points of this country.
On Saturday, I listened to sufi music. I listened to music from various part of Sri Lanka. I listened to an Indian band and a Bangladeshi band. I listened to music even though I didn't understand the lyrics. I didn't know the language. But I understood the music. And with the Jaffna wind blowing against us, I couldn't help pushing away those bitter thoughts and just live and be happy.
It's not difficult to be content in this country. It's actually easy. If only you try.
Think of your #LankaPositive stories. Share them. It's high time we pushed away the anger, divisions and hatred. It's high time we let it all go and just lived.
I'm twenty one. I have a job I love. This job gives me the opportunity to travel. Walking along the roads in Jaffna, I knew that that was what I wanted to do. I wanted to cut all the strings that held me down. I wanted to just live.
And maybe I'll be able to.
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