Commitments

Last week I was offered a job as a substitute department manager for 1,5 years. This means big changes in my life at the moment, but I see it as a challenge and a great possibility to learn. It also gives me the opportunity to spend time with family and friends at home and I get to be here for my nephew’s first years! I start the job tomorrow and I have never had a manager position before so I’m very excited, but also a little nervous. I guess that’s normal.

Accepting the job means that I cannot go travelling whenever I want and I actually have to take responsibility! You never know, I might even end up liking living at one place, or I’ll end up going travelling for even longer when I finish the job. I’m open for everything at the moment. And I should not forget that I get holidays too, so it looks like I will be able to go to India for a couple of weeks in September so I’m not complaining at all!

Another exciting thing is that I’m going to start teaching a yoga course for teenagers in October at a local yoga studio over here. Very cool!

I have been back in Norway for almost two weeks and the days are busy so I haven’t been able to write much. I love being home with the family, but I miss the lazy life in Midigama and the warm weather. We had a shocking 17th May (Norway’s national day) with rain and seven degrees, but today it seems like spring is finally here and nothing is like spring in Norway!  

Travelling from Midigama was hard work. I had to catch the mini bus from Midigama to Colombo and change bus in Colombo to the airport. As soon as everyone got off the bus in Colombo the bus driver tried to bullshit me and tell me the airport bus didn’t start going before 4am (it was then 11pm). His plan was to tell me I could hire the mini bus for a crazy amount of money, which would have been tempting if the bus really didn’t go that late as Colombo is not a nice place to be alone at nigh time. But I am used to being bullshitted by now and I know all their tricks so I kindly said no, and as I thought the airport bus left 10 minutes later.

On the airport bus I had to share my seat with a woman’s baby and all her bags, and the ticket officer still tried to rip me off for money saying ”big baggage, big baggage!” I had had enough by now and I got my money back! It is such a shame, because you really don’t need to meet people like that on the end of an amazing trip.

After two flights, another bus ride and change of airports in London and a last flight back to Stavanger I arrived safely at home 00.30 to start work 2pm the same day.

Here’s a few more photos from my two weeks in Sri Lanka… 

Turtle eggs. Manike's uncle collects them to take care of them till they're ready to hatch to save them from people who want to eat the eggs. He release hundreds of turtle babies every year. 

Manike and her sister Asanka

Hungry Ravihan waiting for the food to be ready

 

Young love

I do miss my family a lot when I am traveling, and especially when there is a new baby in the family. I am happy to be home again.

Tea plantations and temples

We are back in Midigama after our weekend adventure. Our trip started of with a bus ride at 5 am Thursday morning, and as ”only one” bus ride soon turns out to be 2-3 bus rides and ”a little few minutes” is never just a little few minutes, it took some time to get there. But we were all happy about going on an adventure so no one cared; they hadn’t been on a holiday in about seven years so everyone was very excited!

Our first stop was somewhere outside Ratnapura, and we stayed at Manike’s uncle and aunt’s place; a cute little pink house in the middle of a tea plantation. The days in Ratnapura were great. We went to the river, Manike’s cousin showed us the gem mines and we visited small temples; the kids were happy and playing all day as we went around to visit Manike’s family.

Ravihan exhausted after playing outside all day.

I also got to see a cobra snake, although a little too close to my liking. I saw it under the tea plants at the backside of the house and apparently it lives somewhere there so the kids where not allowed to play at the back of the house. They said it was no problem at the front because it would never go to the front. It’s just like in Bentota earlier this year we were told there was a crocodile living in the river so you could not go swimming on the left side of the bridge, but the right side of the bridge was safe because it wouldn’t cross under the bridge. Not so sure if I would trust this and I didn’t walk around in the tea plants after I saw the cobra (not even at the front of the house).

Tea and coconuts

I sort of feel like I have been tested ever since I mentioned comfort zones. On arrival I was told we were going to have a bath outside. And no I’m not talking some fancy designed outdoor shower in a 5 star resort; it was just a shower – outside. And with no walls. Normally I have problems changing in front of people and will lock the bathroom door even if I’m home alone, so you can say I can be a reserved person at times, and now I was about to have a shower outside with the rest of the family. I kindly declined the offer of showering with the family and said I’d do it later; I think they understood because they all laughed. At least I showered the proper Asian way with a sarong wrapped around me outside, and in the middle of a tea plantation. 

And no matter how much I travel in Asia there is one thing I cannot get used to and that is squat toilets! It doesn’t matter what you say there is no way anyone will be able to convince me that this is more hygienic than ”normal” toilets and toilet papers. And of course when there is no inside shower there will most likely not be a western toilet, so I came prepared with toilet paper (and Imodium for worst case scenario). I also find it difficult to share bedroom with other people than my boyfriend and all of the sudden I am sharing room with a whole family and almost their extended family as there is no doors and the rest would sleep on the floor outside our room.

I find it amazing how Manike’s family gave up their bed and slept on the floor to let me sleep in the bed. I felt so bad about it I convinced Manike to let the girls sleep in the bedroom as well; it would have been too awkward sleeping alone in a bed while eight people slept on the floor outside the room.

Not sure what all this is going to teach me and I don’t know if it will make me a better person, but it definitely gives me a different perspective on things. People who have nothing will give everything and the one thing there is no lack of here is hospitality! Never have I experienced so many people trying to make me feel as comfortable as possible; every time I got up from a chair someone would be there to ask what I want, or if I come inside a room someone would come running with a chair and maybe a cup of tea. I am not even joking when I said I had two plates of papaya on my lap. First one person gave me a plate with papaya and before I even had a bite the next person put another plate with papaya and mango on my lap and asked if I wanted some tea. No one even seemed to think it was weird that I was sitting there looking confused with two plates of papaya in my lap.

Yesterday we arrived in Colombo for Vesak Poya day after another early start. I asked someone what was special about this celebration and they said: ”You know big alms (meaning big monk), big big alms?? He born and dead this day.” Buddha’s birth and death is celebrated every full-moon in May, as he also died on this day.

Colombo was beautiful; everyone was happy and the streets were decorated with colourful lights and prayer flag. Little stands where set up for the occasion where you could get free ice-cream, tea, rice and curry and some kind of vegetable soup; every time I ask if I wonder about some vegetable I am told ”it is very, very good. Eat.”

Vesak Poya day is definitely not like our Christmas; it seems to be a lot more religious in a way and they take it very serious. Colombo was full of people dressed in white and many had been at the temple since early morning to listen to the monks and for prayer and worship. Some had brought blankets and chairs to stay at the temple for most of the day and some even stayed for 24 hours. The temple was covered in flowers and fruit that people had brought as offerings.

My little friend in red.

I am so glad I got to see Vesak Poya day celebrated at the Kelaniya Vihara Buddhist temple before going home. I absolutely loved it and I am even more fascinated about the beauty of believing. I have met so many beautiful people on this trip and I have really been touched by some of their stories; there are many tragic stories here but the people still stay strong and grateful for life. And not least they are unbelievable welcoming and they would do anything to make me feel comfortable. I cannot express how happy I am to be able to experience and see all this; it has been an amazing trip. Work is calling and tonight I will be catching the bus to Colombo to fly back home and I am just about to take the kids to the beach one last time.

And by the way, I saw a turtle on the beach yesterday!! 

Quiet days in Midigama

Rainy season has just started on the south-west coast of Sri Lanka and the surf is off so it is quiet in Midigama. Everyone seem to be relaxing now as the tourist season is over and they're all preparing their guesthouses and shops for the next season starting in October.

The weather has been good; it has only been raining a couple of days and I pretty much have the beach to myself as there is no one here, or that will say I have to share it with the sandflies! Anyone who has ever been to Sri Lanka would know about the sandflies; horrible little monsters they are and as soon as you get bitten just get off the beach.   

I spend my days playing with the kids and drinking tea with Manike. Yoga has been a little slow, but I've been practicing for 40-50 minutes most days so I'm happy with that. Tomorrow Manike, three of the kids and I are going inlands for a couple of days to visit Manike's family. On the way back we will go to Colombo for a day to celebrate Vesak poya day at Manike's uncle's house. I don't know a lot about it, but I think it is one of the biggest full-moon celebrations and it is also called Buddha's birthday. I will find out more about it this weekend.

Brothers