Almsgiving

On our last weekend in Midigama we were invited to join the almsgiving ceremony for Bambera’s father, who passed away in June after a tragic accident. According to Buddhist religion the family of someone who die will hold an almsgiving for monks three months after the person has passed away, and then repeat on year after. Apparently this is done because they believe almsgiving will raise the merit of the departed and, as they believe in a life after death this will give them a bigger change of being born into a better next life.

Ten monks came in the morning for the almsgiving of our friend’s father. The number of monks coming varies and obviously the more monks the better it is and I think this is something the family will all put their money into, it also seem like the more monks the higher status you have. The ceremony started with the monks being seated (on the floor) with the closest family sitting inside the room with them; in this case being the wife, the sons and the brothers and sisters of the departed. The head monk started off with a prayer and everyone inside and outside bowed their heads and held their hands in Namaste. After the first part of the prayer was finished only the closest family kept their hands in Namaste and the prayer now seemed to be more directed at them.

I found the highlight of the ceremony to be after the prayer when family and friends who wanted could serve the monks rice & curry. Everyone grabbed a bowl each and served monk after monk from their bowl. When the monks finished eating the family and some of the closest friends gave them gifts to be taken back to the temple. Language can be a little tricky sometimes so it is hard to understand the details of it but it would all be to raise merit for the departed. The ceremony was finished with some sort of parade with the head monk and one of the sons.

When the monks left it were time for everyone else to eat, and what a show! Rice & curry (in as many different ways you can only imagine) was placed on the floor and you just had to push your way through to get in. And Sri Lankan food is known for being spicy and this was definitely not cooked for foreigners so I have to admit we struggled, not to mention it would have been around 35 degrees as well; the food was super hot and the weather was too. But what an experience.

The next day Manike told me they had cooked 100kg of rice and in the afternoon they had to cook another five kilos for the latecomers. They estimated that 300 people showed up for the almsgiving and this is supposed to be a very good thing for the family.

The almsgiving with our friends’ family was a great ending to a beautiful holiday. Although it was a tragedy that Bambera lost his father the almsgiving is seen as a happy day and we feel extremely grateful of being a part of this family’s life and that we get to join them on special occasions like this. Hopefully it wont be too long before we see them again next time.

A very tired Ravihan after a long day.

I apologize if the details about the Buddhist almsgiving is not correct as this is how my friends have explained it to me and I guess it can vary from country to country, and as said language can easily be misunderstood sometimes. 

We went to Rewaka beach too early to get a glimpse of any turtles laying eggs. There were no people there, except from two guys stealing coconuts and we were told the turtles don't come before 8-9pm... But we did get to see an amazing sunset!! We're going back to Midigama for our last few days before I head back to winter in Norway and Ben go home just in time for summer in Australia... Not so sure if I like the sound of that but I'm happy about seeing my family again anyway!

The perfect way to start the day is to wake up at 7am to do your morning yoga, then have breakfast with your loved one before you slowly move from the bungalow down to the beach… I think we have found paradise… 

We arrived in Tangalle after a 2 hours bus-ride from Midigama that costed us 166 rupees, which is about 1,20AUS or 6NOK. Travelling in Sri Lanka can be very cheap if you have a little patience to wait for the right bus to stop, and of course it also makes it a lot more exciting to travel with the locals!

Last night was full-moon and this is a public holiday in Sri Lanka as full-moon is a highly religious day for Buddhists all over the world. The Sri Lankans call it Poya day and it is a day when the majority of the people seem to be going to temples for prayer, meditation and to give offerings. Ben and I used the opportunity to check out one of the local highlights; the rock temple of Mulkirigala. 

The temple is over 2500 years old and it is built on a massive rock mountain with three levels and each level contains two cave-like rooms with a big Buddha in, which all symbolises the different stages at the end of Buddhas life. From what we were told you can see the difference on wether the Buddhas are sleeping, reclining or dying from how the hands, the feet and the eyes are placed.

Visiting temples on days like Poya days makes it all a lot more special; the place is filled with smoke from the incense, butter lights are lit in front of the Buddhas and all the smaller shrines, and the head monk will be preaching and praying over the speakers, which creates almost a magical atmosphere. I am aware of all the horrible things in the worlds happening because of religion but I decide to look at the beauty of it and I find it truly amazing that people will do the same prayer and rituals month after month, year after year. I personally find religion to be a beautiful thing but it is misused in too many ways.

The Buddhists seem to be very open towards other religions and we are allowed to engage in the different rituals of prayer so we climbed the many steps to reach the three levels to offer our lotus flowers in front of the six Buddhas. Thanks to our tuk-tuk driver we realised there was a small dagoba (a white painted dome-shaped shrine) on the top of the mountain next to what they called "the end/edge of the world" in Sri Lanka. We were told this was 3000 meters above sea level, but I strongly doubt this as numbers and figures often gets mixed up and I'd think it would be more like 1000 meters above sea level, but what a beautiful view and sunset!

Tomorrow we will hire a motorbike to drive 15 kilometres down the coast to a beach were turtles come to lay eggs at nighttime. They say it is a lot bigger chance to see them the days before and after full-moon when the moon is still bright so I'm very excited!   

A couple of days ago I had to look after Malke and Ravihan for an hour. They are such funny boys and we had a great time together, although babysitting can be quite challenging when you don't speak the same language so chocolate and marshmallows was highly needed as bribes due to the language barriers. I love how some kids can play on their own for ages. Ravihan is one of them and he can sit by himself just playing with whatever he finds for hours. And he talks, talks and talks while he is waving with his arms and hands to express himself. In a way I like not being able to understand what he says as I love listening to his little voice when he goes on and on. He is hilarious.

While I was looking after the boys Ben went to the barber to get his face shaved. After telling the barber he wanted to get his eyebrows trimmed he fell asleep in the chair. Big mistake!!! Fifteen minutes later he woke up with no eyebrows! Language can be a tricky thing sometimes and the barber had shaved his eyebrows off instead of trimming them. And I'm sorry Ben but I would be lying if I said it suits you...

The boys think the nail polish  is very exciting!! 

Ravihan "working" on the fan...

Due to pure laziness we have decided not to go to Arugam Bay this time as it is a twelve hours drive from where we are so we figured we will save it until next time and go to Tangalla instead, which is only 2-3hours south from Midigama. I have heard it is the perfect place for lying around and doing nothing and that suits us very well at the moment.

Everywhere I read it is said that the best way to avoid getting malaria is to prevent getting bitten by mosquitoes, but I just don't see how that is possible!! I desperately cover myself with insect repellent, I don't leave the light on at night-time unless necessary, and our bedroom is constantly covered in smoke from the mosquito coil after dusk. How is it possible that I still walk around looking like I've got some mysterious disease with bites from mosquitoes, sandflies and you name it all over my legs and arms? I guess I will be doomed if I ever go into a malaria area...

But enough about the mosquitos and sandflies; I feel truly blessed that Ben and I have become such good friends with Bambera and Manike's amazing family and that we get to spend time with them in their day-to-day life. It definitely gives us a different perspective on things.

Bliss

    Having had 2-3 jobs the last few months and pretty much no life was all worth it the moment I put my feet in the sand and could smell the ocean! Oh, yes I know very well that’s such a cliché but it is just so true. And another 30 days of this sounds like bliss in my sunburnt ears…

    

   Rainy-season is just about to finish at the Southwest coast of Sri Lanka so there are few, if any tourists around at the moment. When I come to think about it maybe that’s probably why everybody is so happy seeing us again as we arriving means that tourist-season has begun! Or maybe they’re just happy because it is us?

    There’s not even a lot of rain and with something that seems like rainy-season all year-around at home I don’t really mind a couple of clouds every now and then. The only downside with it is that with rain comes the sand flies, and as I’ve said before they are not good friends of mine. Those itchy little bastards.

    When I go back to a place I’ve been before, or even when I go back home, it always feels like the time has been standing still. You will meet the same people at your local supermarket or at the corner-shop, and you say hello to the same tuk-tuk drivers as you did last time. But it is really the small things that change; Ravihan, Manike and Bambera’s two year old, has started talking and he is no baby anymore. And man, he talks! Malke, the five year old is so excited about starting pre-school after Christmas and he’s picking up English words perfectly; last night out of nowhere he suddenly said out loud; ”Goooood niiiiight Sriiii Lanka!!” It is little moments like this that stays with me for a long time. Last time we were here Malke asked his mother if she didn’t send him to school because she didn’t love him as much as she loves the other ones. This little boy amazes me as he has the most beautiful personality and such a big heart.

    What I like most about travelling would have to be the small things such as having a cup of tea with a stranger, talking to a little girl in the street and the guy at the corner-shop (called Neal’s shop here) or simply just sit around and watch people go on with their everyday life. I just love it; you meet people you’ve never met before but who you still feel so familiar with, and maybe most important you will meet people who laugh at the same things as you do wherever you go. And I am not saying I am not appreciating these small things at home as there’s nothing like having a cup of green tea with my mum or my cousin while sharing some hot new gossip! (Shouldn’t forget my sister in case she is reading this!)Manike and Bambera also changed the colour of their house since last time from bright pink to bright orange; what great colours they use!! 

    Tonight it is raining and we've got fireflies in our room. How cool isn't that? 

Holiday time!

I almost can't believe I'm off travelling again today! I've been counting the days for weeks now and I am so excited. The trip goes to Sri Lanka where I'm meeting up with my boyfriend, and we will have one week in Midigama staying at Cheynu's guesthouse before we go to check out Arugam Bay on Sri Lanka's east-coast; apparently one of the top ten surfing-breaks in the world. I will stick to lying around on the beach and do absolutely nothing!  

Vintage...

I have been very resistant to making "vintage" images, but today I gave in and played around with Photoshop to create vintage pictures... And, I think I'm hooked! For a first try I don't think it is too bad either.
Looking at the Sri Lanka pictures made me miss Sri Lanka, the warm weather and Manike's family (and food). I can almost not believe I will be back there again in four weeks time! And best of all I'm meeting up with my better half there and we haven't seen each other in way too long. We like to complicate things for ourselves by living at the other side of the world from each other, although he is in India at the moment studying Ayurvedic medicine for two months; i'm very proud of him!
To look at the bright side of it; it gives us a good excuse to travel so we meet "half-way" and it has brought us to India, Sri Lanka and Nepal the last year so I'm not complaining (too much). I'm thinking Morocco next time... ;)
I hope you like my "Vintage" picture of Malke!

Summertime in Norway

This far the summer has been nothing to be excited about. We’ve had a lot of rain and I just read in the newspaper that the summer is now cancelled; more rain is coming. My days are filled with work at the moment so I don’t mind too much as I go from one job to the other. I’m counting the days for my summer job to be over; I will then have a normal life again with only one fulltime job.

Although the weather has been shocking I should not forget we’ve had a couple of beautiful days in-between. And I guess we even appreciate it more when there’s so few of them… Believe me; nothing is like Norwegian summer when the weather is nice! It truly is something special.

This summer is also special because it is the first summer with William in the family. I know it is a cliché but he is such a charmer and he really brightens our hearts. It is funny what a new baby does to a family. Oh, and I should not forget Nahla, the puppy…

Later this month I will start training to become a yoga instructor. I will be going to several weekend courses and the owner of the yoga studio will sort of be my mentor, or master as you say in the 

yoga world. She is very skilful and a great teacher.

I guess there are many things to be excited about at the moment, even if the weather is crap (most of the time)…   
                                                                 

Workshop

     Last weekend was unforgettable; one of the big names in the Iyengar yoga world came to little Sandnes to hold a weekend workshop for yoga enthusiastic in the area. Or you can perhaphs call it yoga geeks as the weather was nice and Nordsjørittet was on (a yearly bike race) and the old local band Mods came together to play for the first time in about 25 years, but about 30 people spent their weekend at Satya yoga’s studio in Sandnes.

    The teacher is from Switzerland and she is married to Gulnaz’ brother, who is also a well known Iyengar yoga teacher and they have just confirmed that he will be coming to Sandnes to teach a workshop early next year. Very exciting! Gulnaz is the amazing woman who I went to India to have classes with in April earlier this year.

   The workshop started with a two-hours class Friday morning at 10, following with an afternoon class, which I missed because I had to work. Luckily I got Saturday off, as I would not miss out on the five-hours class for anything in the world. I am amazed by these people’s knowledge about how the body and mind is connected. The most valuable thing I learned this weekend was perhaps how you can go from feeling heavy to light in a split second just by the way you are keeping your eyes.

    We were told most depressed people will always look down, but the first thing they teach them if they come to yoga therapy classes is to look up. If you look down you will feel heavy and slow as you will tighten your breast, but if you look up your breast will be lifted and therefore also easier to breath and then you will feel lighter. It might sound like a simple thing, but this tiny little detail has so much to say for your yoga practice and even your everyday life; maybe you should try it yourself.

    

    Pincha Mayurasana is a variation of the pose known as the scorpion pose. This is when you’re balancing on your under-arms and elbows with your legs lifted up. The difference between the two poses is in the first you keep your legs straight up and in the second you bend your knees so your feet goes towards your head; the yoga gurus are often photographed in the last variation.  But anyhow, regardless of whether the knees are bent or not, this is something I thought I’d never been able to do. This weekend we were told to try with the support of a wall and a belt to make sure our elbows didn’t slide out and I managed to get up! I got so excited that I couldn’t get up a second time though. But at least now I know I can do it.

    

    My cousin and I ended the yoga weekend with meeting my mum at a Sushi restaurant after the class on Sunday. Mum tried asking us what we learnt but we couldn’t really say. It was so much and there were so many little details; everything from how you keep your eyes to how to hold your toes while sitting with straight legs. There were so many small things to make our self-practice better.

    Today it’s Saturday and it’s raining outside, but it’s my weekend off work and I’m feeling lazy so I don’t mind. 

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