Pantal Issues

So I am having some issues with my pants. Now you may be wondering, "what sort of issues could one have with their clothing?" Well let me tell you.

They are all too big. I can put them on and off with out undoing the closure! It's nuts! Pissu I tell you. So now you are thinking that I've gotten to much sun or maybe those steriods did something to my brain to be thinking thoughts like that. I'll admit that normally I would be jumping for joy that I've lost weight and my pants don't fit but when your pants don't fit and you have no way of replacing said pants then it becomes a rather urgent problem.

I know, I know your next thought is "Don't they wear pants in Sri Lanka? Why can't you get some new pants?" Yes people wear pants in Sri Lanka. Unfortunately they are all micro-mini and I can't find pants to fit me. If I find the length they are too small around and if I can find them to fit the waist they are too short in the leg. It's really frustrating. I think that I am going to have to start wearing saris more often!

Grieving

Today was a beautiful sunny day, which is unusual during monsoon time. Most days it rains off and on and it's cloudy and dreary. You learn very quickly to relish the sunshine, even if it is only for a few minutes because it might be all you get for a couple days.

I've been reflecting a lot lately about the things that I have been though while being here. When I first came and everything was so new and amazing then when everything sucked and I hated it. Now I'm in the place where I could see myself living here. I really could. I don't know if that will ever happen but I've come to terms with the things that I hated and I'm not overwhelmed by all the poverty/health/injustice issues anymore. I think that I have already started grieving. I'm going to miss life here. The other day I was walking home from school and I realized that I feel at home here. When people ask where I live I say "Lady Macallum's Drive" not "Canada". Living here feels normal, right not unusual and weird like it did at first.
Having been sick so much hasn't really affected how I feel and hasn't caused me to hate it here. It was just a hurdle, something to overcome. God taught me a lot through the times when I was laid up in bed.

On July the 3rd I will only have 2 more months here. I can't think about it that much because I cry when I do. And then I feel guilty because I know that there are lots of people at home who can't wait for me to come home. I want to come home too but I know that I am going to have a hollow spot in my heart where Sri Lanka lives.

The Personals

Or the Matrimonials as they are called here. I was reading the newspaper the other day and I came across this section of the paper. I wanted to put a sample of them in here because they are so different from our personal ads.

WESTERN Province Govi Catholic parents from a respectable family seek for their 39 year pretty Medical Officer daughter employed in Govt, Service, a suitable Buddhist/Roman Catholic educated businessman or professional for marriage.

COLOMBO Suburbs B/G retired parents seek for their 29 year 5’ 3” very pretty, lean Attorney-at-Law daughter (being the only child in the family) serving as legal officer in a reputed private firm, a suitable educated, employed partner devoid of all vices, from medical, engineering or a similar profession for marriage. Full family particulars with copy of horoscope.

BUDDHIST, Vishva parents seek pretty, good-mannered daughter for their 37 year 5’ 41/2” Bioscience, post-graduate Diploma holder graduate eldest son employed in a staff post in a Govt. Department. No Malefics in 1, 7, & 8. Teacher, Bank officer of same caste preferred. True particulars in first letter.

Health Update

Hello friends,
Just a short note to say that I am feeling better. I have been through a very intense set of drugs and hopefully they have cured the problem. I've been on steriods for the first time in my life and man it's been a ride! I only slept about 8 hours in the first three days that I was on them! Today is my last day of medication so I am praying that the drugs have actually gotten rid of whatever I had and not just masked the symptoms for the last week. I really don't want a relapse. The doctor said that if the drugs didn't work that she would admit me to the hospital. I really don't want that. Murray keeps telling me that it would make a good blog but I do have my limits as to what I wish to experience here.
I would have to travel three hours to go to a good hospital so I wouldn't have anyone to visit me but the bigger problem would be that meals are to be provided by family at the hospital so I would have no one to bring me food! Rebecca said she wouldn't let me go to the hospital here because they have three patients per bed!! Ya, don't think I'm quite that ready to be submerged into the culture!
I would like to thank all of you who have been praying for me. i was completely overwhelmed with the response of emails. It has really helped me to know that I have so many people who care about me, even if they don't know me. This has been a very long and tiring trial to endure. I praise God for being my strength to endure and not give up my purpose for being here. It's been not only physically draining but also emotionally trying. For those of you who know me know how much I like to be sick and unable to fulfill me responsibilities! It's torture. I will be very glad to be back to teaching on monday, God willing.
I would appreciate your continued prayers for my health. I only have 2 and 1/2 more months to go. God bless you.

The Other Side of the Coin

So seeing as I thought of a couple of other things that I am going to miss I decided to mention what those things are and then make a list of the things that I am not going to miss.
Some more things I'm going to miss...

• The Mosque playing their morning prayers at 5am and in the evening. I don't hear it in the morning (cause I'm not up that early) but in the evening at sunset it's beautiful
• ice cream - the ice cream is wicked good here and super cheap. A 500ml container of ice cream is between 90-150 Rs depending on the flavor which comes to a whopping $1.15 - $1.90! (Eva our movie watching wouldn't be so expensive!)
• Being called "Miss Orange" by my students.
• Shopping - it's actually fun here. It's like a treasure hunt. You never know what you are going to find in each store (although it can be frustrating when you don't know where to get a particular item and you have to just walk into each store and ask for it). The stores here have an amazing array of item that you can purchase. They remind me of the "General" Stores from the times of the settlers in North America.

So the things I'm not going to miss...

• Being stared at ALL THE TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Until you actually experience this you have NO idea.
• People walking close to you just so they might touch you.
• Saying "hello, good morning". I don't think that they figured out that "hello" and "good morning" are both greetings.
• Paying more for almost everything just because I am a foreigner
• Black Perfume - that's what people call the exhaust from all the vehicles because it's black and the smell clings to you.
• Guys making rude remarks to me in a language I can't understand
• The power going off at least 5-6 times a week
• Mosquito nets!!!!!!!! I've actually given mine up because I just can't handle it anymore and the mosquitos aren't that bad in our new house.
• Cow dung. Cows have a lot of parasites or something here so that when they defecate is splats it doesn't just plop...and it stinks really bad. I actually don't mind the smell of manure but this smells absolutely rank.
• Littering. Man I can't stand the way everyone litters here. It's incredible. Sometimes I just want to scream "litter bug"
• People asking where I am from and then saying that they love Canada when I tell them that's where I'm from. I've started asking if they've been there...so far no one has said "yes". I'd like to know how they love it if they've never been there?
• I won't miss dial-up internet connection with the constant possiblility that the power won't stay on.
• Honking...I definitely won't miss the honking. Here the horn is the primary source of communication on the road. At home if I'm walking down the side of the road and someone honks it means that they either know me or that I am in the way. Here people honk just to let you know that they are coming, they honk if I move over while walking, they honk because I'm a foreigner, they honk to say "hi" or for whatever reason they happen to be feeling at the time.
• being deafened by the men selling lottery tickets. They have loud speaker hooked up to there shops or vans and they are constantly screaming into them. I don't think they understand the purpose of a loud speaker.
• "Madame, taxi?"
• Having no name. I am Miss or Madame or Sister. The only people who call me by my name are the teachers and that's mostly when we are not at school. I am really going to enjoy hearing my name.

So this in no way is an exhaustive list. These are just some of the things that come to my mind right now.

Wesak Holiday

Wesak is a Buddhist holiday that celebrates the birth, enlightenment and death of Buddha. It is their most important Poya day of the year. Poya days are always on the full moon of the month. For Wesak people make lanterns to decorate their homes and businesses. The picture below shows the lanterns that were hung at the house beside the school. On Wesak day many people give out free food, snacks and drinks.

Artsy-Fartsy

I was just having a little fun with the Picasa program

Part-time English

My part-time English class has come to a close. I had a great time teaching them english grammar. I was one of three teachers who taught them. Murray (Mr. Vetsch-who is in the picture below) taught them computers and Ruth (Miss Herath) taught them Business English. It was a joy to teach them because they were eager to learn and to participate in class. I wish them all the best in the future.

L - R: Elan, Nishami, Subash, Selvamalar, Miss Kempin, Uma, Mr. Vetsch, Nishanthi, Yoginathan, Krishnakumar.

Musing

So on June 3rd I reached my "3 months left" mark. I'm not sure how I feel about this. I think that I have passed the phase of adjustment where I hated everything and now I am totally enjoying being here. I have so much left to learn about Sri Lanka and I love the students. They are so wonderful. I love teaching and I dont' think that I am ready to become just a student yet. I know that I am going to lose it when I have to say good bye to the students at the end of July. That is when our second term ends.

I can hear the ice cream guy playing his little "come-get-some-icecream" song as he drives by.

There are some things that I am really going to miss here.

• The teachers and students at Beacon Hill Academy
• The people that I have been able to get to know from church
• Matt, Reb and the boys - not the cats!
• Lemon Puffs and all the other wonderful cookies that you can get here.
• Going to town - it's so much more fun than shopping at home!
• The beautiful surroundings - Sri Lanka is a beautiful country - the flowers, shrubs and trees.
• The mountain outside the teacher's room window - If you are on the computer you get to look at it.
• The fruit - oh my word the fruit. I was at Pastor Ramesh's house for dinner last night and they had the largest papaya that I had ever seen. It was the size of a medium sized watermelon! Did you know that there are more than one kind of banana? It's crazy going to the market here cause you can't just ask for a banana...they just look at you like "sure but what kind".
• The simplicity of life
• Eating with my hands - can't see anyone being to thrilled with me eating like that.
• My orange room
• Seeing the amazing array of colorful saris everyday.

I'm sure that there are so many more things that I am going to miss that I won't realize until I am home. Maybe some time I will make a list of the things that I won't miss.

Peek-a-Buddha

You don't have to go far here to find a Buddhist temple or to find a statue of Buddha himself. When I was on our trip this April break I learned more about Buddha then I knew before. There are 7 positions of Buddha. I learned the difference between resting Buddha and dead Buddha as well as many other things. In Kandy (which was our last city on our journey) we visited the Temple of the Tooth. This is a very important Buddhist temple in Sri Lanka. It holds a relic of Buddha's tooth (hence the title).

While I was inside the temple I felt really off. By this time in our trip I must admit that I was sick of looking at Buddhas. I mean they are all the same...well except for maybe the way they are decorated or the materials they are made from.

As we walked around the temple I started looking at it not just as something interesting to look at but thought about what people were doing there. There were a lot of people there...most were not tourists. People were there to worship Buddha. II was feeling very uncomfortable, like I was an intruder, like I was witnessing something that should be private and not on display. To me worship is between God and HIS people not God, his people and a few tourists! But I guess that I have a very different view of what worship is then the buddhists do.

When we went to the upper level everyone was getting in line so I followed. I couldn't see where the line went but when I realized what the line was for I wasn't sure what to do. The line was to give offerings to the priest. I had no intention of giving any sort of offering. I don't worship Buddha. I had to fight my very ingrained Canadian habit of being polite and doing it anyway just to be nice. The whole place was really creeping me out.

I felt like I was really out of place, like I didn't belong. I thought about getting out of the line but at that time I wasn't sure what it was that I was feeling so I just stayed in. The priest didn't look very impressed that I didn't offer anything...oh well, what to do?

I'm sure that it was partly a spiritual thing that I was experiencing as well. I found it oppressive and heavy. I had no peace while I was in there. I was actually feeling sick. When we were outside for everyone to come out I told them that I had to leave. I think that it was partly all the sun that I had over the last four days but I was steadily feeling worse. Once we had left the temple grounds I felt fine.

Later, I was thinking about my experience there and I started thinking about my church back home and what it would be like to have people come through the church during a worship service, parade across the platform, maybe stop and watch the band for awhile, take pictures and then move on to tour the rest of the church. If they came through during the offering would they feel obligated to put money in the plate? Would they feel like they had to join in the singing and prayer?

In Canada we have some beautiful churches that people visit but I have never heard of ministers or priests allowing tourists in during a service or mass. I felt like I was trespassing. I think the Holy Spirit was telling me that I shouldn't be there, that I shouldn't be participating.

I realize that here in Sri Lanka religion is very much a part of their culture and to experience their culture that includes the temples. Now that I know what the temples are like I don't think that I will ever go to one again. I understand that their worship is important to them and for most is a regular thing but I don't want any part of that. I'm not here to be a tourist. Being a student of their culture doesn't require me to participate in every aspect.

So does our faith mesh so closely with our culture that in order for visitors to fully grasp our culture, how we live that they feel that they have to visit our places of worship? Or do they already?...the mall.