Nuwera Eliya: Little England

After a long week, 6 of us (everyone but Dan because he was sick) headed out for a mini-vacation in Nuwera Eliya. We took the train (don’t worry grandma, it is allowed) for 4.5 hours, which was an experience. There were no seats available on the train because it had come from Colombo, so we ended up standing with our backpacks between our legs, back to back with strangers. Within the first 5 minutes I got my picture taken by a group of teenage boys who couldn’t stop staring at my white skin. Seriously, as if they had never seen a sudu (white) before!
After about 30 minutes, some people got off the train, and the standing was made a little easier. Sara got a chance to sit down, and fought a guy over the seat. The rest of us still stood. Jen and I, who stood in the doorway of the train with about 6 others, made friends with one of the businessmen. He bought us the snacks off the train that the traveling vendors sold and we got to try all sorts of random things. He also showed us how to safely sit in the doorway of the train, so we were able to sit and get a wonderful view. I took many many photos out of the train door. Here are some:


Jen using our door seat on the train

Tea Plantations

Some of the beautiful scenery:




A side view of the train:


At every doorway there were at least 3 teenagers hanging out of the doorway, enjoying the sites and the wonderful breeze. It was like something out of a movie, and I couldn’t get enough. I got another picture taken when we had stopped on the tracks to let another train pass. There were a bunch of boys standing on the tracks, stretching their legs, and one of them turned and snapped a photo of me. Later on in the journey the same boy picked a flower off of a hanging branch as the train passed, after several attempts, and threw it to me. I was a few trains behind him, and couldn’t possibly catch it, but it was a sweet gesture anyhow. There was the cutest little boy who kept hanging his head out the window and playing peek-a-boo with Alex and I. This is him:



After a very long ride, we got off the train, said goodbye to our friends we had made, and caught a taxi. The train doesn’t go to Nuwera Eliya, but to another town close by, so you must either catch a bus or a taxi. Being that we are not allowed to take buses, taxi was our option. We got dropped off at a very nice Hotel called the Hotel Glendower, and we each paid $10 a night. The hotel has a billiards room, tv, a bar, croquet, and one of the best Chinese restaurants in Sri Lanka. After settling into the hotel, we went out walking to explore the town. Within 5 minutes of hitting the road, Alex made a friend. His name is George and he is a jockey in Dubai. Apparently he is Sinhalese, but lives in Ireland, and races in Dubai. He seems like a pretty cool guy, and Alex and he really hit it off. We left them to chatting, and Jen, Sara, and I walked into town. Pete and Kate were arriving a bit later. We went to the market to get some food, and then we realized that, unlike America, there is no meal sold in the market that doesn’t have to be cooked and prepared. We left with cereal, cheese nips, coke, fruit juice, and some yogurt.
SIDENOTE! Very weird thing happened with the yogurt and we are still really confused by it. While we were in the market, Sara and I went to look for yogurt. We were trying to choose the best kind, and Sara asked one of the guys working at the market if the mango yogurt was any good. He said, Yes. You eat it after sex. WHAT????? My first reaction was to be a smarty and say, “Oh, so you’ve never tried it?” but I figured it wasn’t best to make enemies within the first few hours. But who in the world advertises a yogurt like that?? Seriously….
Later that night, when we had all finally arrived and had settled in, Alex, Jen, and Sara went to hang out with George and got to ride the race horses. I opted out of their little adventure, and instead sat in the hotel and chatted with a really cool person I met. Dad – you would love him! His name is James Fitzgerald, and he is an Irishman who lives in England and builds homes in Sri Lanka. He has got to be 60+, but doesn’t look it, and sure doesn’t act it. He is a friend of the owner of the hotel and is helping him build a bunch of English style homes up in the hills. In exchange, he gets to stay in the hotel for free for the year that he is here. We talked for hours about just about anything that came to mind, and I had a wonderful time. He was one of the best people I have met so far, and I was sad that we didn’t have more time to chat. I hope the building project goes well. Oh, and while we were talking, some couple behind us took a photo of us. I felt like turning around and informing them that there are many more of me (a sudu) and that if they would like, I am sure I could find many more to make a circus act of, but I didn’t. I just turned around, flashed smile, and had this conversation in my head instead.
The next day, the same three got up at 6:30am to go riding with George again. I opted out once again. It was not that I didn’t want to meet him or hang out with them, I just wanted to enjoy the fact that I was in cold weather with no agenda and could sleep, take a long hot shower, and explore at leisure. They ended up riding horses, climbing up the mountain, and being involved in a Hindi mountain worshipping ceremony. I was sad that I missed that, but I had some fun of my own. I explored the town on my own, walking around the streets and learning all the nooks and crannies. I tried to find shoes, but apparently I am Bigfoot in Nuwera Eliya, because not one of the 4 shops that I went into carried higher than a size 8 in women’s shoes. WOW! I bought a really cute jacket for $8, from NEXT clothing companies, and made friends with the shopkeeper.
People are really open here when it comes to weight and size. Here, fat is not a bad word, but simply a size. I have had several people tell me, flat out, that I am fat, but then hit on me not two minutes later. This confuses me greatly. I have also been told I am cute because I have the face of a baby. Somehow being compared to a fat baby does not boost my confidence, yet this was supposed to be a compliment. Seriously, these guys need work on their cat calling. At least in Morocco I was an angel with nice thighs! HA
On Saturday night, we hung out with George and some of his friends for a bit. Pete and Alex left on the train earlier in the day, so it was just us four girls. Kate and I snuck out for a while and went up to the ritzy hotel at the top of the hill to have a hamburger (OMG, I need to blog about the foods I miss so dearly in the US). MMMMmmmmmm….. I do love my amma’s cooking, but no Sri Lankan food can satisfy a beefy burger craving. Once we said goodnight to the boys, we had a girl’s night, climbed into the big king sized bed, and watched a movie. It was a wonderful end of a fun day.
Sunday we got up early and went into town to visit a little café for breakfast. I got an egg roti and veggie roti, with a cup of coffee for $1. The food was delicious, but the waiter didn’t understand us, even when we spoke to him in Sinhala, and we got steamed milk 3 times before getting coffee (koopi). For a while it was quiet in the café, and then a group of about 10 or more boys came in. Of course, they chose to sit in the table all around ours and proceeded to yell things in English to us. What a way to ruin a good cup of coffee. Sara and I are thinking of making signs that say things like, “Your puny attempts at cat calling are not a turn on” and “Does that EVER work? Really?” Luckily, the owner of the shop told them to leave, and were we finally left alone (well, for about two minutes). After breakfast, we went to the gardens. They are similar to the Royal Gardens in Kandy, but on a much smaller scale. I took a few photos:




At one point, we had stopped to ask a group of girls to take our photo together. The girls snapped a shot, walked away, and then shyly came back asking if they could have a photo with us. For once, someone ASKED for a photo! We took a few shot on different cameras and it made all of us happy. We also found a great tent tree and took some fun shots in their as well.

The Lankan girls:


Sara and I:




The Tent Tree:

Jen and I:

Great American silly poses:


Then, we headed back home for Kandy, or as Jen’s rap goes, “My name is Jen. I live in Kandy. I’m going home, to see my family.” Oh, did I mention we are in a musical of our lives and we just aren’t singing. Thanks Sara!

Personal fulfillment

So, in addition to all of my academic work here in Sri Lanka, I am taking some time to enjoy myself and smell the roses.
Because of the active lifestyle and healthy foods eaten here, I have lost 10lbs in one month, begun swimming and working out at the gym at school, taking walks around my area, and writing more.
I am feeling better than ever about myself, working on my body and my mind, and pondering the importance of my existence more and more.

It is time for me to discover myself, my wants and needs, and who I am. It is here that I take this first step into this journey of self awareness: and what a better place than Sri Lanka, with all its beauty and introspective history.

I said I would suck the marrow out of life, didn't I?

From the journey,
Bryanna

September 17 2009

I got home from my trip today and ran into the ISLE center to see if I had any letters. I checked everywhere they were usually placed but I was sad to find I had none. I even checked in my locker outside to see if Rosemary had placed them in there – but it was empty. I was just about to leave for home when Rosemary ran after me and asked me if I wanted all of my mail. 12 letters. HA! 11 from Alyce and 1 from grandma. Boy did I feel like I hit to lotto. I spent the next hour reading and rereading all of the letters. Thank you for the photos and the funny tales. I miss you both. And grandma, I think I answered those questions you had, but if I didn’t, shoot me an email.
When I got home from the ISLE center, there were 6 strangers sitting on my porch. I knew this meant something bad and when amma came out onto the porch I knew. Aacci passed away this morning and there was nothing they could do. Amma was going to the funeral home to pick up the body and bring it home. As I write this, we are having the rosary/wake in our home. Over 50 people have come in and out of the house, bringing all sorts of food (because we are not allowed to cook until after the funeral), and paying their respects. I am trying to be as helpful as possible, but I don’t really know what to do. The funeral will be on Saturday at 3pm. Until then, aacci will stay in the living room. Before they brought her home, we had to go all around the house and put away all of the flowers and photos, because they must not be present when the dead body is present. We are to dress in white, black, or blue out of respect, but the only shirt that I have clean is tie dyed light pink. Amma said it was alright, that aacci wouldn’t care, but I still feel bad. It is kind of ironic that I am doing my material culture paper on burial and funeral rituals in Sri Lanka, but it also makes me sad because I will be thinking about it twice as much this weekend. The whole family is in mourning, but especially amma. Please keep her in your prayers, for all of you that pray, and in your thoughts, for all of you who think good ones.

Northern Tour

We visited so many sites on the Northern tour it is hard to describe all of them and get them straight. I will highlight some of my favorites for you on each day.

Day 1. Ibbankatuwa protohistoric burial site:

This was one of my favorite sites and also what I am writing my paper on. There are most likely hundreds of these burial sites all around the area where this one was found, but very few have been excavated because people still live in and around the area. In fact, many of these people live on top of these burial sites and have used some of the megalithic burial stones to build their homes! In one front yard, the family was using one of the sites as a trash can. The burial itself does not take place underground. Four stones are placed in a swastika pattern to keep them from falling over. Inside the made rectangle are pots, usually containing bodily remains and possibly tools used at the time. Sometimes there are several pots at the site containing such things. In this way, the stones are used more as memorials than burial markers as we use today. Archeologists still do not know much about the people buried here. Nothing is written on the stones, although there have been a few swastika symbols found carved onto the top. They could have been settlers from a nearby settlement, travelers, or traders.
Vessagiriya: These are rock caves that were used as shelter before settlements were made. Today, they are still used by monks who choose to live a more secluded life outside of the monastery. The early cave dwellers carved drip ledges during the early iron period to stop water from coming into the cave. These date back to 3c BC. They also carved beds, posts, drains, stairs, art, and letters into the cave walls, floors, and ceilings. On the outsides of the cave you can see inscriptions in early Brahmin language, dedicating the different caves to the monks.

Royal Pleasure Gardens
(no really good photos) It once was the place where all the royalty hung out to bathe and be merry, but now it lies in ruins.

Day 2.
Citadel: On this day we got to go to a active archeological dig site. WOW. There were about 20 or so men and one woman working on the site, excavating a whole city hidden under the surface. The man who spoke to us was in charge of the archeological dig, and was also one of the most powerful archeologists in the country when it comes to funding for dig sites. He had two German archeologists at the site teaching his men (and woman) the techniques of German excavation and surveying the site. At the end of his speech there was nothing more I wanted to do but jump down in the hole and dig. I suppressed the urge, but boy it was hard. I told the man that it was tempting and he welcomed me to join him for my independent project. OMG! If only this fit into my WSP project. Working on an archeological dig site for a month?? This would fulfill a childhood dream that I never thought would come true.
Western Monasteries: This monastery was built in 6-9c AD, in the middle of the forest, for ascetic monks. The place comes complete with a large moat, tall walls to protect against animals, and the most elaborate urinal stone I have ever seen. That’s right – a urinal stone. Nothing else in the monastery was decorated or even painted, except the stone they urinated on! Apparently urination is seen as a form of purification and therefore it can be a place for meditation. We also found a puppy who got stuck in the moat while playing. We picked him up and brought him out so he wouldn’t starve. He was soo cute!
Urinal Stone

OOO – and creepy fact – The chronicles of Sri Lanka say that there was supposed to be a large cemetery near by the monastery, but nothing has been found. My lecturer said this might be due to the fact that the monks used to go to the burial sites and steal clothes off the bodies to wear. If the body was fully there, some monks would take it and use it to meditate over. I wonder if they asked the family for permission first or just took the body….
Sacred Bodhi Tree:


Great Stupa:


Day 3.
Sanchi Replica:
Mihintale Hospital: The hospital had many many rooms, all facing to the center where there was a Buddha statue. In one of the rooms there is a oil bath tub that was used to treat different illnesses. We all got in and took photos inside. It looks more like a casket than a tub to me. There were also inscriptions found at the site, telling of the different types of physicians, including leech doctors, podiatrists, and veterinarians.
The crypt/tub



Day 4.
Aukana Buddha:
Pidurangala: WOW What a climb! The humidity plus the steep hike made me one old person quickly. I had an asthma attack about 15 minutes into the hike and was the slowest person on the trail. Even Val and Roger Vetter (who are 40 +) were able to go faster than me. I felt like a failure. Roger stayed back with me to make sure I was ok, and neither of us made it up to the very top. Instead we stopped climbing once we reached the reclining Buddha and we hung out with him for a while. Still good scenery though….
YAY for hiking!

My Buddha buddy

Day 5.
Sigiriya:
What is it about Sri Lankans building their civilizations on TOP of humungous rocks!?! At 600 feet above the jungle, this was yet another steep climb. Luckily, there were more stairs and more people, which means less climbing and more stopping. One tip though – when going to one of the most beautiful sites in the cultural triangle with one of the most spectacular views in the country, do NOT get mad at your contacts and throw them out the window on the way there. You will NOT be able to see! Yeah…. Luckily I brought my camera, so I took all the photos I could and looked at them later, with my glasses. The only good thing about not being able to see when climbing a big ol’ rock is not being able to see how far you are off the ground, especially when you are deathly afraid of heights. It was wonderful to not be too scared, because if I can’t see it I don’t mind as much. Oh – and tip 2 – watch out for the wasps. There are thousands and if you make too much noise or flail around or use your flash on your camera, you will get stung many many many times and most likely end up in the hospital.
Sandamali and I, sweating, after the long hike up...



Day 6
We saw a lot of different guard stones, crematory stupas, regular stupas, and ruins. The best was this old ruin that is believed to have once been a library. Cicero, however, thinks otherwise and I agree with him. According to the Chronicles, the building was a couple of stories tall and it still has remnants of paintings on the wall. If this was a library, why would one paint all the walls, just to place shelves over them? Furthermore, the building is far too small for any sizable collection of books and is built upward with a vaulted ceiling rather than wide for more space for books and people. Cicero theorizes that it is a place where monks came to chant sutras, because if you stand in the center, the voices come together to form one single voice that can be heard all around the building.
Sandamli was just testing the durability...

This was a very relaxing day and when we got back to the hotel we went swimming in the largest tank in Sri Lanka, which is right outside our door. There were many people swimming in it as well as washing clothes and fishing. The water was clear and very clean, and the breeze even made waves so it felt like I was swimming in the ocean, minus the salt and freezing temperature. It was wonderful!

Day 7
Citadel in Polonnaruwa: Here we were able to see a great mixture of Hindu and Buddhism, to form Mahayana Buddhism later. Within the citadel there is the first Tamil inscription found in the area, a hindu shrine, mixed statues of hindu deities and Buddha, and various types of stupas. There is also beautiful art wherever you turn, although some of it is hard to see because of decay. We also saw the beautiful lotus pond, most likely used for Buddhist rituals by monks. There are several layers of lotus pedals that make up the pond and we found a Sandamali in the middle.
Alahana Pirivena: This monastic complex is known to be one of the largest of its time, but not much is left. Supposedly this building was several stories high, and is rumored to have rooms underground as well. Now all that is left is bits of the high walls and pillars marking the dozens of rooms. It is a bit of a maze to walk through, as the rooms twist and turn around the inside of the building. Surely a place to get lost within, in its prime.
Gal Vihare: Built in 12c AD, it is here that you can see three different types of stances of the Buddha, including sitting, standing, and reclining. These are massive statues and are still living relics for the Buddhist community. They are also wonderful slides for the monkeys.

Day 8
Leaving the beautiful hotel....

Dambulla Temple: When we arrived, the first thing we saw was a line of Buddhist monk statues walking on top of fake rock walls, and each one of the 30 or so monks were whiter than me. This was a very odd first impression.
I found out later that the lower part of the temple was added recently, along with a museum, bookshop, and IT center. The real temple is at the top of the hill. I couple of hundred steps later, we made it to the temple. From this temple, we could see Sigiria, which was over an hour’s driving distance away. Once again, they made us pay the tourist price even though we all have permanent visas. Sometimes they just really don’t like foreigners and there is nothing we can do. The sight was a beautiful temple built into the side of the rocks (real ones this time). Inside each room there were dozens of Buddha statues, some Hindu statues, and many murals depicting both Hindu and Buddhist folklore.

No Buddha Belly Here!

Did you know that the Laughing Buddha does not exist in Sri Lanka. It is actually a Chinese tradition, which only became popular in the last decade. All of the Buddha’s here follow the middle path in eating as well, made to be not too skinny or too heavy. The only statues that have the “Buddha belly” are the statues of Ganesha, the Hindu God with the Elephant head. His pot belly represents wisdom, which I find ironic, because he has an elephant head as punishment for not using wisdom in judgment when she tried to seduce his sister, but that is a WHOLE other story.

Goodbye Dangolla

Tomorrow morning we leave for the Northern tour, and as excited as I am to explore, I am truly sad to leave home. I have grown so close with my family and I will really miss them. It seems just as we are getting adjusted to the home stay, we are being taken away.

Yesterday and today we visited orphanages in the area and got to play with the children. They LOVED my camera and spent most of the time playing photographer and taking photos of one another and, unfortunately, sometimes me. I have not uploaded them onto the flash drive just yet, so I can't post them until later, but they are DARLING!

I am in Kandy right now, shopping for a baseball cap. It is really hard to shop here because they will not leave you alone to look around. It gets to the point where they are shoving things in your face and telling you prices while the man next to you tells you how pretty you are. The prices are twice as much for white skinned people and there is no hiding that fact from them. I wish there were more shops here with fixed prices, but they are few and far between. Although I love exploring the city, shopping is a pain, when it really shouldn't be. If they would just leave me alone a bit more, I would spend just as much or more, but instead I nearly run from the shops, feeling frustrated and still missing items I need!

Aacci should be coming home from the hospital today. Taatti said she looks better, but if she is at home she will not have dialysis, which means she will not make it for long.

Alyce - got 3 letters so far. Thanks for the support love.


Oh, and does anyone have Robinhood Men in Tights and wouldn't mind sending it to me?? I would keep it safe and bring it back with me in December. I know this is an odd request, but malli and I want to watch it and we can't find it here. I know it will cost money to ship, but I promise I will take care of the dvd and if it gets lost I will replace it! Hey - and if you want to send other movies that is cool too. haha.

One of the many beautiful trees on campus. But don't sit under them (yeah, I learned the hard way) because the bugs like them too!


Does anyone else get this? Reborn...Buddhism in Sri Lanka....well I found in ironic!


A painting/drawing underneath the roof of the stupa at the Temple of the Tooth Relic.


The entrance to my beautiful house and wonderful family (I still need to take photos)


This is where the more amazing food in the world is prepared....amma's kitchen. It is a place of wonder and sheer magic!


More photos on the ISLE website: http://www.bowdoin.edu/isle/2009-fall-program/fall2009-arrival.shtml
...Then you can see how truly tired I looked when I got here. haha.

small update

A photo of me to let you know I am alive....

In the Temple of the Tooth Relic in Kandy

The Buddha nearest to my house in Dangolla

These are 3 wheelers or Tuck Tucks, or whatever you would like to call the taxi system here.

4am photo in the health check line at the Colombo Airport...thank Alex!


Update:

I leave for The Northern Tour of the Cultural Triangle on Thursday. I will be gone one week, and when I get back I have 3 days to write a 14 page paper on Archeological History of Sri Lanka. AAAAAA!!!!!

My aacci (grandma) in Sri Lanka is in the hospital, so please pray for her. She had an asthma attack, and has just gone downhill from there. Yesterday, her kidneys failed. My amma (mom) says that she doesn't think she will recover and just wants to take her home. I feel so bad, because there is not much I can do for the family, as both an outsider and insider.



More to come. Miss you all. Please write/email me and keep me updated on your lives too!

<3
Bry

More Time..

Ok, so I actually have a little time to write now.

Yesterday we went on a tour of Kandy town, then went to the temple of the Tooth in Kandy. It was one LONG day on our feet. We were able to go into the central chamber where the relic is kept, as well as the main parts of the temple. It is a beautiful place filled with intricate art work. I was able to get a few photos, and some more should be on the ISLE website. We had to go in all white clothing, which was hard to come by, especially at the lengths they wanted. My amma (mother) said that the monks were being way too strict on us, which was true, but it wasn't really up to us. Most people can wear anything as long as it isn't too bright or revealing, but we were told to be especially conservative. My amma and tattaa (father) took me shopping the day before and we were able to find a white skirt for me to wear, although I wear it like a dress (hehe).

I had another great evening with my host family last night (and the night before). My amma and tattaa are very social, and sometimes are out later than I am, visiting their friends for tea. I feel like the mother, asking when they will me home. haha. My brother, from what I have seen, doesn't go out too much, but he is usually in his room so I only see him for meals.

OH - monkeys attacked our house the other day! That was exciting. They came and started eating out of amma's garden and we had to chase them away with sticks and stones. They are fearless, and grabbed ahold of the stick that amma was holding and tried to take it away! One of the monkeys was about the size of Potter, the puppy, which is HUGE for a little jungle monkey.

Breakfast this morning was AMAZING! My amma usually gives me an English style breakfast, which is toast, jam, and eggs over easy (which I hate but am trying to get used to) - but TODAY I got rice with a yam dish, made with white yams, coconut shavings, green peppers, garlic, and other spices. It was the most amazing thing I have ever tasted and I ate til I was sick. haha. Amma laughed and said that she also put some in my lunch. mmmmmm......sooooo good. Apparently she makes English breakfast because her kids don't like the traditional breakfast. WOW - who couldn't like this stuff??

OOO - and I tried Durian the first day here. Durian is the yellow spiked fruit that is known for its horrible smell. I have always heard of it and seen people run from the smell, so of course I was curious. My tattaa eats it, and so does my brother, so they opened one up and let me try it. It doesn't smell as bad as everyone says, and it tastes pretty bland. I had one pod, then gave the other one to Rambo (the dog).
I also had this drink that amma made me that felt like I was drinking snot. It was soo weird to drink, but it tasted just fine. Some of the fruits here are soo different.

Well I am off to the market to get an umbrella (mine went missing in Kandytown yesterday) and a purse so I can stop carrying my backpack everywhere.

Goodnight (or morning) all,

Love from a far,

Bryanna