Remnants of wars and waves: Sri Lanka

For the past week I have been traveling around Sri Lanka. The minute I stepped into this country I felt something very different--more relaxed than India, more tropical, and some other energy that has been unfolding itself to me as I experience more of this land. The military presence is striking, massive, apparently much less than before the war ended. We made a friend, a Tamil, and learned a lot about what people who look a certain way experience here (they are stopped nearly every 30 feet, can't stop on sidewalks, can't take pictures, can't be out late). I have the privilege of hiding behind the veil of my whiteness, and the men with machine guns only smile at me, only ever stopping me to ask where I'm from and never to look for an awaiting bomb.

I met a fellow at the airport who was heading to the east coast, and amazingly a few days later we found him reading on a beach near Trincomalee. He was heading south and then into the mountains with his friend and offered us a ride, which we gladly accepted. Apparently Sri Lanka has some of the best tea in the world and tea country is absolutely incredible (I will try to post pictures later). I noticed a very distinct difference between areas where primarily Tamils live and the mountain villages we visited where there was virtually no military presence. We had the opportunity to see a lot of things I could not have ever imagined -- mountains covered with tea, IDP camps, ruins of homes, villages entirely deserted, homes covered in bullet holes, the rebuilding of lives, some areas seemingly unaffected. The remnants of wars and waves lay heavily here, and yet hope and life shine through it all. There seems to be a general feeling of uncertainty for the future, but things are looking up.

So now I am heading into the mountains for a bit of quiet reflection. I've seen/heard/experienced so much in the past few months and I'm really looking forward to being still. I think in India sometimes the disparity was too much for me to process, and my senses were bombarded with everything that I just didn't allow myself to feel the weight of it all. And here in Sri Lanka, I can't begin to wrap my head around what this country has gone through; decades of war and a tsunami that devastated the land and people. And in it all, the wonderful and the horrific, beauty pervades it all. I am forever grateful for this experience and all the lovely people I have met along the way.

Will be sending you loving kindness from the mountains near Kandy,
Lala

p.s. Happy birthday (early) Grandpa! :)

Don't forget to breathe

My debut in a sari...ahem

Brandon and Anu's bebe

the fam

can you see the sparkles?

yummy lunch at a festival in Hampi
Oceane and Pavan :)

Elephant stables

Hanuman Temple

Heaven, I'd like you to meet earth

"We come in peace...don't hurt me"

Paul this one's for you (the monkey that stalked us the entire way up the mountain--notice the biscuit he stole in the side of his mouth, and of course the coconut)

On the way to Hanuman's Temple

The collective washing of clothes

on the back of a motorbike, shining teeth to greet ancient stones of another time but the same space--arms stretched and ready for take-off. every human we pass yell a kind "heLLO" and smiles dance like rain. the boulders whisper secrets of the sea they once knew (and still hold so near).

Hampi is one of those places where the air seems to sparkle, magical in its unique beauty. Funny how people think traveling alone is lonely--in fact it is much easier to make friends when going solo. I had the best time ever in Hampi, arriving from an overnight bus to the nearby town of Hosped, I made friends that helped me navigate the dark streets and hop a ride to Hampi. I eventually found the Children's Trust and took a small nap before helping out with the kiddies. I met a fellow named Pavan and he was kind enough to take me around the ruins before meeting up with a group of French at a beautiful cafe on the river. The weekend was spent at the restaurant on the river, on the back of a motorbike (I attempted to drive one but kindly, humbly, resigned my position as driver to another...), wandering the ruins, jammin with priests, and smiling.

Back to school again in Bangalore, we are now meeting with ESG (environmental support group). One of their main focuses is the new metro that is being built to solve congestion and pollution problems that plague the city. It's highly controversial because of its cost--to people, businesses, culture, and the environment. The metro requires roads to be widened--destroying businesses, homes, trees, and a culture that relies on the road for almost all aspects of life. It's all so fascinating but I think the lack of sleep and constant stimulation of the past 2 months has finally caught up with me--I've been soooooo tired. Not too tired though to enjoy the incredibly host family that has adopted me. Sunil, Prathibha, Sujet, and Vishu--they've embraced me whole-heartedly. I've been with them the past week or so and I feel like family. The other night we went to a hare krishna darsan (like a worship session that involves just receiving with the eyes) on the top of a mountain in Bangalore. It was Krishna's birthday the other day so this was a kind of celebration/puja. The view was amazing and mesmorizing music filled the air. I had no idea what was going on--I bowed, made prayer hands, threw flowers, touched fire, tried to do what everyone else was doing. It was interesting, surreal, confusing. Today we went to my mamas uncle's for lunch with the whole family. But I couldn't just go in any old salwar, so I got totally blinged out in one of her beautiful saris. Now I don't know if you know anything about saris...but they aren't easy. It's basically a small top and one long piece of cloth that twists and turns and wraps one up like a pig in a blanket. So finally I got all wrapped and folded and pinned...and then I needed to take a trip to the ladies room, quite the delicate endeavor. Let me just say wearing a sari is nice, everyone thinks you're beautiful and it's so lovely that you like Indian attire--but 3 hours was enough for me. I much prefer the loose pants and long tops called salwar kameez (spelling?). Anywho, meeting the family was fun, got a lecture on American history by Prathibha's father, hahahaha.

Well it's time for me to fly, have to get back to the family and kick Sujet's butt in chess I mean play some chess. Oh and another thing, a few days ago I found myself buying a cheap ticket to Sri Lanka as a birthday present to myself. I will be leaving on the 22nd!!

Keep smilin,
Lama (the name that my host family had listed for me)

"The woods are lovely, dark and deep.

But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go beore I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep."

A celebration of questions unanswered

I have been wanting to update for awhile but things have been so busy/wonderful/confusing that everytime I sat down I had no idea where to start. So I will just begin with the knowledge that there aren't enough words to describe all that has happened and that my thoughts are very scattered.

I feel so lucky to have these experiences, to be with a group that shares a similar vision for the world--and therefore shares similar struggles. I am grateful for space to discuss really difficult ideas. We've talked a lot about how to take care of ourselves while working for social justice, living in a world of unimaginable suffering. It's easier to say it's too big and too bad to touch, but to dive in knowing how difficult it will be is what truly makes my heart rejoice.

We have been working with a women's rights group here in Bangalore, consisting of 5 incredible women. Their strength gives me courage and hope to continue the struggle in all dimensions of life. We visited with a union of garment workers a few days ago. And when we talk about sweatshops around the globe we are talking about women, who make of the majority of workers. It's important to recognize this when speaking about rights of sweatshop workers as well as exploring why this type of work is dominated by women. Talking with them and hearing how they organize against atrocious abuses of human rights was so fascinating to me. I do a lot of organizing in Seattle with labor rights, much of the time involving sweatshops abroad. Activism looks different in Seattle than here in Bangalore, and I must humbly acknowledge the privileges I hold--that I am not directly affected by these abuses, that I am a college student, that I have the ability to "choose" which injustices to fight. At the same time, I do not remove myself from the equation--I am a part of the system as a consumer, as a woman, and as a human being. This is a beautiful thing because this means I am as much a part of the problem as I am of the solution :)

We also met with a rural women's federation in a town called Burgaum. These women traveled a long way just to come talk with us, to try and give us a small idea of what they are doing. They started organizing by creating small self-help groups to create a space to talk about struggles and support eachother. They have grown to represent over 500 women in rural communities and work together to address issues of domestic violence, access to resources, and gender inequality. To be in the same room as these women made me feel so humbled. They did not have a western NGO come in and tell them they were being oppressed, they have truly created a grassroots movement that addresses injustice directly and immediately.

Yesterday we met with a group that supports LGBT rights...wonderful, still processing and have very few words. I've been thinking a lot about how language perpetuates oppression...and therefore how language can be a vehicle for social justice. Not sure exactly what this means for me, but I am excited to explore this more.

Tonight I am taking a train to Hampi where I will stay at a Children's Trust and do a little bit of volunteering over a long weekend.
"The Hampi Children’s Trust ( HCT ) is a non-profitmaking
organisation , based in the ancient historic town of Hampi
( aka Vijayanagara – “ City of Victory ” ) ,
the fabled capital of the Vijayanagara
Empire , in the state of Karnataka , India. We have
applied for Public Charitable Trust status under
Indian law ( having instucted Mr Mohan , a lawyer in
Hospet ) and have also sent the appropriate
registration forms to the Charity Commission in the
UK , for formal registation as a Charity.
The aim of the Trust is to promote + improve the
educational prospects of those young children ( aged 4 to
16 years ) living in Hampi Bazaar who currently do
not receive an education , primarily because their
parents do not allow them to attend school , pefering
instead to send them out begging for money
from the many Westerners who visit the
magnificent Hampi site during the tourist season .
Without a formal education , the prospects for these
children is bleak ."

One of the women we've been working with said this, "Let there not be closure. Let there be questions, let them grow with us, sit with us -- let it be okay."


That's all for now. Love you all soooo much!

Laura :)