Bon Apetit!

Food is one of the most wonderful things life has to offer, especially when it comes to the food in Sri Lanka. Not only are there aromatic curries and mouth-watering fruits, but you get to eat everything with your hands! Or I should say with your hand, picking up your food with your left hand is a big no-no (that’s the hand that traditionally takes care of digested food products – fortunately we have toilet paper at the station). I have always been a firm believer that we developed hands for a reason, eating being one of the most important. I have included some pictures of typical dishes and some pictures of our little garden. In the garden we have papaya, passion fruit, bananas, king coconuts, beans, a cashew tree, a jam tree (no there are not Smuckers jars growing on the branches), and thibattu (used as a spice in curries). The jam tree produces small, round, sweet fruits that I believe are used in juices. Shermin has an idea of making preserves out of the seasonal fruits and selling them in the U.S., and we joked about making jam jam. I think this afternoon we are going to make jam out of my new favorite fruit, odona – I am completely guessing on the spelling. I made sure to post a picture of this fruit. It is dark purple on the outside and has a gravelly outer skin. The inside is white and has a sweet, succulent custard-like texture that coats its large black seeds. It’s more like a dessert than a fruit.

At each meal there is a foundation item, typically either rice or bread. Then there are several ‘side dishes’ of various curries that are placed alongside the rice/bread. The tricky part is getting the delicious meal into your mouth. Sri Lankans have mastered the technique of mixing the rice and curry with their hand to form a neat ball, which they then expertly pop into their mouths. I, on the other hand, am not quite as skilled. Usually, I end up using my hand as a shovel to scoop up various bits, which I then try to politely slide into my mouth. Seeing as how the food makes it into my mouth and I have not scared away any of our guests, I think I am doing fairly well. I have also posted a couple pictures of me eating – for your amusement. Finally, I put up some pictures of the house and road leading to the house, so you can get an idea of my surroundings.

Late NIght Visitor

Two nights ago I had a kick-ass dream: For some inexplicable reason, my entire extended family decided to have a family reunion at McDonalds. I went up to the counter to place my order and decided it was my opportunity to take action. I asked the man at the register if the meat came from grass-fed cattle. He said it did not. I asked if he could tell me where it came from. He told me he was not willing to answer anymore of my questions. By this time, everyone in the restaurant was paying close attention. I asked to speak with the manager and was told that would not be possible. Everyone was appalled, threw their meals into the trash, and stormed out. It was fantastic! I felt so triumphant in my dream.

Unfortunately, my euphoria was interrupted by a tickling sensation on my lips that was not part of my dream. I immediately awoke and felt something trying to pry its way into my mouth. I batted it away and retreated onto all fours, straining my eyes in the early morning light. I fumbled for my head lamp in the darkness. The thin stream of light revealed a cockroach scuttling along the headboard. I was thoroughly disgusted, but relieved that I had been sleeping with my mouth closed and that it had not been a spider. I battled for a few minutes with the agile intruder, but was finally successful in smashing it with my hand and tossing it out of my bed. So much for the mosquito net! I was also quite disappointed in the spider I had allowed to stay at the top of my bed net. I really don’t enjoy spiders, but this was a tiny one, and she and I had made an agreement that she would eat any other insects that made their way into my bed. I am a bit out with her at the moment and have made it clear that she’s going to have to step things up if she expects to stay.

Run Forest Run!

Early on in my travel plans I was sure to ask Shermin whether I would be able to run while in Sri Lanka. Running regularly had not been feasible while I was in Ecuador, partly because of the terrain and partly because of the culture. I was thrilled when she told me I could run down the main road near the field station. My excitement was somewhat curbed when I saw the driving habits of Sri Lankans, but fortunately the road is wide, not terribly busy, and drivers seem to take pity on white folks and generally give them plenty of room when passing. My hope was further boosted when I learned that Lizzie also enjoys running and would enjoy joining me. So, the day after my arrival, we decided to take a short ten minute run to get a feel for the area and gage the reactions of the locals.

Well, we got some reactions. Everyone was amused, and almost every car that passed us honked and cheered us on. The stoic faces of old women broke into toothless grins, little children called after us, and a few street dogs joined us. I am pretty sure we will start a running revolution by the end of it. And the nicest thing was that I never felt harassed, only slightly embarrassed. Our neighbors think we are absolutely bonkers – who runs in the sweltering climate of Sri Lanka?! All of the reactions were friendly in nature, no one was menacing. One of the most wonderful things about Sri Lankans is their smiles. Most Sri Lankans look very serious as they are going about their business, which can be very intimidating because I can’t understand what they are saying or thinking. But if you muster up the courage to smile at them, their faces immediately melt into brilliant smiles.

Lizzie is a great runner, but doesn’t love it as much as I do and has come up with a brilliant idea. Ashoka has offered up his bike for our use and Lizzie suggested that she could bike as I run. I can’t even imagine the looks this will inspire… I think we are going to give it a go tonight.

Sinhalese 101

Shermin and Lizzie are the only two at the field station who speak fluent English. Ashoka speaks English well and understands very well. Samir speaks broken English with a strong accent, and I have to speak English slowly and must often repeat or reword things in order for him to understand. Uncle, who is in charge of cooking our meals, speaks absolutely no English. Therefore, I have decided to learn as much Sinhalese as the others are willing to teach me. Last night, over dinner, Lizzie and I made good progress and learned several useful words and phrases (I will do my best to spell the words/phrases phonetically).

Neh = no

Oh = yes

Ahné = please/life

Cohomothé = How are you?

Huurri = good

Mahté = for me

Ohné = I want

Cake = cake

Kahsel = banana (in general)

Aboul kahsel = a variety of banana

Cooli coosuu kahsel = another variety of banana

Penné komoduu = melon (it may mean watermelon specifically, but I’m not sure)

Pinna = bubble

Penné = cobra/honey

And here are a couple of fun phrases we learned:

Maté cake ohné ahné! = I want some cake, please!

Ahné pahné tahné penné = Honey… I can see your boobs

With these power phrases/words under my belt I now feel self-sufficient…Sri Lanka watch out, I’m comin’ for your cake!

A Safe Arrival and New Beginnings

Ok, where to begin? I guess I will begin by describing my actual journey to Sri Lanka. First, I must say thank you to Yi Jang, who not only hosted me for a couple days in Boston before I left, but who also patiently handled my last minute worrying. As the time for my departure neared, I began to think deeply into every tiny detail of my travel arrangements. Those of you familiar with my tendency to worry know that profundity of thought is not always a good thing. However, I proficiently handled all four stages of my journey (3 flights and 1 long, terrifying car ride) and have successfully arrived at my destination!

I was able to print all three boarding passes at the airport and my checked bag was directly routed to Colombo, thank god! It is amazing, given all the other factors of my trip, that my boarding passes and connections were the largest of my concerns. Never mind the new culture, my inability to speak the language, my lack of acquaintances in the country, or the task of completing my project. Thankfully, I ran into no problems (other than walking in on a man using the airplane toilet on the flight in Bahrain) and I arrived pretty much on time to Colombo. Along the way I met a girl named Alex from England. She also works in conservation and regaled me with stories of baboons attacking her and cuddling with cheetahs – pretty solid chick in my opinion. In Bahrain, I met a woman in her upper thirties who lives in NYC, but is originally from Poland. I had just found the gate in Bahrain for my connection to Colombo and sat down, when the Polish woman threw herself down in the chair next to me and began spouting her life story and attempting to fill me with dread. Apparently, she is headed to Colombo for 23 days to enjoy a nice spa hotel and to relax on her own, away from the kids and husband. But I swear relaxing was the furthest thing from her mind. She was worried about tsunamis, kidnappings, bugs, currency exchange, etc. Fortunately, she didn’t sit next to me on the plane!

My travels took me from Boston to London to Bahrain to Colombo. Let me tell you, Bahrain was the strangest place I have ever visited. I have traveled around a bit and have never really suffered from culture shock. I suffered from it in Bahrain. I like to think I pay little attention to skin color, but when you are literally 1 of about 10 white people and about the only white girl in an airport in Bahrain, it is hard not to notice. I found myself walking through a sea of turbans, immersed in a chorus of words completely strange to me, and was attempting to read signs decorated with what appeared to me as flowery squiggles. I had absolutely no idea what was going on or what anyone was saying, but I made it through the long security line and found my gate. The flight into Bahrain itself was also strange. As we began our descent it was about 6:30pm Bahrain time and the sun was still out. About a third of the way into the descent the plane was flying through a thick gray cloud, which we remained in for about 20 mins. Once we broke through the cloud, the city was completely dark, even though it was only 7pm! Not a ray of sunlight could penetrate the immense cloud we had flown through. Sand was swirling around on the ground and bright city lights shimmered in the darkness. It was immediately evident that the tiny Kingdom of Bahrain is quite rich. I felt as though I were on a different planet. I would definitely like to return in the future and have an opportunity to walk around the city.

Alright, enough about the trip. I am sure you all want to hear about Sri Lanka!! It is fantastic! I have to admit, I am a bit overwhelmed by my transition. Currently, I am learning to accept the fact that people drive like maniacs and to eat food with only my right hand. The car ride from Colombo to Uda Walawe was terrifying. I cannot believe I didn’t see a single body strewn along the roadside. The driver told me to sleep for the 4 to 5 hr trip, but that was almost impossible. The roads are just one huge pothole after another. Drivers are constantly driving within inches of pedestrians and larger cars regularly force motorbikes off the road. I felt like I was filming a car chase scene in the Bourne Identity or something – the driver stubbornly refused to slow down and we were constantly weaving in and out of traffic. But I made it in one piece! I left Boston at 8pm (EST) on Tuesday and arrived at the park at 10am Sri Lankan time. Once I arrived at the park, I stayed up the entire day in an effort to diminish my jet lag and to get on the normal schedule. I can hardly believe I succeeded. It helped that in the afternoon Shermin and I took a safari tour of the park with a friend. It was unbelievable!! I came within 2 feet of wild elephants!! They are absolutely magnificent creatures. We drove around the park for two hours and saw wild cows, peacocks, eagles, crocodiles, and kites in addition to the elephants. By the end I was EXHAUSTED. Ashoka, Shermin’s second in command, kindly put up a mosquito net for me when I got back and I passed out.

The house is very nice. It is very open and there are no screens, but the bugs aren’t too bad. I was advised to keep the toilet seat closed because there is a large spider who enjoys that particular spot – I swear, if I ever encounter an arachnid in my toilet, I may never pee again. I have already gotten a couple mosquito bites, but overall they aren't too bad. Geckos are constantly dancing along the wall and according to Lizzie, a PhD researcher from Scotland, there is a toad who enjoys crawling into bed with her. But hey, as long as there are no ticks I am set!

Today I am allowed to just relax and catch up on emails and such. Shermin and I are planning on discussing the project in more detail tomorrow. I had an absolutely lovely, if a bit choppy, conversation with Sameera this morning. He introduced himself as my friend and dedicated assistant who is here to support me in every way with my project. It was such a kind and generous speech, despite his broken English, that I didn't quite known how to respond. I don't think I was as eloquent when I replied, but I think we have a good agreement between the two of us to put our all into the project and to support one another in our research. I am still getting used to the very direct nature of Sri Lankans. They say exactly what is on their minds, and seem to be very open with emotions and feelings. I think as time passes, Sameera and I will be able to communicate better, but for now things are a bit rough. However, I am comforted by Sameera's constant reassurances that he is dedicated to good communication and will be patient throughout our attempts at conversation.

I guess that is all for now. It turned out to be quite a long post. There is more I could talk about, but I can save it for later!

A Glamorous Beginning

Only a couple days until I board my flight to the 'Pearl of the Indian Ocean!' Although I have some idea of what awaits me, I feel as though I am jumping into the unknown - which is exactly what I want. For those of you out of the loop on my upcoming travels, I am headed off to begin a 2 month volunteer position in Uda Walawe National Park in Sri Lanka, where I will be joining a group of elephant researchers. I will be brainstorming (and eventually implementing I hope!) sustainable agriculture alternatives in an effort to reduce human-elephant conflicts that frequently occur in rural villages surrounding the park. Ultimately, the goal is to maintain habitat for the elephants without sacrificing the livelihoods of the farmers. I can only hope to begin laying the groundwork for such a cause in the two months I am away - perhaps I will be returning more permanently in the future!

In preparation for my travels, I have packed copious amounts of sunscreen, bug repellent, and toilet paper (I hear it may be hard to come by in Sri Lanka). For those of you concerned with my safety, I unfortunately had to leave the bull whip that accompanied me throughout Texas at home. However, my Dad has armed me with a 2 foot long plastic-coated metal cable that should serve as an adequate substitute. I am hoping that the hefty volume, "The Fountainhead," will sustain me during my 25 hour flight to Colombo. En route, I will have a chance to explore both London and Bahrain's airports, which should break up the monotony of the plane ride well enough. I was relieved to learn that a car will be waiting for me at the airport in Colombo and that I will not have to navigate the four hour commute to Uda Walawe by myself at 4AM.

I am spending my last few days in the U.S. in New Hampshire with my brother and his family. Soaking up a little more time with my three adorable nephews, hiking around the White Mountains, and lazing around on the Dartmouth green. As I was sitting on the couch writing my blog, Scott read me my surprisingly apropos horoscope from 'Glamour' magazine (sorry Patrick, I had to find some substitute for your Cosmo read alouds :) According to the acclaimed Tracy Allen, astrologer/ author of Glamourscope: "You're dying for a change of scenery, so make your move!" Well, I am certainly not one to argue with the infallible advice offered by Glamour, so I'm off!