I returned to Colombo this weekend, which after 2 months in Matara, feels like the West. remember first arriving here and how it felt so foreign. Now I don't notice the insane traffic swerving around the cows, the mutant dogs with 2 feet and the smell of low grade burning fuel. Instead I am feeling a lack of stares, seeing ads of ladies in tank tops & shorts and smelling pizza which I couldn't resist buying for Nilhu's family as a small thank-you gift- there is no use trying to match with the Sri Lankan hospitality so I just try to accept that and make small gestures here and there.
Never have I seen the benefits of fast food like I do now after seeing women sweating over a stove in the unforgiving heat for 6 hours. At home I try to fight the onslaught of fast food in favour of simple living but here simple living is anything but simple.
Although it can be frustrating to be associated with women from American movies, people in Colombo do have a better understanding of our lifestyles which TV/movies must be given partial credit for. Any understanding of Western, even the bad, means that they understand things are different somewhere else. So while I think there is an overreliance of media sources at home, I see it here as a vehicle for a altering perspective.
Even just the fact that these boys have seen snow on TV means that they have a much bigger understanding of my hobby, snowboarding, whereas you can only begin to try to explain something like that to the girls who are coming to Matara from villages. One boy was so sweet- he asked if I had ever made a snowball because he had seen it on TV but couldn't believe it was possible.
(pic: teaching yoga. i taught Madhu last night, too, and she is very happy because classes here are too expensive but she was so eager to learn).
Never have I seen the benefits of fast food like I do now after seeing women sweating over a stove in the unforgiving heat for 6 hours. At home I try to fight the onslaught of fast food in favour of simple living but here simple living is anything but simple.
Although it can be frustrating to be associated with women from American movies, people in Colombo do have a better understanding of our lifestyles which TV/movies must be given partial credit for. Any understanding of Western, even the bad, means that they understand things are different somewhere else. So while I think there is an overreliance of media sources at home, I see it here as a vehicle for a altering perspective.
Even just the fact that these boys have seen snow on TV means that they have a much bigger understanding of my hobby, snowboarding, whereas you can only begin to try to explain something like that to the girls who are coming to Matara from villages. One boy was so sweet- he asked if I had ever made a snowball because he had seen it on TV but couldn't believe it was possible.
(pic: teaching yoga. i taught Madhu last night, too, and she is very happy because classes here are too expensive but she was so eager to learn).
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