On being back home - mostly.

Hail.

Its been a while! Happy new year, and merry christmas. I'd say i've been too busy to post, what with all my conferencing and travelling here and there, but thats not really true, its pure laziness thats prevented it. But for the novelty of this post i decided to get out my writing hat again, and let everyone know whats happening in my life.

The holidays certainly went by very quickly. Had the HIV inter-varsity summit, which was loads of fun organising, i didnt sleep for the three days of the conference (kicking ass at left4dead 2, fantastic game that, go try it), followed by a trip to the UAE. That was an educational week, you can read all you want about a place, but the only way to really know it is to actually get up and head out there. Lots of things happened, hopefully i'll cover that in another post, but the bottom line was: I saw a camel.

Yes, a camel. Not a silly zoo camel. A wild camel. Walking on the side of the road. By itself. Kinda like how malaysians see a dog on the road? I saw a camel.

What a trip that was.

I got back on the 27th, after spending christmas in the place wiht the whole family (its literally been almost ten years since the whole family went on a trip together), and on the 29th, for the first time in over six whole years, i flew off again, this time back 'home'.

So, people, this is my first post, and hopefully not the last, from my ACTUALLY home country of Sri Lanka.

And i tell you guys, i love it here. This is the greatest place in the world.

People ask me, 'Isuru, what type of girls do you like?' Well, actually no one really asks me that, but if they did, i'd usually answer that i like ALL types. Which is entirely true, i like womankind in general (i'm very forward thinking. Let women vote!). But there are certain ladies that catch my eye, though i've never really able to pinpoint what it was about them exactly i liked.

Well, now i know. I like sri lankan girls. I went to church on new years eve, and boy, my head went spinning. Girls everywhere! My kind! Out on the streets! My kind! In the shops! My kind! It was actually quite ridiculous.

I went visiting, too, went to various villages to meet relatives and what not, it was all tonnes of fun. It exposed my painful language problem ( I really cant speak sinhala), but all the relatives took it in their stride, and i had my little cousin to translate most of it for me. I went and saw where my dad lived when he was young (my grandmother still lives there), and fell in love with the place all over again. I'd stayed there for a few weeks at a time previously, but had completely forgotten how incredible the place was. Simple single story house, nothing fancy, with a huge garden (rural, you see, so its not even really a garden, its more like the house is in the middle of the forest). Exactly the sort of backyard you could go exploring, and come back with bites from five different species of snake, 23 different insect bites, and a headache from eating a wild poisonous berry.

I intend to live there one day. Maybe modern it up a bit, airconditioning, water heaters, internet... But i'm definitely moving back there one day. After i learn the language, hopefully.

Cousins are awesome too. Uncles and aunts are just as awesome. I've got tonnes of relatives here (believe me, i was carrying presents for them, they weighed more than all my clothes. I even had to pay airasia an extra 20 ringgit for the excess weight!) and they've all got so many stories to tell! These are people i havent spoken to in years, and i really wish i was here longer than my two weeks, because i would dearly love to sit down with each of them and just listen to how they've been, where they've been, how they grew up, what they're doing now, everything.

Plus i'd love to meet my 16 year old cousin sister's friends. =D

So yeah, this place is great. The people on the street are super friendly, from what i've seen. This is the sort of place where you can get stopped on the road for a police check (remember, they've just finished a real war here, and elections are coming up soon too), show your ID to the dude, and then chat with him about his duties, who he thinks is going to win, how his shift has been. I did none of the talking, of course, i was too busy furiously nudging the little boy next to me so he'd hurry up and translate, but really, the way the conversation flowed between people, it was so natural and easy.

And a place where you can stop a random person on the road and strike up a conversation is really definitely my kind of place.

Of course, there are tonnes of problems here too. Politicians are corrupt, price of living is high, and people drive like real maniacs (its crazy. Beyond crazy). But thats the way it is everywhere, isnt it?

I'd love to call this place home one day, and maybe one day i'll be able to. But still, for now, i'm stuck in my little limbo. I'm a monster hybrid, sri lankan by birth, malaysian by upbringing, neither in real life. Throw in my stint on the internet, and the whole church thing, i'm pretty much homeless. I cant remember if i've posted about this already, but i'm someone who has no real hometown; i dont go 'back' anywhere for holidays, cause i've no where to go back to; pretty much the modern nomad.

Its fine really, but i've wondered if i'm missing out on something. People who know where they're from, and where they can go back to, probably have a certain sense of belonging, one i can't claim to ever experiencing.
Where are you from? Sri lanka, but i grew up in Malaysia, so i'm not really Sri Lankan. But in malaysia i was in an international school in the most isolated god forsaken state in the country (you know where you are!), so i'm not really quite malaysian either. There's always a but.

Where do you go home then, Isuru? I really dont know. Cheras? Kelantan? Colombo? Sunway? Daraluwa? Old Trafford? I really dont know. I'm not really from any of those places. More like a mixture of them all.

Its a terrible disadvantage in a way. I cant imagine how screwed up my children are going to be. Being in the australian university and all, i of course intend to go and work there, for a while atleast. Do i settle there? Raise the kids there? I'd love to travel, go to the UK, to the Americas, Europe, all over. Maybe i should stay in one of those places. Or should i move back to Malaysia after all the travelling? Move back to sri lanka, where all the relatives are? What about the wife? What language would the kids speak at home? English? Malay? Sinhala? Where would their homes be? Heck, what nationality would they be?

Ah, my poor, poor children.

Ofcourse being from all these places is an advantage too. I'm comfortable (mostlY) everywhere. I'm used to everywhere, thats a better way to put it. All i need to do really is master both languages properly, Malay and Sinhala, then waaaala! I'm really from both places. And with my internet heritage, and the international schooling, i'd be a real amalgam of everything. its something i can be proud of one day.

If i survive the identity crises that'll probably come along.

Those poor, poor kids.