Day 2

Although up earlier than yesterday I’m still not 100% over my jetlag 😉
Thushan tries to deck his house out for the new year’s celebrations which are taking place at the weekend. Apparently, this celebration is comparable with german/american Christmas. This might explain the tons of people that were out in town today. Although I have the slight notion that the throng of cars, tuk-tuks, cyclists and pedestrians that filled the streets will not decline considerably after the holidays.
Thushan took me with him today to get some money and a sim-card for my phone. Afterwards we went “Christmas shopping” with his wife and the little one. I offered to have an eye on Chenuli so her mum had a chance to try some stuff on. I can tell you, that girl is a handful! 😉
The shopping place resembled an american mall and like there, most of the stuff seemed to consist of cheap, bright coloured plastic. What also shocked me was that all the kids books were english. Not only IN english but also telling english/american stories. What does it do to the culture of a country if the kids don’t hear and read (old) stories which accrued from their own environment, against the background of their own history and values? Stories told in the originality of their language with its characteristic treasury of words.
On the other hand, one of the first things Thushans kids asked me when I arrived was if I had read Harry Potter. I sure had and just like this we had an (almost) evening filling conversation. So Mrs Rowling did connect cultures and countries here.

P.S. I survived my first homemade lunch and dinner (eaten by hand) today. I don’t know if the cook took it easy on the spices for me or if that was the normal version. But I was able to eat and enjoy the food without turning red. (My nose started running a bit though 😉