RTW ’24 Begins: Sri Lanka

Transitioning from RTW ’23 to RTW ’24 has been a journey in and of itself. I took some “down time” to myself to reflect on what my intentions are moving forward, research some new places I’d like to add to my itinerary, and regroup. Making the decision to transition to air travel when necessary was a challenging one, but it is one that I am at peace with. When I made the decision to “let go and let God”, my soul was able to rest. Featured at the top of the blog this week are my completed RTW ’23 miles, along with the beginning of my RTW ’24 miles. It’s truly amazing to me that I completed 16,912.36 total miles in the RTW ’23 leg of my journey! Moving forward, I’ll be calculating my RTW ’24 miles as well as my total miles between the two journeys. It’s been so much fun watching the miles rack up, and I cannot even imagine just how many miles I will travel by the time I’m done!

On Monday, April 8th, I set foot in Sri Lanka. It was surreal to be in a brand new country so vastly different from Africa in such a short period of time! Getting used to a new country always proves to be a little challenging. Transportation methods vary from place to place, along with which ride share apps are used. Uber was successful in many places I’d traveled to before, but in Sri Lanka, it wasn’t panning out. I had to switch gears and use the old fashioned method of summoning a tuk tuk from a taxi stand. It ended up working out just fine, but it was definitely an adjustment. The day after I arrived, I was walking around Colombo and saw many different cultures and religions within just a few blocks of one another. My hostel was just a few steps from the famous Red Mosque and a Catholic service just across the street. There were many Stupas and Buddha shrines, and I noticed a few women walking down the street in beautiful saris. There is also still a lot of British influence– square, brick buildings with old signs including Lloyd’s and many Ltd companies. There were even traffic cops in the roundabouts wearing white pressed shirts and donning whistles. I love that it’s a peaceful coexistence! Later in the day, I transitioned to Matara where I put my toes in the Laccadive Sea. I immediately felt a sense of peace wash over me. The beaches are really nice– clean water, soft sand, and a warm sun shining down. There were surfers in the water, dogs on the beach, and a lot of seafood restaurants and tiki bars. There were vendors, but they weren’t at all pushy like the ones in Africa. It’s a very zen, hang ten, vibe, which I like a lot and makes me feel very much at home.

On Wednesday, I decided to rent a scooter! It was exciting– and challenging– to be back on a scooter again. It reminded me of my days in China! I wanted to get an actual bicycle, but my host didn’t have any recommendations in the area. With the morning slipping away, I went with the flow and took advantage of what was available. I rode along the coast, stopping whenever I wanted to. It was very hectic driving beside tuk tuks, other scooters, cars, trucks and buses. I stayed present in the moment and kept going with the flow. After some time on side roads getting used to the scooter, I ventured out to explore the beaches, get lost, and find something new. I couldn’t safely take pictures and drive, but try your best to picture me, on a scooter, in the chaos and splendor of beach life in Sri Lanka. I really, really loved it! Scooters and tuk tuks even have ways of transporting surfboards here! There are mom and pop shops along the beach side of the road with beverages, chairs and awnings for shade. They are the perfect places to stop , grab a drink, take a dip in the ocean, then move on to the next gorgeous beach. My scooter adventure worked out perfectly until around 4 p.m. when dark clouds rolled in, quickly followed by rain and thunder. I waited until the rain passed to get back on the road back to Marissa. ALong the way, I saw a sign for yoga/sound healing, which I thought was truly awesome. I was glad to find it, especially since they have dorm accommodations and an organic fruit farm! That’s all I needed to hear. I knew I found my next place! It didn’t take long at all for me to feel good about being in Sri Lanka. Everyone is so friendly and welcoming, and there is a warmth in the air.

One thing that has followed me along the journey from Africa to Sri Lanka is the heat. It’s definitely tough, especially from noon to 3 pm, when the sun is at its peak. I’m constantly wiping the sweat off of my face and neck with my bandana. I keep thinking that, eventually, my body will adjust to it… but it just hasn’t happened yet. The yoga hostel doesn’t have a/c, but I love everything else about it! Being back in a yoga class filled my soul. The afternoon class– a yin class– was a great start to my yoga time. We practiced relaxing, long poses, and it just felt so good to be back on the mat. The instructor, Anna, was calm and relaxing, and there were a lot of props available. The Shala (open pavilion) is outdoors with a tin roof. A storm rolled in just before the class, which really helped cool the air for my practice. The sound of thunder and rain on the roof was a welcome addition to the ambiance! During my time there, I filled my days with three things that I love the most– yoga, beach, and biking. It felt so good to get back on a bike and get around on my own body power! The yoga practices vary during the day, which was welcomed: Hatha in the morning, then vinyasa in the afternoon, and Astanga in the evening. I normally don’t go to Aniga because it’s known to be more demanding and rigid, but I was feeling strong. Plus, there’s a beauty of doing yoga in a foreign place– no-one knows you, and you’ll likely never see them again, so anything goes! Hearing the birds, feeling the breeze on my skin, and practicing with different teachers was such a rewarding experience. It really helped me relax and prepare for my week of volunteering just a few days later. I felt rested and relaxed afterwards, and my heart was open.

Over the weekend, I transitioned from my fruit farm yoga oasis to the volunteer house to get settled before my volunteer work started. I took some time to visit the Buddhist temples with the help of a really wonderful driver, Tharaka. HIs English was easy to understand and he was as informative as he could have been given he’s training to be a tour guide. He’s Buddhist, so the information he shared was from his personal experience and learnings. He credited elderly people and monks that take care of the temples for where he’s gotten his knowledge about the temples themselves. He said that you’ll always find three things at a Buddhist temple: a Bodhi tree, a Stupa (coned, white pointed structure), and a Buddha nivasa (house). The Bodhi tree signifies where Buddha is believed to have become enlightened. I love that trees are sacred here, and all the trees that we saw were at least 500 years old! The Stupa contains relics, such as sarira– typically the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns that is used as a place of meditation. FInally, the Buddha nicasa is where the giant Buddha statues are and where people put their offerings. Buddhas in Sri Lanka that date back at least 700 years feature a lotus on the top. It was a truly peaceful, and informative, day, and I am so thankful to have new knowledge on the place that surrounds me.

My volunteer work in Sri Lanka was a lot to take in. Days nivasa (House of Love) is an orphanage for differently abled children and women in the outskirts of Kandy. The place is also called Mother Theresa’s Home and is run by Catholic nuns. It was created to balance the risk of abandonment that children with disabilities face in Sri Lanka. Thus, families often do not have enough resources to support and raise the children and have no choice but to leave them. Today, Daya Nicasa welcomes about 150 residents of all ages, among whom some are severely disabled– confined to wheelchairs or bedridden. Many of them need individual assistance to do their daily activities. The house was located in the outskirts of Kandy, a concrete building with a metal gate. Jeewanthika (from Green Lion) went with me for my first day. We walked up a few flights of stairs and put my belongings into the volunteer room, which had lockers for my phone and purse. Then she introduced me to a sister (mother Therese), and left. I started the day by washing crib mattresses with a dish rag and bucket filled with half Lysol, half water. One of the small girls found a rag and started imitating what I was doing, so we cleaned together. There was definitely the smell of urine in the 20 bed room (met frames and vinyl covered mattresses), but we worked together to clean what we could. I was glad to get acquainted with the girls that were helping me! I tried to make a game out of wringing out the rags before wiping the mattresses to make it a little more fun for them. 1-2-3-4-5-ok! That way, the cloth was wrung out five times before removing it from the bucket to ensure it didn’t drip all over the floors and beds. Once we were done, one of the girls took me by the hand and led me upstairs where laundry was being hung on the roof. Once I saw the operation, she led me back down to the laundry bins. A sister was in the laundry room supervising the massive laundering operation: big tubs (55 plastic gallons) used for washing all kinds of clothes, sheets, blankets and towels. Once they were washed, they had to be wrung out and carried up two flights of stairs to the roof to hang dry. All of the sheets, blankets, and towels were headed and torn with holes, but they were still being used because that’s all that they had. I followed what the girls were doing, and soon I was carrying buckets up to the roof where other girls were hanging them. I did this with three adorable, giggly girls. They seemed excited to have a new helper, and as sheets were getting hung, one of the girls played peek-a-boo with me behind the hanging sheets. Soon, all of us caught on, and we ran amongst the wet sheets playing tag.

After cleaning and laundry, I went downstairs to the courtyard area where several women were sitting in wheelchairs. and others were standing or sitting on the steps. Most of the areas had ramps, so wheelchairs could be pushed virtually anywhere on the grounds. The few steps were occupied with people, and one of the sisters thanked me for coming to the house and volunteering my time to help. She handed me a pair of nail clippers, and asked if I would cut the women’s toenails that had grown too long, with the explicit instruction to not give the clippers to any of the girls. So, I gently bent down, and did my best to cut the toenails of the women in the wheelchairs who couldn’t do it themselves. The able-bodied girls from the laundry area were by my side, holding their hands to help. It was difficult, humbling, and heart-warming, all at once.

There was an older woman who appeared to be in her 50’s named Marie. She had the most beautifully striking eyes, and spoke some English. She seemed very happy to chat with me, and told me that she was a school teacher. I couldn’t help but notice the different colors of brown and white skin on her face that looked quite painful. Without asking, she told me that her husband put acid on her face. It was gut wrenching to hear, and seeing the remnants of his actions, first hand, left a knot in my stomach.

There was another woman, petite, gentle and meek, who came over to me. She held my hand, and hugged me for a long time. She was sweet and kind, and I felt her love pulse through my veins when we hugged. She needed the connection, and I was quite fine with that. During my time there, she would occasionally walk over to me and I would stop what I was doing, and we would embrace.

Part of my RTW mission was to spend time volunteering in various countries and making an impact wherever I could. Some of the places that I’ve volunteered at along the way have been easier than others, but all of them have been rewarding. Each and every one of them has made a permanent impact on my heart, and my time in Sri Lanka is certainly no different. It was a difficult place to be because of the heaviness behind each person’s story. I’m so thankful that they have a safe place to go where they are cared for and their needs are met, but that doesn’t make their stories any less difficult. As I continue to spend time at the house, my eyes are opened more and more to the injustices that occur around the globe. I am thankful that I am in the position to be a volunteer and make an impact, even if it’s just for a moment in time. Until next time, dear friends: stay safe, stay healthy, and always remember to make space for what brings you joy.

Kindness is doing what you can
where you are
with what you have.
-Raktivist