Culture & Justice

so i experienced a completely different culture (obviously) it was a bit mad really the pace of life and of everything was completely different. after spending a month somewhere you really begin to get into the style of life and living its almost a shock to come back to the coldness of england!

 

I guess one thing that i noticed in Sri Lanka is that injustice is not allways carried out maliciously, in fact sometimes the things that hold people back the most are the things which are supposed to be there to help. often the oppressed and the oppressor may both be unaware of what is going on, maybe its not so much oppression as much as stunted development. people in the developing world do need a hand, but more than that they need justice, and most of all they need a fair opportunity to develop. if we don't allow them to do this in their own way, if we always try to stick our little stamp on everything that happens then i guess all our efforts will produce is replication rather than development.

 

The problems sometimes seem so big that we dont know what to do, one of the key points is patience, we cannot expect development to happen quickly because it is not possible there will be no time for quick development that way. we also cant expect a culture to fit into all of our norms and values, right and wrong, though i do believe in absolutes and i do believe that different cultures have much to learn from each other, but this can only happen if both sides truley believe that they things to learn. an empty promise or statement is not enough.

 

So justice its a tough cookie, but i believe its possible it just requires patience and understanding, and most of all perhaps a humble heart, that is the most difficult to cultivate.

"home"

So this is my first many posts no doubt on my thoughts from and about the trip. so i'm gunna start with the concept of home and identity and how these ideas have/are changed/ing since going to sri lanka.

 

Growing up i always saw myself as well just myself, i knew i wasnt sri lankan, i didnt quite fit into all the customs and i didnt know the stories and i didnt think quite the same way as the sri lankan people i knew i mean id never even been there. but then i deffinately wasnt english, i saw things differently from english people, i knew things they didnt and i felt things that they didnt. so that left me, well cultureless as i saw it.

 

over the last 2 and half years ive been rethinking this idea, ive begun to enjoy and think well of my tamil/asian background, and also becoming more appreciative of my britishness, having grown up here and being educated here and most of my friends being british its obviously had an effect on my current identity. so im coming over to the idea that maybe i bennifit from having two nationalities, two cultures which instead of competing for dominance they can acctually be complimentary!

 

so where is home, is it where u lay your hat or is it where the heart is? oh so corny, hmm. its difficult to answer, am i allowed two homes, 3 or even 4? i feel at home in medway, london, colombo, jaffna and i am homesick for them all after getting back, i do miss it. i miss the people the culture, the climate, the way of life everything about the place i miss but then i missed england just as much while i was there. so what does it all mean, god knows just a bunch of feelings and thoughts i guess.

 

so who will i become sri lanka, british or whatever i dont think ill become anything in particular im just challenged to learn the best from both cultures, and to work for the advancement of both, in a fractured place the ability to see both sides of a situation is brilliant and i think that growing up with a foot in two worlds has given me that if no other skill to speak of. The ability to see two points of view, to truely see and empathise which two brothers at war is a difficult place to be but a place i think id quite like to be... like maybe the wrong word. maybe thats not who i am or what i do maybe its not even who i should be but i reckon it might be who i want to be.

The End

And then we came home, a pleasant journey indeed! met some nice peple at abu dhabi where we stopped for 5 hours waiting for our connection.

it was an amazing trip which i will never forget! thank you soooo much to everyone who was so nice to me, i wont name everyone cos im sure to miss someone by accident alone. thanks to you all tho much love to all.

 

i had many thoughts while i was there, comments, ideas, etc. i am unsure how and which to dwell on and construct into a meaninful thought or conclusion so i will withold those for the moment but rest assured they will come in the next few weeks.

 

so far ive settled right back into london life, but what will my response be to what ive seen and experienced the people ive met. my people, i think.... i dont know about all that yet, i know i will go back somehow sometime soon i will deffinately go back.

 

see you later for now, i will post links to any further and more constructed thoughts onto my regular blog to save u checking two ;) im soo thoughtful no! so keep your eyes on www.janamills.com/blog

every heros day there is a gathering here, the army allow the ltte to maintain the place and hold events like heros day under the cease fire agreement presumably 

we went to see one of the ltte grave yards, there are normal graves and also grave stones for the black tigers who died in suicide attacks. it is a massive place you take your shoes off as you go in. so much death from war it really makes u think about many things.  

this car is the girls college car, it is 50 years old! still running and being used! 50 years! cant remember the make and model tho sorry! gareth would love it. 

the fields go on for ages, paddy fields atm its beau 

this old water tower just outside their old house must have been there for SOO long 

this is the main cricket pitch at jaffna college, just outside appa's old house! i guess were lots of the stories i hear about took place!  

jaffna college is where my appa (dad) studied for quite a long time 

bike is clearly the best way to get about in jaffna 

we went to the green memorial hospital and there is a mills ward there ! how cool :D 

st johns college 

all this land is desolate full of land mines apparently but it belongs to the british govt 

the cricket pitch at st johns college its rained so much that its water logged 

 

eas mami apparently you will appreciate this picture! scooby is the dog in front 

it rained so much its crazy 

we went about one day on bikes, its a great way to go about not too hilly either which deffinately helps 

this is the graveyard where my appappa (grandfather) is burried  

uduvil girls college tis a big school thought it was really good 

its a wicked house, inside the school grounds 

sorry about the delay in getting these jaffna pix online ive been lazy since getting back to the uk! sorry! anyway this is outside periappa/p.amma's house looking at little caterpillers 

i never did get those interviews working next time i guess! 

sorry no pictures!

doh!

 

i just got back from jaffna was wicked! but i have no pics to upload cos i left the card reader in jaffna! annoying i know but hey ill buy a new one when i get back and upload them on monday or tuesday next week!

 

see u all in england, unless u are reading from sri lanka in which case see u there next time i come! :D

sorry not photo's!

hey guys sorry no photo's or posts since i got to jaffna, communications are a little more challenging here! im on a 16kbps connection, im not even old enough to remember these! anyway pictures will follow tommorow! have had a great time, kiki hasnt killed me yet, jaffna is brilliant im loving it. missing london and kent too though will be glad to see all of you again too!

 

more soon and maybe some thoughts on the country etc etc aswell i didnt want to post all my thoughts but maybe ill refine some when i get back and post something next week!

 

pix tommoro!

i will be attempting to do some phone interviews here with some of the people on the course etc the plan is that they will be uploaded here, straight away, we will see how it goes 

back inside they have broken into small groups to discuss the topics 

they are doing the eye tests some outside 

busy busy busy 

 

people are really enjoying it i think 

sorry its blury, everything is translated into singalah and tamil 

Deepavili Celebrations in Chennai, India, unfortunately i couldnt get any sound cos that really makes the experience, people lighting fireworks all around u in the road having a good time its cool bit like bonfire night as far as the fireworks go. in the interests of those of you still using narrow-band i haven't embedded the video view it here. it is approx 650kb runs at 150kbps in wmv format

we went out the the park in the flats block it was great. scary at times loved it tho! 

its so loud, everyone gets involved great fun but must be loads of accidents 

people light fireworks literally in the street its like driving thru a war zone, bangs are going off all over the car this is a shot u cant see properly but we had to stop while a roman candle went off in the middle of the road 

the things i do for my mother 

felt a bit wrong taking pictures of the ladies hostel at night 

mountain views 

some guy who has worked there for 36 years do u remember him? 

 

inside the anatomy wing 

some new statue for the silver jubilee or something 

the library 

the anatomy wing 

we went to chengelpet to see the medical college amma studied at for 4 years and did part of her internship 

happy deepwali

today is deepwali so happy deepwali to you all! the festival of lights for more info see wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deepavali

 

its a big deal here obviously... a national holiday, everyone lights crackers in the most terrifyingly low flying and scaryly lifethreatening ways! they started at 6 in the morning it sounded like a war zone but stopped about 9 and i guess will start again later, ill go take some piccis in the evening. so yeah has been a pretty lazy day so far hope ure all well in england missing u all mostly! :D

 

im flying back to colombo tommorow then out to jaffna on saturday after having our first interactive conference between london and watalah very exciting! there isnt much time left. i have to say im caught in two minds, part of me is homesick but the other part is loving everything even being ill, its been a great time so far! we are going out in about 10 mins i think to the hospital were amma studied and did her internship. so thats gunna be cool.

 

hope ure all well and happy deepavali again!

 

sunday

on sunday i was still recovering from being sick :( awwww!!!!! and vanaja left for colombo, she has gone to interpret for the med team there. yesterday veena was off again for the day b4 deepwali so we went shopping... again... more saris and other stuff from the same shops i hate shopping. oh well was ok no pix cos the shops look the same still!

and i was very ill... big thanks to periamma and vanaja for looking after me! :(

we headed back in the night 

much credit to her as she is scared of horses 

vanaja went for a horse ride 

the small and the big things are beautiful 

tis a great beach 

udaya joined her soon enufg 

vanaja was the first to get her feet wet 

we went down to the beach 

this temple was unearthed during the tsunami 

the sun is begining to go down 

shiva (i think) has a stone but no one else gets stones i think this is most unfair 

there is a kinda squareish are inside the temple 

vishnu is chilling out inside 

this is the shore temple, it is right next to the beach surprisingly apparently there are 6 other temples covered in the sea 

love the spelling :D 

poor me 

this is the illfated meal that was to make me very ill later that day little did i know at the time 

and everyone else ... moving on 

we bought tender coconut from a guy on the street u can drink the coconut water from inside then u can eat the white fruit i didnt like it though tis tasty 

 

picture taking its an amazing place 

shiva's bull, shiva is the destroyer of evil and this is his bull  

bit like shoreditch 

apparently they didnt use these places for worship they were just really arty! 

pandavars 5 chariots, the five brothers who eventually won the kingdom from their hundred other brothers! messy family!  

this is the old lighthouse from the bottom 

left to right ... me me me me me me me oh and some rocks 

left to right veena, vanaja, udaya we climed to the top of the pallavan lighthouse, you can see for miles in all directions 

veena, vanaja, me and veena's friend udaya were all present... 

it was really hot in the sun 

it is a beau place, great to see the old history its 1600 years old or something  

it was the kingdom of the f the pallavas
 

we finally got to the place http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahabalipuram 

we traveled down a coastal road 

out on the open road u really realise how much there is to india, it is a huge country, chennai doesnt really represent  

the countryside out of chennai is beautiful 

its very big and very white 

jesus was a long way off 

we went to the church of st thomas in chennai, its a replica of another church elsewhere in tamil nadu 

me! 

veena and vanaja in the back of the ambasador 

in the morning we went to mahabalipuram the rain was pretty much all clear and it was a hot day (sat) 

the hindu one of the nationals and a cool sweetish dish called boulie for breakfast 

there are countdowns on some traffic lights to tell u when its gunna change, driving here is even scarier than sri lanka would u believe it 

trishaws are yello 

there are so many colours and people and so much history and also so much potential a very exciting place i dont think i could live here tho its soo dusty and hot  

its hot and dusty and very busy, india is a place with lots of huge paradoxes huge growth they will soon be competing to be the 4th largest economy in the world yet there is no real welfare state and poverty is evident all over 

the sounds, smells and feel of the place is something else 

i have tried to get a feel for chennai streets from the car but u cant really capture it fully or i cant 

v wanted to get stuff tailored 

rajini periamma perusing the stock! 

more pretty colours 

really pretty colours tho 

we went shopping for sarees aswell it took soo long vanaja went to get 2 came out with about 20 no joke! 

we went shopping on friday things were clearing up, there was still water about but was generally getting back to normal. we went to spencer plaza which is the big shopping centre in chennai!