This will be about why I have to best independent study site
ever
The Guesthouse
I’m staying in Arugam Bay, a chill small town fishing
village-turned-surfing-destination along the southeastern coast of Sri
Lanka. I found a small guest house
located a little bit off the main beach road with a man, Ram, who at one point
lived in Hawaii. Ram has traveled all
over the world working as a chief, in addition to many other jobs, and he even
lived in Hawaii, very clost to where I’m from.
He has more stories to tell them I will be able to hear in my three
weeks here. He’s also cooks the best
food in Arugam Bay. I’ve eaten at a lot
of restaurants here, I can say that.
He’s originally from the Northern Province, but has lived elsewhere in
Sri Lanka.
Here, I moved into the treehouse and I’m not leaving. I love the small little Swiss Family Robinson
treehouse. Just this morning, around 9, the monkeys chasing crows woke on my
roof woke me up. I shower in an outdoor
shower that is also home to a family of frogs (I try to use as little soap as
possible so I’m not hurting them). The
one downside is the 5 am call to pray being broadcasted from three different
mosques located within close proximity to Arugam Bay.
The People
The people here are divided into two camps, the residents
and the transients. Don’t confuse this
with Sri Lankans versus tourists because there are a surprising number of white
(Displaced Europeans) that live in Arugam for months at a time, the surfing
season runs from April until November (I think). There are also a number of Sri Lankans, both
Arugam Bay locals and other islanders that are active in the surfing community
of Arugam Bay. It’s been interesting to
meet these people. It’s a very different
experience than I would have gotten living in a small, non surfing village, but
I has it’s own value and merit; I’m able to talk freely to the multiple groups
that use the area, including fishermen, hotel owners, tourist, surfer bums, and
shop keepers. The community of Pottuvil
(the nearby large town) and Arugam is almost exclusively Muslim, although there
is a small population of Hindu Tamils and an even smaller population of Sinhala
Buddhists.
One thing
that is interesting to note is the complete absence of Sri Lankan women in
Arugam Bay. No Sri Lankan women surf in
Arugam Bay. There are many female
surfers, but they are all foreign. There
are many Sri Lankan surfers, but they are all male. When I asked an aquantence
about this phenomenon, I was informed that Sri Lankans don’t even let their
daughters swim (This is a HUGE generalization, but there is some truth to this)
needless to say I was both offended and angry, one thing I will never be able
to get used to here is how women are treated and viewed in society. I won’t go into details in this post because
that would take more time than I have available at the moment; my egg and
cheese rotty is almost ready.
I’ve also
taken to walking an excessive amount, I think I have a walking addiction, although
yesterday I had a burger with bacon, pringles, and a coke, so maybe this
walking thing is pretty good for me…
Surfing
I went surfing yesterday and it was so much fun!!!
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