Sri Lanka, a coin with 2 sides

Sri Lanka,1 year ago:
A :Oh May, Where do you live?
May:I live in Colombo.
A : huh? Colombo? Columbia you mean? USA?
May:No No, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
A :Oh I see....
May:It's an island under India.
A : arhh

This conversation happened to me nearly a hundred times when I was living in Sri Lanka. I was there with my family for 2 years during the end of civil war time. There are always news and reports about how bad the country is and how's the war was so brutal.The war ended 2 years ago when the current government took the last combat with Tamil army in the north. The war was ended with blood and wounded. At that time I was at school in Colombo but barely heard what happened apart from the war will ended soon.

Colombo is such an interesting place to be. You have soldier in every 10 minutes drive check points carrying guns and a stop sign. The president's pictures the size of 3 floors around the city.One of the noisiest traffic countries in the world. 100- 150%% car and import tax. What do we students do then? Do we have normal party life or must stay in the house for security reasons all the time? The answer is we are never home. We know every streets, we walk in every roads, we take tuk tuk every where. We go clubbing more than normal teenagers. I actually feel safer than being in Bangkok some how. Tuk tuk drivers can speak better English than Thai graduated students. What do we do in the weekend? Beaches of cause. Sri Lanka has the best beaches for surfing in Asia believe it or not. You can see blue whales in the season, snorkelling around see the corals and diverse fish.

Local Sri Lanka people might look very intermediated but if you know them they have the biggest heart in the world. They are wiling to offer you if you need help.If you have any problem,they are willing to help,even though they can't :). They rich in culture, strict to their roots and arts. I love how to use Sareh as a woman formal dress. I said to myself that I must had it in my high school's graduation. They have art exhibition nearly every week,art street,theatre plays all the time. Sri Lanka was under England, Portugal and Dutch for sometime therefore they have many colonial buildings and old cars still using daily.

During the critical time when we told to stay home, the whole town shut,all electricities must off. We just stayed home,we heard some gun shorts and planes fly around.The next day we just went to school like a normal day. It is such a rare situation to be. People around the world might frighten but not us. Some how we love this country. Most of my friends in the class moved after graduation and every breaks or holidays we always go back there.

People go to USA,UK,Australia,NZ to study their high school to get experience. What ever they learn there I think I have learnt more than them.I've never regretted that I studied high school in Sri Lanka. I have learned how to share, how to care, how to respect the differences of culture and adapt in different environment.

Now the war has ended. It might be some blood left behind but the country will try to push itself to show the rest of the world what Sri Lanka can offered. If you have not been there or never heard of it please try to go there at least once. You will never regret that you have been there.