Last week, I was blessed with several little moments of happiness. It may seem silly, but they really made an impression on me, and I wanted to share them with all of you.
The first was taking a trip to Odel, Colombo’s one and only department store. Last week I was feeling particularly homesick, and a friend in Colombo needed a bathing suit. Wanting to get out of the apartment and see a part of the city that I hadn’t been to, I tagged along. I wish I could describe the feeling that overcame me when I stepped into Odel. It was a mix between complete and utter relief and deja vu. The store was nice – by no means as large or fancy as department stores in the States – but it made me feel so … calm and comfortable. What I really needed right then was to pretend like I wasn’t halfway around the world, at least for an hour or so. I guess there is something to be said for retail therapy: even though I didn’t end up buying anything, the process of going shopping was all I needed to feel closer to home.
* This photo was not taken at Odel, but you get the idea *
The second moment of bliss was telling my apartment security guard that Aaron, Sheena, and I were going to Hikkaduwa for the weekend … in Sinhala. I’m teaching myself Sinhala, slowly but surely, using a book and cd that Nirukshi found. And I had recently gotten to the lesson on how to say “I/you/we/they go.” What a perfect opportunity to test out my skills then on the way to the beach. I thought about the correct wording and pronunciation from my apartment all the way down the stairs, and was psyching myself up to attempt to speak in said foreign language. As we walked out of the apartment complex, I turned to the guard and said “We are going to Hikkaduwa. Api Hikkaduwa yanava.” as naturally as can be. The security guard smiled at me when I spoke Sinhala, and gave a subtle nod of encouragement. Those three simple words, and that nod, were a huge self-confidence boost, and have given me the courage to use more Sinhala phrases since then.
Sometimes, it’s the little things that make the biggest impression on us.
-Ellen