Sri Lanka - Entry 3

I spent last night in a cycle that involved sleeping with the air conditioner on/getting too cold/waking up/turning off the air conditioner/getting too hot/etc. I awoke at 8:00 in the morning because Pat, a senior Fullbrighter, had told me about the internet facilities at the British High Counsel.

Ramyen, or at least that's how I think his name is spelled, is one of the house servants. His realm includes the kitchen and the primary dining area, where the residents of the house take their breakfast and their lunch. There is a secondary dining area which is much more elegantly furnished that the first and it is here that the residents of the house take their dinner.

Ramyen has doleful eyes that seem watery, as though is perpetually crying. He wears a faded white sarong that is marred by slight blotches of dirt. I think that he must be in his 50s or his 60s, but it is difficult to be sure. Whenever I have a request, he responds by shaking his head as if to say "no" in a somewhat spastic motion, and then mutters abruptly, "yeas, yeas."

While I was finishing my toast and tea, Pat came in and I showed her the itinerary that my Father had made for me the previous night. She examined it in silence for several moments, sometimes nodding her head as if to say "oh, that's a good place." She handed it back to me and said "that is so fantastic."

She spread her marmite on her toast, telling me about how she had decided to become a vegetarian several years ago, and the only thing she really missed was bacon and eggs. For some reason, the combination of marmite and eggs reminded her of bacon and eggs. I had tried marmite when I was staying in London and a shiver ran through my spine as I remembered the substantial reaction I had to its salty and acrid taste.

After breakfast, we headed to the British High Counsel. We entered the library and my eyes felt a gravitational pull in the direction of the computers, which I was delighted to find unoccupied. The allure of a high speed connection seduced me and I sat down with the anticipation of simultaneously reading the Washington Post front page, my e-mail, and the ESPN front page.

I was a little disappointed to find that the connection was about the same speed of any other prehistoric dial-up connection in Sri Lanka. With a sigh, I began to watch that stupid blue ribbon on the bottom of the screen, wave back and forth, teasing me with its dance of futility.

After about one and a half hours, I received the satisfaction of writing one e-mail that I sent out to thirty different people. I know that a general e-mail does not substitute as a response to a personal e-mail, but I did include a disclaimer which explained the slow nature of the Sri Lankan internet to all my friends and family.

We headed home in the hot Sri Lankan sun, and I met the servant who came to the house every week for the sole purpose of washing, drying, and ironing clothing. I managed to have him wash and dry my clothes for about 200 rupees ($2.00).