New Address!

Decided to ditch Blogger and shift to Wordpress instead. More room to experiment with cool features 'n' such.

Cultural Learnings will continue here.

New Year, New Year

This year has started in a rather controversial way. We spent the weekend relaxing by the beach down south, surrounded by all the tropical beauty this country holds. Very nice getaway it was! This morning I was back to business getting my hands into work, when I was reminded of the rotten side of the paradise. We heard a loud blast, which then turned out to be a bomb in the vicinity, right around the corner to where I get off the bus in the mornings. Luckily I had already walked past the place and arrived safe to my desk. However, after some wondering and head shaking everyone was quickly back to their tasks and the event became nothing more than a lunch table topic. But yea, what to do? You just get past it and continue. Panicing does not help much. And one cannot become terrorized by such happenings, since that is exactly what the terrorists are after.


When coming back from the South, there were ,like always, many of these “fixer”guys, who want to help you to get whatever services you seem to lack, approaching us on the Galle bus stand. One tried to lure us into paying for an extra seat for our bags. Luckily we are not dumb tourists who will fall for such, but we just went across the road and waited until the guy had pissed off. Meanwhile we were approached by another dude generously offering his tuk-tuk services. I guess we were so aggravated by the previous rip off attempt that I managed to sound quite arrogant when telling him we are not interested. The guy gave a minor litany about how “We are people too and you Westerners should not be so obnoxious and keep your head high”. A point well made, definitely. I do regret showing such an attitude. One has to be firm, but always polite.

Then again, afterwards I prepared a whole speech I could have burst out on him (which I luckily didn’t at the point). I mean sure, I understand, things are difficult here for many and people try to earn their living in all ways possible. Still the current reality is not my or any other Western expats fault. As I shouldn’t take my frustration on locals, neither should they on us. Not to mention the pointless war that has gone on for over two decades and which is seriously holding back the vital development steps this country could be taking. We try to help in various ways, but what I feel is the problem in many aid programs in general is the lack of action by the receiving country. In many cases the money allocated falls into the hands of corrupted officials or other crooks and criminals of the nation in question. The reality in the receiving country is often much more complex than we in the west can see. Therefore we need more commitment from the countries themselves. And somehow we need to expand that commitment even more on the local levels. Go there where the people in need are and show them that they indeed can make a difference in their own lives.



Still, life here goes on and I have a good 1,5 months time to experience many of the positive things this wonderful country has to offer. I refuse to get too upset and shocked by such unfortunate events. Nevertheless, I wish everyone a happy and prosperous New Year 2008.

Jingle Bells!

Dear Friends,

I just wanted to take a brief moment to wish you all a great holiday as well as a good kick start for the year 2008. May you celebrate in peace, eat like there is no tomorrow and have a good rest after all those holiday goodies. Enjoy the closeness of your loved ones, family, friends or what ever random company you are spending your holidays with. Christmas is becoming more and more precious in the modern world as it remains in many places the only annual period when one has the chance to meet family members and friends returning home from which ever part of the country or world they currently dwell.

For me, this Christmas is a chance to experience a different kind of tradition, in stead of reuniting with old friends I will get to share a versatile set of traditions and strengthen the sense of community with people I quite recently just met...and in a country where Christmas is not celebrated by the majority of people. Even though I'll miss being home with my family and friends, I still very much look forward to it. We'll be having a little party at our house and also go to the midnight mass in one of the catholic churches here.



So enjoy your time off and see you next year!

Pondering Along

I know, I’ve been talking quite enough about how different the culture and pace of life here is. Still, every day I seem to encounter something new I have been taking for granted but which here certainly isn’t that obvious. Take Nadeesha, my colleague for example. She just happily told me that her brother was visiting from the UK. And that was not just only another happy reunion, but it had been five years since she last saw him. I mean, think about not seeing a family member in five years...Quite rare where I come from, unless you are not talking to each other.



On Saturday we had a company function, a cricket tournament. Cricket here is holy. It’s like there is no other game. Where ever there is a piece of field there are always some youngsters batting the ball. Strangely enough the national sport of this country is volleyball…

So, there we were on the field, DJ spinning some tunes (actually, I’m sure there must be some kind of a universal DJ set, since the same stuff always gets played no matter the city, country or continent.) and people relaxing and enjoying each other’s company. Now, here I want to point out two differences. Firstly, the event was on a Saturday. Now let’s think about it. How many people in the West would voluntarily “sacrifice” one day of their weekend to do anything company related? I have to guess. Err…not that many. A good example: the outdoor activity day that we organized at Infosys. 9 co-workers out of 250 something actually showed up.

Secondly the cricket part was not there only as an excuse to booze and party (at least not for the majority). The first pitch was to be thrown at 7:30AM. All though there was a tap and the beer was free, you could only spot a few people actually enjoying this treat (including myself and Teresa, my German colleague-to-be). It was quite delightful for a change to attend a company social event where drinking was not the main issue. Or, you know how the supposed main issue is something you just look forward to getting done with (usually some boring official ceremony) to be able to move on to the climax of it all, that being the party afterwards.

Sing, Sing, Sing

I though of describing my current mindset through a selection of songs, namely the following:

Mercedes Benz - Janis Joplin

Janis sings about getting a bunch of fancy (useless) stuff to get happier. The boom of capitalism here is striking. Everyone advertising and selling... trying to pursue for a better life by utlizing the slightest possibility to make instant money. So it seems. And yes, in the middle of all the poverty & pollution, my mind wonders on all those cheap wonderful things I absolutely need to get to myself before I leave.

Welcome to the Jungle - Guns 'n' Roses

Ahhaha, this is obvious... Indeed, jungle it is. Everymorning I wake up to the sounds of god knows how many different birds' all but harmonous singing. The noices, the smells the thunder and rain, all in the middle of a busy capital city. Man, the only thing that lacks is Tarzan and his Jane. And, nope. Cannot "escape" it to the office. Just got freaked out by a cockroach next to my feet...

Car Wash - Rose Royce

Ok so, this is a bit dumb maybe, but remember the part where the chorus sings " Just work and work and work and work..." That's what I am doing. Quite a routine here, but it's cool. Like the song, cheerful not depressing.

Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien - Edith Piaf

Hmm... whatever the pain, there is always a gain. So no regrets!

Some Excitement

Not to make life too peaceful or anything the rebels decided to provide us with some excitement yesterday. Not to worry though, it didn't make my life personally any more exciting. I only heard of it in the evening when returning home. This morning I jumped on the bus as usual and that's it. Striking here is that the locals seem to be totally uninterested in the matter. Whenever violence occurs in Finland, they will most likely hold memorials for many consequent years. Can you get used to such happenings? Apparently. Oh, this world of madness...

The 'How To' Guide For Colombo Traffic

By following these simple steps you will be able to survive home in one piece.

1) Preparation
Assume nothing. The Colombo traffic is a symbiosis of cars, lorries, busses, mopeds, bikes, tuk-tuks, pedestrians, cows, dogs, cats, chicken, bugs,... Yes, there are lanes, but like I said...Assume absolutely nothing.

2) Stepping out
Once you have set yourself on the correct mindset you are ready to take the first step out. First thing that hits you is the nastily polluted air created by the symphony of all those particles mentioned. As a pedestrian you are also exposed to the open air garbage which add a nice scent to the combination of different smells. However, you quickly get used to that. When on the street, remember to keep your eyes on the road as there are numerous hazards on the way, like unexpected holes. And for the jokesters out there, it really isn't that funny to slip on a banana peel.

3) Crossing the road
Now here, you need to develop a bit more advanced strategies. My advice... Human shields. Cross the road with more people and position yourself on the covered side. Don't forget to change in midway. And for us continental Europeans, note that the person should be on your right.

4) Public transportation
...means tuktuks and busses. The first are very convenient and surely easy to encounter in any corner of the city. Remember to look reluctant to the price suggested as it is never the last offer. Usually the "real" price, or also known as the "local" price, is half of that the driver is trying to get. They usually give up easy and a resonable price can be negotiated.
When it comes to busses, they too are an ok means for moving yourself from A to B. Be prepared to jump in and out without hesitation as the time on busstops is sometimes equivalent to a microsecond. You can also opt to jump out in traffic jam, traffic lights or whenever the bus is sloving down enough. The doors are always open. Busstops can be best recognized by the crowds gathering on one spot on the street. And that is about the only way of recognizing them... Also, be prepared to loud and frequent honking.

5) Driving
Don't urge...