sri lanka day 3

Well, i have been here for 3 days now! i'm realising that it's going to be really hard!!

Religion here is extremly present and has a huge hold on the people. On the first night that i was here there was that buddist procession at 4 in the morning and i just couldnt be bothered to get up and look...well im so glad i didnt!!
yesterday in the day they did it again, its the procession because it is full moon...and it was a holiday because of full moon.
so, there is the procession headed by a girl who is full of demons, they say that the gods have possessed her and that she will be normal tomorrow..and she does this mad dance and people hit her and shout and allsorts, she is sure to have a headache today...anyway and then there is the budda being carried on chariot and insense and stuff or whatever they call it next and then after that there are these young men dancing and they have all these huge hooks in their backs and they are attached to red strings that these other men are holding and pulling...looks terrible but they say that it doesnt hurt and they pull and pull and then later on they walk on fire. but all the ceremony..i mean youcould see the eyes of the people who are really into it, its like the same eyes as those in Africa that are full of demons and evil...
there are so many temples here, just down the road the hindus and the buddists share one. i havent met one christian yet!!!

today i started the rounds of the Murray's projects. it was a great day. i went to a disabled peoples home, they were just so friendly and loving, its not that far away and so i think that i shall pop in there sometimes just to keep them company for a couple of hours! but there are alot of them about 50. then we also went to this boys home quite far up into the hills. that was nice to, they were a little shy but in a couple of weeks i am going on a trip with them up to the centre of the country for 3 days and so that should get rid of the shyness!!!and also went to an old peoples home.

so that was really nice. i must start learning the language though. i met these twins who work for Murray and i think that they will teach me a little and i can go to the boys home with them. but its a buddist place. all these places are actually buddist. so its interesting

i need to meet some christians but not even the guests at the place where i am staying are!! so.....

i also went to the old dutch fort today that was nice. it didnt get hit by the tsunami as the walls protected it. there were boys playing cricket!!!

it's strange being here but i still dont think that it has hit home that i was once here!! but people look like me but there is a clear difference as soon as they try and speak to me!

i went into Galle yesterday and i was walking in the busy busy streets and these women kept on shouting at me and then i would carry on and then they would run after me and then grab my arm and then shout stuff at me and i had no clue what they were saying and so would listen 5seconds and then just try and carry on walking and then yank my arm back, but it is very disturbing sometimes not to be able to understand so i must start to learn!!or at least learn how to say 'oi, get off me!! leave me alone!!'

On monday i will be visiting another place called Bussa, and then in the afternoon, Ruhunu, which is the orphanage where i was from, so that might make it all hit home to me!!