the song “Holy Night” in German. I have to say I truly felt as if I was in a film and a wrong one at that.
The temperature is essentially always the same, always around 30 degrees Celsius, all year long.
A Central European is not made for such conditions, even if he believes in it at first or longs for it in his dreams.
I, for one, found out that these experiences made me appreciate the different seasons. I enjoy them because they correspond with my nature.
Of course we don’t like the cold and wet days in autumn and winter at first, but as soon as we have experienced the opposite, even once in our lives, we start to think and feel differently.
However, that is something that everyone has to experience themselves.
I’m certain that there are people who deal well with it and therefore love it.
~ The First Cultural Shock ~
Heat and humidity take hold of the newcomer as soon as the doors of the airplane are opened and at first you have a hard time imagining how you are supposed to endure that for the entire duration of your time there.
The airport was already considered quite modern and internationally designed in the 1980s.
After your first step out of the airport, you are once again stoked at the dimensions.
Hundreds of people are waiting in front of the building, curiously watching the newcomers, anticipating business connections or other contacts. Taxi drivers in particular are waiting right here for new customers. Even if they only have „tuk tuks“1 to offer or sometimes donkey carriages to take tourists to their destinations.
As I mostly travel privately and not on a package deal, there was no tourist bus ready to pick me up. As an experienced traveller to Ceylon, I organised my own personal driver, who was waiting for me patiently.
1 A car rickshaw is a motorised version of a Rikscha, which has its origins in Japan. These are small vehicles with two or three wheels that are either pulled by a person on foot or on a bicycle (cycle rickshaw) and are used for transporting goods or persons. Due to the noise that the two-stroke engine typically makes, there are sometimes called tuk tuk.
Internet quoting: URL. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autorikscha.html.
Status: Oct. 17th, 2020. Translated from German by Angelika Hinchcliffe. UK.
~ We are Heroes ~
I quickly walked past all those that were waiting, but not without having my light-coloured skin touched as I brushed past them, as some considered it “God-like”. It was apparently a new sight for many Ceylonese people and lead to some joyful reactions.
Us Europeans (as well as other people) love to tan our mostly pale skin in summer by means of sun bathing (and perhaps even the use of tanning beds). We do that in order to reach a more desirable “brown” colour, which suggests that we may also participate in the nimbus of a fit, modern human, but sadly only for a short period of time.
It seems as though the behaviour of the locals is the exact opposite. The lighter the skin is and the more blond your hair is, the more desirable. Quite a few locals dye their hair blonde or a different light colour in order to conform to this concept.
I have always found this strange twisting of these ideal images to be quite bizarre. Even though it shows that humans tend to never be satisfied with what we are and what we have. Instead we always look at our neighbour’s “happiness” and try to imitate him or her.
The “hero worship”, given to our species, has always seemed very submissive to me, even though I never felt uncomfortable being touched. Their touches never felt demanding or presumptuous, but shy and full of respect for, what the locals considered “God-like”, ideal images.
I have to say that this “cult of worship” made me feel alienated to a great extent. Especially since I knew about the colonial history of the British, the Dutch and the Portuguese, who had not treated the locals delicately, to say the least. Bizarrely, this is what made it come full circle in my mind.
Colonialism was only possible, because lots of Asians traditionally seemed to exhibit a “natural” reverence for Europeans, at least during colonial times, which might have been why the European’s behaviour during those times was tolerated by them.
Of course, this also says something about how this people or rather this ethnic group sees itself. Do they consider themselves equal, do they have feelings of inferiority, wherever those come from? Or are these feelings of inferiority a sort of tradition, or maybe it is just our impression? Is it perhaps a question of politeness and respect towards strangers and has nothing to do with subservience?
Should we even generalise these impressions or does it require an empirical investigation?
These questions need to be answered by scientists. This experience was very new to me. But I do understand the temptation it holds.
I once was invited to the home of a Ceylonese middle class family. The conditions were very similar to European palaces, expect that it was a small townhouse.
Being their guest, I was provided with all-round care by their staff. Without ever having to ask for it, my shoes were polished, my suitcase was unpacked and everything was arranged in a way that made me feel like a king who did the family’s bidding.
My overnight accommodation was with the youngest son, who was 13 years old. We shared a double bed.
This decision seemed the strangest to me, as I was not sure whether this meant that they offered their own son as a present to me (I heard that those things really do happen).
On the other hand, it could have also meant, that the parents trusted me a great deal and wanted to show me their respect.
I am sure that the parents knew I wouldn’t abuse this situation, but how can you be really sure of that? Nowadays we know what kind of things go on in the world, but back then you didn’t talk about those things, especially in Sri Lanka. It seemed as though there was no other place to stay in the house.
All these seemingly contradicting experiences were pivotal and I felt like I was on a volcano. I always felt as if the house of cards inside of me could collapse at any moment. The experiences I had in this country, regardless of their nature, were disconcerting and enticing at the same time.
Who wouldn’t like to have their own personal staff for only a small price and have them care for you all day, every day?
My answer is: yes and no. Culturally it is very strange and tempting all at once. It is precisely this ambivalence that makes this country what it is. It is equally shocking and fascinating.
“Heaven and hell” all in one. A catapult of positive emotions and horror scenarios. Asia at its best.
Over the centuries, many people have succumbed to these experiences in their colonies. They were absorbed by the diversity, the sweet temptations and the worst horrors imaginable. Poverty and misery are just around the corner. It is right next to all the colonial glitz and glamour that I experienced.
Huge slums in the towns, hundreds of thousands of people, who have to live in street gutters. There is sickness
