Keeping busy
Blijf op de hoogte en volg Alenka
14 Augustus 2016 | Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka
Mentally I have been struggling a little more unfortunately. When you come here as a white person people automatically assume you have some kind of money tree in your backyard and that you have the best life possible. I have not gotten a thank you or anything for the work at the disabled home until 2 days ago. When one guy (mentally handicapped) thanked me. People don't understand that I have been working pretty hard to get this money. It took me a lot of time, money and stress to get it together. I feel like it is still not enough for these people and it probably never will be. I have also had some problems with my friends at the safari. Well actually with only one.... when I came to the safari two days ago in the afternoon I sat down at the mahout Hut (where the mahouts hang out). This guy (it is better if I don't say his name) came with his elephant and he used a lot of force to make her come towards me. This is actually pretty dangerous because the elephants don't like it when they are hit (pretty logical) and she could have gotten angry and hit me (elephants can easily kill you when they are angry). When this happened I knew he was drunk. After this he sort of hit me (I am sure he didn't want to but he he did it) and I left angry. Because of this I didn't go there yesterday. Kalu banda (other mahout) was actually really nice to me. He gave me a bracelet and an elephant hair. So I had mixed feelings yesterday if I should go there or not but I thought it would be best if I didn't. From today 2 of the elephants and the safari are going to the Perahera as well. I feel really sorry for them because they have to work the whole day and then do the festival in the night and then come back really late, around 4 am. And then working again at 8 am. So neither the elephants or mahouts will get any sleep for the next 5 days....
I will probably go and see the Perahera tomorrow with amarasiri and his family. I am still thinking if I should go because if I go I will probably feel very sad, looking at those elephants.
Another thing I have been keeping busy with is Amarasiri's project. We are changing the website because it still wasn't finished. Amarasiri is truelly a good man (hundai miniha, in singalees). He tries to help so many people (including me) and he cares so much about the elephants. But one thing he is really not good at is organising. Yesterday we were looking at his Facebook and email. I don't know how he managed but the guy has 5 different email addresses, 3 Facebooks and no password for anything.... eventually I managed to get into two of the three facebooks and 3 of the 5 emails. Today I will try to narrow it all down and delete the other unnecessary stuff. It is really giving me a headache though xD
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