Day 21 – Leaving is hard

I could easily stay here and keep living in Colombo, but I do have a life waiting for me back in Canada and so it’s time to head back.

During our pre-departure training we’re warned about “reverse culture shock” – the experience of returning home after adapting to living in a new country. We’re told when we integrate into a new culture and new ways of doing things, part of that stays with us and those parts can be a challenge to reconcile with what we were used to back home. Certainly I’ve always found when travelling when you visit a place you really love, a part of your heart stays there when you leave. I could easily have stayed in Costa Rica, in Ireland, on Middle Caicos… and I doubt Sri Lanka will be any different.

And so as I say goodbye to Sri Lanka, I’m focused on reflecting…

Highlights of my time here:

• Elephants. I’m sure going on safari in a national park will remain a favourite memory for years to come.
• Seeing and immersing myself in the beautiful county that is Sri Lanka.
• Receiving feedback from my partner organization that the work I completed was exactly what they needed and helping them secure buy-in and resources from senior management to support the plan we developed.

Challenges: (No life-changing experience is without challenges and I’d by lying if I pretended this was any different)

• Getting around is hard here. In a city of 7 million where walking is uncommon and buses run from city to city but not throughout the city, roads are crowded and chaotic. My 12 kilometre commute took an average of 45 minutes. That in itself was fine (it is after all the same amount of time it takes me to commute at home, except here I can do it in a tuk tuk!) But getting a taxi/uber to come out to the suburbs to pick me up during the evening rush-hour was nothing if not an exercise in patience. Generally it took between half hour and one and a half hours just to get a ride Fortunately new friend Nishi, who lives around the corner from me, offered for me to join her in her car service when our schedules aligned, which was most days. On the days I wasn’t able to join her, I made great friends with the office security guards while waiting at the front gate.
• Staying hydrated. It’s humid and hot (averaging about 35 degrees). I drank, on average 3.5 litres of water a day and it was rarely enough.
• Halfway around the world is far. Being able to take time out of your regular life to focus on something new is an absolute gift. But being so far away from family and friends can be hard, especially when someone is having a tough time or becomes ill. There were a few moments when being halfway around the world felt, quite literally, like I was halfway around the world.

What I’ll miss most about Sri Lanka:

• The determination of Sri Lankan’s to always be driving towards a better future and the unwavering belief that they will get there. Sri Lanka has had a rough time with the civil war and the tsunami still in recent memory, not to mention the Easter Sunday terror attacks, but the steady optimism and dedication to moving forward make it impossible to believe a better future isn’t coming.
• Tuk tuks. If I could bring one home, I would.
• The weather. It’s been sunny and hot and humid and I’ve loved it. No part of me is looking forward to going back to cold and snow.

What I’m most looking forward to about going home:

• Obviously husband, pets, horse.
• Readily available, clean, safe drinking water.
• Hot water. No matter where I’ve traveled and how hot it’s been, I’ve never learned to love washing my hair in cold water.

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And so, with that I head back to Canada. Maybe I’ll be back to Sri Lanka one day and I certainly encourage everyone to make the trip! But more than that, the entire Leave for Change journey – living and working overseas – has been an amazing, life-changing experience and one I wish everyone could have the opportunity to experience for themselves.