Oscar Wilde once said “ Nowadays people know the price of everything and the value of nothing”. My trip to Sri Lanka has changed my perspective on living my life. My time in Sri Lanka has provided me with unforgettable experiences that changed many of my preconceptions such as understanding my parent’s individual identities, differing the ways of life between Sri Lanka and Canada and the importance of the connection to my heritage.
When living in Sri Lanka I had to adapt to the weather, and an environment, which is completely different from the cold, hard winters in Canada. The heat was one of the biggest factors because it would strike you early in the morning, which resulted in me waking up at 6:00AM every day, no matter if I liked it or not. Moreover, coming to Sri Lanka has taught me the kindness which people had for me, for example my mom’s friend (who I had never met before) invited us to come and eat. When we went to visit her she made all of these amazing dishes that might have taken hours to make to the best of her ability. Once we started eating she would always check up on me and say “How is it?, Do you want more?, Is there anything else you want?.” The weirdest part for me was when she referred to me as “ son.” She was treating me like I was one of her own family, I thought to myself “ a person who I never met is treating me like this,” which is completely different than my previous experiences in Canada. In addition, the connection in which Tamil people had for each other was on another level. Jaffna is the city, which we went to and approximately 80 percent of it is rural, so basically your entertainment there was your family. Technology in Canada has corrupted us by not communicating with our friends and family. Parents who overwork don’t have time for their family, so likewise they wouldn’t have the strong bond which people in Sri Lanka have, which is a major factor. [factor of what?] When we were there, we