Colombo and the countryside

whizpen ♦ January 27, 2012 ♦ Leave a comment

HERE I AM Back in Colombo after a month long vacation in the cool, mountains surrounded countryside of Gampola, the hometown of my grandmother. Adjusting back into the Colombo climate and lifestyle took a few days and it got me thinking about how different the lives of those living in Colombo and those in the countryside are. And if I had a choice where would really want to be?? Note the differences..
• The weather
Colombo is and has always been hot and dusty while back in the countryside even the hottest afternoon is comparatively not really hot. The evenings are cool and the nights and the early mornings are practically freezing. No need of a fridge to cool your water and those clothes that you never touched in the heat of Colombo are given a teeny break too.

• The people
The SriLankan people are already well known for their hospitality and those in the countryside are more symbolic of it. The first person to be there when the neighbor needs you and the first to assist an injured person on the road .The feeling of unity among this community is actually overwhelming and you don’t necessarily have to know them either. Maybe thats because Colombo has quite an exotic selection. With a few sour apples thrown in of course.

• The marketplace
Having to go to town for nearly everything from a needle to a newspaper can be pretty hectic and even annoying at times when you are in a real hurry, whereas as in Colombo nearly everything you need is conveniently right at your doorstep.
• The price
The prices of nearly everything in Colombo is more expensive than that of the countryside. So the toll on your wallet is much less in the countryside and you can buy more with less whereas in Colombo you are always short of money.
• Privacy
The countryside is most certainly not a place to be if you are someone who prefers a private life. With just fences to separate your house from your neighbors your life stays far from private. Your neighbor knows who just came to visit you, where you just went, what program you are listening to, what you are cooking for lunch right down to what you had for breakfast. And no, I am not kidding. But total privacy is what you get In Colombo. With high walls and fast lifestyles you get all the privacy you want even when you die. That’s until your body starts stinking to high heaven.

• Job opportunities
There aren’t much of it in the countryside unless you own a shop or business. So that means nearly every family has someone working or studying in Colombo with just the weekends spent at home. Even getting a passport or I.D done requires a four hour trip to Colombo.

• The children
The children in the countryside, I have noticed, lead a more carefree life than those in Colombo. They play with the neighborhood children from morning to dusk in the vast gardens that surround every house and grow up to be healthy and strong, just the way children ought to be. Preschooling starts at the age of five unlike in Colombo where the children start attending nursery the moment they leave their nappies. Literally .Children in the country are first taught mannerisms and behavior by the mother for four years before being bundled off for nursery. But on the other hand these kids enjoy less facilities than those in Colombo. No libraries, no enjoyment parks and you would even find a number of children who have no idea what a beach or a zoo looks like.

• Early birds
While we in Colombo prefer late mornings, those in the countryside are up before sunrise down to even the tiniest baby. No wonder they have all the time on earth to make even their own curry powder. So the totally homemade food ends up tasting just great.
• And finally Pettah
The town here has nearly everything you need and you could think of. But at the end of the day it doesn’t have Pettah. Colombo would be like totally incomplete without Pettah and I am sure many would agree. I mean Where else in the world can a person find personal computers being sold on the pavements?? Seriously?

At the end of the day when making comparisons, it seems that the countryside is better. But putting it in Kolu’s way all I’ve got to say is Colombo oh Colombo. There is no place like it..:)