What Happens When You Open A Bottle Of Arrack
*WARNING: The following story may or may not make you ugly cry. And it’s all thanks to the incredibly generous people in my life.
It started with a bottle of arrack, a buzzed heart-to-heart and an “eh, it’s worth a try” GoFundMe campaign.
It ended with a new bank account, a scooter named Pleasure, and a lifetime of brags about the incredible people in my life.
THE ARRACK.
An alcohol that’s found in parts of Southeast Asia, especially Sri Lanka. It’s made from coconuts and burns like rubbing alcohol. It’s stronger than the roughest of tequilas I’ve had the pleasure of drinking- but I suppose the hangover is worth it, if you end up with a story like this.
THE HEART TO HEART.
When you pop a bottle of arrack, you’ll likely end up dancing, crying, or passed out. We popped a bottle of arrack and ended up with a new scooter — and more importantly, a new opportunity for a family in the middle of a fisherman’s village in Sri Lanka. But in between all of that, we had one incredible heart to heart.
THE DEETS.
Who: Me, Krish and his wife, Nilusha.
What: A fun evening with my new Sri Lankan family.
When: One random December evening in 2017.
Where: Kochchikade, Sri Lanka.
Why: It’s a fisherman’s village in the middle of Sri Lanka… how else are you going to pass the time?!
I had known Krish and his wife for about three weeks, but I didn’t really know about them until this night. On this night, I was able to learn about their families, their homes, and their backgrounds. I learned that Krish and Nilusha are actually cousins (that’s typical for village families in Sri Lanka). I learned that Krish used to be a tuk tuk driver but decided to quit because he wanted to be a better man for his family (a lot of drinking and late nights #itcomeswiththejob). I learned that Nilusha wanted a career but couldn’t get a decent salary without leaving the county or her family. I learned that these two got an incredible opportunity to work at a hostel in Negombo, but still struggled to pay the bills — and would likely never catch up with all their debt (and couldn’t even fathom a saving’s account #ditto). And most importantly, I learned that Krish dreamed of owning a tuk tuk, so he could drive his family around and earn extra money on the side.
LIQUID COURAGE.
Maybe it was the company. Maybe it was the setting. Maybe (most certainly) it was the arrack. But that night- after I nustled myself in my twin bed in the middle of Kochchikade- I decided to start a GoFundMe campaign. I had seen these campaigns on Facebook a dozen times before and had done countless stories about them in the news, so I figured they must be legitimate (because everything we tell you in the news is legit; don’t believe otherwise). So, I signed up for an account, guesstimated the price of a tuk tuk and hit the share button. What happened next was truly inspiring.
THE CAMPAIGN.
My birthday came early! I woke up to a full inbox and double-digit Facebook notifications. I couldn’t believe it! In a matter of 10 hours (yes, I like my beauty rest #funemployed), we had raised more than $1,300! And it was all thanks to the pure generosity of my beautiful friends and family.
THE SEARCH.
So, go figure. I didn’t totally do my research… and it’s highly possible I underestimated the price and overestimated my ability to actually purchase a tuk tuk.
The price tag: Apparently tuk tuks can range anywhere from $2,000 to $8,000 (It’s still unclear how so many people in a developing country can afford this… but I may never figure that one out).
The process: First, I googled “how to purchase a used tuk tuk in Sri Lanka.” Then, I searched their country’s version of Craigslist. After that, I had to Google translate each and every post. Finally, I called about two dozen sellers asking if they’d drop their price.
The problem: I don’t speak Sinhalese and they don’t speak English. They’re also very stubborn and refuse to negotiate prices.
The solution: Eventually, I cried myself a little river and gave up. After that, I had to tell Krish. He was stunned. He couldn’t believe strangers across the world donated money just to help his family. (Just typing that gives me chills! Seriously, how amazing are all of you?! Answer: really f’in amazing.)
At first, Krish was set on finding a tuk tuk. We rented a scooter, made a list of all our potential Sri Lankan Craigslist sellers, and drove about 120 KM in search of one that fit our budget. Unfortunately, the only ones we found were either too pricey or didn’t have a reliable engine. Mama was starting to feel the pressure. I only had about 56 hours left in Sri Lanka (again, great planning on my part) and was starting to worry we wouldn’t find one. Krish wanted to put money down on a newer tuk tuk and refinance the rest. I’m certainly no expert when it comes to finances or managing money, but I didn’t feel comfortable adding more bills onto this family. I also didn’t want to just hand over a wad of cash and not be able to tell you fine folks where the money was going. So, Krish and I had to sit down and come up with a new plan.
PLAN B: CREATE A BOSS LADY.
I have to give Krish some major props. For seven weeks, he listened to me rant about women’s rights and complain about Sri Lanka’s lack of gender equality. He’s put endless smiles on my face by yelling “female power!” whenever I’m feeling down. He’s stayed home and allowed me to introduce his wife to “ladies night”. And best of all, he’s encouraged his wife and daughter to be the best they can be.
So, I was extremely humbled — but not at all surprised — when he agreed to putting the money towards the ladies.
We decided to buy a scooter, give Nilusha the keys, and open her first bank account. Nilusha can now earn money by renting the scooter to hostel guests. She can put all of those earnings into her bank account and do whatever she pleases with that money (which, let’s be honest: she’ll likely use all of that money for the good of her family #beautifulsoul). She can also drive her son and daughter around, which will save money on the costs they were spending on tuk tuk rides to school. And most importantly, she can look like a BOSS ASS B cruising around town on her new scooter named Pleasure! (C’mon. That name.)
There’s nothing I love more in this world than a #bosslady and thanks to you, we helped empower one!!! #swoon
THE LEFTOVERS.
After we purchased Pleasure, we had about $500 left in the campaign account. We decided to put the rest towards home rennovations and an unforgettable pizza party.
The rennovations: Krish is hiring a builder to lay concrete over the dirt that currently sits as the floor in their family home. He also plans to finish installing windows. (#feelingthankful?😉)
The pizza party: Although some might consider pizza a food that’s convenient and unhealthy (monsters), villagers in Sri Lanka consider it a delicacy (#agreed). That’s because it’s simply too expensive to buy the ingredients or order at a restaurant. So we splurged. We ordered three large Domino’s terriyaki chicken pizzas, four garlic breads and six lava cakes. We invited Nilusha’s family over for dinner and chowed down on A FEAST. (We may or may not have called Domino’s a second time for that fourth pizza. #dontjudgeus)
THE REAL HEROES.
Daddyo. Mr. Beck. Suzanne. Megs. Christina. Murph. Dustie. Robin. Elsa. Dianna. Sarsha. Nick. Aunt Robyn. Christina. Sloan. Hanna Banana. YOU DID THIS! You gave this family the gift of a lifetime — and you don’t even know them. And if that doesn’t make you ugly cry, I don’t know what will.
Thank you, thank you, thank you — A MILLION TIMES, THANK YOU!!
YOU ALL TAUGHT ME:
It is essential to surround yourself with good people (and I’m the luckiest girl in the world to have such incredible people in my life).
People are way more generous than you might think (and I am so sorry for ever doubting that!).
The power of social media does exist (and we’re very lucky to even have access to such resources).
Arrack’s not so bad after all (but I think I’ll stick to my cheap beer from now on).
