My Sri Lanka War
As you may have heard, the Sri Lankan war was one brutal conflict which ruined the lives of many innocent civilians. The reason why I consider myself a lucky person is because all my information on the war comes from either my parents or the internet. I cannot even begin to imagine the torture of experiencing the vile events which occurred in the country during this period.My parents had to flee the country due to the excessive persecution of Tamils, and only a couple of days back the countries parliament finally admitted the whereabouts of 20,000 missing tamils.
Dead
I have been to the country myself in 2012 and it was one of the most exciting travel experiences of my life; eating the spiciest curries, swimming in the cleanest beaches, a journey of discovering my culture. The fresh aroma of tea leaves almost hid the struggles of the country but I knew something was wrong. The tears that filled in my mum’s eyes and the sign of disappointment on my dad’s face. They had lost their home to this war. It was clear that although the country was slowly reviving itself from the damages accumulated over the years, it just wasn’t the same; it wasn’t home.
If there was anything in life that I wish I had known before, it’s this. I wish I had known what burdens my parents have hiding from me. I mean, I understand that it was for my own good, only to protect or something of the sorts they used as an excuse to not share the darkest parts of their lives. I wish I could have provided them with comfort when they lost their loved ones or when they lost their homes to bombings, but I couldn't. The damage was done. There was nothing I could do to remove the pain or the memories.
However, there was something I could do. Many children in Sri Lanka weren’t as lucky as I was. Their parents were not able to flee the country and start new lives and so when my aunt told me there was a little girl in Sri Lanka, whose dad died as a result of a bombing near their home, I was determined that we do something. She had been living in an orphanage with her 3 year old brother as were many other young children who suffered a loss that no one should have to endure so early in life. I begged my dad if we could visit the orphanage and take some food and clothes for the little children and that was when I saw her. This girl, only around 5 years old, standing in line waiting for a meal. The only way I could describe this is by comparing it to my life; their meal was equivalent to one midday snack for me and I couldn’t do anything but cry watching this girl happily thanking the workers for the meal and sharing her’s with her brother.
I found out from one of the workers that there was a way for us to sponsor kids living in the orphanage by sending money for one child for their expenses. As soon as I discovered this, I started saving up my pocket money and with a lot of financial help from my dad, we were able to help this little girl as much as we could.
I wish I had known that there was a way for me to help my parents; opening their eyes to a world where helping others can fill hearts with so much joy that their darkest memories became masked with a slight happening, usually through the letters they received from this girl, thanking them for their support.
