Two years old in Sri Lanka

14th of August, 2011 marked my two years of stay in Sri Lanka.
After the two years here, I can proudly call this place my second home! It's given me so much and I've learnt so much being here.

It was a gloomy Tuesday morning, 12th of August 2009, that I left from home in Thimphu and headed towards Paro with mum. It was so hard having to say goodbye to my dog, roxie. It was so sad seeing her run behind the car as fast as she could, as we drove down the road from our house. The hour long journey to Paro was the most sorrowful (not sure if there's a word like that) travel I've ever made. Getting goodbye and safe journey calls from friends&family, wiping off tears after each call-I remember all of it.

Seeing my friends cry as they bid farewell to their families for an entire year, I dreaded the moment when mum would head back home after a week in Sri Lanka.
True to it, her departure from Sri Lanka was a very teary one. Being the only daughter and the fact that I had never been away from her for more than a month made it all the more hard. Fighting tears back, we said our byes ...

Two years down the line, I'm asking myself, am I still the same person?
I'm still that very emotional, very sacred of the dark & very much in love with dogs kind of person that I was. Yet, in more than a few ways, I have changed- for the better I think.

I'm a lot independent now. I can go to the bank and do my own transactions; I never withdrew money from any bank back in Bhutan. I can go for shopping on my own, can take my own decisions on what I need to buy and what I don't. I can get up on my own in the morning aided by the alarm clock without mum having to come and wake me up with a cup of hot water. I infact go & get my cup of hot water myself after getting up. I can make phone calls to authorities at any level now; earlier even to call a distant relative, I needed mum's help with the introductory conversation. I've improved my social dealings too. I am no longer that introvert person that I was before. I can speak up for myself, I'm not sacred to voice out my opinions-I can fend for myself.

The last time my mum visited me in April, she was proud of the confident person I'd become. She was pleasantly surprised when I made the transportation arrangements pre-hand when we needed to go somewhere :) These may be very small things for some other people, but not for mum & I. Inspite of being a single mother, she brought me up with all that I asked for. She sacrificed her own needs and happiness to meet mine. She ensured that I lived in my fairy tale world.
Before she left  for work in May, she told me that now she need not worry about me as much as she did before, and I think that's a big thing I achieved.

This place has taught me lessons and values that I wouldn't have learnt otherwise. One very important but harsh reality that I've come to terms with is how cruel people can get sometimes. I was nestled in my fairy tale world back home & mum protected me from all evils. I had begun to think that everyone is as understanding, loving and caring as the people I knew back home. Unfortunately, that is not true at all. There are various sorts of people in this world & I've learnt my lessons the hard way. One shouldn't trust someone blindly just because he/she is sweet to you the first few days. I've learnt that there are people who will use you to get around others for the first few days & then ditch you once they've found their way around. More importantly, YOU are a coward if you start crying and wondering why that person was so mean to you.
I was this coward for the first few months here. I used to cry and wonder what was it that I did that a few people were so mean to me. With time, I realised that sometimes, life is about being a vigilant observer. You see people with various traits, you learn your lesson via experience & observation and reach that point to ultimately decide who you should be with.

I don't have a lot of friends but the ones I have are the most wonderful people I've met. They're people who'll always be there for me, both good times & bad. They're people who'll criticise me when need arises but won't hesitate to appreciate me & the things I do when I deserve it. They're people whom I can call in the middle of the night & they'll listen to me. They're people whom I don't need to write "showy" posts on facebook walls to maintain a "showy" friendship.
I think these are the people who've helped me reach where I am today in this place, far away from home.
Also responsible are the people who've used me reach their motives, ditched me, bitched about me & made me cry so many times. Had it not been for you people, I wouldn't be this strong person I am today. So, thank you!

These two years flew by in the blink of an eye. I've made such beautiful memories in these two years. There are tons of pictures which talk volumes & there have also been moments which I can only think of - they're too beautiful to be penned down.
Still a few years to go and I'm looking forward to every day :)

Life is beautiful, always.
It's solely on you whether you want to make yours beautiful.

To celebrate my two years in Sri Lanka, I bought a pair of beautiful heels. This is something new to me, because I don't wear such high heels.
And one of my friends had this to tell me :  ‎"Give a girl the right shoes, and she can conquer the world." — Marilyn Monroe