T minus

India has come and gone and now the countdown has begun. 

5 full days left in Sri Lanka. 

India was truly amazing.  Challenging, stinky, and overall - completely enthralling.  The poverty of India hit me like a slow motion left hook: you know it's coming but you have no idea how much it will actually hurt until WHAM you're sitting flat on your butt wondering what to do about it. It is difficult to put words to the poverty that exists there.  It is absolutely everywhere.  It is even more difficult to know what to do about it: the locals tell you not to give money, the tourists tell you that you're just training them not to work, and, even if you do give - their is an endless stream of beggars, how do you give to them all?  I don't know the answer.  It seemed like my thoughts on the situation changed every time I met a beggar, which was about every two minutes. I've worked with the poor at home in Lethbridge, but that seemed more useful because it was long term and involved building relationships, and I definitely saw the benefit of that approach.  I know that just dropping a few coins into a beggar's lap will not do much for long term change, and maybe I am just contributing to the problem by doing so.  Maybe the itinerant traveler should just walk away if he is not going to take the time to make lasting change...but my heart still ached every time I walked away from a man with no legs, or a naked child sitting in his own filth (literally) by the side of the road.

I am still processing all these thoughts in the midst of processing the reality of my Asian journey coming to a close.  I am busy saying goodbye to people.  It is the first time I have been busy since being here, and it is probably for the best - it allows me to ignore the fact that I may never see these people again.  I would like to think I will, but I am also keenly aware of the fact that this is not an opportunity I am given every day. 

But, for now, I will fill my days with goodbye suppers and farewell parties.  The suppression of the reality of the situation will have to wait until I get back to Canada before I release it.  And I am sure that release will be forceful and palpable, prompting an entirely new raft of emotions and feelings as I re-adjust to the culture I grew up in. 

See you in Canada!