Almost arrived, here I am.

July 2nd, between India and Sri Lanka (flying)
I can’t imagine I’m almost there. I’ve already been travelling for the last 16 hours, and in a couple more I’ll be in Colombo. The journey has loads to tell:
Fist we begin at the in-check in Schiphol - Amsterdam. I only had 21’1kg of 30 that was fantastic! I’ll be coming back with about… 5kg? Hahaha. Well then, that went fine, I got my boarding passes AMS-BXM-CMB and I said good bye to mom and dad. Poor mom, I really felt bad when I saw her waiting till she really couldn’t see me anymore… But well, all babies grow up one day!
I passed the control check and I set to zone D. I arrived (after 25 long minutes of waiting with my back pack, pc bag and the map) and I sat down with a water and something to eat. When suddenly I see I only had one hour left till boarding, so I though…better go and wait at the door. Thanks God-Allah-Buddha I did that! I ask some guy from the airport where I was supposed to be going and he said “You boarding ticket is from, you can’t be at D and G at the time” I thought so… Half an hour latter running across gates A, B, C, D, E I finally get to G. I only had to wait 30 minutes and I already sat in my comfy chair. A guy I saw while boarding turned out to sit next to me, so, as I continue being Tara Siches, when he sat down next to me I couldn’t stop laughing. Yes… the whole bloody day laughing, I’m sure some people thought I was stoned or something, but I just couldn’t imagine what I was doing (in a positive way!) Okey, a good flight, loads of movies (+200 movies, +1000 podcasts, +150 TV channels…) I was pretty entertained as you can imagine. I went like 10 time to the toilet just to walk a bit, and due to the fact I sat next to the corridor, if not I wouldn’t be that childish. We arrived to Dubai without problems, but the last 40 minutes of plane were nice because I saw a guy (dutch) sitting in front of me playing Trivial, and the question was: “¿in which Atlantic isle is the Teide?” He didn’t know the answer and I just said to him: “Tenerife – Canarias”. He just looked at me thinking “How the hell do YOU know that?” but it was very funny. I helped him some couple of times more, but only in the area Science, Geography and General Knowledge. Oh yeah, one important fact: he didn’t know a philosophy question, but… I DID! Pfff… and then I have a 3 in my grades… buah!
Well well, in Dubai I walked a marathon I think, it’s HUGE. Between looking for a phone cab, trying to buy something with €, $ or Pounds, and then changing all of these in Sri Lankan rupees (which I eventually didn’t get because they didn’t have…) I almost died. My salvation was a free internet point where I could send an email to dad to let him know everything was going well. I got to the boarding gate and everyone was already in. A beautiful Sri Lankan woman asked my if, why and till when I was staying in Sri Lanka and we talked for a while. I love these women, they are so… I can hardly explain, but I think that without the 3kg of makeup, 1001 surgeries in a row and the A-label clothes the western women wear (and I include myself in this pack) are faaaaaaaaaar more beautiful. They are also so nice and polite, with their big smile, and I almost bursted out laughing when I saw this: imagine a thin tall Sri Lankan, with a small bag, who had a face of lost you can’t even imagine and then has got on his bag: a HUGE sticker that said “Tamirei SRI LANKA”. Yeah, like if you first name and country only is going to work if they want to give it back to you I couldn’t get my smile of my face, how funny was that.
I now smell like shit, look like shit, and actually act lik shit, but I’m the happiest person alive. My next door neighbor is very nice, and we talked about Colombo and Negombo. I asked him to recommend me some places, but he talks so bloody fast I only picked up 3 names. He said to me he would be in Negombo tomorrow because his family lives there… you never know, I might actually see him again!

Now it’s 22.52 local time (18.52 for you) and I’m in my bed in I don’t know how it’s called Hotel Colombo. When I arrived to Colombo Airport this morning I finally set my first feet on Sri Lanka. It was (and still is) very very very hot and most of all, humid. Even so, I went with a big smile to immigration were I got my stamp and then I picked up my luggage. And no, it wasn’t a scam. When I went to Drivers Association there was a board with my name on it “Tara Siches – Projects Abroad”. I got my sim card and a phone and I exchanged all my Euros, Pounds and Dirhams to Sri Lankan rupees. I thought Anura (the man responsible for me) was driving me to the hotel but it wasn’t. We went out to the parking lot and I saw one of those very old and almost totally broken vans waiting for me. An old Sri Lankan came out and helped me put all my trash into the van. As I put on my seat belt, they smile and say “no no, here in Sri Lanka we don’t use those”. Oh my god, I just started laughing. He was a good man; he explained some things to me about Colombo and the country. I really had to focus to understand him, but together we eventually managed to have a kind of, something like, conversation. After 1 and ½ hour I got to my hotel, got a shower and fell asleep. No, first I called dad to let him know everything was going fine and I was still alive. I was so tired I just laid on bed and fell asleep. I woke up at 7, but I didn’t have a clue what time and where I was. I sent a sms to Anura to know what I was going to do and Elize called me. At 19.30 I went down and had a pineapple juice. I met Elize at 20.15 with three other volunteers: Abdul, Rosie and Brooke. We had dinner at a Chinese restaurant and Elize gave us all the information we needed. Tomorrow Abdul and Brooke will set of to Galle, and Rosie and I will have the day to visit Colombo. Gishan will pick me up Sunday at 7am to take me to Negombo and introduce me with my family. By the way, I also know now I have a roommate, a frech guy. All the volunteers in Negombo are guys, 3 of them from the UK, one from France (my roommate) and me. I’m so looking forward to meet them!!!
Oh yeah, one great news I already know you know: HOLLAND WON THE MATCH!!!! Yeeeey!!!!
Now I’m going to look the match Uruguay – Ghana in my room and I’ll go to sleep. Tomorrow will be a busy day.