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| Group getting ready for our afternoon trip. |
Before reaching our hotel, we stopped at our first landmark which was a natural bottomless well. The area around the well was beautiful, nature incorporated with human infrastructure. The water in the well was very blue and there were various types of sea plants and fish present in the waters. This well had and continues to have a lot of history relating it as it was also referred to as "the water of suicide". The story behind this was that for years people have been coming and committing suicide in this body of water. This is because the well is bottomless and continues on to either underground waterways or the ocean. I then began asking the question of:
-What state was this well in during the civil war
-Was this well used for war purposes
These questions weren't able to be answered at the time asked which allowed me to interpret the information at the end of this trip to make assumptions about the answers to these questions.
After this we travelled all the way to the northern point of Sri Lanka called Point Pedro. Here we walked along the tip and talked about the historical aspects of the name of this town, its colonization, its state during the civil war and relation geographically to india. The sight was absolutely beautiful and it was definitely a beneficial learning space very much different from learning history in a classroom. We were also able to interact with some fisherman who were working there on fixing nets.
After this landmark we continued on to the hotel because everyone was very exhausted from all the traveling The hotel was small yet very luxurious which surprised me because I didn't expect Jaffna to be as developed as it actually is. We settled in and had lunch at the hotel right before continuing on a short walk to the dutch Fort which was only 5 minutes away from our hotel. We didn't have time to go into the fort on this day as the sun was going down but we were able to talk about its history a bit. The fort was built by the Dutch before being taken over by the Portuguese as well as used by the LTTE and SLA. The walk to this fort was really interesting because we were in one of the suburbs greatly affected by the war. It was very bare, not many trees or greens visible, many open spaces and damaged houses and buildings. We discussed different effects on the war on children in the area and families and how the lives of innocent civilians were disturbed. After the fort we took a detour on our way back to the hotel in order to see the famous Clock Tower, built by the british and the Jaffna Library which if i remember correctly was either bombed or taken over during the war. It was very interesting to see these historical landmarks and imagine how the area was used during the civil war.
We went back to the hotel and discussed what we had learned that day and formulated more unanswered questions we had. We then updated our twitter account (https://twitter.com/osc_jaffna). This twitter account was continued from the group who started it the previous year. There were some really interesting tweets from the previous group as well as our own.
The second day was a long tiring but educational day. First we visited these natural springs. They are believed to be healing waters based on an old legend. This day was really dedicated to the historical aspect of Jaffna and when these things were created. There were two springs, one for men, one for women, with green blue clear water. People believed that swimming in these waters would cleanse their souls of bad, and heal any wounds they might have internally. The girls had a chance to actually dip our feet into the waters. It was a magical place. The springs were surrounded by various temples with pillars of gods. The whole area seemed to be a peace sanctuary. The springs were also right in front of the ocean. Here we got a chance to experience the beliefs of others and what they live by and believe in. I definitely learned a lot more about religion than I knew before.
After this we visited Nagadeepa Island. Which was an island where legends believed Buddha visited. On this island there were two Bhuddist temples and one Hindu temple. We first visited the bhuddist temple and learned more about the history of its creation and that Buddha visited in order to bring peace between a tribe with two family members fighting for a throne. The architecture and decoration of the temples were absolutely breathtaking. Especially the Hindu temple with all its vivid colors and animal gods. On the boat there were people of all ages visiting these temples to be able to pray there at least once. I learned about the importance of religion in some people's lives and the scarceness of being able to make this life changing journey for them.
The 3rd Day of this week without walls was less intense. We started the day off by going to the beach. On our way to the beach however Ravin and I focused on the garbage islands that had formed on the outer bounds of Jaffna. Since we are both in Environmental Systems and Societies Class we were able to talk about this issue in a different way from the others in the group. As well as the way at which fish and prawns were caught. Once we were at the beach we had some relaxation time before being attacked by crows and jellyfish. On our way to the beach we were able to see some war distraught sights and some trees that Jaffna is famous for. It is definitely heavy to drive past empty broken down houses with bullet holes in almost every wall and tree. Mostly because it makes one think of who was here at the time and who was affected, children perhaps?
After the beach we went into town in the heart of jaffna to roam the shopping streets. As tourists we were given a hard time but we learned a lot more about the culture of Jaffna and how they have developed since the war.
This was our last day in Jaffna and we had still to visit inside the fort, which we did in the evening.
Walking into the fort was very interesting for me as it was built by the dutch and a lot of the buildings and walls reminded me a lot of structures in my home town. Walking into the fort felt familiar to me whilst for the rest of the group they felt the affects of the war. The fort was bigger on the inside than it looked which was really intense because I couldn't have imagined how badly this would have been used for war purposes. There was a lot of debris from broken down churches
Day 4 was a busy hectic day, we had to get up really early to leave for Trincomalee. On our way there we were going to be passing through Kilinochchi which was another place really badly affected by the war. We first stopped at the bombed down water tower which was destroyed by the LTTE. I had already once visited this site but it was still interesting seeing the group's reaction and comments on learning about it. We then went to what most of the group will agree was the most breathtaking monument we visited. The LTTE swimming pool now held by the SLA. It was a giant pool, more than 23 meters deep. It was once used by the LTTE for suicide scuba training. In the bottom of the pool were small windows where the training would be watched from. It was terrifying seeing this and thinking about how once it was still used. It was also hidden deep in a forest and once covered by a roof with leaves so that it was not able to be seen from the air. The language used on the signs around this site was also really interesting and maybe not appropriate since it was all bias.
Next we went to the war museum where we saw many guns of the LTTE, submarines, boats, flamethrowers, and even cages that hostages were kept in. I didn't particularly enjoy seeing these things, though they were interesting because I felt very uncomfortable around all the equipment. Eventually we reached the hotel in Trinco and were able to have lunch and relax until the evening where we had our daily discussion and shared our thoughts on the trip and our experiences.
The final day we left early to drive back to Colombo from Trincomalee. Everyone was exhausted but we still had a few sites to see before we went back. First we visited a natural sanctuary where there was a war memorial. Around the area they restricted infrastructure or any type of development as they wanted the nature, or what was left of it, to stay in that state and not had anything build over it. We then visited a couple more war memorials about soldiers of the SLA who sacrificed themselves for the nation. Lastly we drove past the mine field which also shocked everyone. They were still working on de-mining the field present day and as we were driving past. We spoke a lot about the affect that this had on the people living there and how some of the de-miners were being forced to do the work which was really sad to hear as they were putting their lives in danger.
Overall, I really enjoyed this trip. It was super insightful and I learned a lot more about Sri Lanka and its history than I knew before. Jaffna is an extraordinary place and I would love to visit again
Week Without Walls Jaffna group Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Doo2LjRPYU
After this we travelled all the way to the northern point of Sri Lanka called Point Pedro. Here we walked along the tip and talked about the historical aspects of the name of this town, its colonization, its state during the civil war and relation geographically to india. The sight was absolutely beautiful and it was definitely a beneficial learning space very much different from learning history in a classroom. We were also able to interact with some fisherman who were working there on fixing nets.
After this landmark we continued on to the hotel because everyone was very exhausted from all the traveling The hotel was small yet very luxurious which surprised me because I didn't expect Jaffna to be as developed as it actually is. We settled in and had lunch at the hotel right before continuing on a short walk to the dutch Fort which was only 5 minutes away from our hotel. We didn't have time to go into the fort on this day as the sun was going down but we were able to talk about its history a bit. The fort was built by the Dutch before being taken over by the Portuguese as well as used by the LTTE and SLA. The walk to this fort was really interesting because we were in one of the suburbs greatly affected by the war. It was very bare, not many trees or greens visible, many open spaces and damaged houses and buildings. We discussed different effects on the war on children in the area and families and how the lives of innocent civilians were disturbed. After the fort we took a detour on our way back to the hotel in order to see the famous Clock Tower, built by the british and the Jaffna Library which if i remember correctly was either bombed or taken over during the war. It was very interesting to see these historical landmarks and imagine how the area was used during the civil war.
We went back to the hotel and discussed what we had learned that day and formulated more unanswered questions we had. We then updated our twitter account (https://twitter.com/osc_jaffna). This twitter account was continued from the group who started it the previous year. There were some really interesting tweets from the previous group as well as our own.
The second day was a long tiring but educational day. First we visited these natural springs. They are believed to be healing waters based on an old legend. This day was really dedicated to the historical aspect of Jaffna and when these things were created. There were two springs, one for men, one for women, with green blue clear water. People believed that swimming in these waters would cleanse their souls of bad, and heal any wounds they might have internally. The girls had a chance to actually dip our feet into the waters. It was a magical place. The springs were surrounded by various temples with pillars of gods. The whole area seemed to be a peace sanctuary. The springs were also right in front of the ocean. Here we got a chance to experience the beliefs of others and what they live by and believe in. I definitely learned a lot more about religion than I knew before.
After this we visited Nagadeepa Island. Which was an island where legends believed Buddha visited. On this island there were two Bhuddist temples and one Hindu temple. We first visited the bhuddist temple and learned more about the history of its creation and that Buddha visited in order to bring peace between a tribe with two family members fighting for a throne. The architecture and decoration of the temples were absolutely breathtaking. Especially the Hindu temple with all its vivid colors and animal gods. On the boat there were people of all ages visiting these temples to be able to pray there at least once. I learned about the importance of religion in some people's lives and the scarceness of being able to make this life changing journey for them.
The 3rd Day of this week without walls was less intense. We started the day off by going to the beach. On our way to the beach however Ravin and I focused on the garbage islands that had formed on the outer bounds of Jaffna. Since we are both in Environmental Systems and Societies Class we were able to talk about this issue in a different way from the others in the group. As well as the way at which fish and prawns were caught. Once we were at the beach we had some relaxation time before being attacked by crows and jellyfish. On our way to the beach we were able to see some war distraught sights and some trees that Jaffna is famous for. It is definitely heavy to drive past empty broken down houses with bullet holes in almost every wall and tree. Mostly because it makes one think of who was here at the time and who was affected, children perhaps?
After the beach we went into town in the heart of jaffna to roam the shopping streets. As tourists we were given a hard time but we learned a lot more about the culture of Jaffna and how they have developed since the war.
This was our last day in Jaffna and we had still to visit inside the fort, which we did in the evening.
Walking into the fort was very interesting for me as it was built by the dutch and a lot of the buildings and walls reminded me a lot of structures in my home town. Walking into the fort felt familiar to me whilst for the rest of the group they felt the affects of the war. The fort was bigger on the inside than it looked which was really intense because I couldn't have imagined how badly this would have been used for war purposes. There was a lot of debris from broken down churches
Day 4 was a busy hectic day, we had to get up really early to leave for Trincomalee. On our way there we were going to be passing through Kilinochchi which was another place really badly affected by the war. We first stopped at the bombed down water tower which was destroyed by the LTTE. I had already once visited this site but it was still interesting seeing the group's reaction and comments on learning about it. We then went to what most of the group will agree was the most breathtaking monument we visited. The LTTE swimming pool now held by the SLA. It was a giant pool, more than 23 meters deep. It was once used by the LTTE for suicide scuba training. In the bottom of the pool were small windows where the training would be watched from. It was terrifying seeing this and thinking about how once it was still used. It was also hidden deep in a forest and once covered by a roof with leaves so that it was not able to be seen from the air. The language used on the signs around this site was also really interesting and maybe not appropriate since it was all bias.
Next we went to the war museum where we saw many guns of the LTTE, submarines, boats, flamethrowers, and even cages that hostages were kept in. I didn't particularly enjoy seeing these things, though they were interesting because I felt very uncomfortable around all the equipment. Eventually we reached the hotel in Trinco and were able to have lunch and relax until the evening where we had our daily discussion and shared our thoughts on the trip and our experiences.
The final day we left early to drive back to Colombo from Trincomalee. Everyone was exhausted but we still had a few sites to see before we went back. First we visited a natural sanctuary where there was a war memorial. Around the area they restricted infrastructure or any type of development as they wanted the nature, or what was left of it, to stay in that state and not had anything build over it. We then visited a couple more war memorials about soldiers of the SLA who sacrificed themselves for the nation. Lastly we drove past the mine field which also shocked everyone. They were still working on de-mining the field present day and as we were driving past. We spoke a lot about the affect that this had on the people living there and how some of the de-miners were being forced to do the work which was really sad to hear as they were putting their lives in danger.
Overall, I really enjoyed this trip. It was super insightful and I learned a lot more about Sri Lanka and its history than I knew before. Jaffna is an extraordinary place and I would love to visit again
Week Without Walls Jaffna group Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Doo2LjRPYU
