My new favorite Priest
on When I'm 64 (Sri Lanka), 19/Mar/2010 11:13, 34 days ago
  So, the trip by bus was so horrible going to Colombo this time that I decided I would take the long train trip home, at least the scenery is beautiful (til I did it again..ugh 12 hours!). I asked Evelyn, the secretary at VSO to call the train station for me and make a reservation. This is how others have done it. When she called she was told now I must go to the station and buy my ticket. So late in the afternoon, I jump in a tuk tuk and take the 300rupee trip (almost $3..a lot) to the station. When I arrive there and figure out where to buy a ticket for the reserved train, different place then unreserved, I am told that tickets can only be purchased between 6am and 2pm daily. This is very typical for here, not being told more then you ask. Don't forget that Evelyn called and spoke Sinhala. Anyway, I was a bit annoyed but.. hey..so I went outside and decided to take the bus back because I am not spending that kind of money on a tuk tuk.  So I went back into the station and asked the man were I get the bus. He told me and then happened to mention that I can see what trains still have reservations available by turning around and looking at this huge board. It turned out that for the entire weekend, there is only one train left having seats so I knew I had better get to the station early.In the meanwhile I have 2 plans I needed to get back across town for so I jumped on the bus in the Fort area where the train station is and a few blocks along my phone rang. It is Father Patrick, my friend that I am meeting that eve. for dinner. He said, can you come to the Fort, there is an AA meeting happening now and they would like to meet you. (this is about Patrick helping me to find people to start an AA meeting in Badulla where we have terrible alcohol/spousal abuse problems). Of course this was amazing because I was in the Fort which I never am, so I jumped off the bus, never paid, and walked back to this Catholic building I didn't know existed and went to an AA meeting. After the meeting Patrick said he will be another hour he is giving a lecture. The lecture is in English so of course I asked to sit in. Patrick is the head of the counseling service for families in this area (he is an analyst as well as a priest). The church gives a 6 month very extensive course to volunteers from the community in how to counsel couples and families. He said you can sit in, better you can give a lecture on mental illness and how to deal with couples with an ill member and proceeds to introduce me! Needless to say, I had to stand up and do something so I talked for about an hour. I did explain mental illness but I also told them about what I thought was important for them to know doing couples therapy. Interestingly, most of the questions were about how to handle mentally disturbed children, in the family, classroom, in general. They have little treatment available for children and many of these volunteers are school teachers who have to handle the children and families. Sex was actually a big issue.zAnyway, after this it was already 8:30pm and Patrick suggested we eat upstairs where there is a priests' residence. After the shock of being allowed even invited into this holy place, I said yes. I wish I had had a tape recorder. I had one of the most fun and funniest evenings I can remember. There were 4 priests. 2 were quieter but very pleasant and welcoming. Patrick is delightful and lively and has lived in NYC, he is a wonderful connecting bridge for me between the two cultures since he is Sri Lankan. The 4th priest was Father Peter. He has a very dry, humorous wit and we hit it off immediately. I talked with him about everything and he with me. We laughed and teased each other like crazy, he now tells me I better not die in SL because I haven't told him what to do with me and after all he is a priest. (Today he said he'd give my body to science if I insisted on dying here). He told riotous stories about living in Texas and the bible wielding holier than thou people. We talked about gays and lesbians in SL and mostly he validated so many thoughts I have had about this government and even buddhist monks here. We talked about my ticket dilemma too and he offered to go in the morning and bring me the ticket and he really did show up at VSO at 4pm the next afternoon, ticket in hand.    When I had gotten on the bus to go to Colombo there was a very lovely moslem couple, who where from Badulla but had lived in the middle east. I knew they were moslems because she wore a head scarf. There names are Rumaiza and Siraj. We talked a lot, we shared food and we all said we would like meet in Badulla. Yesterday they called and invited me to dinner. I have spoken to Peter who will be nearby in April, this too is typical of Sri Lanka, I truly have 3 new friends.