July 4th, 2017

July 4th, 2017

• I had absolutely no clue that today was the fourth of July; a person from Spain reminded me, but in all honesty that had no affect on me. I am not here to be an American, I can do that everyday back home, I am here to learn what being a Sri Lankan is like. Today I did just that. 
• We visited two factories today, a spice factory and a tea factory. I quickly caught on that these two places were simply tourist traps with set prices that can not be bargained with. So after going to the factories we went in to Kandy, ate lunch, and then we met a nice man named Pali who took us to the local market. 
• The market was an experience - I mean technically speaking everything is an experience, but the market more so. The amount of people trying to steal your money forced you to keep a sharp mind, and give an even sharper “NO” when a man tried to sell you some over priced piece of wood. 
• Tonight I had had my first lesson on Buddhism with a man named AJ. AJ is a coordinator for IVHQ who lives in Sri Lanka. According to AJ I am the most advanced student of Buddhism that he has seen through the program, but a mountain of knowledge is still left to climb. ​