COMMUTING TO COLOMBO... (These pictures were actually taken by Dave, when he, Paul, & Tucker went to Kandy, but they'll give you an idea of the story that follows.)

Colombo train station, fairly empty.

Passengers like to hang off the train... or hang their heads, arms, etc. out the windows.

Paul, thrilled to be squished... Tucker, sweating, just a little. I believe it was at this time that Paul dropped the quote: "I haven't been THIS close to some of my girlfriends."

Optimal traveling position...

Today Mark Edwards (my Sri Lankan colleague and supervisor) and I had the opportunity to ride the 5:59 am “business crowd” train, to attend a meeting in Colombo.

In order to take the 5:59am train from Hikkaduwa to Colombo, we would need a tuk-tuk (taxi) at 5:30am. Which meant making specific arrangements, as tuk-tuks do not run that early in Hikkaduwa. So, we found a driver. I spoke to him in English – he promised it was no problem, he lives 2 houses down from us, and he would be there to pick me up... No problem. Mark spoke to him in Sinhala, and he assured us: No problem. Mark said, “Great. What’s your phone number?” (just in case) He would pick me up, then we would pick up Mark, then to the train station. No problem.

5:40am: No tuk-tuk driver. I call his mobile phone. No answer. I wait 30 seconds (patience is, after all, one of my greatest virtues). I call again. He turned his phone off. I look up and down the street. No tuk-tuks.

I go back into the house and wake up Adam and explain the situation. We go pick up Mark (in the team truck), and he drops us off for the train.

We make it in time, and we buy our 77 cent tickets. We wait expectantly for the train. I watch, as people are streaming in – the “business people,” professionally dressed and ready for the office. As I watch people filing into the train station, I notice a sense of urgency: now they are running to certain ends of the platform. This is quite fascinating to me – the fact that Sri Lankan people are running, as their typical gait is very slow, deliberate, never in a rush. You know how in the Bible, things that are repeated twice are being especially emphasized or highlighted? Well, verily, verily, I say unto you – the Sri Lankans were running. And, equally noteworthy, there was not yet a train in sight. So I look at Mark and ask, “Where are they running?” He laughingly indicates that it’s time for us to join them. We are now running, apparently jockeying for position, for the train that is not yet here. But it quickly approaches and then men start trampling women, small children, and the elderly in order to get a good spot (aka, a “seat”) on the train.

We make it, and Mark is excited that we find a seat. Two bench seats face each other, and each bench seat would comfortably seat 2 Americans – or would likely seat 4-5 Sri Lankans.

I should explain here that when I first arrived in Sri Lanka, in an effort to be culturally sensitive, I asked Chris, “How do Sri Lankans feel about personal space?” His reply: “They love it… They love other people’s personal space, and they love to be in it.” This is of course very true – and apparently never truer than when on the 5:59 train.

So, I am now seated in between a Sri Lankan man that I don’t know, who is leaning against the open window, and Mark… and across from 3 people. I am (barely) able to maintain my let’s-not-touch-each-other buffer zone, and I have a seat (yea!) for the 2 hour ride.

Fifteen minutes later, the train stops.

As we are pulling into the station, there is another train stopped there, and more business people are whistling and ambushing our train with even more urgency than when we first boarded the train. People from our train lean out of the windows and whistle back. People on the platform start throwing their bags in through the windows. Mark explains that the other train has broken down, that all these people are also going to Colombo to work, and they will now be on our train. Had I been standing, at this point, I believe I would have assumed the defensive “boxing out” stance that I learned in Jr. High basketball. However, I was seated and already squished, so I just braced for impact.

So, 2 more people join the bench seat across from me. And I now have a stranger’s knee in between my knees and on the immediate either side of my knees. One more man joins our bench seat. I am now shoulder-to-shoulder and hip-to-hip with a complete stranger and with my colleague/supervisor… and sweating. It’s obvious that Mark is feeling squashed and is trying to respect my space, but is being pushed into me. The Sri Lankan man on my left is leaning left against the window, so I lean left as well. Trying not to touch him too much, but I’ve long since given up on the 2 inch buffer zone. Then 2 more people come and stand IN BETWEEN our seats. I look up at the pair of seats in front of us, where there are 4 on each bench seat, with 5 people standing in between the seats, and I’m really thankful to be where I am. One man reaches down and moves Mark’s knee so that he can straddle Mark’s leg and the leg of the woman sitting directly opposite Mark. This man’s trunk is all of 3 inches from her face…

Somehow my involuntary facial expressions kicked in at this point (I think my eyes widened and eyebrows lifted), and everyone in our immediate vicinity – which was about 10 people – laughed at me, very amused.

Then the train started moving. This is not a streamlined metro system. It’s a Sri Lankan train – maybe the first one ever built. So, now, we are all rocking/jerking side to side, with an occasional forward lurch. And I am trying SO HARD not to be completely all over the people near me. So, I am leaning left with my torso, while the western hemisphere of my rear end is bearing all of my weight in an effort to keep me from just smashing right into Mr. Window Man (who is now asleep). And my shoulders are curved so far inwards that a good shove from either direction, and I think my sternum might snap and then my shoulders would be touching. Meanwhile, all the people within eyesight of me (about 30-40) are smiling at me, because they think it’s GREAT that a white foreign girl is on the train. Trying to look as excited as possible to be on the train, with feigned cultural ease and comfort, I smile back.

Then we make another stop. Mark now has 2 men straddling his right leg. (What personal space?) The man on the end of our seat has his face planted in a woman’s chest region (I can only hope he is her husband). I feel violated just looking around – but every body else is about as happy as a hog in mud. And, at this point (this is my favorite part), someone pulled out a 15” x 20” cross-stitching that has been framed, which was passed around the whole car, for everyone to admire. I have no feeling in half of my rear, and my lower back is throbbing; I can’t quite get my arm up…Oh, eye contact, and here comes the frame, they’re smiling, “Ohhh, yes, that’s nice. Very nice.” Smile back. Pass it to Mark, OK – he’s asleep.

I also liked the 3 people in our immediate area who established a rotation system. They stay at each spot for about 10 minutes, then rotate: 1) seated; 2) standing, straddling the seated person & Mark’s leg; then 3) standing in front of the window. It’s somewhat annoying, but the ingenuity of the system is equally impressive, and I’m sure it prevents extreme discomfort – what a great idea.

It’s been about an hour now, with a remaining 45 minutes to travel in this manner. I am completely torn between utter amusement with the whole situation and utter discomfort in my body. I begin contemplating my options. One, the only immediate option for increased personal space would be directly under the seat. Or, I could scoop up Mr. Sleeping Beauty on my left, slide over and set him on my lap (since he’s about 1/3 my size) – and we might all be more comfortable. Option 3 is to quit trying to contort my body / maintain some sense of American personal space and dignity, and just fully embrace the culture. (Man my back is killing me! Do I even have a left leg? Oh, they’re smiling. Smile back! Other people have someone on their laps…or Maybe I could just join the rotation... What would happen if I just stood up?)

I finally decided I was not ready to completely relinquish the last shred of my personal space. I mean, I am all about embracing the culture… “when in Rome, do as the Romans do” and the whole nine yards, but I believe this is where I draw the line. I have observed from the street, train passengers standing on the stairs in the doorway, hanging outside the train, and had wondered about that. It now makes a world of sense: looks like they get a pretty good breeze and a nice view.

And so we arrived at our destination. A typical day’s commute for the average business person. No worse for the wear… just drenched in sweat. Ready for an 8 hour committee meeting.

Sometimes, honestly, these experiences can be pretty trying (Oh, this is so uncomfortable and so not what I am used to!); other times, they make us so intensely aware that we are, in fact, living in Sri Lanka, not America, that they actually become a reality check and a source of gratitude: Oh yeah, I live in Sri Lanka and I love it. And it is different. That’s part of what makes it Sri Lanka. If everything was American-ish, then it sure might be comfortable or familiar, but we would be missing out on an opportunity to see God’s creativity and ingenuity in another culture. So, we live in Sri Lanka, where it’s different – which can be annoying – and where the concept of invasion of personal space is taken to a completely different level. In a very weird/backwards way, I guess I conclude: Yea for sweaty space invasion and smelly trains!