idealistic ideas

um. so. yeah. three times in one day is kind of overkill. but all three posts are completely different, although the rant about my shopping spree is admittedly unnecessary. Most of the posts on this blog are unnecessary, though, in the greater scheme of things. Why does the small and unimportant life of Nushelle de Silva matter so much that other people should want to read about what is happening in it? This isn't Gossip Girl. It's a Waste Of Time. (So's Gossip Girl.)

but THIS is an important post. Which makes one wonder why I'm putting it on my blog at all. Perhaps I am a little tentative about this idea of mine...it's my baby and I suspect it is retarded. I'm not entirely ready to present it to the world at large yet.

So here I go about my idea, the long way around, so that I can clear it up in my own mind, as well as present it to the blogosphere in general.

Many of you know that after the war officially ended, I organised a really quick fundraiser to collect money for internally displaced persons in Sri Lanka. I was touched and grateful for the overwhelmingly generous response from both people I knew and people who had never seen my face before; people who had assiduously followed the events of the war (like Elyse Powell) and people who had never heard of the conflict and were simply not interested (like the random boy who walked off before I'd finished explaining why I was begging for money, and then walked back to ask me more about it, and ended up contributing towards it.)

I didn't want it to end there though. I wanted this process to be ongoing; I wanted smart, intelligent people like those I know at Princeton to get involved in making Sri Lanka rise to her feet, and then know they contributed to helping her walk again. I wanted a Princeton-in-Asia programme based in Sri Lanka, so I could show people that I do not lie when I tell them that my country is breathtakingly beautiful, in so many ways. Because I love my country, and I believe in her potential.

At my most idealistic, I wanted Princeton students to get involved in the rehabilitation of IDP's and contributing towards development in the north. On a more practical level, the government is skittish about international involvement (because Norway/Canada/the Red Cross gave arms and support to the LTTE, etc etc), because you'd need to know Tamil to be any use, and as I think about it more and more, I think it is a challenge that needs to be met by Sri Lankans. We created the problem, and we must learn to fix it.

But Princeton sends students to teach English all over the world, and everyone on this island wants to know English. There aren't a great many people who are qualified to teach it though. A few weeks ago, I went to the southern town of Galle as a preliminary reading programme which is part of the annual Galle Literary Festival which will take place in January 2010. While reading to an endearing group of 7th graders in one of the more urban schools, we learned that most of these children want to learn more English, and their teachers want them to as well. They're bright kids, and their teachers are stretching themselves thin trying to organise theatre workshops, afterschool English classes...the works. There is no lack of enthusiasm. And I realised that this is a wonderful opportunity for Princeton students to share their immense talent and intelligence with children of this island, doing what they do best, and learning a lot about Sri Lanka in the process.

But the question is...why Sri Lanka? Sure, it might be taken off the Travel Advisory list now, and sure, it might be a safer place to visit, but why, in this time of recession and underfunding (the Pace Centre was thought by some to be less important than a big-name band at Lawnparties) would it be at all a good idea to shell out good money and expend precious time on teaching English and holding workshops for a bunch of random children in a corner of a random island? India and China are a completely different matter - relations with these potential giants are a political plus in times like these. What's so special about Sri Lanka?

I'm a particularly patriotic Sri Lankan (a paradox of sorts) and perhaps I love it too much to see its insignificance. Perhaps I am misguided, but my (admittedly exceedingly idealistic) reason is this:

Sri Lanka is, quite simply, a miracle waiting to happen. No one thought this war would end. It did. No one is sure that things will change in Sri Lanka. I believe, from the bottom of my heart, that they will. No one can predict the future, but I am willing to bet every cent I own that just as Singapore blossomed, so will Sri Lanka. In her own endearing way, of course. And I think that everyone who has any business sense should invest in her.

Why the south and not the north? Because, despite my earlier plans, I think the north is our problem. The country needs to expend every ounce of energy it possesses to rebuilding and rehabilitation, to help and healing. And if we show our people that we care, it will soothe more than anyone else in the world showing that they care. But in the process, if we are not careful, the south might get left behind. We need to be infinitely careful to make sure our growth is not lopsided in any way. (And the government doesn't get antsy about white people in the south. We love white people in the south. Beachside restaurants in Hikkaduwa have menus that are only in English and German. Really.) And this is a wonderful roundabout kind of way for the international community to get involved without trying to run the show, and without antagonising anyone, while contributing positively to Sri Lanka's growth, and building trust.

A few days ago, I sent an email to a coordinator at the Pace Centre, Christiana Agawu (at the recommendation of Chelsea Craigie '09) and in my email, I told her of my plan. And in my email, I said this:

"I know Sri Lanka is a very small country, and that most of Princeton's programmes are limited to bigger countries like India and China, but I really do feel that given Sri Lanka's situation right now, that not only would it be wonderful if Princeton's students could contribute to a positive change at a time when it is possible to do so, that they would learn a great deal and have a lot of fun in the process."

At the same time, because I have so much time on my hands, I am naturally on Facebook more often than is healthy. And a few days ago, I tried to explain to Sojung Yi within the confines of four wall posts the situation in the country post-war. At the end, I told her how surprised and pleased I was that she was interested in the political happenings in an unimportant country like Sri Lanka. And she said this:

"are you kidding me, nushelle! everybody should be interested. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have checked out what's happening in Sri Lanka, but this post-war/violence situation should be discussed everywhere. on a sorta superficial level, it's a chance for students to witness and maybe even engage in the major transition of a country."

those words were strangely reminiscent of my own to Dr Agawu, and I began to wonder if I was not not simply being idealistic and simplistic when I listed my reasons for wanting people to get involved.

Basically, I really want this to happen. I don't want this idea to just be my idealism getting ahead of me. I want Sri Lanka to be more than just a war-torn economic failure.

Yeah, I want a lot. Tell me what you think.