We are spending our final 2 days in Sri Lanka washing clothes that are almost falling apart they are so gross and sleeping in a bed that has no bed bugs for a change We are covered in bites, (especially on the leg and butt area which is not fun).
I'm guessing this will come as a surprise to most of you but Tim and I decided to find my birth mother (thinking that it would become way too big of a job but wanting to try at least) and to our surprise have found a huge family. It is a very strange feeling and still feels like a dream but I will give you a run down of the people we have met and how it all unfolded over the past week.
We spoke to our good friend Divanka in Colombo and asked him how we might go about trying to look for my birth mother. We had a name and address from the adoption certificate only and were unsure if this would still be correct. As it happened a man that worked for Divanka lives in the same village and was going back there for New Year. We asked him to do some investigating for us just to see if she was still there. He called us a few days later to advise that she was still in the same house, had remarried and had 2 sons. The family also apparently ran a small shop in Gampola selling lottery, betle nut, magazines and king coconuts. We were in the hill country, Haputale, at the time and decided to catch the train to Gampola for a closer look.
We arrived in Gampola at 5pm Monday 4/1/2010 with no idea of exactly where to start looking as the village of Galpaya was about 5Km from the town, and unlike Australia, the village areas are not set up in street blocks with signs or numbers. The villages are literally tracks through the hills so you need to know which track to take! We found a cafe to sit, have a drink, and discuss what to do. The owner, Wimal, spoke very good English and insisted on feeding us for free. As we were having trouble finding somewhere to stay he helped us find a guesthouse and arranged a Tuk Tuk who wouldn't rip us off. His kindness and sincerity in trying to help encouraged us back there the following day to ask some questions about what to do next. He listened intently as we explained the story of Tiana's adoption and was adamant that he wanted to help, sighting that many people in the area were not to be trusted. After 4 hours and several phone calls, Wimal approached us and whispered to us "Shhh. Her brother is here. Wait. I will talk to him." He then had an animated discussion with a man standing outside with his hands on his head. We both freaked out, hearts thumping, watched as another man arrived and the three of them began to approach us. Wimal introduced Chaminda (29) and Chandana (27) as sons of Sriyani (the name of the woman on the birth certificate) and occupants of the same address. They were also very confused but confirmed that they had called their mother and she told them "Your sister is in Gampola. Go and get her." Yet another 'coincidence' (blessing more like), Chaminda spoke perfect English and is one of few who do so in the whole village. Coincidence? I think not!!
15 minutes later we arrived at the school in the village of Galpaya. The car we were travelling in was unable to go any further so we got out and walked the last 500m up the hill toward Sriyani's house. Sriyani was waiting outside the house as we approached. There was a small pause in the approach before Tiana simply said "Hello" and Sriyani immediately burst into tears and hugged Tiana, stoking her face and hair. We were taken inside where, through Chaminda, we were able to ask some questions and fill in the blanks.
To cut a long story short, as if it wasn't one already, Sriyani's husband left the family when she was heavily pregnant with Tiana. With 2 young sons and no one to support them Sriyani made the difficult decision to have Tiana adopted. What surprised us the most was that no-one, not even Chaminda, Chandana or Sriyani's new husband Wijaratne, knew about Tiana. Sriyani told us that she gave birth to Tiana at 3pm on Friday the 8th January '85, in the house, assisted by some other mother's in the village. What was even more surprising and touching was the way that both Chaminda and Chandana took to Tiana. Words can't describe the interaction between Tiana and the two boys over the 3 days. They were very proud to have a new 'Nungi" which is little sister in Sinhalese.
They insisted that we stay the night at their house and asked if we could also stay for Tiana's upcoming birthday. We could hardly say no and ended up staying until the 9th. Over that time we met 6 of Tiana's 8 aunties and uncles, many cousins and stacks of curious locals. The family threw a great birthday party for Tiana, complete with birthday cake and dancing. We've included just a few photos of the hundreds we have taken. A special photo to note is Chandana’s new baby boy born on the 6th January 2010 (the day after we arrived). Apparently it is tradition for the family to discuss a suitable name and announce it two days after birth. Tim is all smiles and very honored to announce that the little boy will be named *** Timothy Flint Liyanage ***
Tim thinks, with a name like that he is certainly destined for glory!!
As we’re sure you will appreciate there is much more to the story which we look forward to sharing with you all some time in person. We tearfully say goodbye to Srilanka tomorrow (for now) and are off to India tomorrow. Our good friend Prasana will be meeting us in Bangalore where he has arranged through a teacher friend for Tim to play his didgeridoo for 500 Indian students. As you can imagine he is busting out of his skin with excitement and will have them all doing the ‘brolga’ very soon. We are excited to start this new adventure and thank you for your continued prayers and support.
