LET’S GET BACK

“D id you see the long line of vehicles queuing up to enter the Yala National Park? They showed it on the television News,”remarked Asela.

“Yes, everyone made use of the long weekend to go on trips and to have a good time,”replied Imtiaz.

“I know. It’s such a relief to know that you and I can travel to any part of the country now,”chimed in Seedevi. “Where did you go?”asked Asela. “We went to Nuwara Eliya and stayed at the Katumana Circuit Bungalow. It was cold and we had to wear sweaters but it was a welcome break,”said Imtiaz, adding, “My wife and children love visiting different parts of the island.”

“I agree. There is so much to see in Sri Lanka. My brother and I went down to the beach at Unawatuna. We travelled on the Southern Expressway and got to Galle in record time,”said Seedevi.

“My sister’s family went up North to Jaffna and she said that they did a lot of sightseeing,”said Asela, adding, “The only problem is that they speak Tamil and we speak Sinhalese. I think it’s good that bilingualism is being practiced if not trilingualism.”

“I agree. Our children learn the link language of English in school along with Sinhala and Tamil,”said Seedevi.

“They say that the younger you start the better to learn languages. Anyway, right here in Colombo, you can practice all three languages. If you go into a shop in Wellawatte, you can speak Tamil and if you go to a hotel, you can practice English,”said Asela.

“Yes. Now we’ll have to get back to life in Colombo and forget about trips for a while,”concluded Imtiaz.