8 Bombings in Sri Lanka, and I am safe

Facts:

• Currently 24 people have been arrested. 
• They found a pipe bomb at the airport, and successfully defused it.  
• 3 Churches and 3 hotel restaurants were bombed. 
• 2 residential areas thought to be safehouses/ store houses for the terrorists exploded.  
• There is a temporary  social media to prevent people from sowing hate, dissension and fake news. 
• Curfew/ Marshall law issued to keep people from being out

None of the following bombs killed people:

• Pipe bomb found at Airport 
• One at Train station
• 87 bombs were found in Pettah
• Car bomb at second church site believed to have been set up yesterday (went off)

My thoughts

Today is the day after the wave of bombs. I wonder if this is what people felt after 9/11? Confused or frustrated.  Wondering what will and is happening? Watching the news to see if there are any updates. 

I am personally devastated.  Not just from the loss of life but also because why would anyone want to destroy peace? Sri Lanka is far from a perfect paradise island. 

Sri Lanka was finally on an economic uptick. After 30 yrs of civil war.  You might read on ABC on MSNBC that there were tensions because of the civil war or that Sri Lanka is used to bombings. That is not true. 

Sri Lankan civil war avoided major tourist areas, and the worst of it was primarily in Jaffna

I don't know how to write this. I am writing this as I watch the news streaming in. I am safe, my family and Angampora host family is safe. But just because I am unaffected doesn't mean I am not effected.


This morning I woke up at Kanchana-aka's house.  Kanchana is my mom's first cousin. I had just spent the week before in Kandy with her and Chathura and their respective family's. Last week as Awuruda, Sri Lankan New Year. I was going to write my blog post about how the new year, and my short trip to India. I has planned to write about the wonderful congregation of family, and a holiday of hospitality across the country. I had planned to talk about how South India differs from Sri Lanka, and my impressions as a sri lankan diasporic person. I had wanted to compare the Buddhist and Hindu faiths, and the beauty in each. But Instead I am writing about how I feel heartbroken at the loss of so many lives today.

Last week I had promised Kanchana Aka's two sons that I would come and play on Saturday and spend the night.  I woke up to the excited squeal of a 3 yr old running into my room. "EBONI Aki! Eboni!!!" I had read him a bed time story the night before. It felt easy warm happy and light. I was struck by how much I have grown to love this country, and it felt like home. A safe and happy home. As I got ready for Angampora I felt a little guilty. It's Easter Sunday, and I haven't set foot in a church since getting to the country.But I didn't feel guilty enough to change that. I just felt like the day deserved some celebration. I also figured I was going to a sufi prayer later so I could add a special thank you for Jesus or something.  I didn't really think past that. I was too excited about the first Angampora practice since Awuruda and how I was excited to learn.  I got to practice at 9:20am. I was late, but we were still doing exercises.

 I apologized to master, and quickly paid my respects then joined in the practice. Around 10am, another student gets a phone call, and rushes from the Maduwa(the angam studio) to Master's house.  Before I know it everyone is speaking quickly in Sinhalese and running into the house. Confused I look around then rush in too. The news is playing on the TV as everyone stands watching in shock. My friend and the only other girl translates and says there has been a bombing in a church.
I look at her still not sure I understand the weight of what as happened. She explains that this Church is a very big Catholic Cathedral in Negombo.

For a moment I think, Okay a bomb, maybe no one died? Maybe it was done poorly? Maybe ...  I asked and she says at least 25 dead and many more injured. I look back to the TV screen, the image of a Stained glass, and sunday mass stained with blood is rotating out with the new reporter.
I don't know what to say or feel. Its Easter.  Why would someone do this on Easter?

Master calls all the students back to the Maduwa and says not to worry and just practice. He lived through the civil war and has seen terrorist attacks, flames, bombings and shootings before. He is unphased because its only one church and after 30 yrs of war to a veteran like him, that is not as bad.  He explains that during the civil war, you have to keep living your life. So as we head back out to the Maduwa, my feet haven't even hit the clay covered floor when they announce a second bombing. Another church. I look at my friend. She has the same forlorn look on her face. We are both thinking of all the families that woke up this morning ready and excited to worship Christ on the day of Resurrection and instead they are massacred. I still am christian, I still know the feeling of faith and remember Easter Sunday. No family would ever conceive of such a Sunday going so terribly wrong. There is a weight to it.  I feel guilty that my life continues almost as normal, almost as if nothing happened.

 My friend tells me her church which has evening service has just cancelled service tonight. I sigh and put my hand on her shoulder. Then she gets an alert, there is a 3rd bombing site, another church in a different part of the country.

Students across the maduwa are getting phone calls from their families saying to come home to not go out. Everyone is on the phone and pretty soon mine is ringing too. Kanchana calls to check on me, and tells me to be careful if I am going out. There are speculations by unreliable sources flying around at this point. including random other bombing that were false. (This is why Sri Lanka Gov shut down social media)

 I get a call from Aunti Chuti she is worried about me. I say, she implores me not to go out. But I figure Colombo is safe, these happened far away, I'll be fine. Although I will skip my plans to attend a mosque today with a professor,  and I tell her so. She says there have been bombings in Colombo and she was so scared.  At first I wonder if this is another false sighting thing. I say I am okay, and ask where in Colombo. She doesn't know.

By now its 10:30 or so and 6 Bombs have gone off total. I was in shock. My Sri :ankan friend is getting live updates. She tells me 3 hotels in Colombo have been bombed. Shangri-la, Cinnamon Grand, and Kingsbary. I ate at the Shangri La when I first came to Sri Lanka, I go by there all the time. I walk past the Kingsbary all the time, my family stayed in the kingsbary when they came once last year and I was just at Cinnamon Grand getting drinks earlier this month.  I quickly message all my friends. Colombo is like a concentrated version of Boston. Everyone knows everyone, we are all on Whatsapp checking in.

That is when you really worry. Because now there have been at least 6 bombings and they have been coordinated with an incredible level of synchronization. Its the moment where you call everyone because you don't know who is affected. I am getting phone calls from all sorts of friends and relatives, telling me not to leave angampora, to wait, don't go out, stay safe etc. Texting all my friends in Colombo like "are you good?"
My friend and I can't focus on practice anymore. It feels wrong to just continue on like nothing has happened. But what else can you do? We practice halfheartedly. She lives near Negombo. I tell her don't go home, in that direction. She can come with me. After practice we stayed glued to the tv screen as we eat lunch in master's house. They are advising people to avoid crowds, and don't congregate, don't go to the site of the bombing yet etc.  I wonder if this is what my parents felt at 9/11? Glued to the news wondering what will happen next if this is the only attack?
When we got back to my house I go to Aunti Chuti's and ask if she can turn on the news.

 One of my biggest fears is that this attack would inflame tensions between, Tamils, and Sinhalese, Christians, and Muslims etc. I am so worried that this country which has worked soooo hard to finally have peace, and restart their economy, was just listed as one of the best places to travel, could suddenly be thrown back into Chaos. The politicians are luckily not pointing the figure at any faction. Instead, to their credit, they are calling for unity. Buddhists priests are saying they mourn and stand with the Christians, but even more so, all the victims of bombings are their brothers and sisters in the pursuit of peace. There was a 20-something year old person who was at the hospital. He was clearly foreign. The man standing next to him (a local) saying the boy just lost both his parents at the Cinnamon Grand. They were their for Brunch.

And that look.... that look on his face where you can see how he must have been replaying events, wondering how he survived, but both his parents were gone... you feel it hit you. You feel it hit your soul, the man and women crying outside a church screaming as an ambulance takes their child away to the hospital...their pain hits you and you find yourself wondering how is this real? Or why would anyone do this? Just last night I was reading bedtime stories to my little cousins, and looking forward to going to Colombo and getting lunch with a friend, then going to Dehiwala to go to a prayer and then possibly to visit another friend for Dinner, and then you think how all of those people had similar plans. Maybe they were from another country visiting, or getting breakfast at the hotel after rolling out of bed, or maybe they were excited to go to communion and Easter Mass, looking forward to showing off their new dress that they saved just for Easter Sunday, maybe they had planned that after this, they would go to lunch or to visit someone etc, and now ???????????????? They are gone. They were living their lives and their lives were taken.

Two more bombs went off, and the death toll from casualties is rising.  The government and news media remind people not to spread more misinformation, but wait till all the facts come in. They tell us a curfew has been issued and that everyone should remain in their houses until further notice. They also put in a temporary social media black out to prevent any misinformation/propaganda from spreading.
So I started writing this. this blog post is mostly for me to process my thoughts as I try to understand why someone or some group would do this?

I am now at my Auntie Chuti's house. I am not going out tomorrow. I will be very careful and cautious.  I just keep thinking, of Sri Lanka. Their economy is finally stable. Their Government (for the most part) is FINALLY Stable. The Civil war is over. This is an era of peace, why would anyone want to destroy it? I am worried what this will mean for Sri Lanka's future. I am confused as to the seeming randomness to the locations. I am worried that this happy and beautiful land will loose their hard won economic growth. And most of all I feel heart broken for all the families and people who were killed and injured.

Thus Pray for Sri Lanka, pray for the victims, pray for peace, and love to win out, and Pray they catch those who committed this heinous crime, and at that the guilty parties are brought to justice.

(If there are relief efforts etc that are collecting donations, I will post the links when I get them) I will try to get a vpn, due to the media black out
~Eboni