Travelling to Jaffna: Bus Eke
I was reading a blog post I came across, about discrimination against Tamils at the Omanthai check point . It reminded me of my own experience travelling to Jaffna on the bus. I was asleep. Woken up as the bus slowed down. I have an NIC card. I don't know what I look like. Or sound like. Especially around 2am, groggy and tired. I get down from the bus and people are asked to go through the check point. A farce of a check really, just carry your stuff and go through the line up. Like a military ruling state, which is, I remind myself, what we are. How sheltered we live in our little bubbles. How it must feel like to actually be a Tamil speaking person, and be looked upon suspiciously. I was sleepy. I am walking through the line. Three women, huddled together. In Army uniform. I hand over my id. They open my hand bag and start looking inside. They look over my id. Ask me a question. I forget what it was. I believe, something to the effect of "ah oya sinhalada" an...