19.0 It Is Pathetic To Stay Away From Home. Written By A Weeping Heart.

As I wrote a few stories about the boarding house in the last post, I decided to write about my boarding house in this blog post. As there are many things to write, I decided to write two posts.

I went to another school for advanced levels and, there was about 20 km from the school to home. Those days most of the weekdays I had evening tuition classes, and my parents decided to board me in a place that is near to the school. My father's friend found out that place and, it was an ancient house called 'Walawwa.

The owner of the boarding house was an Aunty. Her husband passed away and, all of her children were out of the country except for one daughter. That is why she started boarding at her house. By then I was 17 years old. She was the strictest woman I met during that time period besides Principal madam in our school. However, we grew up well by adhering with her own and strict rules though it was a tough time. Always we had to follow up on the right thing and, there was no small space for any kind of fault. 

Sometimes it was a big headache for us to adhere to her own rules in mid of the exam pressure. Though it's a big home, later on, she sold some spaces to shops and a medical dispensary. As her children lived in some other countries, they also do not need that home. Because of those reasons, she kept a reasonable space for her. However, still, it was a big house and, we could imagine how big a house it was. Those days she taught English at home and, there were a few evening classes. She did more work than her age, and she was a strong, courageous woman.

This was the first time where I lived out of the home and, my family members. On that day, my parents and sister came to drop me to the boarding place. They arranged everything for me and, spent a few hours at boarding place with me. I wanted to cry when they were leaving and, it was a terrible moment for me. 

I felt like I lost them. I felt like something has stuck in my throat. Therefore, I did not talk to them much when they were leaving. When they dropped me there, my sister laughed and said that she could be the queen at home now. But my mother told me that she cried later. However, she did not show it to me and, hid her tears. We two always maintained our statuses as siblings and, we do not want to show our loving feelings for each other as most of the time, we had fights and arguments. Therefore, I was so glad, once I got to know that she cried because of me. Lol...

So, the first day in the boarding house was a messy day and, I behaved like a robot. There was only one friend and, I did not know others. I took a very little meal for dinner, though others asked me to have more. I slept very early on that day and, my friend laughed a lot by looking at my abnormal behaviors. There was no separate study room, and there were a few tables in the bedroom to do studies as well. 

Therefore, all the lights switched on and, I could not sleep till they switch off the lights. So, it was a terrible day, and I wanted to go back home. There were two rooms for boarding mates. Altogether, there were five boarding mates. At that time three of us studied for advanced levels and, another schoolgirl was younger than us. The other small room used by an elder sister who did a job. After a few months, she left the boarding place and, aunty gave that room for another two schoolgirls who studied in our school. Then there was a gang with six members. 

The main problem I had at the boarding place was the food. I did not have any option, though I did not like to have a given meal. So, earlier I did not eat and, had a small snack like biscuits. However, it was not a good solution as it happened in many days. 

Therefore, gradually I used to have a given meal. At the boarding place, I had many foods that I have not even touched at home. I could say that I had to eat whatever aunty's servant prepared for us. Soya meat was one main curry she cooked for us most of the day. Apart from that, there was potatoes curry which was not suitable for a curry. When she prepared it for lunch, we knew that it's available for dinner as well. So, it was the most unpleasant curry we had at the boarding place. Those days, I stopped eating eggs and fish as well because of the way they have prepared and some other reasons. More information is available in the 'Eggs' post. 

When I was coming to school from home, I had a heavy diet for my breakfast. So, the breakfast I had at the boarding place was not enough for me and, I was hungry within the next two to three hours. We had lunch after school. So, aunty gave the same breakfast for the school interval and, we brought rice or bread with two curries. We brought the remaining food and, most of the time it was not enough for some of us. But we did not say anything because it has fallen under the additional food category. Lol... However, it was not a big problem as we have shared food with other friends at school. Those days each of us did not eat food separately and, we ate one lunch packet at a time. 

As my one was not qualified for this process, my friends put my rice and curries on top of the other's lunch packet. So, my parents sent lunch for me for a few days by a sister who was coming by a school van. It was a big lunch packet and, they did not forget to put chocolate or toffees as the dessert. My friends also would love to eat it. However, the food of our boarding place was in good condition when compared to the other boarding places. We did not suffer from stomach aches because of food. Therefore, most of them accepted that our aunty treated us well. On the other side, others respected her a lot because of her decent behaviors. 

In addition to eating and drinking, the other problem was using the bathroom. Always there was a queue to go to the bathroom every morning as there were about eight people in the boarding house. We could not stay for more than ten minutes as someone was there to yell and ask to come. 

I took time more than the others, though I went to wash my face even. Therefore, others asked me to go to the washroom at the earliest or last. I decided to go at last and, it avoids getting up early in the morning. However, still, I could not do my job peacefully by taking the time I want, as aunty wanted to use the bathroom once all of us finished. So, most of the day I had to hear her bathroom song. 

Therefore, it was a tension to use the bathroom in the morning. It was a bonus tension for me with exam pressure. Apart from that issue, we had to follow up bathroom rules given by aunty. As the main rule, she asked us not to use the commode seat. However, it was the rule that I broke up as well. I could not sit without a commode seat as it brings pain in my back. That bathroom was attached to the aunty's room. So, we had to reduce whatever sounds as much as possible when she was sleeping. However, her bathroom rules violated human rights. Lol...

Aunty did not like to lash the walls. The mosquito net was also hung on the roof. One day, the hook used to hang my mosquito net broke, and then we had to use a nail. After that, we painted that black nail and hole in the wall using white glue as wall paint also white. According to her another rule, we had to switch on a few lights when studying at night. 

We switched on the light in the dining area when we were going to the bathroom as we had to go through that area. So, that area lightened as daylight for a few minutes. If aunty woke up at that time, she thought that we switched on all the lights for the whole night. Though all of us explained it, she did not believe us. Later on, we brought a torch as a solution. However, we could stay mid of all those rules as all of us lived there like siblings. Therefore, we did not care much about the unwanted rules she brought up for us. 

The very first days at the boarding place were very uncomfortable for me. Eating, bathing, sleeping, studying and everything was a big mess for me. My behaviors were like an alien for a couple of weeks. It sorted out once others were friendly with me. The other problem was doing my work by myself. 

At home, my parents supported me. But here, I had to manage my work. It also sorted out later gradually. Those days I did not wash my clothes at boarding place and, brought them home every weekend. The clothes washed at home and, took back to boarding every Monday. It was my procedure. Some days I did not wash my school shoes because of the workload I had to manage by myself. One day a boy gave me an unpleasant look by looking at my dirty shoes when I was returning to the boarding place after evening classes. It was a big shame for me and, after that, I washed my shoes regularly. Before that, I did not much care even though a few of them advised me at school. But that boy's reaction was a shame for me.

We used aunty's land phone and, took some phone calls without her permission. That was the only unwanted thing we did and, at that time we behaved like thieves. Aunty got to know about our phone calls and, she asked us not to take calls from her phone when she was not at home. That was one main advice she gave when going out among the many bits of advice. When Auntie goes on a long journey, it's her custom to remind everyone about the rules and procedures. We loved such days as we could have meals from a nearby restaurant.

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15.0 I Hate Egg Smell And Love Chick... How About You?

Once I start writing this topic also, I can feel the smell of eggs because I have some stories about eggs. I did not like eggs since childhood. I dropped an egg on the floor and, it was the very first incident that comes to my mind and, on that day my mother punished me as I did that intentionally. I cannot remember that for what reason I did that silly thing.

I think that I did not like eggs because of their smell. That smell could make unpleasantness about eggs. Therefore, I did not eat boiled eggs since childhood and, used to eat egg omelets because it's a bit spicy. But to eat it, the egg omelet should have a pleasant look and, I did not eat if it was a melted one. So, I did not have the willingness to eat eggs because of these main reasons. 

Those days I didn't prefer to have my supper with anyone who eats eggs with their meals. But I couldn't keep away from this circumstance when I was working in an office. Later on, I could bear up this smell and, had my meal without sharing with none veggie-lover companions.

Recently, I used not to contemplate whatever could make an appalling feeling after listening for a 'Lord Buddha's Dhamma' preached by 'Ven Thiththagalle Ananda' Thero. If you learn how to look at life in that manner, you will receive great comfort. 

However, still, it is a bit difficult to bear up the smell of eggs once somebody is eating eggs. But, now I can transform these sentiments or thoughts into reality as per that preach. My religion is Buddhist. So, that is the reason I included these points. I felt these feelings firmly. I believe you can bear up to these things without having an awful view if you are not Buddhist. However, it will be helpful for a person to learn about Buddhism.

Then the next incidents about eggs happened during the schooling days. In those days, my mother arranged eggs as different meals for us and, forced me to eat. Therefore, the only thing she did not do was hitting me and, she put her maximum effort to give it to me by blaming and warning. There was no excuse and, I had to have it finally. The worst thing she did was preparing eggs in different ways. In any case, I didn't care for it at any rate. Some days she prepared half-boiled eggs with salt and pepper and, asked me to drink saying that it's very nutritious.  That blend was exceptionally terrible for me and, I saw it like a snail.  I attempted a great deal to dismiss it and, cried. But it did not work. Her other method was egg coffee and, she used to prepare a milk coffee with a half-boiled egg. She believed that the coffee drink was all the more dominant with that egg. I never enjoyed that thick coffee. But I had to have it on school days. It was an essential drink if I have evening classes after school. Therefore, most of those days I cried and, went to school. Once I returned home, they were kidding me saying that I have a delicate and, charming look because of that drink I had in the morning. Those days that egg coffee could make me angry.

So, time went fast by eating and drinking eggs. When I was doing advance level exams, I had to stay in a boarding house near to the school. That was the place where I had to eat all the given foods, and those most of the foods I did not have at home. 

Those foods were not on my list at home. But here, I could not stay away from them as I didn't have any sustenance decisions like home. There was a separate maid to prepare meals for us and, I did not like the manner in which the housemaid had dealt with the eggs. As per the instructions she received, she used to cut one egg into a couple of pieces and provided for us. In this way, we didn't have a chance to have one egg at any given moment. However, it was not a problem for me as I was not an egg lover. Egg omelet was also not tasty and, its look was not pleasant for me to eat. Therefore, there were many reasons for me to reject eggs those days and, the ways they have prepared eggs was the main reason.

One day once I came home, my mother planned to prepare a dessert called "Watalappan. As you most likely are aware, that sustenance gets ready with more eggs. So, she asked me to break some eggs and put them into a jar. Then I saw one egg with a redded yolk and, it was somewhat not quite the same as the other eggs. I have never seen such an egg before. I just thought that a little chicken was conceiving in that egg. So, I quickly went and told my mother. She asked me to throw that egg away. Then I said that I cannot break any more eggs as there can be little chicks in those eggs. My mother continued the "Watalappan dessert and, I left. After that, I did not eat "Watalappan and, before that, it was my favorite dish. So, after that, I thought I would completely stop eating eggs. 

So, once I went back to the boarding house, I told aunty not to make eggs for me. She also did not like my decision as my parents and pointed out certain advantages of this food. She pointed out that I wanted to have good food in the exam days. However, I did not have the power to eat eggs again. At that time I already stopped eating chicken as well and, therefore it was not a hard decision for me. A few years before, I saw that one person was killing them for meat and, it was the reason behind me to stop eating chicken. So, before avoiding egg, that aunty used to kidding me saying that I was only angry with chick kids. Even though it was a joke of her I used to think about it seriously and, meantime this incident also happened. 

So, many tried to give eggs to me to eat. In the boarding house, there was a maid and, she was like our granny. She said that skin would be increasingly delightful if I can have eggs again.  

However, I could not eat eggs again. After a couple of months, I felt great relief to my mind, even though there were many reasons like exam pressure for me to stress out. I thought I got that benefit to my soul because of this decision. But I did not stop eating some foods like biscuits, ice cream, and pastries which made using eggs though I stopped eating cooked eggs. However, I stopped eating "Watalappan. So, some people are kidding about it. As well as I did not break an egg again. Now, most of them considered an egg as vegetarian food.  There is no involvement with the male one and, it's just an egg of the hen according to the view. However, I could not settle my mind to break an egg again. I generally had uncertainty about whether there was a chick or not.

Sometimes, this practice bothered others who eat non-vegetarian foods when I went outing with them. Because when I pick my meals, they needed to sit tight for quite a while. Sometimes, we had to order again and, it made them crazy. So, at that time I had to listen for many speeches that depict the benefits of been none veg. But I did not contend and made them crazier as they were waiting because of me. One day I had to suffer from a stomachache because of eggs. That day I had to drink water from a cup used by a person who ate eggs. At that time, when I was drinking water, I felt the smell of eggs and, then I washed the cup as I could not select another one because of the crowded situation. So, on the next whole day, I was in the bathroom like a dummy.

There is another fun memory of an egg when it comes to working. That organization gave lunch for us and, we had to pay for a little from our compensation. 

The vendor was a reputed firm and, most of them trusted their food. So many people did not bring lunch from home. One boy also bought his lunch and, there was an omelet on his plate. At that time, I was sitting at a table and, waited for more friends to join us for lunch. We saw that boy was coming and, suddenly that omelet went away because of the fan. It made us laugh and, we could not stop our laugh though we did not do it intentionally. But it was a big disgrace to that boy as some others also laughed. As well as, we could identify the quality of that omelet. 

One day one of my cousins made some arrangements for my birthday at their home. Those days I was staying there to go to work. A few cousins also joined with us and, it was a joyful day for us. So, she prepared meals for the people who were coming to the birthday party. She was preparing some food items with fried eggs. Once we went to the kitchen, we saw that she was wiping a boiled egg using a piece of cloth.  On the other days, we used to wipe cleaned hands using that cloth. So, now others did not want to eat eggs on that day and, all refused to eat because of this reason. However, they had to eat as she threatened them and, it was fun for us.




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