2005 was an all-round difficult year. The Asian tsunami happened only 5 days before 2005 started, and Sri Lanka was so deeply affected by the deaths of tens of thousands of people and the decimation of so much of the coastal areas. News of the tsunami permeated our lives. So many survivors were devastated by the loss of their loved ones, and nearly everyone I talked to had lost someone, or many someones, to the tsunami.
A couple of people I knew had lost their entire ancestral village, and with it, every living relative they had.
This post is dedicated to the memories of all who died from the tsunami of 26 December 2004 and to those who lost their loved ones.
These first photos are not my favourite in the sense that they do not bring me joy or happiness or remind me of any good memories. But they are my favourite in the sense that they are important.
This first photograph is of survivors of the Asian tsunami whose homes had washed away. With nowhere to go and no possessions to their name except what they had on them, they ended up in a refugee camp at a Buddhist temple. Such refugee camps were set up along the coastal areas wherever they were needed.
The second photo is of women, also tsunami survivors, are washing their laundry at a communal well, where others will wash dishes and bathe themselves.
The third photo is of the train that was buried under sand at Peraliya where many perished, trapped inside the train.
You know how we have monitor lizards in this country? This one decided to visit the inside of our house… And Fahim had to – very very carefully – chase him back out.
The next day, this one invaded our yard, then climbed the wall – straight up – to get back onto the roof where s/he lives.
Our fake leather couch split along a seam, so of course, instead of having it re-upholstered immediately, Fahim repaired it. Sort of. 
Speaking of lizards that live on our roof, here’s one. On our roof. We lived in a multi-level sort of split house, so this is the lower roof where I could watch the lizards. There were three. 
