UPEI students journey to Sri Lanka

'The farther from home you travel, the more you come to know yourself,' so realized our group -eight UPEI students and three professors- as we made the 13,000 km voyage from our small island province of Prince Edward Island to the small island nation of Sri Lanka in February 2013. Through the University of Prince Edward Island's Department of Fine Arts, our professors Dr. Janos Fedak, Dr. Wimal Rankaduwa, and Dr. Joe Velaidum planned the trip in hopes that it would be an eye-opening experience for their students-a chance for us to see an entirely new facet of the world, and experience firsthand the rich art, religion, and culture of Sri Lanka.

We greeted each day with enthusiasm and combined learning about the history and politics of each city we visited with gaining a personal understanding of the way Sri Lankan culture differed from, and related to our own. Beginning in the capital city of Colombo and making our way by bus from one city, village, mountain, and historical site to the next, we completed an eastward loop of the island. Every site provided elements to inspire, from the serene Buddhist cave temples of Dambulla, to the 200m hike up to the soaring palace complex of Sigiriya; from the vast ruins of the ancient city of Polonnaruwa, to the quiet dignity of the forest sanctuary at Maligawila.

Comparable in size to New Brunswick, the magnitude of Sri Lanka's brilliance is staggering. Each street, regardless of size or placement, bustles with people and bright colours. The smells of incense and spice fill the air, alongside the sounds of conversation and barter, so much like smooth singing in their native tongue of Sinhalese. The country finds exceptional uniqueness in its fusion of religious and cultural expression that has been churning for centuries. The cities blend old tradition and new technology, while the land and the people it boasts are beautiful, welcoming and kind, and always eager to share a cup of tea. Until 1972, the island was called Ceylon; the current title, meaning 'resplendent island,' could not be more suited. Breathtaking peaks and valleys, the dazzling Indian Ocean, and elephants grazing with quiet wisdom along the roadside make for a truly extraordinary setting.

In the course of only 14 days we faced 39 combined hours on airplanes, seven wildly different accommodations, immense amounts of divine cuisine-as spicy as the palate desired-and countless ancient Buddhist, Hindu, and Christian sites. Boarding the plane home, each of us resolved that in one way or another, we would return. Until then, we hold in us a new kind of consciousness and above all, believe 'there is nowhere in the world quite like Sri Lanka.'