Land of the lost stars!!

OK. So I told you that I was kind’a busy these days. Well, I was given the chance to participate in the student’s parliament. It was designed to show the public an outline of the actual parliament, what it does and how the system works. Students from all over Maldives were invited and they are now actively participating in this legislative body. It’s great to have won such an opportunity and have friends from each corner of the Maldives.

The purpose of our model parliament is to pass an agreement saying that there should be a law protecting the rights of disabled people. According to the topic we were given loads of information and got the privilege to meet the disabled children of Giyaasuddin and Jamaaluddin School. I really enjoyed the trip.

But the real treat was today. We went to ‘kaafu’ atoll Guraidhoo. It was one hell of an experience. I mean for once I realized Maldivian people had talent!!

This morning, we set out on a launch, a huge one, which was very smelly inside. I felt a little vomitish, but the feeling passed away as we were given some fruits to pack as presents for the ‘talented people’ we were going to meet. So we reached the place within one hour’s time and the first sight was the lineup of the people to welcome us.

Once we hit earth, we were escorted to the asylum. The first sight I got wasn’t pretty. What I saw freaked me out. I mean I didn’t act dramatic and faint, but my insides squirmed. Some people were staring out of the fence hanging on it with dead eyes, looked like more of a prison to me. Creepy!! We went inside, got seated in the respective chairs as we were served the refreshing ‘kurunbaa fani’.

Then came the main part where we had to hand out the gifts. OK, this was the really scary part. As we started to take out the presents, they started rounding up the people with talents. ( hey, am not teasing them, they really have got talent!! ). I couldn’t stand up from my seat. My legs felt like spaghetti. They assembled them on both side of the road we were sitting in. I started to day dream. I saw them release the people and they start to run towards me and I start screaming “BAAAGOOOO” and start running. Imagine that!! Whew! What a day dream!!!

My dearest friend and partner from CHSE, Shamath was scared too. But she was coping with it quiet fine. So I stood up, grabbed a present and walked towards them. They just stared at the approaching people. I mean their facial expression, it was empty. But when I reached them it was easy to shake hands with them and give the presents. Next we were divided into groups and with a guide, sent to take a tour of the place and give some more presents.

I noticed one thing in the first ward I visited. Some people had no heart!! This ward was specialized for people with no relatives or family to take care of them. Only men stayed in that place. Some people had dumped them there for eternity. Imagine the pain in their heart, I mean, some of them were fathers who had kids, raised them with high hopes and this is how the kids repay them. We gave the small gift packs to all the residents there. Some of them we met were very old.

Coming down from that building we headed towards the women’s ward. This is where I met Michael Scofield from prison break. But he was a bit different from the guy we see on TV. This guy was standing there and the guide asked us to ask the guy to play us some music. So we did. To my utter amazement, the guy was a pro at beat boxing!!! He could play any tune. We asked him to teach us and he said it was a natural talent he had. We asked him how he could do it and he said he swallowed a drum set when he was young!! The guide said he was one of the people who they had to lock up in a small cell. He said the guy had a temper and would go crazy sometimes if he didn’t meet his demands. He also told us that Scofield broke out twice, jumped over the fence and ran for it!! I also saw a man, looked extremely normal to me. He was just standing under a coconut palm like a soldier in at-ease. I remember him as Statue of Maldives as I noticed that he always remained on the same spot. If he even moved slightly, he would search for the spot on the ground and place his feet there again and just stare and stare!!

Our guide took us to the newly build mosque. It was nice and then we saw the women. They were sitting quietly. We headed their way. The first one we met was aged. She sounded very normal. The way she talked you would have had no idea that she had mental issues. We asked her what her name was and she told us her name. ( I don’t remember specifically what she said…A Hawwa I think. Not sure). After a while she asked us her name!! She suddenly forgot her name and the guide told us she had a bad case of memory. Poor thing.

Suddenly, from out of no where, came Alizee. She said she was from Hithadhoo. She was a nice old lady and offered to sing a song for us. She sang ‘La Isla Bonita’ for us with her own lyrics followed by ‘buffalo soldier’ and another couple of Hindi and Dhivehi songs. She was good!! That started a competition between the women, they danced and sang. Some of our crew even joined them in dancing as we clapped.

We saw the library and old photos of the place. Then we had an information session followed by tea, continued the session followed by more tea. A volley match was organized and some of us were played with the folks there. That’s when Hanan miss thought of buying a phone card. I gave an idea to head out of the place to go sight seeing. Unlike most teachers, she agreed, got permission and we went out in a group of five; Hanan miss, a friend of her from the ministry, myself, Shamath and Yameen from ‘alif alif’ Rasdhoo. We spent about half an hour walking around, shot a couple of photos and headed back to the asylum.

The ending was planned with a show by the folk there. They had a band. The beat boxer beat boxed and the solo singers performed great songs. A memorable event…Shame it ended so quickly. I came down alone and on the doorstep, met the only person with a naughty mind there. He extended his hand and I took it. The problem was, he didn’t release it. I asked him how he was and hatched a conversation. I’m guessing he was an austic patient as he resembled the likeliness to one. After a while I asked him whether he was feeling happy here. He said he was extremely happy today because of all the ‘reethi manje thah’ that came to visit him. I was saved by another student who came by.

After a while, we headed back to Male’ in the same smelly launch. But this time, I was on the upper deck of the launch, in the open air…The cool breeze…And now I look so dark that if you see me on a dark road, you’ll see a body with two eyes and 32 teeth smiling at you, the face dissolved in the dark!!!