Home hits Flood
My Home is going through a severe and most difficult time after years.
The situation shatters my peace, happiness, and slowly my life. It hits harder when you are not at home.
Every time I check my phone, it’s such a pain.
My screen is full of messages, photos, and videos from Sri Lanka…
Flooded roads. Overflowing rivers. Families are being evacuated. Homes underwater.
And suddenly, even though I was thousands of kilometers away, the real storm was right inside me.
Being a Sri Lankan living abroad is strange during times like this.
You live your daily life in another country — the trains run on time, the streets stay clean, the alerts are clear, and the systems work. But your heart… it never really leaves home.
As I stared at those flood updates, I felt something I think only expatriates fully understand —
the heavy helplessness of watching your country suffer while you can’t do anything with your own hands.
I messaged my family again and again:
“Are you safe?”
“Please don’t go outside.”
“Keep your phone charged.”
Sometimes they reply instantly.
Sometimes they don’t — and those minutes feel like hours. It is a real pain.
Japan has taught me so much about disaster management — the warnings, the preparation, the calmness, the community support. But even with that knowledge, I can’t stop the worry. I can’t stop the ache in my chest when I see my homeland battling storms that don’t seem to end.
Every Sri Lankan abroad knows this feeling:
The guilt of being in a safe place while your people face danger.
The invisible weight of distance. These situations hit us so hard.
The emotional split between two homes.
Today, as I walked to the convenience store, everything looked normal. People carried umbrellas. Children splashed in puddles. Life went on with a gentle rhythm.
But inside, I feel like a lifeless, a true feeling with lots of aches and pains.
When your heart belongs to a place, distance doesn’t matter. Hope that no one can uproot the roots of one’s origin easily, as it is very attached to our flesh and bones.
Even though the pain haunted every time, so does the strength.
I know Sri Lanka is strong.
I know our people have survived 30 years of civil war, tsunamis, Covid, Easter Attack, before, but with community, courage, and unbreakable spirit, we built again.
And from here in Japan, all I can do is:
- check on my family
- spread awareness
- send what support I can
- and hold my country close in my thoughts
If you’re a Sri Lankan abroad feeling this same ache, know this:
You’re not alone. Our hearts and thoughts are always with you, Sri Lanka.
We worry together, hope together, and stand together, no matter where we are.
And to everyone around the world reading this,
Please keep Sri Lanka in your thoughts.
A small island with a big heart is fighting through the floods once again.
Until the waters recede, I’ll keep checking, praying, and loving my country from afar.
Because distance can separate bodies, but never hearts.
P.S.- Image credits to all original owners
