Several times I’ve picked up my pen, yet I find myself at a loss for words. Reflecting on my time in a South Asian island nation during the summer right after returning from an internship seems beyond my current expressive capacity. I know that to truly contemplate or succinctly summarize this experience, one needs to extend the timeline—perhaps it will only be a few years later, looking back at this summer in Sri Lanka, that I will discover its true beauty and unforgettable nature. Someone once said that memories become more beautiful when they start to blur, although I can’t remember who.

Every day on my commute to and from work, I traversed the roads of Colombo 03 in a tuk-tuk, feeling the sea breeze and witnessing the dance of light and shadow play on my mood. Or perhaps it was the sudden changes in weather—brief bouts of rain and sunshine—that brought the joy of seeking shelter. I’d casually step into roadside shops, beginning to browse around or engage in conversations. Maybe it was the time my friends and I were on the southwestern coast in Galle, coinciding with a Buddhist festival holiday, searching everywhere for a restaurant to buy alcohol, only to realize belatedly that alcohol sales were forbidden during the festival (Akhila had forgotten about this, haha). We walked on the seaside embankment, surrounded by darkness, with only flickering firelight and the beams from a lighthouse. My friends and I, laughing and chatting, walked from end to end, drinking Coke by the seaside fortress, watching the full moon play hide and seek behind drifting clouds in the sea breeze. I can no longer fully recapture my feelings from that time—the sea breeze, carrying the salty scent of the Indian Ocean that had journeyed thousands of miles, filled my senses entirely. We watched as distant dark clouds slowly approached, until they hovered directly above us, forcing us to hurriedly seek shelter under a tree.

Most of these beautiful memories were woven together with friends, with the resplendent sunset tinting the entire afternoon with a rosy glow.

Originally, I intended to use the phrase “wrap up” as the theme of this article, but it appears that these memories and experiences, like clouds, wind, and flowing water, cannot be completely summarized. I can only slowly, like brewing a fine cup of tea, write them down.