My Rented House in Srilanka: It’s A Dreamy Place to Live
I am Sabirah Islam, a Content Strategist in weDevs and mother of twin kids. I have a story to tell about my rented house in Sri Lanka.
In October 2019, my husband came to Sri Lanka for a job. We set a plan to join him in mid-2020. Things were going perfectly till 19 March 2020. We were planning to see beautiful Sri Lanka together.
Suddenly the monster COVID-19 was stuck everywhere in the world. All the countries called for a massive lockdown. At this point, the dream had started to fade its color.
For Sri Lanka, it was a severe shock. Almost everything had been closed from 20 March 2020 till the next 52 days. They open themselves to the world with a COVID negative test result and complete vaccination certificate on 28 September 2021.
Starting My Journey In Srilanka
However, I came to Sri Lanka on 27 September 2021. According to the regulations, I stay a day in a Level 1 Certified Hotel.
We had to go through an on-arrival COVID-19 test and got a negative result the next day. From this point, my house memory started. My husband has hired a house in Gampaha.
We all were very excited because we had seen each other after two years. My kids were very joyful to see their father because they only saw him over the video call while they started understanding about father.
We traveled together with another family of my husband’s colleagues. They are also similarly emotional. We traveled from Negombo about 30 kilometers to reach my house near Kotadeniyawa.
Our New Rented House in Sri Lanka
At first look, it amazed me. It is a duplex building constructed in European style on around fifty parches of land surrounded by many coconut trees. It is rare in Dhaka City, Bangladesh, where we live. Dhaka city is full of high-raised buildings. The house itself is approximately 4500 sqft.
Both ground and top floors have two bedrooms and long balconies. Each floor has a separate washroom.
There is a dining space and kitchen while two drawing spaces on both floors. There are energy-saving lights all over the house.
The house is a semi-furnished one. The best part is the kitchen. It is furnished with wall-mounted cabinets for keeping necessary items for cooking. We can easily keep sharp objects out of reach of our kids.
Inside the house fence, there are two sets of sitting arrangements. It seems like I am staying in a farmhouse where there are various fruit and flower trees. Two mango trees shed three benches and a tea table made of stone. The main road is 30 feet away from my house gate.
There is a stair made of wood inside the house. My kids enjoy riding in their way. It is different from what people can imagine.
We stay upstairs. We used to see the view of the main road, coconut garden, and a playground opposite that road from the bedroom. A golden shower tree (Cassia fistula) always gives a perfect appearance in the season. We also have a few other fruits like Pomegranate and a local fruit tree in the frontside garden.
Our House Was Surrounded By So Many Trees
However, it is not the end. The backyard is also amazingly full of fruit and flower trees. There are Papaya and Sri Lankan Orange trees. Behind the kitchen, I see a big Night-flowering Jasmine tree which reminds me of the Bangladeshi Autumn. I wish hundred times to collect jasmine in the morning in Bangladesh but rarely get an opportunity. God is kind to fulfill my which here in Sri Lanka.
Just after the first rainy season of the year, you can see a good number of Cheery scattered blooms in Sri Lanka. I can see a row of around 20 Sri Lankan cheery flowers from the other room balcony upstairs.
I have used one room on the ground floor as my office room as I am in a remote job from weDevs. The other room is for my kids’ playroom while they prefer to play outdoors.
We Arranged So Many Parties Inside Our House Premises
There was space for a BBQ party. We have never missed a chance to enjoy the company of a few other families on our weekends. The BBQ space is on the front side. The space is for car parking in the original.
Outside the kitchen, there is a concrete slab floor. We have used the space for cooking with wood in a traditional clay pot. We only listen to these stories from our parents. Making fire with wood is not very easy. We learned how to make a fire with wood and cooked many times. However, we rely on electricity for cooking our meals.
The toilets contain an English commode with other necessary arrangements. Although these areas have two dry and rainy seasons (no winter), we get a geyser in the bathroom on the ground floor.
Poya day (full moon) is a holiday in Sri Lanka. We have always tried to enjoy the full moon late at night from my balcony. It makes the world heavenly.
House Rent in Srilanka Is Surprisingly Cheap
You could be shocked by listening to the price of a house in Sri Lanka. At around $115 for a month. Here the system is to give a three months advance payment to the house owner after signing an agreement.
The secret thing about house owners in urban areas is that they are not English speaking. Instead, you can find few who can speak Arabic. However, they are very kind and gentlemanly.
My house owner allowed us to take whatever wish from the nearby garden. For those, even we do not need to pay. Many fruit trees include jackfruit, banana tree, wood apple, mango, coconut, etc.
The house makes my Sri Lanka stay time more enjoyable.
Learn more about me here: Autobiography of SABIRAH ISLAM.