A Visit to Western Massachusetts and Mystic Connecticut with Old Friends
The author recounts a journey from Billerica to Western Massachusetts, centering on a reunion with lifelong friends, including a companion named Madhawa, who recently settled down with his wife, Udani, and their young son, Kai.
Celebrations in Billerica and Community Gatherings in Western Massachusetts
The trip began with a celebration honoring a friend’s 30 years of ordination alongside his 60th birthday in Billerica, Massachusetts, after which the travel writer journeyed to Western Massachusetts to stay with Madhawa’s family. The visit provided a rare, extended look into a tight-knit circle that now includes spouses and children. The author, who is partnered with Pedro, noted that despite decades of friendship, the opportunity to spend days with Udani and Kai had never materialized until this recent trip, following prior brief meetings during a Boston birthday in 2022 and a 2023 house move.
Days were marked by immersion in the local Sri Lankan community. Udani prepared traditional foods, including imbul kiribath—milk rice balls with a sweet coconut filling—for breakfast taste-testing. Later, a housewarming and birthday gathering brought together multiple families. Men gathered around the dining table with whiskey, while women congregated in the kitchen and TV room, conversing largely in languages other than English. The author observed how comfortably families blended into their suburban surroundings while maintaining vibrant cultural traditions.
Culinary Discoveries and Day Trips to Mystic, Connecticut
Morning routines sparked lighthearted cultural exchanges over coffee and baking powder biscuits, during which Madhawa expressed a fondness for them, attributing the preference to British colonization, while the author’s partner, Pedro, dislikes them due to his upbringing. Buoyed by the reception, the author baked a batch that was devoured before cooling.
The itinerary soon expanded across state lines to Mystic, Connecticut, located an hour and a half away on the Long Island Sound. Accompanied only by Udani, the author explored the historic coastal town, visiting the Mystic Pizza restaurant made famous by the film starring Julia Roberts. During the walk through town, the author examined the local architecture, stopping to observe a massive bascule bridge. A plaque on the structure notes that it was built in 1922 and is listed with the National Park Service as a Historical Engineering Record, featuring an 85-foot movable span weighing 660 tons, operated by two 40-horsepower electric motors and counterbalanced by 230-ton concrete weights.
Property Improvements and Technological Gifts in Western Massachusetts
Upon returning to Western Massachusetts, the focus shifted to domestic life and home improvement as Madhawa, having lived in apartments, acquired a larger property featuring gardens, a lawn, a patio, a pool, and newly installed front landscaping. Madhawa also showcased his 3D printer, using it to make a custom figurine of Gandalf as a gift.
Reflecting on the journey afterward, the author expressed a wish to have focused instead on personal resilience, grief over the loss of a parent, the nuances of maintaining cross-cultural marriages, and the rapid growth of the next generation.
Hoping to facilitate another reunion, the author is currently eyeing the Oregon Zoo’s Elephant Lands habitat in Portland—a 6.2-acre, $57 million facility known for supporting captive elephant births—as a potential draw to lure the family west, continuing a friendly geographic tug-of-war between the East and West coasts.