Im officially Maldivian now!

I have been in the Maldives now for nearly 3 months...and today, i was christened into being Maldivian! :) No i did not elope and get married here...yet :P ...i was mistaken to be the shopkeeper of 3D-mart, the sundry store near my office. So now that im officially maldivian, let me begin my story...

I had ordered some cutlery from the storekeeper a couple of days ago, for Rajesh, a nepalese who makes excellent cha...and had gone to collect it. While the storekeeper ran home to check if my cutlery had arrived, i stayed on in the store alone, with Aashu, my trainee. Suddenly in comes this maldivian guy, and talks in dhivehi to me. I figured he must be asking for a phone card, cos when i gave him a blank look, he repeated himself and said phone-dunno-what and continued to look intently at me. I indicated im not the storekeeper, and yet, this maldivian guy goes on to ask me in dhivehi, where the storekeeper went. God knows what i answered him, but he seemed to understand and waited quietly till the storekeeper came back. :) Aashu my young, energetic maldivian trainee aged 18 yrs, burst out laughing the minute we got out of the store...her grand conclusion; i should marry a maldivian, and settle down here, since i already blend in well with the local community! hahaha...

OK, since i have begun my story, let me go on to tell you a little bit more about the Maldives. Maldives or known as "Mal Divpa" in sanskrit, means a thousand garlands. There are about 1190 islands formed on Atolls, that are spread out all over the Maldives. The Atolls in Maldives are made of coral reefs that grew from submerged volcanic ridges. Each atoll has several islands, some reaching upto 30 islands. Addu Atoll, which is the atoll im living at, has got 9 islands: - Villingili, Gan, Feydhoo, Maradhoo-Feydhoo, Maradhoo, Hithadhoo, Hulhudoo, Meedhoo, Hulhu-Meedhoo. I live on Gan island, and currently work on Feydhoo island. The first 5 islands i mentioned, are linked with a coastal road, so i usually walk around, or bike around.
The Maldivian lifestyle down south in Addu is very laidback. Simple people with simple minds and simple living...no aires whatsoever! Thats what i like about this place. Maldivians look like indians, but have Melanesian features with Austronesian hair. Dhivehi, the language they speak, is spoken fast and is not romanised. The writing, looks like a jawi. The whole of Maldives, is an Islamic Republic, and this religion is practised rather staunchly. Resort's need a licence to run bars, and alcohol is not available anywhere else. Free time here is spent spear fishing or chewing 'paan', betel nut :) a hobby i have taken to, when i hang with the guys...

Since life is so very laidback in Addu, Maldivians, and majority of my colleagues spend the weekends drinking, sun tanning and getting laid...some of us on the other hand, chit chat the night away, play board games and go snorkelling...