Blogs from North Western Province, Sri Lanka, Asia
A fisherman’s village in Sri Lanka
Published: June 10th 2011Asia » Sri Lanka » North Western Province » Yapahuwa
March 11th 2011
We had left Jaffna that morning to arrive at the west shores of Sri Lanka. Mannar, is an Island that protrudes towards India on the west shores. It suffered much during the war as its western most point was the point at which the Tigers had all links to India. The clash between the Tigers and the State towards the latter end of the war brought Manar a bloody ending. One evening Kingsley & I decided to take the jeep and discover certain parts of this Island. He casually chose a narrow lane downtown and asked me to drive towards the seaside. Not knowing where we were heading we continued for some time enjoying the scenery of village life and the sand dunes which indicated to us that we were now approaching the sea. It was ... read more
Finally becoming real...
Published: October 15th 2010Asia » Sri Lanka » North Western Province » Kurunegala
October 15th 2010
So on Tuesday i paid off £50 of my project and paid another £100 yesterday. Which leaves me £691.12 left to pay and approx £500 for flights and spending money on top of that so still a lot of hard work to put in yet. It is finally seeming real now and I keep reminding myself every day at work that this time next year I will be IN Sri Lanka which is so exciting!! Thanks for reading my blog guys and I would love it if you could all click on the subscibe button so you receive updates every time I post on here. Cheers Gemma... read more
October 9th 2010
Hey Guys, This is my first blog entry so i thought i would use this as a background info source for those of you who don't know what i am doing. Next September 4th I will be heading out to Sri Lanka for 2 months to teach English in local schools and orphanages. At the moment I am currently trying to fundraise all i can to help pay for the trip, as the project alone is costing me £1099 plus flights, visas, travel in-country, and food costs all to add on. So overall i need to be raising approx £2500. I will be staying in a communtity centre called Sputnik International in Kurunegala with Mr. Eshantha and his family. If anyone wishes to sponsor me, please do get in touch with me either by email: Gemma.Porter@live.co.uk ... read more
January - holiday and elections
Published: February 25th 2010Asia » Sri Lanka » North Western Province » Kurunegala
February 25th 2010
January was a month of visitors from England, and we took advantage of this to travel and have something of a holiday. Sri Lanka does have at least 10 UNESCO World Heritage sites and some wonderful coastline, rainforests, mountains and green tropical beauty. A visit to Pinnewela is always a must!! Following the cessation of hostilities, the tourist travel industry is picking up a little. This is of course good for the economy of the country, but there is always the fear of over-development and loss of a more natural unspoilt beauty. Sri Lanka does have firm ecological principles and policies, which are adhered to for the most part. Thank goodness! With my daughter, we travelled south to Galle, a Dutch based town with fort and walls - just missing the Galle Literary Festival. The coastline ... read more
February 25th 2010
Next - well, some replies to the last blog indicated that there is an interest in the work that has been going on - as well as the holidays! So, here goes. Most of the focus for my work here for the Diocese has been in the area of Religious Education , or rather Christian education/Christian nurture. Having travelled alongside the Global Citizenship programmes as well as Church linking programmes up until this year, this new focus has been both narrowing and insightful. Christianity here is a minority faith - Sri Lanka is 70% Buddhist, 17% Hindu, 8% Muslim and 8% Christian - so this is Christianity in a post-colonial,south Asian context of pluralism and multiculturalism - a Christianity which lives in the context of religious plurality, multiscriptures and also in the context of poverty, struggle ... read more
December 24th 2009
Christmas Eve! We hear that in some parts of England the temperatures are well below freezing. Here it is a little different. However, even in the tropical climate there are Christmas trees with flashing lights, Santa hats - and wonderful Christmas cribs. November saw the close of the four month programme during which time, I was able to visit many churches and parishes in the Kurunegala Diocese. This has been a truly amazing time, both challenging and fruitful - and culminating in the opening of the Kurunegala Diocese Religious Education Resource Centre in the Bishop Lakshman Wickremesinghe Centre in the Cathedral Compound. This will provide a useful base for future work. November also saw the ordinations of three deacons to the priesthood and two layworkers to the diaconate. The service took place at Trinity College Chapel ... read more
November 24th 2009
It has been a long while since the previous entry. Looking at these, I realised that I have not set the background to this year very clearly. Maybe it is time to do that now, and in the subsequent two or three blogs. this information comes from the Diocese: "The Diocese of Kurunagala covers the Provinces of Central, North Western, North Central and the Sabaragamuwa and is composed of the Administrative Districts of Kandy, Kurunagala, Matale, Kegalle, Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa. Six out of the ten ancient kingdoms of the history of Sri Lanka are within this geographical area. Further, a good portion of the Kandyan Kingdom which was the final kingdom of Sri Lanka comes within this area. It is significant to note that the first capital which is Anuradhapura and the last capital which is ... read more
October 2nd 2009
The Hill Country is the name given to the central part of the Diocese, which are part of the agricultural areas of Sri Lanka. The main agricultural areas can be divided into two main sections. Firstly, the paddy and other crops cultivation rural areas and secondly the tea plantation areas introduced by the British Empire in the 19th century. The tea plantations are in the Hill Country - areas of breathtaking beauty where many live well below the poverty line. In the tea plantation areas many of the workers live in educational and economic poverty. My journey from Kurunagala to Nawalpitya and then to Pussillawa took two buses, from Kurunagala to Kandy and then onto my destinations. Travelling by bus is exhilerating in some ways, as the buses are usually crowded so you get to see ... read more
September 14th 2009
Hello all; This month I have been continuing my programme of visiting various villages and parishes at the weekends, meeting with Church Councils and Chidren's Workers to discuss their work and their problems. I'm still hoping to get the new Resource Centre settled in a room at the Bishop Lakshman Wickremesinge Conference Centre, although all such projects move very slowly here. During the first week of September, I took part in a VBS for children and young people north of Kurunagala in the Anuradhapura area. We stayed at Talawa, which is one of the four Children's Homes managed by the Church in this area. This a home for girls from poor backgrounds, where the family is unable to support the child. While there, I was able to visit some of sites of the ancient kingdoms. Anuraradhapura ... read more
August 17th 2009
From my not-work diary: August is the month of the spectacular two-week Esaka Kandy Perehera. As the country is now officially at peace, the historic city of Kandy was lit up with the fire crackers and lights of the religious and cultural festival of the Esala Perehra, complete with Kandyian dancing, majestic tuskers and the golden casket bearing the Sacred Tooth relic of the Buddha. The ceremonies include some rites such as the Cutting of the Waters, and echoes of rain storms - all appropriate at this time of the second rice harvest. A young jak tree is planted in each of the four Devales (Temples) dedicated to the four guardian gods:Natha, Vishnu, Kataragama, and the goddess of Pattini. Whatever the story, the final night is a great social occasion. Onlookers line the streets from 10am ... read more
