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Published: September 16th 2008
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Well I know it’s been longer than a week since my last update, but I’m so busy with work and exploring I’ve not got round to it!! Here it is though!!
I’m learning more and more about the Singhalese people. They are so different to English people! They seem so relaxed about everything, it’s very much a Manana culture - I suppose it has to be in hot countries, or are the Brits just uptight??!!
People hardly seem to do any work - and that’s the ones that do have jobs!! When you walk down the street or pass the shops on the bus, people just seem to be sat around on their doorsteps having a good old chin wag!! You can be waiting in the bank for an hour as the person in front is having a good natter and giggle with the cashier about their granny, kids and God knows what else!! You have to be prepared to be flexible and take things slowly - or you’d never survive in Sri Lanka!
Lots of people carry brollys around with them - for the sudden downpours (which are becoming less frequent now monsoon is just about over)
or just to shade from the sun. It’s dead weird at first seeing people carrying brollys around in 30 c weather!!
older Sri Lankan men tend to wear sarongs (called batiks) hardly anyone over 40 wears shorts or trousers, most of the younger generation tend to wear western style clothes, but even Nimal my landlord, who is in his late 20's wears a batik around the house. Some men don’t wear shoes either - I don’t know how they manage to walk on the redo hot tarmac bare foot - it must burn like mad!!
In Sri Lanka, there is no rubbish collection service - so everyone burns their rubbish in the garden!! It hurts my soul!! They burn the lot anything you can think off goes up in smoke!
Last Sunday I went to the Sunday market. It was horrible!! It was really cramped, hot and intense. It stunk horrible and everyone was shouting and its like Ikea, once you’re in you can’t get out until the end!! I hated it; don’t think I’ll be going back! The normal market is fine so I’ll just stick to that thank you very much!!
Last Thursday I went
to Perahara, which is a religious festival. I don’t know the reasoning behind it, but it was good!! There was a big street parade down Galle Road in Hikka town. There were different dancers all in different colorful costumes, bands and fourteen elephants (also dressed up!!) the street was jam-packed with people and it took ages to get home because of all the traffic. Nimal took me in his tuktuk and was driving like a maniac (even more than usual) undertaking people and driving on the pavement! If you can call it a pavement, all they have here is a painted line that separates where people drive, and where people walk - although the majority of drivers disregard this line anyway!!!
This weekend I did my chores on Saturday, I have to hand wash all my clothes as there are no luxuries like washing machines here!! The first week I took my clothes to a laundry service - but they came back stinking worse than when I took them! They just smelt damp and fusty, so ‘I’ll wash them by hand at home from now on!! You have to wait for a hot sunny day, but there are plenty
of those!!
On Sunday I went and did the “tourist thing”!! I went to the temple in Ambalangoda, which is about 20KM form Hikka. The temple is called Sailata Laroma Vihara, and it claims to house the longest reclining Buddha in South Asia - 35M long!! It was very impressive. The temple was beautiful, lots of statues and paintings. The paintings told the story of the Buddha’s life and enlightenment. At both ends of the temple were statues; on one side were statues of the Singhalese King and warriors, at the other the Tamil King and warriors. Both kings were sat on beautifully painted elephants, the detail everywhere was amazing. The temple was high up on a hill with a fantastic view, with steps leading up to it (about 250 steps, but I lost count!)
On the way home from the Vihara I called in the tsunami photo museum, which is really just a shack by the side of the road! In it were lots of photos of the tsunami and aftermath. There were poems, pictures and peoples memories of the tsunami and the people they’d lost. There were also pictures drawn by children whilst they were receiving their
trauma therapy. It was really moving and harrowing. After that I also stopped at the statue of the Buddha created in memory of the tsunami. It’s huge!!
The wildlife here is amazing!! When I am sat in my garden there are chipmunks and lizards running about everywhere. My house is in the middle of the jungle so there are monkeys swinging about everwhere, its ace!! I want one, but Nimal says they are dangerous and i’m not to go near them!! They’re still amazing though, its ace sat on your verandah watching monkeys swinging in the trees!!
The other day as I walked back to the house through the jungle, I felt something on my toes so looked down and there was a huge black snake slithering across my feet!! It was really long!! I jumped a mile high!!! I’m not scared of snakes but it’s a bit un-nerving when you look down and unexpectedly see one on your person!! Why did it choose that exact moment to crass the path?! I was only twos seconds from the house so when I got back I told Nimal and he just laughed and said it wasn’t dangerous, just a Rat
Snake (they eat rats!!) at first I though he was saying rattle snake, which nearly made my heart stop!!
Work is good but pretty stressful!! I seem to have assumed (may be wrong word - more like thrust upon me with no choice and very little warning!!) the role of project manager (and site manager, accountant, volunteer manager and English teacher!!), so I have to do a lot of work!! There is still so much to do - the orphanage opens in two weeks and there are still contractors to finish off, things to purchase and various other things. I can chase up contractors all day long - it’s up to them if they want to do any work!! And most of the time they don’t!! If they do turn up at all it’s for about an hour then they disappear!! Like I said earlier in the blog - Manana culture!! And there’s obviously the language barrier to contend with, plus the cultural differences (very much a woman in a man’s world over her in SL!) i’m sure everything will work out fine and the day before the kids go in it will be all good, and we’ll sit
and think “what were we so worried about?” but at the minute its all systems go and panic stations everyday!!
Its light relief when I go over to the pre-school where I also help out and get to play with the kids, or teach them nursery rhymes (they learnt incy wincy spider last week, they like that one!!)
When the children finish school it’s always the same routine, they say in unison “good afternoon teacher, thank you teacher” then come over and bow at your feet!! They get on their knees and put their hands together like their praying to your feet. It’s a respect thing! It was a bit unnerving at first but now i'm used t o it!! Still, can’t imagine kids in Britain doing that!!!
There’s so much more to write but I’ll save it for next time, besides I want to enjoy my Rum and Coke and watch the monkeys swinging about. Suppose it’s a bit more interesting than Coronation Street!!
PEACE.
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