Happy Thanksgiving!!!
Well as you can tell by my lack of posts, things are starting to roll. Work has really picked up and most of my life is consumed by it now. But that is ok b/c I like the people I work with. I have been in Madampe now 3-4 days each week. Suresh interpreted last week. It was finishing up our sub-sample group of farmers with a general survey. It was a good week only that on Tuesday night the electricity went out at 4pm and didn’t come on until 6am…YUCK. Sleeping in Sri Lanka without a fan is not easy…even for me who can sleep in very hot conditions (Jill you know this…ha ha). Anyway to pass the time I took pictures and I am posting them along with some others. On Wednesday night the electricity went out on the whole island but only for about 4hours. I made cookies…oh I have a story about that…MOM DON’T READ THIS SECTION!
So I wanted to make some cookies…chocolate chip…the pudding kind…very moist and yummy. I cleaned out my oven in Madampe and checked the underside for rats. (I live in a rural area…rats are inevitable) SERIOUSLY MOM YOU DON’T WANT TO READ THIS! I saw nothing so turned on the oven. After a bit it smelled very bad. I had cleaned the oven, but maybe I had not gotten it all…well. Anyway about 5min after I turned the gas on… out runs a very angry rat. It got out somehow…I have no idea how but it was gone in a flash. And that is the story of the rat I now refer to as Ashy. Anyway, the cookies were a big hit at the Colombo office. Only, no one knew what they were. I still don’t understand how you could possibly not know what a chocolate chip cookie was…I don’t understand…I have done a great service for Sri Lanka by bringing the idea of the chocolate chip cookie here. Maybe that is God’s purpose for me…OR NOT. Also they were a bit too fluffy b/c I don’t have a cup measurer only a gram measure… Yea for CHRISTmas…hint hint. Oh, for those of you disappointed in non-american brown sugar, it is not the same here either. I am starting a petition to make brown sugar america’s national symbol, because it is done so well there. Anyway.
I did not go to the Elephant Orphanage b/c in the end all my friends including me were too busy. Oh well I got some work done. Sort of…I am having a lot of trouble with project planning right now. I don’t know how to do it and that is a problem…people are helping but it is still a little shaky and will be for a while. Like the start of any new job.
This week we are getting into more meat and potatoes stuff with Koul Wewa. Yeah…and they like me!!! Double yeah…even if I can’t speak much. Oh and I will never have to go grocery shopping again. Every time I visit a farmer there is always tea and some sort of biscuit (that is British for cookie…Sri Lanka was under British rule for a while) Oh there are these pancakes (crepes really) that are filled with coconut and coconut honey…ay yo! bohome rasay (very tasty).
Oh another thing, pray for my meeting with the District Secretary. It actually has already happened and it went well. (God is above time so I am sure s/he heard the prayer you may pray after the meeting before the meeting) Anyway, she made sure to let me know that she only reluctantly gave me the visa and that she thinks I am unnecessary. Instead of giving her the pleasure of arguing with her, I simply sat with a rock solid face completely unscathed by her comment. I handed her the 6-month plan and a cover letter that I had written. It was kind of a brown nose letter…I am humbled to work with you crap. Upon meeting her I realized maybe not the best type of letter for her personality, but my presentation of the plan and demeanor at the meeting was good. She is very cut to the point and get rid of the fluff kind of person. Although she seems hard and mean, she is judicious and cares for her district. For those Archboldians, she is a Mrs. Thatcher. I like her. We’ll just have to see what she says in April. It may have gone well but prayers are still welcome.
I am starting to drive the car around now. I get a lot of looks…White Women drivers are very uncommon here. Oh well, being that I am so attractive I am used to stares.
Hmm there’s got to be more than that…
Oh, some small amusing thoughts:
Sri Lankans are the only people I have found able to pull off the "manpri" sucessfully. Yea. (the manpri is just 3/4length pants...called capris when women wear them but I guess that was too femanin so when men wear them they are called "manpris"
Sri Lankans however CANNOT pull of a mullet. but then agian no one can...if anyone has seen my families christmas pix from last year you will agree with this point. None of us looked good in the mullet wig. Anyway, the Lanka Mullet as I call it is one of the worst b/c it is a mixture of "jerry curl" and mullet....not good.
Ok then I must off
Peace and Love
Jodi
So I wanted to make some cookies…chocolate chip…the pudding kind…very moist and yummy. I cleaned out my oven in Madampe and checked the underside for rats. (I live in a rural area…rats are inevitable) SERIOUSLY MOM YOU DON’T WANT TO READ THIS! I saw nothing so turned on the oven. After a bit it smelled very bad. I had cleaned the oven, but maybe I had not gotten it all…well. Anyway about 5min after I turned the gas on… out runs a very angry rat. It got out somehow…I have no idea how but it was gone in a flash. And that is the story of the rat I now refer to as Ashy. Anyway, the cookies were a big hit at the Colombo office. Only, no one knew what they were. I still don’t understand how you could possibly not know what a chocolate chip cookie was…I don’t understand…I have done a great service for Sri Lanka by bringing the idea of the chocolate chip cookie here. Maybe that is God’s purpose for me…OR NOT. Also they were a bit too fluffy b/c I don’t have a cup measurer only a gram measure… Yea for CHRISTmas…hint hint. Oh, for those of you disappointed in non-american brown sugar, it is not the same here either. I am starting a petition to make brown sugar america’s national symbol, because it is done so well there. Anyway.
I did not go to the Elephant Orphanage b/c in the end all my friends including me were too busy. Oh well I got some work done. Sort of…I am having a lot of trouble with project planning right now. I don’t know how to do it and that is a problem…people are helping but it is still a little shaky and will be for a while. Like the start of any new job.
This week we are getting into more meat and potatoes stuff with Koul Wewa. Yeah…and they like me!!! Double yeah…even if I can’t speak much. Oh and I will never have to go grocery shopping again. Every time I visit a farmer there is always tea and some sort of biscuit (that is British for cookie…Sri Lanka was under British rule for a while) Oh there are these pancakes (crepes really) that are filled with coconut and coconut honey…ay yo! bohome rasay (very tasty).
Oh another thing, pray for my meeting with the District Secretary. It actually has already happened and it went well. (God is above time so I am sure s/he heard the prayer you may pray after the meeting before the meeting) Anyway, she made sure to let me know that she only reluctantly gave me the visa and that she thinks I am unnecessary. Instead of giving her the pleasure of arguing with her, I simply sat with a rock solid face completely unscathed by her comment. I handed her the 6-month plan and a cover letter that I had written. It was kind of a brown nose letter…I am humbled to work with you crap. Upon meeting her I realized maybe not the best type of letter for her personality, but my presentation of the plan and demeanor at the meeting was good. She is very cut to the point and get rid of the fluff kind of person. Although she seems hard and mean, she is judicious and cares for her district. For those Archboldians, she is a Mrs. Thatcher. I like her. We’ll just have to see what she says in April. It may have gone well but prayers are still welcome.
I am starting to drive the car around now. I get a lot of looks…White Women drivers are very uncommon here. Oh well, being that I am so attractive I am used to stares.
Hmm there’s got to be more than that…
Oh, some small amusing thoughts:
Sri Lankans are the only people I have found able to pull off the "manpri" sucessfully. Yea. (the manpri is just 3/4length pants...called capris when women wear them but I guess that was too femanin so when men wear them they are called "manpris"
Sri Lankans however CANNOT pull of a mullet. but then agian no one can...if anyone has seen my families christmas pix from last year you will agree with this point. None of us looked good in the mullet wig. Anyway, the Lanka Mullet as I call it is one of the worst b/c it is a mixture of "jerry curl" and mullet....not good.
Ok then I must off
Peace and Love
Jodi
posted by Jodi Crossgrove at
6:21 PM
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