More of me

September, 20

I have been here over a year…I am so so so old. The year has been good. I can’t really complain…Ok…I CAN complain but I think the pros would have just a slight advantage over the cons this year…so I’ll report on the winning team.
I got through “fair time” ok. My cow party was a hit and people are calling it the “1st Annual” Colombo County Fair/ Cow Show Party- the name will most likely be shortened. Next year there may be some guest appearances by some actual cows. I hope to post some pix on snapfish and facebook soon.
September is a time of leaving here in SL. I have “lost” 3 people in a week. R&N went Saturday and my roommate went on Wednesday. No, they did not die. They went back to their “home” countries. It has only been a few days, but I really miss being able to comfortably say ANYTHING to Jen and Rachel. I have yet to find someone to fill that roll; very logical and systematic about mental processes. (Nigel I miss you too…sort of ;-) Shiloni comes close but there are certain work things I tend to shy away from speaking to her about. I pray that I will find another processor for my thoughts. All this leaving made for some very busy times. On Friday evening R&N’s going away shindig. Then in the morning I went for a visit to distract Rachel while Nigel packed (opps, did I write that out loud). I packed up some goodies from their house as well. Then goodbyes were said, and I was the lone member of MCC Team Sri Lanka. That afternoon I started to move from my old Colombo place to the new Colombo place. I was also working on a project for jen’s going away. That evening was a big party for jen leaving. It was good and low key, and still went until about 330am. Sunday morning we got up for church ( ok so we were like an hour late and had to sit in this side corridor b/c we couldn’t find an easy seat. It was sweltering with no fan. We felt like we were in the “sinners” section of church.) After church we went to brunch after brunch more packing and moving. Sunday evening Jen, Chenoa, Ben, Patrick, Viraj, and I went to see a musical called Blood Brothers. Knowing it would most likely be air conditioned –i.e. freeeeezing cold- I wore a cardigan. Jen and Patrick were really cold. Pat asked if he could borrow my sweater (jumper- for all you Brits). I was reluctant but he offered chocolate and a chance to see him wearing a woman’s cardigan in a public venue. It was priceless…until he wouldn’t give it back (like 45seconds). Eventually he did give it back and all was well. So that takes us to Monday. Monday was our girls night Sari party (Jonas came to drive Nina but sat away; Patrick was there to keep him company). It was grand with good food and pretty saris. Tuesday morning we got up early to make breakfast for Ben as it was his 27th birthday. He woke a bit early and we ended up making the pancake mix in Pat’s room. We had the milk in there and Ben was very upset when he saw there was no milk in the fridge. It was a bit hard to listen to him sing to himself and complain about the milk without laughing. Eventually, we jumped out and surprised him. We got him a sarong, which he modeled in regular Ben fashion (hence my odd profile picture on facebook). After that more packing and moving and work and in the evening a dinner for Jen’s final evening. Needless to say I fell asleep at the dinner. A good but busy weekend.
I am working again on visa stuff. My current visa runs out Oct 31. I am also in Bangladesh from September 29 to October 14. I pray we can get everything done.
I was going to write more but in the interest of time I will forego and just post this now.

September 2, 2007

Ok so what is new with me…I need to write more often b/c I have too much to tell b/c I want to tell everything at once….oh well.
I did a training by “myself”. It was on clean milk production and mastitis testing. Sherine was sick so it was just me Gamini and Bandara (area Livestock Development instructor) I really wasn’t prepared to do it in Sinhala, but I have been having Sherine go through talks we usually give to people and she writes them in English, Sinhala w/english font and then sinhala w/sinhala script. That was helpful and I said a few things and added to the training I think. I did however have to really strain to keep from crying at one point. I think Gamini and Bandara just expected me to do it in Sinhala…my face was petrified the whole time. I said some technical things in Sinhala and the people clapped (which actually made me feel worse which I KNOW was not their intention). Although it was really really hard, I want to wean myself off of using Sherine. It is a hard process but I think it will be a time of great learning as well. Its like taking the swimmies off of a child in the pool. They generally have to splash and sputter a while but then they learn to swim. I just have to go throw the splashing and sputtering part now. Weee it should be fun!!!! (that was a bit sarcastic)
Ok here is a funny story. So on Friday I was going to go into work a bit late. I told Shiloni around 10:00. I went to a Consortium of Humanitarian Aid (CHA) meeting, and afterward there was a livelihood forum on a Dairy project in Vavuniya. It was a very good meeting, however it was actually after the general meeting so it didn’t get over until 11:00. I had given my phone to Robin- visiting from Bangladesh- in case she got lost on her solo trek around colombo, so I had no way to contact the office. I also had to pick up something at the main post office. So after I got out of the meeting I went to pick up the package. After signing everything in triplicate, showing my passport, waiting, standing, handing my papers to another person, watching them open and view the packages contents and paying for it and showing my passport once more I got the package and took the bus home. It was now about noon so the bus took forever. Anyway I dropped my stuff off at home and while looking in my bag I realized I didn’t have my passport. In a mad furry, I threw everything out of my bag and searched what seemed to me to be everywhere. “I must have left it at the post office,” I said to myself. Grrrrr Arrrggg. I was already really late for work and couldn’t call b/c I had no phone and now I had to go back to the post office to get my passport. Well I was walking down my drive out to the road to get a trishawl- I was already late the bus would be too slow- and I said a short prayer, “Dear God you never give us more than we can handle and I have about had it.” Well, who pulls up and blocks the way out of my driveway? It was none other than the trishawl guy that always hits on me and tries to give me free rides. Looking up I smiled and laughed at God’s sense of humor. I got what I needed, but with a slightly ironic twist. Anyway, I got in and told him we would be going to town hall (the north part of Colombo and then Kalubowila south of Colombo) I had talked to this trishawl guy before and he has OVER-confidence in my Sinhala ability. So he kept rattling on and I kept telling him to say things again and slower. It was an interesting conversation to say the least. He was speaking at lightening speed and I was sputtering out words and sentence fragments. Eventually it came out that I had left my passport at the office. “Oh no Miss!! Very bad very bad”….. . Well anyway, I got to the office and the people there were very helpful but unfortunately could not find it. I felt a bit bad, b/c the one man was like “I gave I gave.” (in Sinhala) But wouldn’t say it to me until I told him in Sinhala that “yes he did give it, but I think I did not take it.” Well anyway I went to give them my address in case they found it…opened my bag….and what was in there but my stupid passport. Well, feeling a bit sheepish, I told them that I would come back and check again. Ooooppps. So I go back to the trishawl and give him a thumbs up!! We go off and then the wants to stop for thambili (orange colour coconut used for its water and sometimes its meat which is thin and not firm like normal coconut) so he goes and gets this coconut…FOR ME!! Umm ok thank you….so I am sitting in the back of the trishawl driving down the bumpy road trying to minimize the amount of water that is splashing out of the coconut and onto my pants. Anyway, now he asks if I want it cut so I can eat the inside and I was like, “no that’s ok.” However that wasn’t good enough and he stopped anyway. While eating it I was like, “oh no he drugged it….” Well he didn’t but I was nervous for a bit b/c as americans we are taught that people are not to be trusted. Anyway, we got to the office and I asked how much and he said no no madam for you it is free…I just enjoy taking you around..WHAT???? this was probably a 700 rupee trip!!!!! I really had no idea how much, but I insisted on giving him at least 500 so he agreed to take that much. My my my…what a day. I saw him again yesterday and he is still offering me free rides…very strange. Anyway…that is my funny story
I went to Kandy for a long weekend (Tuesday was a holiday and I took Monday off) It was great. I took a walk in the forest. However it is right near the president’s Kandy home so there were soldiers along parts of the trek. Ooooo nothing as calming as walking through a forest filled with camouflaged men with guns. At one point Robin got caught in a forest vine and thought it was a booby-trap. It was hilarious! All in all it was a good walk. We also went to the Elephant Orphanage and to the Elsa Perahara (parade like thing.) you can see my pictures on snapfish. It is one of the top things to see in Asia. It does have one flaw though. It starts and ends at the same point and NO ONE is allowed to cross the street when it is going on. We just so happened to be seated on the inside of the circle and our hotel was on the outside. When the Perahara was done for us at 11pm we turned to walk back to the hotel and saw the beginning of it; it’s a 3hr long parade…so we sat in Pizza Hut (oh yeah…we got Pizza Hut and McDonalds) and had a pizza. Finally we got back to the cottage. A good but tiring night.
Anyway I will write more soon. I am having a party tomorrow night, because I am missing the fair. We are having sausage sandwiches and milkshakes and some of my friends are dressing like cows and I am giving a ribbon to the best looking “cow”. It should be good…not like the real thing of course but good.
I hope this finds all of you well. Please pray for Sri Lanka.
Peace
Jodi