GIVING MY TWENTY CENTS WORTH

Recently we visited a lady who sews pillowcases for a living. After some number-crunching we deducted that she can work all day for an average profit of about 20 cents a day. What's more, while I found this astounding, she did not seem to think it was any great deal. She was happy for her income. My mind began to turn to contemplate the ways that I devour her day's income in the blink of an eye. Leaving the light on unnecessarily - a day's work. Those extra biscuits I just don't need - a day's work. Even a mouthful of my dinner - a day's work.

Puts things in a bit of a different perspective really. For one, it gives a new sense of appreciation for all the good things in life. It also gives a great incentive not to be greedy or wasteful. It is also a reminder to never underestimate the power of sharing - even the little things. Interesting what can happen when you start to see your life in twenty cent pieces.

AT THE BEACH

We Aussies love our beaches. I often miss the beautiful white shores and blue waters of home but that's not to say that Sri Lankan beaches don't have a charm of their own. There are crowded beaches, quiet beaches, tourist beaches, local hotspots, fishermen's beaches - something for almost anyone.

Local hotspots are quite an experience on weekends and public holidays, particularly in the hours leading up to sunset. These beaches rapidly become crowded with people enjoying the beachfront. Unlike Aussies, who tend to like a sunbake or a quiet dip, Sri Lankans really play at the beach. It's not a place for individuals, it's a place for families and groups. They will pull friends, usually fully-dressed, into the waters - the 'victim' usually protesting profusely but grinning widely. They don't usually venture too far into the water but splash and play along the shoreline. Men seem more likely to get into the water than women. Maybe this is because it is rare to see a woman with a swimsuit and, really, who likes going in the ocean fully-clothed?! People walk along the shore, collect shells or fly kites. Groups of young men may come down with a drum or a guitar to play, sing and dance. The beach is also a popular place for young couples. It is common to see the beach dotted with umbrellas, with courting sweethearts sitting cuddled beneath, shaded from the sun. And, like the Aussies, Sri Lankans are partial to a good old game of beach cricket.

Drying fish

Trying to catch the eye of the tourists.

Fishing boats.

Training maneuvers.

THE EVERYDAY THINGS

Preparing a meal

The kitchen tap. (There are public water taps at various places around town. Twice a day, people who don't have water connected at their house can go to one of these taps to fill up with water to take home. The water is shut off at other times.)

Grocery shopping

Want a cuppa?

Central heating, hot water system and oven . . . all in one.

Cleaning the yard

Laundry time

At school

MIXING BUSINESS WITH PLEASURE

We recently had a visit from some friends who helped us with some odd jobs we had lying around the house. The following snapshots are our way of paying tribute to them and saying thank you for all their hard work!

ELEVEN DAYS WITH FRIENDS

DAY 1: A CROSS-CULTURAL EXPERIENCE

Guest lecturers at today's English class were Flicko, C-Train and Damo. Today's lesson: sharing life's experiences through photographs. Here our Sri Lankan students learnt that Australians like to jump: out of things; off things; just jumping in general; off jetties; out of planes. Yep, Aussies like to jump. Why? Well, that question from the panel of students had our guest lecturers stumped. Why? Well, why not?

DAY 2: GETTING DOWN TO BUSINESS

Day 2 was a good day for visiting some of the small businesses in Colombo. Here you will see Flicko and C-Train checking out the merchandise produced by one of our small business owners.

DAY 3: WE'RE HAPPY;

FEELING GLAD

Well, Day 3 ended up being one of those days that can

give a Westerner a glimpse into Sri Lanka beyond the beaches, tuk-tuks and palm trees. The van we had hired had technical difficulties and ended up being 2 hours away at the time we had arranged to be picked up, causing us to miss our library appointments at the pre-schools. So we sent the fearless 3 off in a tuk-tuk while we waited for the van to arrive. However, the tuk-tuk driver thought he knew better and took them where they wanted to go via every touristy snapshot site he could think of, then charged them 10 times the price we had suggested. Of course, in

their excitement, they had not heard our advice, so they still felt pretty proud of themselves when they haggled the price down - until we let them know that the amount they had paid could hire them a tuk-tuk for the day! Add to that one credit card eaten by an ATM and we had figured that today was just one of those days that was going to refuse to go to plan. At least we mastered the art of changing plans at the drop of a hat long ago. Oh, and of course, ice cream goes a long way towards making things feel better.

DAY 4: BIRTHDAY ADVENTURES

Day 4 was a birthday for

the C-Train - a perfect day for white water rafting. The intrepid explorers successfully navigated the river and even had their request granted when

they asked, "Can we do that again?!" Sadly, however, the birthday boy did lose his glasses.

And how can you have a birthday without cake? That night, back

at the guesthouse, the management surprised the birthday boy with a cake and a hearty rendition of "Happy Birthday". An impromptu mini-concert in Tamil and Sinhala by the room boy (a one-time contestant on Sri Lanka's version of 'Idol') was an added bonus.

DAY 5: CONQUERING MOUNTAINS

Day 5 began at 2am. Fresh from conquering rivers, the fearless explorers decide it is a good day for conquering mountains. Sri Pada - Adam's Peak - was the goal for the day, all 4800 steps. After reading 'The Lonely Planet' we felt prepared and set off after our guide, all rugged up and with 5 friendly dogs in tow, who seemed quite excited about the

prospect of a 2am walk. Still, we hadn't even begun to ascend before the layers of clothing were coming off. We weren't to be needing those until we got to the top.

The climb to the top was a challenge, to make an understatement. In the dark, the steps seemed never-ending. The air was thin and the legs seemed to doubt themselves. And yet, at 6:15am we arrived, victorious, at the summit and were ushered into a small room - occupied by 3 young boys who were there to care for the temple - to rest before sunrise. And then we noticed the cold. We were wet from walking through cloud and it was freezing. We piled on jumpers and rugged the kids up in sleeping bags and Jay promptly fell asleep (even though the kids had actually bounded up the steps like mountain goats). Oh, and the leeches fell off.

At 6am we went outside to watch the sunrise. We had been told that from the top of Adam's Peak the sun seems to rise three times, like it is bowing to the mountain. We had also read that it casts an amazing shadow. Unfortunately, we had come at off-season and there was nothing to be seen but cloud. The climb had exhausted us and we were freezing and this concrete block in the middle of clouds seemed like such an anti-climax. I was so disappointed . . . and then the sun peeked through a break in the clouds, disappeared, and then peeked through another couple of times. And with this small change, it all seemed worth it. I turned from a tired, cold mess to a mountain-conquerer. The sense of victory became tangible. We made it! I had seen the sun from the top of a mountain!

Of course, the next logical direction was down but it was done with renewed vigour. We survived up, so down was never going to beat us. The sun continued to climb and the cloud dispersed. We were treated to the majestic scenery of the world spread out below us; giant hills and distant waterfalls. And when we turned around we could see what we could not in see in darkness - thankfully! - this mountain towering behind us, and the sense of accomplishment rose anew, aside a sense of amazement. Mountain conquerers! (Don't think I'll do that again for a while though!)

DAY 6: HAIR OF THE DOG!

By day 6 we had moved on to Haputale. Although all intents were for a quiet day, in the end the decision was that there was nothing better to follow a walk up a mountain than . . . more walking. Well, it is hill country. All the best views are found at the top!

DAY 7: A PAUSE . . .

Well, there's gotta be a day of rest sometime! Time to meet up with some locals.

DAY 8: . . . AND BACK INTO THE VAN!

Day 8 and it was time to get back into the van for the drive out of the hill country and back to Colombo - but not before goodbyes to friends.

By now the crew knew what a drive in the van in hill country meant - a long drive; a windy drive; a not-feeling-so-great drive. Up the front if you get car sick!

DAY 9: BACK TO SCHOOL

So day 9 meant a second attempt at making a library visit to the pre-schools - and today we were to prove succesful. Hooray! There were gifts for children and our crew even got to help give the lunch to the hungry children - all 100 of them!

DAY 10: SHAVE & A HAIRCUT!

So now we're back home and in the mood for something slightly less adventurous. The crew figured it would be a good day to visit the barber (and hairdresser) for a bargain that just couldn't be passed by. A few hundred rupee will get you a shave, haircut and a head massage. Well, if you're the C-train, a shave is a haircut! For our ladies it will cost a little extra for a style and some highlights. Then it was onto the hunt for cheap DVDs.

DAY 11: THE GRAND FINALE

Well, you didn't think we'd finish our adventures with haircuts and shopping, did you?! Of course not! We were off for elephant adventures. First to the elephant orphanage at Pinnawala - following the elephants down to the river. After the elephants returned to the orphanage, it was time for an elephant ride and a bath for the elephants - and our friends! Day 11 was a day for awesome elephant photos but, in the end, I still couldn't go past this one!

A GOOD DAY'S WORK

Today I thought I might post some photos of people at work. Now, I don't want to present a misleading picture of life here in Sri Lanka. Every day you will find people working hard at the same kinds of jobs found all over the world: teachers, doctors, policemen, bank tellers, truck drivers, shopkeepers, journalists, accountants. Many aspects of life are the same. But today I want to show a side of the work world that people from my 'world' wouldn't normally see.

Fish seller

Coconut picker. This man has three bamboo poles roped together. A very sharp knife is tied to the end. He will use this contraption to try to knock coconuts off the tree - for sale, processing or just so they don't fall down and bonk someone on the head. Another option is scaling the tree barefoot. Ropes can then be tied from tree to tree so that the picker can access the coconuts. But he must be very careful before stepping out, just in case rats have been gnawing on the ropes since last use.

This gentleman is making lanterns to sell. These lanterns will be used to celebrate Vesak Poya, a Buddhist holiday.

This lady makes and sells doormats. She also makes paper bags. She makes these bags from the pages of exercise books discarded by students and other second-hand paper. The bags are then sold to local store-keepers, who will then sell confectionery and other nibblies in them.

MY STREET ACHEE

It has been getting harder to keep up with the blogging lately. Partly, this is because we have much more of a routine now and more things to keep us busy throughout the days. The other reason is that as our eyes become accustomed to the sights around us and as the things we do become part of the norm, it becomes harder to think of what to tell you about.

So, seeing as I had decided that it had been far too long since I had posted an entry, I found myself trawling through our multitude of photos, looking for something that might spark my imagination - a photo that might give me a springboard to dive into a post about Sri Lanka or our life here. Almost despairing of finding the 'right' photo, I came across my street achee.

Achee used to sit everyday at the statue erected to St. Anthony. All through the intense heat of the day, she would sit there. When she got tired, she would lay on the hard tiles and sleep. The traffic roared around past her all day long, throwing noise and dust her way. The devout would pass her to kiss St. Anthony's feet or offer a prayer; the kind might give her some coins. When the rain came, she might cross the busy road for shelter on the other side. Thankfully, there were times when kind strangers would help her across, as this is a main road and Achee had very little sight left. I have no idea where she went to at night.

We got to pass Achee every week day as we took the kids to school. I soon found myself checking every time we passed St. Anthony's statue, to see if she was there and how she was looking. To me, she became 'my street achee' (Achee is Sinhala for grandma). Grandmas should be sitting in a comfy chair at home, with a good meal and lots of love. They should not be sitting, day after day, on the hard ground as the rest of the world rushes on their way. From time to time I would take her a loaf of bread or a lunch packet. I figured that bread was good because she could eat some and save the rest for later. I used to have to shout, "Achee . . . Achee . . . parn, parn (bread, bread)" and put the loaf in her hands. I would help her take the elastic band off the loaf - that required a bit too much co-ordination for dim eyes and elderly fingers. Once I tried to find out how old she was. She told me 108. Although it would be possible, I had my doubts. Still, whatever her age, I am amazed at her durability, living day after day that way.

I found myself worrying more and more about street Achee. It would horrify me to think that if my grandma was sitting there, that nobody would help her. I began to look into getting her into an aged care home. We found one that was free, for old people who might find themselves in similar circumstances, but unfortunately it was full. Sadly, the other few required expenses beyond my grasp. Still, it gave me a bit of an interesting insight into life in Sri Lankan nursing homes. Thank goodness for those beautiful people taking such care of those coming to the end of their lives.

Now, I really don't want to sound like I'm blowing my own trumpet here. In reality, I'm sad to say that what I did for my street Achee was barely anything at all. It may have come to your attention that throughout this post I have refered to Achee in the past tense. I can't actually tell you of her fate. One day, she simply was not there and we did not see her again. Prince and I hypothesised. Perhaps some kindly people took her and were able to get her into a home. Perhaps she took ill and was taken to a government hospital for treatment. Still, although these were comforting 'perhapses', we both knew that the odds were more likely that she had died. It has been months now, and with nobody able to tell us what became of Street Achee we can only assume that on her time on earth was finally up.

I still find myself checking St. Anthony's statue whenever we drive past. Maybe, just maybe, she'll return and there will be another chance to get her into a home, where she might die in a warm bed with a full tummy. Opportunities can be so fleeting. Yet, the slow learner that I am, I am still learning how to take them while they are there. So this blog is written in loving memory of my street Achee. May nobody die unnoticed.

22/9/09: A Happy Postscript

I have recently been told that Street Achee is still alive. Prince did some investigations and discovered that Street Achee has been moved to a home for elders. The story behind it seems to be that some of the local worshipers at St. Anthony's statue complained to their priest. They did not appreciate the smell that accompanied Street Achee (and, in particular, her use of the shrine area as a latrine). The priest got together and spoke with the village head (although 'village' is hardly an apt description of our area, we have been told that each area of Sri Lanka still falls heavily under the influence of village heads) and it was arranged for Street Achee to be moved into a home. Hooray for worshipers with delicate noses!