Sri Lankans on Tour

This weekend has been hectic with travel in all modes of transport being the name of the game. On Thursday evening I needed to head back to Colombo for a VSO meeting and chose to go by train which was definitely the right move. There are 2 classes - 2nd and 3rd (not sure what has happened to 1st!) and 2nd class is a really expensive 180 Rupees or about £1 for a 3.5 hour journey! The distance is only about 130km so it's slow but the views are incredible. I arrived in Colombo as the sun was setting over the Indian Ocean - magical.

I came back on Saturday morning in a van hired by some fellow VSO-ers. The drive takes the same time as the train but is significantly less relaxing with the constant use of the horn, overtaking on blind bends, lots of emergency stops and generally pretty dodgy driving. The speed limits are 73km out of town and 52km in towns - why the random amounts, I don't know! Needless to say, no one sticks to them.

We made it back to Galle in one piece and I had to ready myself for my first Galle District Chamber of Commerce Board Meeting which started at 7.30pm that night. Firstly formality is a HUGE thing here. All 30 Directors had a place at the Board Room table in a position that reflected their seniority. I didn't have a place at all and was expected to sit at the edge of the room but, in true Jules-style, spotted a wee gap at the table and asked if I could sit there, which worked much better. The board is made up of 1 Tamil representative, 2 Muslim and the rest are Sinhalese. The meeting was conducted almost entirely in Sinhala (with a bit of English for me) so they're really only nodding to the cultural diversity that is reflected in the Galle District. Needless to say, there are no women on the board. The meeting started with a silent prayer to Buddha and then a minute's silence. Then the pontification started. Meeting etiquette doesn't seem to exist in Sri Lanka. Firstly all the mobile phones remain on and, even if someone is in the middle of speaking, if he receives a call he'll stop his speech and take the call - incredible! Secondly, everyone is talking over each other all the time. There were a couple of "debates" on a few subjects but, even with my level of Singhalese, I realised that, despite the verbosity of the statements, they were all agreeing with each other. The agenda covered pretty random topics and didn't, I thought, get to the meaty issues e.g. the fact that the Chamber isn't breaking even. It has reinforced to me how difficult it will be to get changes made. Aligning 30 people who are always managing their own businesses to new ideas is going to be a tough job.

After the meeting (10.30pm) everyone adjourned to one of the Director's restaurants. Immediately the Arrack (the local spirit made from Palm syrup) came out. I had a beer and a small bite to eat and then made my excuses to leave at 11.15pm (a) because of the potential sexual harassment (see my last blog) and (b) because I didn't want to have to be driven home by any of them in their inebriated states. Apparently it all went on till 2am!

The next day was an early start at 6am for a trip with the "Richmond Hill Welfare Association". Richmond Hill is the area I'm living in - nothing to do with Richmond, London! The Association was set up by neighbours to create a small social club and donate to local needs. Each year they have a trip for members and their families and this year I was invited by the Chamber's Chairman, Mr Lakshman, and his wife. They had decided that they wanted to visit Hambantota which is in the South East of Sri Lanka, about 4 hours from Galle. A standard Sri Lankan bus was hired complete with hard seats, no a/c, and bald tyres (see the pictures attached). I was sat next to Mr Lakshman's wife, Rohini, who unfortunately is the largest Sri Lankan lady I know so, coupled with my not insignificant arse, meant a fun day for all!

I was amazed at the party spirit of the 40 or so people on board who ranged in age from an 8 month old baby to a Granny of maybe 80 (I find it very difficult to age people here as they all look so young). The singing started at 6am and carried on for the duration of the trip till 11.30pm. Unfortunately no one could hold a tune amongst them but they carried on with gusto accompanied only by a makeshift set of drums.

The first stop was to view the empty hole in the ground that will become the new Hambantota Port. It's being built by the Chinese as part of their "string of pearls" strategy which aims at getting ports across Asia in strategic places. I asked what was in it for the Chinese and the answer was "nothing - we just have to pay back the loan". I don't believe that but Rohini did confide that she is disgusted that the country is saddling itself with a huge debt to pay back when there are so many people below the poverty line who need more basic amenities than a port. Hambantota is at the edge of the "dry zone" of Sri Lanka, and it was amazing to see the difference versus the lushness that I'm used to around Galle and Colombo.

After a hot visit to the port, the trip included a Chinese School, a model farm, a patch of grass that is to become an International Cricket ground, and some hot water springs - a rather random set of sights. In total we were on the bus driving for at least 11 hours of the 16 hour day. Part of this was due to the fact that we got a puncture and, later, got stuck trying to navigate some very tight corners around paddy fields. I have to say I did get slightly grumpy at the end of it all, especially as I felt I was being ordered all day: "sit", "eat", "get on the bus", "go to the toilet", "look", "come here", "don't go there". Singhala uses definitive verbs all the time and it's a sign of caring to constantly make sure the guest has what they need but it translates into very forced orders which I began to want to rebel against, especially as the day wore on and the singing got worse! All in all, though, the day was an adventure to see more of the beautiful south of the Island and, more importantly, observe Sri Lankans letting their hair down.

The more I see of this amazing Island and it's friendly people, the more I want others to see it too so do think about when you're going to come and visit and book those flights!!

The Men that think they're God's gift to women!

I'm reading the most wonderful book at the moment by Michael Ondaatje - Running in the Family (the guy that wrote The English Patient). He is a Burgher which is what they call families of Dutch origin that live in Sri Lanka. The book is about his return to Sri Lanka and the characters in his family. There is a section in the book which seems to epitomise what I'm going through right now. It describes his Grandmother Lalla and one of her more memorable bus journeys:

"When the bus arrived she herded herself in with the rest and, after ten minutes of standing in the aisle, found a seat where three could sit side by side. Eventually the man next to her put his arm behind her shoulder to give them all more room.

Gradually she began to notice the shocked faces of the passengers facing her across the aisle. At first they looked disapprovingly and soon began whispering to each other. Lalla looked at the man next to her who had a smug smile on his face. He seemed to be enjoying himself. Then she looked down and saw that his hand had come over her left shoulder and was squeezing her breast. She smiled to herself.

She had not felt a thing. Her left breast had been removed five years earlier and he was ardently fondling the sponge beneath her gown."

Unfortunately Sri Lankan men, on the whole, think that they're God's gift to women and therefore are quite happy to blatantly be lecherous! Our first experience was at our guest house in Colombo on the second morning there. Padmini, the owner, occasionally allows a guy to do casual labour around her house. The morning, he didn't seem to be working but was quite happy to sit in a gap behind the house and the garden wall watching us eat breakfast. I, not realising the "done thing" in Sri Lanka, tried to stare him out when he continued to gawp at us. That was clearly the wrong thing to do as he then proceeded to stick his tongue out and wiggle it around in the most odd way. Becky, being more with it, shooed him away. We weren't quite sure what was implied by "tongue man" as he has become known, but, when we checked with our language teachers later that day, they confirmed our worst suspicions. I'd expected such attention would only be directed at white women (or suddu noona as we're known as in Singalese!) but apparently Sri Lankan women get it just as badly. Apparently I'd done exactly the wrong thing by staring at him!

"Tongue Man" came back only one more time during our breakfasts at Padmini's. When he tried it on again, we spoke to Padmini who, I guess, will have words with him. I hope we've not lost him his work there, however casual it was, but equally, I'd hate for Padmini to get a bad reputation on travel blogs etc. Why he'd even think it was attractive and get him some "action" is beyond me!

Slightly more concerning is that I think my boss may think he can have a bit more than just a professional relationship with me. He has been so kind to me sorting out my accommodation etc. I've started to realise, though, that there are an awful lot of references to "just the two of us for dinner" and "what do you like to drink? I could bring some round to your flat." This week we've been planning a trip with the "Harmony Development Council" aimed at developing closer ties between business people in the North and East - the Tamil LTTE affected areas - and so a trip has been organised for May where 30 people from the Southern Chambers will visit the East on a 4 day trip. I've been invited and it wasn't until he stared waxing lyrical about going to the "warm (spelt worm on the itinerary!) water pools and seeing me in my bikini" did I really start to worry. I'm going to have to nip this in the bud very quickly but in a way that doesn't cause too much offence. He's probably in his early 60s and is happily married with two kids so why he thinks he's even in with a chance, I've no idea.

The attached picture was taken this week when the Canadian High Commissioner and his wife had a lunch meeting with the Chamber's great and good (and me!). Left to right - Darshika (the Administration Manager); me; Ingrid, the High Commissioner's wife; Mr Lakshman, the Chairman (and my boss!); Bruce, the High Commissioner; Suri, the Director General of the Chamber; and Dhammika, the Secretary of the Board. Next week there is the Chamber's Board meeting which starts at 7pm on Saturday night (!). It sounds like it turns into a bit of a drinking shop so, as the only woman there, I'll make my excuses once the business part of the night is over, and head home!

It may sound awful, but the attention I get is continuous but not threatening in the least. I think it will just be on days when I'm low anyway that it will get to me. I'm looking forward to being able to deliver a really good retort fluently in Sinhala should anything happen like it did to poor Lalla on the bus! These Sri Lankan blokes ain't seen nothing yet!

Galle First Impressions

On Monday I left what had become the familiar of Colombo to start my new life in Galle (pronounced Gaul by the Brits and Galla (like the Bingo company!) by the locals). I've got a flat on the 2nd floor of my landlord's house which was only built a couple of years ago. I'm the first person to rent it (for the grand sum of 25,000 Rupees or ~£140 per month!) which meant that the kitchen was still being finished for the first couple of days after I arrived. This was a tad frustrating as I couldn't unpack everything and clean all the nooks and crannies. I think cleaning is going to become a major task here as the dust seems to collect instantaneously and the ants quickly follow. Fortunately I haven't encountered anything much worse than that at the moment.

The flat has really high ceilings and so is very cool (by Sri Lankan standards, that is!). It has 3 bedrooms, a large kitchen and a sitting area. It's been built well but the finish is a bit slap dash. I've been provided with some furniture but it does feel a little spartan at the moment. If you come and stay I'll be able to offer you "convent cell 1" or "2". Make sure you bring your hair shirt for the full experience! I plan to get curtains made and cushions etc. so hopefully, over time, it will feel a little more homely. I'm in a very residential area about 3km from work and so I'll be buying a bike this week and will run the gauntlet of the roads here. Driving acumen isn't something the Sri Lankans are famous for!

My first day at the Galle District Chamber of Commerce was greeted with a powercut for the entire day so the room where my desk is was stifling. They haven't had a volunteer before so clearly don't have any idea what to do with me so I was left to my own devices. Since then I've plonkled myself in front of everyone and tried to get as much information out of the staff as possible. Some of the guys speak English quite well. The rest have limited English and their confidence to speak it is even less. I've started to get a bit of a clue as to what to focus on but I think it will take a few more weeks to become truly clear.

The Chamber is situated in a building just off "Main Street" in the centre of the Galle New Town. They're renting out half of the building to a bank and some sort of commercial property agency. The rest of the building could do with a great deal of TLC (as you can probably see from the photo). There are 15 permanent members of staff at the chamber and then 30 Directors who volunteer their time alongside running their own businesses. This means that getting time with them is difficult. I'll meet them all at the Board meeting on the last Saturday of this month. It starts at 7pm and sounds like it turns into a bit of a drinking shop ending at about 1am - can't wait - not! We did have a staff meeting on Thursday and, even though there were numerous important issues to discuss, the provision of tea at 10am and 3.30pm for all staff got the most air time! I was really looking forward to wonderful tea here but the most common way for it to be served is with tonnes of milk and sugar. When I say tonnes, I mean it looks like you're actually pouring milk into your cup and not tea! I've learnt to ask for no sugar and milk on the side in Singhala. This week I was asked if I was a diabetic because I didn't want sugar in my tea or coffee!

Yesterday Sarah, one of my fellow VSO-ers who is based in Colombo, came to stay and we visited Galle's famous fort which was built by the Dutch, expanded by the Portuguese, and then taken over by the Brits. It is a stunning olde worlde area which oozes history. The ramparts ensured that the tsunami caused limited damage to the houses inside. Unfortunately the same can't be said for Galle new town which still has the scars of devastated homes and businesses all along the sea front. People don't really like talking about it at all.

Talking of water, the heavens have just opened so the expected Monsoon season must be upon us. Fortunately I just need to head downstairs tonight for dinner with my landlord and his family which is nice of them. Poor Sarah will be soaked as she heads back to catch the bus or train to Colombo.

Do keep in touch and send me your Skype ID if you have one.

Colombo First Impressions

"Oh, you're sweating!" - [no s$*t Sherlock!]

This wasn't quite the welcome that I'd been expecting from what I'd had been told was one of the most friendly nations on earth. In fact, the Sri Lankans are just saying this to show their concern but it's going to take some getting used too, as is the 32C - 35C heat. In fact, stating the obvious is the key approach we've been taught in our language lessons so far. If you meet a man fishing you don't ask "Have you caught anything?" as this will bring him bad luck. Instead you ask "Are you fishing?". How this will start a conversation, I haven't quite fathomed yet but I'll try it out next time I meet a fisherman and test the theory.

The only time the obvious isn't stated so overtly is around how your dressed. The Sri Lankan's are EXTREMELY fastidious when it comes to dress. You see the children en route to school (which starts at 0730 here) in beautifully white, pressed school uniforms. One of the first things we've been told to buy is an iron. This will ensure that we don't get asked: "Were you in a rush this morning?" [translated as "Why are your clothes not ironed"]. "Don't you like jewellery?" equals "Why are you not rich enough to possess more of it?" The two comments I have received so far are: "You look very beautiful today" [Translation = "You should dress like that more often"] and "What a wonderful blouse!" [Translation = "So much nicer than the kind of thing you usually wear"]. And I thought I only had to learn the language...!

7 of us landed in Colombo on 16th February and, since then, we've had an intensive 3 week training course comprising of 6 days a week of language training in the mornings and briefings in the afternoons. Sinhala is grammatically a fairly straight forward language although difficult to retain given it bears no relation to latin-based languages. Fortunately they use a lot of English words e.g. "telephone", "voicemail", "post office". Our teachers have been brilliant and with a concerted effort from here on in I hope to get by. The afternoon briefings have been extremely helpful to help us get under the skin of what's going on here, especially politically. The elections are coming up soon - more of that in future updates.

Colombo hasn't got a huge amount going for it. We were fortunate enough, though, to be here for the annual Navam Perahera festival. Every month the Buddhists celebrate the full moon which they call a Poya Day. The February Poya day has become a big event in Colombo marked by this festival which features anywhere between 50 and 80 elephants dressed to the nines. They're accompanied with dancers from all over the country and it goes on for hours. This particular Perahera was marked by one of the elephants breaking loose which created a huge crowd panic. We couldn't quite see what was happening so were quite perturbed when the locals started running and diving over surrounding walls. Suzanne's (a fellow VSO Volunteer) first assumption was that it was a Tamil Tiger (LTTE) bomb. What we found out later was that there had been lanterns of burning coconut husks laid out along the path of the procession; one of these lanterns had fallen over and the poor elephant had stood on the burning embers. I was surprised how unprepared the police where to handle the situation. No health and safety here! Anyway - it all made for an eventful evening and the elephant is fine as is the crowd.

We all head to our different placements on Monday. I'm going to be the only one based in Galle but I'm not worried about that. It's a place that the others all want to visit so I won't have any lack of people around me. I'm looking forward to making my flat feel like home and am especially keen to get into my job.