Mid-Way through this work-malarky

Well, we are about mid-way through now and keeping ourselves busy....

I (G) am swimming every morning at 7am with some teenagers - we are all entered into two annual swimming events - a 2km sea-swim on 3rd Fed and a 2 mile race on 9th Feb. The races are in the small town of Ambalangoda, just north of here. These boys are doing pretty well considering they couldn't swim a year ago, and the sea can get pretty rough.

I'm also coaching kids between the ages of 5 - 18 in the pool 4 times a week - they are brilliant fun and I have been rewarding the swimmer that put the most effort in with a pair of goggles. They really need swimsuits as well - Speedo donated loads but still some of them still have to wear their undies... however, I don't want to push the boundaries as hand-outs are discouraged.

We are both teaching in English classes most afternoons - it mainly involves getting them talking in English and playing word-type games with them - we have been leaving the important grammar stuff to the actual teachers. People here are able to read and write English but not speak or understand it, which is massively limiting when all decent jobs require fluency in English (sadly even the English teachers can't speak English especially well). The classes are also massive with up to 50 kids.

We've started helping in a different pre-school in a temple a few mornings a week. Playing football with monks at breaktimes is kind of surreal to say the least... It is hugely rewarding though - the school isn't connected to the foundation so they haven't had volunteers before - all of the kids call us "white auntie" and "white uncle".

We took them swimming in the pool here last week - these kids had never been in a swimming pool before and loved it. The pool rules about swimming costumes and hats went out of the window as about 40 of them stripped off and jumped in in their undies. There was lots of splashing, not much swimming and only 2 near death experiences, not bad!

We have gotten out and about at weekends. Last weekend we spent a day doing a cooking course. We learnt how to cook 8 Sri Lankan dishes (future dinner parties will prove whether this day was worth it or not...). It was much fun - we started with a trip to the market in the morning to buy the ingredients. She then showed us how to cook lots of curries and other dishes I can't pronounce. The best part was at the end of the day when we got the chance to eat the fruits of our labour which, even though I say so myself, was bloody lovely (and bloody hot). Mmmmmmmmmm

We've only been on a few nights out - we are just a few km from a touristy town but the contrast between living in the village one minute and then being amongst the tourist tastic bars the next minute is a bit bizarre. And our livers are loving the detox! Drinking is also really frowned upon in the village (they aren't good at drinking socially - people seme to be either tea-total or alcoholics) so we have barely touched a drop... we are gonna be lightweights when we get home!

Pre-school trip and other photos

We took the pre-school kids to the turtle sanctury today. It was much fun (as much for us as them) - lots of baby turtles who were not loving being handled by 60 kids (they make sure they are strong enough before releasing - I think they may need extra time after today). They released a bigger turtle into the sea who had been nursed back to health, ahhhh.

A baby turtle...

The teachers ...

Other stuff....

Went to a presentation ceremony on Saturday when a bank from Colombo came to donate schools supplies (shoes, uniform, bags etc.) to 50 children in surrounding villages. The kids were amazingly cute and it was so sad and embarassing that they had to go through such a big ceremony to collect basic things that we all take for granted. There were tears at the end from parents and nearly us - it felt wrong being there when we had played no part in it, but they love having token Westerners at such events. We were also asked to give out some of the packages which was even more embarassing...

G in the pool with the iccle ones (well done Bryan Adams for donating it - he is yet to visit though!)...

The beach at the end of the road (we can't pretend that it a hardship being here...). Graham swims here every morning with some teenagers who are training for a 3Km sea swim.

Full Moon - Poya Day celebrations

I'm working too.....honest!!!

As Dad pointed out it looks like Graham is the only one working, so figured I should add my two-penny worth...

We are loving it here - it took a few days to settle in at first - there are so many people to get to know with confusing names and we spent a few days trying to find out how things work, understand the different projects and work out how to be of any use. The charity has done amazing things and our initial impressions were that it would be hard to help given the amount they have achieved already... but there is still lots to do and so many different ways to be involved. It is great to to be based here for a while and the people are really friendly and welcoming (went to swimming coaches house for din dins on saturday which was an interesting experience!).

Like G, I am also spending the mornings in the pre-school with the iccle ones - singing nursery rhymes, counting to 10, doing the alphabet - not exactly taxing but lots of fun... they are massively cute (when they aren't crying that is!). G and I are gonna to hire a mini bus next week and take them on a school trip to the turtle sanctuary (no Mum, no health and safety issues here!). Have also been asked by one of the English teachers to help on alternate mornings at his pre-school in another village, as unlike this village they haven't had any volunteers before.

Am also helping teach the English classes for the older kids because their spoken English is limited (the schools focus on reading and writing). Not sure why the obession with nursery rhymes but the teacher asked me to teach them some - so have just come back from singing "If you're happy and you know it" to a class of 40 12 year olds, I think they thought I was crazy (surely 12 is too old for nursery rhymes!). They are uber keen though and one by one at the end they came to bow at mine and the teachers feet (poor kids... must remember to wash my feet before the next lesson!)

The charity does lots of other stuff too - all of the projects were set up in a hurry during the frenzy of post-tsunami activity, so a big thing now is making sure that projects are running properly and ensuring that momentum is maintained. One of the main things I have been asked to do is review the projects and make recommendations for improving systems and processes as well as suggesting new ideas - not that I really have a clue... I they saw that I worked for a consultancy and clearly thought I know more than I do! So I have been working with the different areas to help make improvements - including mental health (lots of post traumatic stress following the tsunami), English classes, the pre-school, children's activity clubs and the women's centre (where they train women in things like sewing, cooking etc. to help them set up their own businesses). Am also looking at HR stuff and making recommendations for engaging staff more (it is starting to feel like work work!).

The last thing I am doing is looking into ways to get more volunteers (anyone keen!) and putting together information for potential new volunteers - as there was lots of info that would have liked to have been told when we arrived.

So thats me! Have been surfing a few more times too - am determined to turn myself into a proper surfer, although can't say the learning curve is as steep as I hoped it would be! Eating is also a major part of my day - the food here is aaaamazing.

Graham has officially turned into a fish.

Hope all is well back home, Love Jo x

Work work and more work

Folks,
Well we are finally settled into our new home for the next 6 weeks. We have a 10 berth dormitory to ourselves which is based on the sports complex so a swimming pool next door and a cricket pitch. The pool is awesome so I am getting Jo into a rigorous swimming routine everyday, she was even up at 7am this morning for 30 laps before b/fast.
Unfortunately I have got a cold (due to being in the pool with the kids for 2 1/2 hours yesterday) so had to pass on the morning swim.
We have both been allocated tasks now from the main man Kushil who set up up this charity using money he inherited from his parents.

The guy is a legend having his own sugar business, but such a big heart because most of his time is taken up with the charity. He set this up 6 years prior to the Tsunami just to help with the village kids who don't have the same opportunities as most of us. (he was from this village but was sent to Columbo for schooling) However when the Tsunami hit things just got so much worse and the charity has had donations worldwide so the work everyone is doing is sustaining the momentum created by the relief efforts from the Tsunami.

Its pretty heartbreaking playing with the kids knowing that every one of them lost a relative or friend and most lost multiples of this. We can, at least, take their minds of it and its not difficult to put a smile on their faces. They are massively positive...........anyway I won't go on !

My tasks are as follows:
To help with the swim training/coaching. All the kids have ever done is swim in the sea with no coaching so their technique is pretty bad. I am working with the coach to demonstrate and encourage them to learn proper techniques. After the Tsunami the sea is demanding some pretty big respect so the kids are mad keen to get good at swimming. This means I am in the pool 4 days a week for 3 hours at a time (I think I have some gills sprouting).

Help out with the swimming galas (when I was a kid every saturday was at a swimming gala so this is second nature......but without any stop-watches)

I am organising a triathlon for the surrounding local villages. Obviously they have never done one so its pretty exciting. After speaking with the swim coach he told me that when they organise swimming galas they literally drive around the local villages with a loud-speaker, how cool is that ?

Helping with the pre-school kids. This is where our superb english teaching skills are required, ahem. 8am to 11am is running round after the little shits making sure they don't kill each other. There are 70 kids and 2 teachers so they need all the help they can get. This morning we sat reciting english nursery rhymes, its amazing how many I still knew.

Help out at the sports centre and produce a report to recommend running it more efficiently. One thing I would do immediately is sack half of the staff cos they spend so much time doing absolutley f*** all. I guess this is just the way things are in SL.

Make the pre-school playground safer - at the moment its a death trap.

They are setting up a dive school to provide employment for the locals. I am sorting out the logistics of this.

That is all.......luckily we are only 2km from a half-decent surf break (5 mins on my 50cc scooter) so any spare time is used wisely.

I will leave Jo to explain her role(s).

Hope everyone is well back in the UK. Please keep us updated with any news or just general chit chat, as we miss you all.
Big love
G xx

Happy New Year!!!

Came down to the south coast for New Year to the small village of Marissa. Sadly there is evidence of Tsunami devastation everywhere and many houses have not been repaired or rebuilt. It is so horrific to imagine what these people have been through, everyone we meet has been effected in some way.

Spent New Year on the beach with some randoms - lots of vodka (served in 100ml shots!) and fireworks galore. Went to bed at 12.30am, we are just not hardcore these days!




Moved on to beach at Weligama and been relaxing for a few days as we psych ourselves up for work tomorrow! Been surfing (G spent 5 hours in the surf yesterday, he was a prune) and I've even been learning and standing up like a proper surfer (almost) - as you can imagine G is excited about the prospect of having a wife who likes surfing!

We are starting work tomorrow in the village of Seenigama on the South West coast. No idea what we will be doing, but am sure all will be revealed when we arrive! Will be good to get to know local people properly instead of passing through... and we are massively looking forward to staying in one place for 6 weeks - we have stayed in over 20 places over last 4 weeks so being based somewhere will be a welcome change. The project we will be on is... http://www.unconditionalcompassion.com/

Happy New Year! Love Jo n G xx

Adams Peak

Stayed in a village at the foot of Adam's Peak in the hill country to continue with the pilgrimage theme. It is Sri Lanka's holiest mountain (2,200m) and pilgrimage for all religions depending on which legend you believe - some think it is where Adam first set foot on earth, others think that Buddha's foot print is here as he stepped towards paradise.... but me n G were mainly here for the views and sunrise....

Stayed in lovely guest house for 2 pounds (cheapest yet) but didn't spend much time in bed as up at 2.30am to get to the top before dawn. 5 mile climb and over 5,000 steps - ideal! The route well lit with hundreds of pilgrims - most barefoot, many carrying kids, lots of old grannies being helped up by family members (judging by the speed of some of them I think they might still be up there now). Lots of teahouses along the way so good excuse to stop.

It was so bizarre at the top, literally hundereds of people - it was really cold and many had slept there to get a good spot for sunrise. Well worth it though - aaaaaaamazing sunrise above the clouds and views across the whole of Sri Lanka. It took 3 hours up and 1.5 hours down, and the old legs still ache three days on....

Check out the crowds (and spot the yellow hair)....

Sunrise over t mountains....




The shadow from Adams Peak...











Back down at 8.30am and took bus and train to another town in the hill country for the night. Had to stand on both for 4 hours, not ideal after the climb :-(

Sri Lankaaaaaaaaa

Spent one night in Trivandrum (busy polluted city) before flying to Colombo on 27th Dec. Headed straight to Kandy through rice paddies and up into the hills - Kandy is an ancient capital on a lake. Sri Lanka is a bit of a culture shock after India - the towns feel much more progressive - sooo much cleaner, no cows in the street and much better roads (although the drivers are worse - saw 4 accidents in our first two days...). The villages are a different story though as wealth distribution is massively uneven.

Had a few nights in Kandy. Couldn't resist a trip to the elephant orphanage.... 60 welefants, sooo cute!






Went to famous Buddhist temple in Kandy which is meant to hold a sacred tooth relic from Buddah (taken from his funeral 2500 yrs ago)... but you don't actually see it coz it is in 6 gold caskets. This temple is a hugely important pilgrimage site for Sri Lankan Buddhists - one chap was so overwhelmed that he fainted... somehow I think the significance of the tooth was lost on us.

Went to tea factory - the workers get paid 70p a day (and the cost of living here is much higher than India) - fair trade tea for me from now on.


After Kandy headed up higher into the hill country to the tea estates. So many tea plantations and colourful tea pickers. The british influence massively evident.