Arrival in Matara

cows at the seaside surely not??

March 4th  - so this is going to be it for the next 12 months - all alone in the southernmost city of Matara in a compact 2 bedroom flat with a rather nice terrace.  A very big extended family live downstairs and 2 swedish guys who never seem to come out of their house.  The first night I encountered a huge cockroach - OK no big deal but it jumped out at me from a bag I was removing from the cupboard and I thought I had trapped it under a can of coconut milk but 2 days later it disappeared - I am sure its still lurking although I am being meticulous about sweeping up all food etc .  Also that first night there was a power cut - they said 30 minutes, which turned into 14 hours - the family below were very solicitous and gave me an emergency light and I had two wonderful torchesfor christmas but they couldn't do anything about the heat.  I slept fitfully under a bright pink mosquito net !  The next day  I ventured to the shops and to the beach - you will see that Matara is not the most beautiul of beaches but the sea is warm - the waves are too big to swim or the current is too strong - anyway people do not swim there so I will have to wait.  I met my boss who called in to see me on Sunday - he said three o clock and he came at half past then he left after a rather uncomfortable 2 hours to get curry and beer, coming back at 7 which turned into 8!  You see what I mean about time.  I managed to get a sea walk in before he came back.
Actually he is a nice guy - young and very enthusiastic - he speaks very fast and with a very heavy accent and so I don't understand a word he says and he doesn't seem to understand me which I am sure will improve.  He seems to want me to do fund raising - i.e. writing funding proposals and a bit of mentoring with the staff  and to promote the academy they have running .  They seem to have the management covered.  At the moment I don't think either of us has quite got the other sussed and neither of us know who is in charge of who - it will work itself out I'm sure. 
Went to work this morning - the driver was due at 8 and came at 25 past - and I have my own room and it has air conditioning and they have wi fi - so that's good . I met the staff -they are young and don't speak huge amounts of english - they seem to think I am American.  That first morning there was a TV show being shot at the academy which involved about 30 students - equal numbers young men and women - probably aged between 17-20.  They were all interviewed and then they sang some songs had a little dance , there were some traditional dancers too and all that lasted 3 hours - like being in a karaoke bar without alcohol.  The students loved it and so did the staff - at the end I was forced to dance - lets all laugh at the old white lady try to dance you might be thinking but they genuinely seemed to love it that I would even try.  Interesting culteral note - the girls and boys kept separate - they all giggled and postured a lot in a good hearted and quite respectful way - they seem so much more innocent than English 18-20 year olds.
 So I did some dancing and I bought a bike - not bad for a first day at work!  No idea quite when I am going to start doing some work.  I am going to a peace an reconcilation day on Wednesday which will be good .  I am sure  that things will progress and it is only the first day ...................

One of the many Budhist temples - it is cloudy but its still hot!

No bikins here !