Thursday 30th May 2013
 |
| The Matara chamber staff with Miss Mary |
Its been a busy couple of weeks. Start off with Vesak, this is the festival when Buddha was born, gained enlightenment and died - all on the same date. The festival is big and it goes over three or four days. Lots of lanterns and alms giving usually in the form of food - rice and curry, icecream, drinks . People line up for the free food and the lines are very long. I got offered rice and curry by the army in Matara but declined but they insisted I took a few pictures. I went to Galle with my new American friends who work at the university . We had a great time - the lanterns were unbelievable althoug the Fort was pretty empty by the time sunset came that had changed and there were thousands of people flying kites and just wandering - it was amazingl The lanterns are very elaborate and quite often made out of things like plastic bottles or bits of twig or newspaper . It took a long time to get home because of the traffic but it was fairly good natured. The bus driving was unbelievable I can tell you - bad I mean not good. I went to brunch the next day with Jenice and Margaret and we had a feast and real American coffee too .That night I went to see the lanterns in Matara, all made by prisoners around the country - some prisoners were singing and some were cutting hair and later some escaped! The pictures at the end give some idea but don't really do it justice.
On Tuesday I attended a march against violence against women and children . It was marvelous - 300 plus mostly women all dressed in white. There were hardly any men which is a shame as it is them we were trying to reach! I even got on the news apparently!
 |
| 300 women in white - quite a sight. |
.jpg) |
| rebel with many causes- Tamil sign about children |
 |
| the happy couple |
 |
|
A couple of days before I had to buy a sari for a wedding of a woman at work . it was a hoot , My friend Sureka came with me and it's lucky she did - we went to three shops and saw hundreds of saris, some silk, some not , some very gaudy and some very beaurtiful . All were modelled by the male assistants who loved winding themsleves up in the silk of all colours. In the end I bought one in blue with beautiful embroidery - silk and with jewels. Little did I know that that was not the end of it . Then I had to get the sari jacket (blouse0 made and the underskirt in poplin. So off I went to get measured - they measured every part of my body including arms but when I went for the fitting I think they must have used someone else's measurements as it certainly didn't fit me. The women were fascinated by my ribs which do stick out - they would prod them and say 'its hard; it's bone I replied , Sri Lankan women don't have them apparently or not like mine anyway. Basically Sri lnkan women are small with tiny frames! It fitted in the end and the next day Sureka came to put it on for me - OMG what a palaver. 10 pins later and i was already sweating but looking rather wonderful if I may say so. Luckily I haed managed to persuade my boss to pick me up and we went to the wedding where we were in time for the ceremony . Lots of chanting, tying them together by their little fingers , then the groom wraps a white cloth round the bride (later I was told this was for them to use later and then present back to the husband;s family as proof that she wss a virgin ! ) , then there is the giving of a gold necklace and finally the giving og presents to the bride's mother and father and then rings and then lighting some candles and then signing - the witnesses are suitably important people who are not necessarily friends or even know the couple but they are important. This all happened at 9.03 - all worked out by horoscope and then there were cakes and juice and then a lot of sitting around to loud pop music, we left and came back for lunch where there was more sitting around and more even louder music until the bride came out in her going away clothees and then everyone gives money and goes away. No speeches, no dancing, no drinking (or not by anyone I was with anyway) but everyone looked fantastic - the saris were quite beaurtiful and I am glad I made the effort although I tell you that is a hot and restrictive garment!
later that day when I had got home and wrenched the pins out and got in the shower I was invited to another alms giving - this time it was the 7 days after my lanlord's grandfather had died alms giving - more rice and curry and more sitting around .
So it was a good week in all and I really felt a bit more like I belonged - or at least a bit more accepted. Work continues to be frustrating - the internet doesn't work after the 22nd of every month until the end of the month becausse they run our of giga bytes or whatever. I stamped my feet and wrote to the chairman and he agreed we had to go for unlimited etc but it is now 30th and it still doesn't work because no-one has done what they are supposed to do. The board have approved my proposal for a tourist information centre so the research starts next week. Whether it will actually happen I really don't know but we shall see!
All in all I am loving it here, its great to have met Jenice and Margaret and to have Sureka living justa couple of doors away but they will all be gone by August but by then Iwill have another lot of visitors and may even have made more friends In the meantime having emails and skypes with people really helps. Going to \Colombo for an engagement next weekend - might weat the sari again if I can find someone to help me put it on but I might just buy a shalwar - so much easier,,,,,,,,,,,
 |
| a big lizard - just because it was there! |
 |
| the shrine at the end of my street |
 |
| lantern outside a bank |
 |
| kites high in the sky |
 |
| lanterns orsidea school damaged by rain and wind |
 |
| a l;otus lantern |
 |
| and another lantern |
 |
| curry and riice courtesy of the army |
 |
| The Buddha story board |
 |
| made entirely from plastic bottles |
 |
| prisoners singing - later some escaped |
.jpg)
