Marvelous Matara is launched .......

 this is it ! marvelous Matara

The VSO contingent Me, with Ruvanthi and Diane

I have been waiting to blog until the Tourist Information Centre opened . I have been utterly consumed by it and apart from a trip to Colombo and a trip to Galle I have not done much else except try to get ready and teach my English classes of which more later . 





So the month has been difficult, frustating and yet in the end in true Sri Lankan style it got done .  It all happened on 28 September - on 27 September the CEO and I were still cleaning toilets, blowing baloons , watching the boards go up in the office and despairing as the leaflets had not arrived and the advertising boards around the place had not been put up nor had the maps been done nor had the money from Save the Children arrived in our bank account meaning that no computer had been purchased.  We went home that night at 9 pm wondering how it would be. 

Marvelous Minister (in white) and oil lamp

Next day dawned and everyone arrived early , flags were put up , muffins arrived, the food arrived , the dignitaries began to arrive and finally , 10 minutes before the minister arrived the leaflets arrived ' Marvelous Matra' was in print, now they just needed to be folded.  All hands to the pump.  I gave a  demonstration of how to make coffee in a cafetiere and the staff were fascinated.  The coffee which had beeen brought by my sister smelled so good. 

Marvelous Vachi - a TIC volunteer

Time to start the celebrations - the minister arrived .  Unfortunately the photos do not show his amazing gold and jeweled rings and his patent leather winklepickers - he was something else.  He is the minister of tourism and gave a speech which really told people to look East to China and Russia and stop concentrating on the West.  Before that we had to light the oil lamp (I love this ceremony) and after that he cut the ribbon and declared the centre open.  He says he will tell the president about our wonderful centre -  but we will see.  The speeches continued , Ruvanthi from VSO rebutting the minister and saying its all very well to be proud of how many visitors there are to Sri Lanka but unless we learn to treat them better and stop harassing them they do not return - controversial but the minister had left.  Then Save the Children talked about responsible tourism - sexual exploitation and child labour and then it was the vote of thanks and Marvelous Matara became Marvelous Mary - its nice to be appreciated.  Food followed and then I left, thoroughly exhausted to go on a boat trip.  We saw so many king fishers and eagles and a few crocs - the bird life is stunning.  Then I went with another volunteer (the woman who started at the same time as me) to Mirissa for fresh fish on the beach - all good .  Now I can relax - all we need now are some tourists. 

'Marvelous Mary' in full swing

marvelous muffins (in the basket)

My English classes continue - its interesting that in all three classes it is mostly the men who stay the course - I think that this has something to do with the fact that girls just do not go out in the evening and two of the classes are evenings.  One class folded altogether because they couldn't understand me - they only gave it two weeks ,  but they are used to being taught English by Sri Lankans and so find the English accent difficult.  It takes about 3 weeks for people to get used to it .  I have a new class of travel agent staff who are delightful - advanced-  so they are doing writing stories and reading Dr Seuss aloud - they are a challenge but so nice .  I am coming to the end of a couple of the classes but my one to one class continues and will continue till I leave I think.

Ros comes today - for three weeks which will be fantastic, Sally is coming back with some other friends of hers and so I will get to see her and then Ronke and Martin will be staying in a place nearby so I can visit them .  So October is pretty much taken up with visitors and going to Jaffna - so the next blog will show lots of that .  Then November will be quiet with no visitors at all and then my sister and brother come for a week and then it is nearly time to come home.  I have a date 11/1 - I finish at the Chamber on 21st December and then go traveling for a few weeks - going to spend Christmas in Galle and New Year in Maldives and stay at some Geoffrey Bawa places.  I will be sad to leave but glad to get home too of  which more later .........