Slices of Life from Sri Lanka and Sierra Leone

Settling in to Sierra Leone

2007-10-12T23:41:00.000+05:30

Well it’s been about two weeks since my arrival in Sierra Leone and some days it feels like I’ve already been here for years and some days I wonder if I just got off the boat. For those stopping here, I’ll sum it up…life in Africa is different…different than the States…different than Asia.

My first weekend here I went on a whirlwind tour of all the social life in Freetown – Franco’s on Sussex Beach, Alex’s for a dinner on the water, and Paddy’s for the late night dancing. My colleagues hadn’t ever seen anyone jump so freely into life in Freetown but I had Logan giving me a year and a half of distance orientation to Sierra Leone so it all seemed quite familiar.

Since then though it’s been all work getting into the operations of our office and seeing where improvements need to be made. I’m a bit overwhelmed by all the things that need to be done but I am energized by the challenge and I’ve learned that as much as I love building buildings I also love building systems.

Life is a bit harder in Sierra Leone and it took me a few frustrating days to get used to this new reality. We’ve had electricity for about 5 nights since I’ve been here (generators are a booming business), the water from the shower trickles on a good day and is dry on a bad one (I need to brush up on my plumbing skills), the roads are choked with traffic (it can take 2 hours to go 10-15 kilometers), and unemployment is always in your face (tons of people just work the traffic jams selling everything you could ever want – need to go shopping? Get stuck in traffic).

But for all the hardness of life, the people really do make Sierra Leone so appealing and welcoming. For all that these people have been through, they have every reason to be hateful and depressed, but they’re quite the opposite. I often walk between the GOAL house and our house separated by only a few hundred meters and within about 2 days I knew everyone (which is a lot of people!) who lived along that street. People wouldn’t let me pass without knowing my name, where I was from, who I was working with, how long I’ve been here, etc., etc., etc. It’s been quite fun to get to know all the faces and names.

Well the candle’s getting low and I’m getting tired so I’ll be sure to post again soon. Thanks to Dad for sending me the gentle reminder that it was time to post!

Farewell Ampara

2007-09-06T23:54:00.000+05:30

Well I write you on my second to last night in Ampara. For those paying attention you may be saying “I thought you were leaving on the 19^th Dave!?” Yes, you are right, but I’ve learned in my old age that as soon as I write a plan down it will be swiftly scrapped for something quite different (remember the plan for Logan to come to Sri Lanka after Sierra Leone?:)

The new plan is this…I will be flying to Ireland on the 15^th or 16^th so that on the 17^th I can be at a training for my new job with GOAL, an Irish NGO. After three days of training in Galway, I’ll work my way over to Dublin for the health checks, visa stuff, and a bit more training and then as soon as my visa arrives I’ll be off to Sierra Leone. So by the end of September there is a good chance that I’ll be writing you from Sierra Leone!

You probably have a lot of questions based on this new plan and my imminent departure from Sri Lanka:

1) So when are you coming home Dave?! (I’ve heard this one a lot from my parents lately in a rather exasperated tone:)

Well I was really looking forward to that break and obviously being home, but sometimes the next thing comes calling a bit sooner than any of us expect. I didn’t think it was wise to turn down an opportunity just because it didn’t quite fit my ideal schedule, so I’m hoping that both Logan and I (together) can get home around Christmas time (you see I wrote that down so wait for it all to change…) Ohh and there was also the whole perk of seeing Logan a bit sooner:)

2) So I guess you will finally be living with your wife!?

YES! After more than a year we will be reunited under the same roof. This could be interesting and there will be a bit of readjustment I'm sure (for example she says that all the closets are full). We do know that our travel schedules will have us logging some serious miles in the air and on the roads. She’ll be splitting her time between Liberia and Sierra Leone and I’ll be splitting my time between two offices in Sierra Leone 6 to 7 hours apart, but we figure far better than our current situation and we're very much looking forward to it.

3) So what could you be doing in Sierra Leone that is more exciting than coming home to see your friends and family?

I’ll be starting out in a country logistics coordinator role basically tasked with making sure GOAL's operations run smoothly (everything from the vehicles to the purchasing) and then after a couple of months be moving into a partnership coordinator position where I’ll work to build the capacity of GOAL’s local partners working in a variety of different sectors. Upon hearing this Logan quipped that the equivalent to these two positions might be "beating your head against a wall." Despite the bleak assessment, I'll hope to soften the blow and look forward to the new challenge.

4) Will you miss Sri Lanka?

Of course. I’m struggling to answer this one in more depth than that though as I’ve had little time to reflect! There are so many things that I will miss but there is a select list of what I will not miss as you can imagine.

I know that I count my blessings every day for the opportunity to start an office in Kalmunai on the east coast. While never in the plan when I arrived, I have a hard time imagining what my Sri Lankan experience would have been like without this office. It feels a bit a child to me– frustrated and depressed by every setback and prouder than ever at every accomplishment. So I’m not looking forward to leaving it and I assure you that from the shores of Africa I’ll still be checking in.

I guess more than anything the office represents for me what can happen when you confidently and faithfully take on the feared and unknown. Almost everyone said Kalmunai was dangerous, and almost everyone said it was nearly impossible to build housing there – two opinions that almost convinced us not to go. But when I look around at what we’ve done in the past 9 months and how I feel in the communities I have found the reality to be very different.

And finally, for the record here are all the things I can think of that I will NOT miss…the roads and especially the buses, wedding cake, tea, fixation on status and everyone else’s business but your own, Poya Day, ESPN Asia (it’s horrible), and drumroll please…watching cricket (I know this is blasphemy here but if you think baseball is slow and boring it’s like the 40 yard dash compared to cricket).

So…10 days and counting…I've told Logan to clear some closet space!

The Answers...

2007-08-19T14:35:00.000+05:30

Many of you have been asking me when I am coming home from Sri Lanka knowing that I'm wrapping up sometime in September. I've been avoiding the question because I have difficulty planning next week's schedule, but here's my best effort to nail some dates down....

September 19th or 20th...I'll depart from Ampara to Hikkaduwa
September 29th...depart from Hikkaduwa to Colombo
October 1st or 2nd...depart from Sri Lanka to the US

From there, unless my next job in Sierra Leone dictates otherwise (which is still in the works -- keep your fingers crossed!), I'll be in the States for a while to visit and bum off of family and friends. Then I'll head for the shores of Sierra Leone to catch up with some girl that I met a few years back and hopefully start an exciting new opportunity!

So in the next month and a half, I've got a ton to do both personally and professionally. I'm looking forward to whatever will be next but I'm certainly sad to leave Sri Lanka and the project that feels a bit like a child to me.

Sunsets and Elections

2007-08-14T20:10:00.000+05:30

For those of you not up-to-date on the latest West African newswires, Sierra Leone just had a landmark election, and Logan served her part as an election monitor. To read the latest click here.

As for my part of the world, it's harvest time and not rainy season here quite yet so I'm still enjoying remarkable sunsets out here in Ampara as we do various programs for the kids and play soccer here on the weekend evenings.

Just Ask

2007-08-07T07:34:00.000+05:30

My friend and I were talking over here on our porch one evening about what makes leaders great. The whole discussion came out of a leadership and management training and discussion that I'm doing with my staff who are becoming managers day by day as I transition out of Sri Lanka (September for those wondering!).

We came to a lot of conclusions, and threw around a lot of good ideas, but overall I think we lamented more at the fact that there seems to be a real lack of great leadership in the world. Maybe we're just getting old, but in asking the "why" we came to what I would say was an important insight as the 2008 election inches towards us...

We asked when the last time our leadership asked us, implored us, or demanded from us to contribute to society or our country?

I couldn't think of any time that Bush, or to be fair, any current political leader, asked me to contribute something more than money or a vote -- rather in the case of global warming, Katrina, Minneapolis, or Iraq the mantra was and is that "we've got it all taken care of...no need to worry." I can tell you that the same type of thing happens here in Sri Lanka.

It seems an age where leaders feel they need to make promises -- about our security, our health, or our jobs -- so that rather than sacrificing or giving we can go on living our "comfortable" lives. What they don't seem to realize is that promises at their best don't inspire and certainly don't solve problems. Just think of the great leaders in our history -- they didn't promise anything and had the humbleness to ask for help because they knew they needed it.

So, the leader I'd elect in '08 is the one who demands my contribution to the problems we must confront. I'm still looking....

Livelihoods and More Houses

2007-07-16T22:20:00.000+05:30

Well after about 6 months of data gathering and investigations into roughly 750 people which was no small feat, our livelihoods program in Ampara had their first distribution for about 150 families still living in IDP camps since the tsunami (If you think that's a long time talk to the war-displaced, some of whom are going on 20 years). Next month we'll do 350 in another division, and the month following another 250 in another division.

For a variety of reasons we have set up a system where our beneficiaries essentially receive a voucher that is only valid on one day at one store for 4-5 very specific assets that are based on their trade and skill level. Almost like a Target Gift Card, but not quite. Out of the 750 people receiving items they fit roughly into 33 different trades. So, for example, a "Carpenter 2" would receive wood planer whereas a "Carpenter 1" would receive a hammer, chisels, and so on. In addition to the carpenters there are tailors, masons, gas sellers, fish mongers, Bombay sweet makers, grocery store owners among many others.

Once these people receive these items from the supplier, we'll follow up with training in their trade, bookkeeping, and savings clubs to ensure that the asset actually contributes to the overall improvement of their livelihood. Below you'll see a few pictures from the distribution.

In other news, we've just had what felt like a ton of pomp and circumstance to open about 30 more houses in Ampara and on the West Coast. Our totals for completion are somewhere up around 60 with roughly 100 under construction (I'm in the process of pulling together all the numbers!) We'll also be completing a school library and playground this week over in Ampara. The bulk of the work is still ahead as we are about to embark on a few very large community facility projects that have been in planning for way too long.

No one was going to miss this...

Mindy doing her duty - she looks like a politician running for office.

The Divisional Secretary of Karaitivu wondering what I'm taking a picture of at the Housing Opening for 17 houses there.

A young housing beneficiary offering the Hindu prayer (Karaitivu is almost entirely Tamil and as a result either Hindu or Christian)

Back from Bangkok

2007-07-08T22:39:00.000+05:30

Many of you didn't know, but I spent the past weekend in Bangkok, Thailand. No special reason...just wanted to see a place that is so close (3 hrs by plane), but seemed so far away. Among many other things we...saw Spiderman 3 on IMAX, ate at the New York Steakhouse, took it easy at Starbucks, saw Thai Boxing, went shopping at one of the biggest outdoor markets I've ever seen, strolled through the Grand Palace, and took a water taxi ride up the river.

I've attached a few pictures below, but if you like, you can see all the pictures here and here.

During our stay there we also met up with some people running Night Light - Bangkok which is an organization working against human trafficking and prostitution in Bangkok by providing counseling and economic alternatives (primarily making very high-quality jewelry and marketing it in the US -- take a look at their online store and please buy something!).

To put it simply, they are doing an incredible job addressing a huge problem. Prostitution, brothels, and trafficking is hard to ignore in Bangkok. There are traces everywhere -- from the American and European men traveling on the metro clutching to young Thai women to the numerous massage parlors offering the "special" massage. For many this lifestyle is either no choice at all or the last choice they've got, and when someone takes the time to counsel them and provide an alternative hundreds get out successfully.

First stop...Starbucks:)

This fella is called the Hermit Doctor. While Buddhist, Thai's have put their own spin on the whole thing and are very superstitious and will worship just about anything that they think will bring them good fortune. There is a whole amulet market that sells well...amulets...that will protect you from all kinds of things.

A mural in the Grand Palace...just one of many depicting the life and time of Buddha.

The Grand Palace shines even on a rainy day thanks to many reflective tiles that cover everything...
Thai architecture is very distinct and far more gorgeous and practical than I had anticipated.
The Emerald Buddha -- the most revered image of Buddha in all of Thailand. I have never seen so many images of Buddha...sitting, standing, stepping forward, reclining....
Speaking of reclining here is 40 meter long Buddha reclining...

The water taxi -- quite convenient for a city choked by traffic.

Greetings From the Ella Gap

2007-06-16T15:44:00.000+05:30

This weekend I've escaped the heat of Ampara for the central highlands. It's always a complete change of pace as weekends spent in Ampara are usually spent running errands and working. Weekends up here are spent relaxing, hiking, and reading in the cool climate (75 during the day).

This time I've come to Ella -- known for it's spectacular views looking southeast that on a clear day can stretch all the way to the Indian Ocean. It is a very small town perched on top of a mountain range (it got electricity for the first time in '84) that parallels another mountain range (thus the "gap"). Besides catering to the tourists passing through for a hike, it is mostly a farming town with little farms growing pineapple, chilli's, tomatoes, flowers, etc. along the hillsides.

This morning I woke up for the sunrise that comes up over the mountain and then took a hike with Chris to the top of Ella Rock where the views get even better. Below are a few pictures that just don't do it justice.

I hope this finds you all well and enjoying your weekend.

The view from the top of Ella Rock looking north into the highlands (below) and south towards the ocean (above)
Looking east. You'll see the little town of the Ella in the left of the picture.
The hike was a bit of a vertical climb and just showed me how out of shape I really am these days!
The chilli growing red hot
Chillies can grow on theses hillsides because of the irrigation in Sri Lanka which is pretty well-along. Small canals divert the water to the fields along the hillsides

We had a very loyal pack of guide dogs to lead the way. They were awesome -- climbing up and down waterfalls and everything.
Part of a waterfall we came across -- we are on the top section and it just keeps going down, down, down...
The sunrise in Ella -- it was a bit cloudy so we didn't see the full show, but it was still very cool...

Back in SL

2007-06-10T18:00:00.000+05:30

So it’s been a while, but I’m back. I’ve taken the equivalent of a trip around the world since my last posting and I think I’m just pulling out of the jet-lag. It was a whirlwind journey that included stopovers in London, Dubai, Washington, D.C. (Friends), Columbia, MD (Dad), Phoenix, MD (Gram), and Taneytown, MD (Mom). It was great to be home and to have a chance to see so much of my family that I haven’t seen in at least 10 months (many much more).

The good ole USA hasn’t changed much from my perspective. The biggest changes occurred in our neighborhood in Washington, D.C. (Columbia Heights) and in our cat Milo. Both have grown! I did notice that my first impression of the US stepping out of the airport was that everyone was tall and wide – maybe not the most flattering thing to notice but when you’re around a bunch of short and skinny Sri Lankans for so long you start to notice these things.

When I arrived back in Sri Lanka I was greeted by our first housing opening in Ampara, of which highlights will appear tonight on the national news channels ITN and EYE news. It was a ceremony completely organized by the community with our meager support and they did a spectacular job as you can see below. It was a real celebration of thanksgiving.

If anyone wondered what the view looks like on my morning commute, here it is. The rice paddy's are about as green as green gets with the exception of harvest time (about a month ago) when it was just one large mud-pit.

The morning commute is far less traffic than DC's. The roads aren't too bad either on this stretch...

Pointing home...on my way home to the USA I passed this sign to Polannaruwa -- an ancient city in Sri Lanka.

The day before boarding my plane we had the groundbreaking ceremony for the Pinnakolandia project which has felt like it has been in the planning stage forever. In the end though it will be a gorgeous new village of 10 houses and a recreation area. We are installing all the infrastructure including retention walls, drainage and more.
Ahh home sweet home...I think I took 10 pictures all week just because I was busy as heck. But here are a few -- everyone has grown up!

Back to Sri Lanka...the housing opening in Sri Lanka...the man below received assistance from TSA and did all the work himself on his house -- he did a spectacular job and painted his house gold and red -- purposefully some TSA colors.

Some of the team waiting for the procession. The badges were made by the community for the staff.
Junitheen, another one of the beneficiaries who built his own house waiting on the cool drinks...He's just an excellent guy with a great sense of humor.

Mindy providing the appropriate amount of enthusiasm while cutting the ribbon. You'll notice that well, the plastering on the walls isn't done!? This is because in order for the beneficiary to finish the house (exterior plastering and painting) they have to receive the final grant from the government which is notoriously slow. We essentially bring them to the point where with the final grant they can finish the house in it's entirety. I often want to just finish the work ourselves, but I have to remind myself that part of the process is establishing successful partnerships and having the beneficiaries and government take ownership of the projects.

Coming Home

2007-05-18T17:53:00.000+05:30

I wanted to let everyone know that I'm going to be heading home on May 26th to return to Sri Lanka on June 3rd. Unfortunately, the reason for my unscheduled trip is that Pop passed away just a few days ago from a massive brain hemorrhage.

I haven't figured out my itinerary yet, but I hope to see everyone I can in DC, Baltimore, and whoever else can find their way to those two locations.

So, I'll let you know where I'll be and when, and I'll look forward to seeing you soon,
Dave

Holiday Overload

2007-05-04T18:11:00.000+05:30

I've always heard that Americans are in general work-a-holics on the global scale but you don’t really realize that truth until you work in a foreign country. As France debates the 35 hour work week, I have a hard time understanding why it is a debate at all. I’m not saying that working 35 hours a week is wrong – it might actually be nice – but I just can’t imagine how you get anything done on time– or compete with other countries who work 40,50,60 hours a week. Just when you’re getting going it’s time to go home.

Someone counted the public holidays in Sri Lanka and it totals to something like 51 days. When you add in personal days and sick days, it feels like my staff is holidaying more than they are working. April and May are the two worst months and it has just about sucked all of the momentum we had moving in the first quarter. First in April there is the Sinhalese and Tamil New Year where everyone takes at least a week off. Then in May there is Vesak which is the holiest day in the Buddhist calendar and that is another week. Vesak can best be described as a mix of Christmas (the lights) and Halloween (people walking on the streets from house to house). This is not to mention that every full moon is a day off in this country (it certainly makes you appreciate the moon more!) and that they accomodate for four major religions -- Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Christianity. I’ve been trying to enjoy these holidays, but then I look at my to-do list and cringe.

Below are some pictures from the recent Vesak celebrations.

One of the hallmarks of Vesak is the laterns. The images on the laterns commonly convey the stories and teachings of Buddha -- many are true works of art.

Laterns are hung from every available branch, lightpost, or wall....
This statue was built to commemorate the 1,000 deaths that occured on the train that was passing by during the tsunami. This is about 10 minutes north of our house in Hikkaduwa. Have you ever wondered what the Buddhist flag represents?

Hundreds of people clog the streets during Vesak and this would classify as Sri Lankan fair food (sorry no funnel cake or sausages).

One of the most fascinating places during Vesak is the cemetary. They go from fairly anonymous dark places to bursting with light from the laterns made by the family members. Can you see the ghost in the first of three graveyard pictures?:) Look closely for the feet walking along the road...

Signs of a Different Place

2007-04-22T12:37:00.000+05:30

There are many, many signs in Sri Lanka -- along the street it's hard to make out what store is what there are so many. But along our travels, a few made us laugh. This one below was on our way up Sigiriya Palace and it is one way to keep a group of rowdy Americans or Sri Lankan school kids very quiet. This sign stood next to hundreds of bags of bricks and sand at the base of Sigiriya rock. It says..."A KIND REQUEST A brick walls in the royal palace complex on the top of sigiriya rock have been severely damaged. It is our duty to conserve and protect them. For this purpose, we need 300,000 bricks and 100 cubes of sand. We kindly expect your help to transport brick ..to the rock from singhapada. Your co-operation in this regard is highly appreciated." So needless to say we grabbed a few bags and hiked to the top...
This sign was found in our hotel. In our room was also a warning about feeding the monkeys...
More pictures of our travels around Sri Lanka are to come soon!

When It Rains it Pours

2007-04-16T22:19:00.000+05:30

I can't tell you how many times I've driven to Ampara rather uneventfully, but every once in a while I am reminded that I am not in the good ole USA where road drainage is customary.

40 km away from my destination I ran into this sight (it was about 4' deep) with the rain looking like it had no intention of stopping.

So in usual American fashion waiting out the rain and the receding of the waters was not an option. Instead I along with another NGO decided to go the other route which would take us along the coast. That was fine and dandy until the army started shutting down roads at dark. After about 2 hours of feeling our way along the coast through some back roads we made it to Ampara. I have no idea how long people were sitting there but for my sake I'll just continue to believe that I made the right choice.

In other news...Logan has departed back for Sierra Leone and made it rather uneventfully (however, it is now required that the airline lose her bags for a trip to be normal). She is promising the long-awaited blog entry on the Real Sri Lanka.

A Few Pictures of Logan AND Dave

2007-04-09T22:27:00.000+05:30

I know -- they occur too infrequently but here they are. We're working on more. I think I also might get Logan to post something before she goes -- don't hold your breath.

Tomorrow we head to Hikkaduwa after two days in Ampara, two days in Sigiriya, and two days in Colombo. We stayed at the Kandalama Hotel in Dambulla and hiked up to the top of Sigiriya with the crew.

March Madness and April Sleeplessness

2007-04-01T11:10:00.000+05:30

This morning we spent the first few waking hours of April (waking at 3:15) listening to the Georgetown/OSU game and for me it was a bit of a disappointment (I had Georgetown going all the way – I know, I know). Adam was obviously happy as a clam. The final will be quite a match-up though and I’m looking forward to at least hearing about it.

March Madness has meant a little more than basketball for us in Sri Lanka. It has included an 11 day donor visit that finally ended yesterday. While indeed madness as we trekked around the country putting everything on display, they were extremely pleased to see the progress we’ve made. After all when they came in December we had a staff of about 6 in one office in Hikkaduwa and just started our first house. Now it’s about 35 spread across two offices and houses are being completed in both areas along with community programs, livelihoods, and a whole host of other activities(we had our first house opening in Ampara – I’ll post the pictures when I get them from the staff). We're all relieved to have the proposal re-writing out of the way and work really going.

And as far as April is concerned, besides basketball championships and the hottest and most humid month in Sri Lanka all year, LOGAN steps off the plane on the morning of April 3 for an 11 day visit! Despite all the travels on the itinerary which reflect my life here, it should be a relaxing couple of days for the both us (the court is closed for the Easter week and Sri Lankan’s have a bunch of big holidays in the weeks ahead). The trip goes roughly like this: we’ll be in Colombo living the high life for a couple of days (shopping, eating, pooling, etc), then to the ancient sites in central Sri Lanka staying at one of the finest hotels (the Kandalama), then to the dry and dusty east to see Ampara and my home/office/work there, and then back around to Hikkaduwa and Galle to see the sights, the beach, and my home/office/work there.

So here’s to March Madness and April Sleeplessness…and below are a few pictures from the past few weeks.

I often am found complaining about the drive too and from Ampara (9 hrs on a bumpy road) but I don't complain about the scenery along the way. Here is one of the waterfalls somewhere between Ampara and Colombo.

This is Gurugewatta -- one of the small donor driven communities we are working on. It is six houses about 2 km away from the ocean and some beneficiaries will be resettling here.

Manjita Biswas from Canada and Bermuda Territory of Salvation Army addressing the staff in Hikkaduwa. That's Mark Edwards, our CCD Coordinator -- a good man and a great cricketer.

This is one of our houses in Ampara that will be complete soon (the beneficiary is to complete the plastering and painting with the government money). As I've said, there are many differences to building in the east as opposed to the west -- the use of bricks being one of them.

I want this guy's job. A carpenter laying out the roof.

Yala Adventures

2007-03-26T21:49:00.000+05:30

A few weekends ago we finally made it to Yala National Park in southeastern Sri Lanka. It is known for it's leopards of which there are 35 in the whole park. We were told not to expect to see any but as you can see we got pretty lucky to catch a glimpse...We also saw elephants, peacocks, monkeys, crocodiles, wild boar, and more. Unfortunately I didn't have my good camera with me so only a few good ones came out.

Me, Adam, and Chris hanging out at one of the hotels that sits on the outskirts of Yala.

You have to get up early to catch the animals so we got a chance to catch our first Sri Lankan sunrise and it was worth it.
The much sought after leopard.

“B” is for Buddha and “C” is for Cricket

2007-03-15T22:06:00.000+05:30

Cricket in Sri Lanka is like Buddha – it’s everywhere. On any dusty patch of bare land in Sri Lanka cricket is being played. Right now the Cricket World Cup is occurring in the West Indies and everyone here is glued to the TV watching all cricket all the time.

As part of our Community Capacity Development (CCD) program the team has assisted in the founding of sports clubs in the tsunami resettlement communities to help bring some sense of community to these areas filled with people from different areas and with different backgrounds. Part of the appeal of having a sports club is playing another sports club so we have decided that we need our own staff cricket team to compete as well to build up the league a bit. Our team consists of some Sri Lankan college cricket stars and 3 white guys (Chris, Adam, and me when I’m not in Ampara) who don’t have a clue (but we’re learning quickly).

Despite the white guys’ lack of run production (I had one wicket and 0 runs against their best “bowler” ie. pitcher) the Sri Lankans on our team took care of us and we won…107 to 74! We kinda felt bad, but the Monrovia team is now practicing and wanting us to come back for another matchup. Everyone had a blast and you really did start to feel a sense of community as we had about 75 spectators cheering against us…cheers to the CCD department for all of their good work.

Yes that is the official Sri Lanka Cricket hat that I'm sporting along with my own recreation soccer league shirt from when I was about 13 years old probably...I still wear it and it's still too big for me.

Chris looking ready for the run and Rawantha putting slapping a shot to right field -- or whatever they call it. The object for the pitcher/bowler is to knock over those three sticks and the batter is supposed to defend them.

After the big boys played, the little kids had their chance and they were good. This kid below could bowl some cricket. I was amazed considering he came up to about my kneecap.

Skyscrapers in Kansas

2007-03-07T22:50:00.000+05:30

Imagine if a businessman in Manhattan had to abide by the same property development regulations as a farmer in Kansas. That’s fine if Kansas and Manhattan have the same land and population characteristics but we know that’s not true.

It may seem far fetched to ask you to imagine such a scenario, but in Sri Lanka, the scenario is more real than imagined.

In theory, before they build their house the beneficiary must get approval from the Municipal Council -- the locally elected governing body. However, the council is forced to abide by a national housing policy that says setbacks from the center of the road must be 6 meters, rear space must be 7 meters from the property line, and so on. In most places on the island we can meet these regulations easily, but here along the coast, where the population density is higher than Colombo, the municipal council couldn’t possibly approve 80% of the housing that is being rebuilt in their jurisdiction today. Moreover, if an inspector went around to each property regardless of when it was built they would probably classify 70% as illegal.

Reality is that beneficiaries get bogus plans drawn up by “approved” draftsmen and then build whatever they want -- counting on the fact that no inspector will come around -- unless there is a complaint. This practice wouldn’t be so rampant if it wasn’t for the Divisional Secretaries appointed by the central government pushing tsunami funding out the door as soon as possible. This translates into the type of unsafe and unplanned housing and communities that I spoke earlier and causes the death of a person just a few days ago by accidentally touching a power line outside their upstairs window.

So how in the short-term do we rebuild for tsunami victims? After three meetings with the municipal engineer, we’re still working on it and I think we’ll come to some conclusion soon. At the most basic level for me it starts with safety (what happens if there is a fire?), but the bottom line for the long term is that 1) the planning laws have to change to meet the reality of each unique place, and 2) the municipal council needs the planning resources to create such laws…calling all UMD planners...

In just a couple of hours I'll be headed back to Hikkaduwa to check in on the projects there. Things continue to move ahead, albeit slower than I ever want it to go. It will be a nice weekend filled with eating good western food!

March Madness in Sri Lanka

2007-03-03T18:56:00.000+05:30

14-Mar-07

14:00

Basketball

ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE BASKETBALL (BASKETBALL)
DURHAM, NC USA
Maryland Vs Duke

02:00

This is what I saw today on the listing for our satellite provider and if you were in the house next door you probably thought I won the lottery.

I have never seen college basketball appear on the schedule (there is plenty of NBA) and all of a sudden today there are two games scheduled to appear, the Maryland/Duke game from a few days ago and the UNC/Georgia Tech game (Chris is a huge GTECH fan). I am hoping and praying there is more to come, but the best part of the whole thing is the final score of the Maryland/Duke game...GO TERPS and let the March Madness begin!!

P.S. I'm working on my excuse for why I have to be home at Wednesday at 2:oo in the afternoon. Your suggestions are welcome:)

Coconut Plucker

2007-03-02T20:24:00.000+05:30

Yes, I've OK'd the hiring of my first coconut plucker. A little man comes around every once in a while and for just 40 rupees per tree (about $.35) he will climb your coconut trees, test which ones are ready (a firm shake of the coconut close to the ear), and pull them down from you.

Seeing how far my 40 rupee investment per tree would fare in the harsh coconut business I was told by Sam that I could get about 20 rupees per coconut. I've got quite a few trees up there with quite a few coconuts so I think it's well worth it and told him to come back.

What I will do with all these coconuts is beyond me...but I just wanted to let you know that in case my other livelihood falls through over here I've got a back-up plan. I'm sure it will get me enough to pay the school loans.

Photos!

2007-02-26T19:43:00.000+05:30

No my camera isn't back but it's on the way I hear! We've got some project cameras that I've been using here and there and finally have uploaded a few to my computer. Here are a few pics for the scrap book. The descriptions are below.

These are some of the guys who actually do the work enjoying a tea break (very important). From the left, Niroas who investigates the beneficiaries to see if they are telling the truth; Ananth, who is our draftsman; and Ganesh, who is one of our site supervisors.

Abdeen is the most soft-spoken , gentle guy and this picture doesn't exactly indicate that but you can see by their faces he has a way with the crowds. He heads up our livelihoods programming out here.

This is the former recreation area in Karaitivu that was washed away by the tsunami (it's about 40 meters from the beach) that we're working on restoring. We're in the design phase at the moment and it will be a few months til it starts to look any different. It is the largest recreation area in the district and draws a TON of kids even now with it's half demolished pavilion and rusted, abandoned playground. It will be the centerpiece of our work in Ampara.

Dave and Sam at the office enjoying our January and February Birthday Party. Captain Sam is a retired TSA Officer and my right hand man in Ampara -- he's an excellent translator in all three languages spoken (Tamil, Sinhala, and English), more energetic than us 20 somethings, disciplined, and most importantly has a way of making anyone laugh through it all.

Mytheleen and Jesmin. Mytheleen works with Abdeen on livelihoods and Jesmin helps me stay organized in the office. Mythaleen used to work for TSA in Jaffna where she's from but the conflict there has just gotten to bad to do any type of reconstruction work. Keep her family who is still in Jaffna in your prayers .

I can't tell you how challenging it is to build in the coastal areas of Ampara (despite it looking so easy!) and it has truly tested both my technical, humanitarian, and moral judgement in ways that it hasn't ever been tested. Nevertheless, here is the before and after of the first house of the first day of construction in Ampara (the first picture shows what was started by the beneficiary but stopped after they ran out of funds, the second shows your money hard at work).

Sri Lankan Idol

2007-02-24T20:52:00.000+05:30

I don't think I've ever posted twice in a week on this thing, but I feel compelled to, as some sort of outlet for the experience that I'm having right now...I'm sitting in my living room with some Sri Lankan friends and they are GLUED to Sri Lanka's version of American Idol. Everything is very similar to our beloved version: the set looks the same, they've got some famous singers to judge the talent, and they even go around the island like they do in the States (they came to Hikkaduwa a couple months ago). The only real difference is the sound..it's awful. Take the worst ever American Idol contestant (I forget his name -- he was so bad he's famous) and he is better than the best of these people...I wish I was exaggerating. You can imagine my delight when they want me to watch and put in my vote. This is why every morning on our commute down to the coast I insist on the BBC World Service....

The House Factory

2007-02-22T22:30:00.000+05:30

International development work seems to have this image of being a warm, friendly, and fulfilling process, but sometimes it just seems more like running a factory.

I’ve posted the strategy flow chart for our housing program in the east below to give you a sense of the process that we’re going through. Making this chart I recalled the days sitting in Dr. Patterson’s Operations Management class at Furman. I think we studied something that looked roughly like this and it had nothing to do with homes for the impoverished and everything to do with producing widgets for a profit. Oh, and “Just In Time” inventory management like we saw at the BMW plant in Spartenburg on that field trip doesn’t work over here (I’ll soon have a warehouse of all the things you would ever need to build a house).

Anyways, if you really study the chart -- and I’m not expecting you too -- you can see that two MAJOR portions are added to the process as compared to the Southwest because a lot of the beneficiaries have started their homes on their own with the government grant money. Why, unlike the SW beneficiaries did they start on their own? They got sick of waiting for NGOs to come and provide the extra money and technical assistance. But, when their government grant ran out, they stopped building the homes, and as a result you see half built homes all over the place with people making do (you also see the completed houses of those who had enough to rebuild on their own). Many organizations have avoided these places like the plague because they can’t impose one of their standard plans that are pre-designed (a luxury we have in the SW) thus making it all the worse for these people.

This initiative would be excellent if what was built had any planning involved whatsoever. I’ve seen some AMAZING engineering marvels that would make any engineer, planner, or architect cringe (and in these same scenarios I don't know if ordinary westerners would do much better). To give a glimpse, here are some questions I’ve been asking beneficiaries about their already half-built structures.

How does this plan have anything to do with what has been built?

Now that you’ve built the walls to the property line where are you going to put the septic tank?

Where will the stairs go?!

Do you know that the alley runs right through your proposed kitchen?

Does your neighbor know that you are going to cut 2’ off of their roof eave to put up this wall? Do they also not know that their back door will now open into your wall?

So we essentially have to custom build each house to match the many parameters that we're forced to accept. We measure what they’ve built and design as best we can to get them to a house that meets the minimum standards. We then act as the contractor (because contractors are unreliable at best over here) and hire labor from the community and materials from the bevy of suppliers knocking down our door. Our daily employees range from the guy with the ox and the cart who can haul sand to the mason who has been laying brick since he was 12. At times it makes me yearn for the days of managing subcontractors in Baltimore!

Despite it all, I’m happy to report that in 5 weeks we’ve gone from not having a house, an office, or a staff, to delivering 6000 bricks, 20 bags of cement, a cube of rubble, and a cube of sand each to our first beneficiaries, who after two years of waiting couldn’t believe it. We’ve got many more in the pipeline coming out as fast as we can scratch our heads and draw, estimate, and supervise. Ahh…there is that fulfilling feeling again.

From West to East...

2007-01-27T22:12:00.000+05:30

I've moved!

It was a lot easier than moving from DC to Sri Lanka, but I finally made the move to Ampara to begin our Eastern office. No more preparations, no more planning, now it's time to really get some work done...on this side of the island. Things continue to go well in the west and Adam and Deepika (our new engineer) will be helping me manage and oversee the work over there when I am over here. Here in Ampara our new staff (Jesmin, Kalinga, Mythaleen, Nihal, Ganesh, Niroas, Sam, Abdeen and Ananth) have begun their work, the new house is being outfitted more and more each day, and the new office will open February 1st. I'm continuing to add staff as the workload grows.

I enjoy Ampara for completely different reasons than I enjoyed Hikkaduwa. Hikkaduwa is Westerner friendly with all the restaurants, English-speakers, and beautiful beach. It's almost like you're on vacation as you could probably tell from the photos. Ampara would be the opposite of all of that -- much more of the real Sri Lanka and much more of the type of community and living arrangements that you'd find in this type of work. Ampara is much more boring, but the other expats living here have done a fine job of making their own fun. There are the parties, tournaments, movie nights, and football games to take your mind off the fact that there is really nothing to do here besides work.

As progress continues I'll keep you up-to-date and my camera should be back soon. I hope to be getting some before and afters especially for the west coast where upon my return earlier this month I had the joy of going to visit a lot of the families who were now living in completed houses. I did my best to speak Sinhala and they did their best with English, but it reminded me of this quote from The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho:

"there was a language in the world that everyone understood...
It was the language of enthusiasm, of things accomplished with love and purpose, and as part of a search for something believed in and desired."

This Sunday I'm excited to be attending my first Hindu wedding. Ganesh's sister is getting married and the entire team TSA team is going to celebrate with what is rumored to be a crowd of about 700. I'll let you know how it goes...

"Do They Hear You When You Cry"

2007-01-12T20:29:00.000+05:30

Before leaving Ethiopia I picked up a book by Fauziya Kassindja called "Do They Hear You When You Cry". It's the authors story fleeing Togo in West Africa to escape a forced marriage and female genital mutilation (FGM). She arrives in the U.S. to spend the next 16 months fighting from prison for her asylum. With the help of the American University Immigration Clinic law students she is finally freed, and her case helped change US immigration law in favor of women fleeing persecution.

The book is a bit long in some parts, but I couldn't put it down because it is chock full of faith, compassion, perseverance, injustice, hard work, and victory. While making you even more grateful that there are lawyers like Layli (Fauziya's student lawyer) and Logan called to be a voice for the innocent in prisons from America to Sierra Leone, it is also a testimony to our power as normal American citizens to challenge injustice in the world.

Links to some other interesting organizations:
Tahiri Justice Center
Equality Now