Counting down the days

I am so unbelievable excited about being home for Christmas this year. I only just realized that I haven't been home for Christmas in almost 4 years! Where have I been?

We are counting down the days, just 8 more days until we fly East on the biggest jet airplane in the world. I am daydreaming about all the shopping I am going to do at the new Dubai terminal 3. I will probably end up being too inundadated with consumer stimulation and holiday decorations, and people, and bustling crowds... Its another 5 days after that until Christmas day, I feel like such a big kid getting so excited about the holiday. I've been craving all the goodies that are associated with this time of year such as Gingerbread, sugar cookies, pumpkin pie... I was going to try my hand at the classic homemade decorations such as gingerbread ornaments and popcorn/cranberry garland until I decided that it would all end up a feast for the ants. I got as far as dried red and green chili garland and a pomander orange stuck with cloves which I predict will mold by tomorrow. (sigh)

My Birthday Weekend

We spent the weekend in a little boutigue hotel just south of Hikkaduwa. It was amazing, we never had to leave the room, just look at the pictures of the place. The toilet had a view of the ocean!. It was a bit dark and rainy (just how I like it). And the food was amazing served to you at any time of the day. We felt very spoiled.
We also took the opportunity to celebrate Thanksgiving early because I thought it was on the 20th rather than the 27th. We had lobster, no turkeys here.

They even organized a birthday commemoration with some flowers on the bed and a chocolate cake.





Just a few more days before Christmas holiday!

Asanka got married

Asanka, Our logistics Manager, got maried at the begining of October. Finally do I get the pictures off Richard's camera. We all got dressed up in Sarees for the occasion. Asanks had a traditional Kandyan do complete with the portuguese inspired costume, and the bride dressed in white, she looked beautiful. It started early at 5:30M, but we showed up around 8:30AM. Some of the ldies from the office posed in their fancy outfits. Vasanthi helped me to buy a nice Saree and Bhanu and everyone helped dress me with many many safety pins. I don't know if I will be able to do it myself. Congratulations to Asanka.

This is home

WAR

Ah

Around the World

From Sri Lanka to DC and back again. Only to return to circumnavigate the island within one week, stopping at every checkpoint in the country.

Libby came with Ben and Esther to distract us from our ever increasing stressful jobs. Esther was so cute and amazing. Talking and singing like a maniac. Kinda like her mom in that way. "Somewhere over the rainbow!, Way up high" She was quite the entertainment. We had a great time showing them around our new home. We started in Negombo, near the airport, headed north to Kandalama to see the monkeys, Sigiriya, and Polonnaruwa. Then south towards Kandy and the tea country. We took our time, not stressing about getting anywhere, enjoyed each other's company. We took tons of photos and must post some soon.

Not too long after Libby and Ben left us, did I have to return to the States myself. A quick unexpected trip home. A very strange, almost surreal experience. Hadn't been in the USA for almost 2 years. But it was like I never left. It was the perfect time of year, summer time, not too hot. I could go shopping for clothes I could wear in Sri Lanka. It wasn't much of a holiday, but a nice break/excuse to visit family.

Then back to work, which has been piling on in the midst of all this traveling. Arg!

Been a while

It has been too long. Since Galle a lot has happened. Not the least of which is that I got a J O B. Finally! Ridiculous. Jumped right into the project. But that was after a holiday in Australia. There are pictures from that somewhere. ANd I saw my Amy-poo in Hawaii. Yeah! Hawaii! I had a great time doing some American shopping now that I have an income - Sort of. Got totally eaten by something (sandflies I bet).

The work is fulfilling, they are keeping me busy. There are pictures on that as well as soon as I find them. Had to break in a new computer, so everything is missing.

Galle

Finally pictures of when we were in Galle/Unawutuna. Libby take a look at what you will be seeing when you come! I love the extremely tall palm trees reaching to the sky. We'll be there again in a weeks time trying to relax, away from the stress of work and city. Not a bad place to do so.

The only event we participated in at the Galle Literary Festival. Channa Dassanayaka's Cooking workshop. Yummy Sri Lankan curries good enough for the Dalai Lama. Feel good food.

Looking a bit confused on the Galle Fort Wall. Hot hot day. Richard loves catching me making faces on camera. But the Fort is pretty cool and deserves a mention. Too bad a photo can't do it justice. Suffice it to say, Galle Fort could look like New Orleans French Quarter or at least Algiers in a few decades with lots of improvements. Its got lots of Dutch colonial flavor in a Sri Lankan culture.

Unawutuna

Finally I got to spend time with the husband. We went to Hikkaduwa beach and then Unawutuna. Two totally different beaches. Hikkaduwa is a popular surfing beach frequented by backpackers and hippies. Hence there are multitudes of touts, as they are called. Anoying people walking up and down the beach calling out their wares (king coconuts, dirty massages from old men, cheap jewelry, sarongs), they really get in your face when all you want to do is sun bathe half naked with a book in private. You get used to it. I insisted on a strict no-tout policy that Richard had a hard time sticking to.

We treated ourselves to Lobster feasts followed by my new favorite dessert - Banana fritters with ice cream and treacle. Yum.

A little further down the coast is a bay - Unawutuna, just south of Galle Fort. The beach here is protected by the bay making the water a lot calmer. Perfect for a poor swimmer like me. DId I mention that Hikkaduwa beach is the same place I almost drowned after being caught in a rip two years ago when Richard first brought me there. Needless to say i didn't venture too far out in the water. Unawutuna was a more private beach, less frequented by those annoying touts.

The Galle Literary Festival was on while we were there. My impression was that it was a pretentious summer camp for writers. Didn't get too into it. A little disappointed. We did enjoy the cooking workshop with Australian/Sri Lankan chef Channa Dassanayaka. ( i think thats his last name). He made us the food he served to the Dalai Lama and a few hundred monks when they visited Australia in 2007. He is all about peace and goodness through food (and Yoga). Sounds like a good philosophy to me.

A quick week at the beach and then back to work. Too much driving for my tastes. Road rage has a new meaning here. I want to do horrible things to tuk tuks, trucks and pedestrians when I am on the road. No wonder the country is at war with each other, everyone is filled with rage when they simply get into a car.

Richard has pictures on his camera

A Typical Kandy day

Its raining in Kandy, Again. Its always raining these days. Keeps things cool. I'm freezing in fact. I'm not complaining because it could be much worse - hot, humid, mosquitoes...

My days are spent in the office starting at 9AM. The office is generally quiet, a research environment. Everyone is very nice and friendly/helpful. Can get kind of boring though. Otherwise my head is full of HIV research questions and technical applications for this project. But what do I know really? The project is fascinating, its just slow going these days. I watch lots of $2 DVDs at night on my computer. Flatmate, Sanji is nice to have around to talk to and toss ideas around with. Together though, we are not so inspired.

In the meantime I am pining after my husband. Finally I will see him tomorrow after a 1 month separation and we will go to the beach and eat lobster. Phone and Skype conversations are driving me nuts.

Not a very exciting post, but life is not so exciting these days. I need to do something about that. I'm in Sri Lanka for crying out loud.

New Year 2008

What a great start to the New Year. No Family, No Husband, and now Sri Lanka decides to gear up for war. Argh!. Kenya erupts in violence, Pakistan is in political unrest as well with their elections... The world is going nutty - people just can't figure out how to get along. Makes me sad to think that after all these years little improvement has been made in the development of human relationships. Kindness and respect for human life - the most basic of behaviours, remains a challenge. Makes me mad. To think that some people believe they have the right to take another person's life.