Two Weeks Off

Silent Soliloquies

twoweeksoff@gmail.com (Chris) — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 07:12:00 +0000

The man knew better. He had reached that painfully pivotal point when it became pointless to try and continue. And yet, trying was the irony of it; trying something which must come effortlessly. The harder he tried the more he failed and recognition of this fact only made it worse. It was a cruel cycle for which success was not an option.

Synapses on fire with the urgency of an impatient child when all was wanted was to be left in peace. Eyelid-light while bodyheavy was not an unfamiliar dilemma to him. The best of enemies they were and surrender the only cure.

"Why wasn't a day just a bit longer?" he wondered. "Thirty hours should do it. That would surely solve daylight nights." A thought only adding fuel to the fire, "Which planet spins slow enough to allow my dense sponge to absorb on time? Are they missing anyone?" Once again, a pointless proposition knowing his curse would just the same turn this sixteenth into that alienated twenty-second.

Feet on the floor. Hand on the door. The dark cut only by electric, red, meaningless numbers. "At least the owls are awake" he muses. "Rodents aren't what I have in mind though." Everything but.

Far too late for coffee and too early for food. What to do. Twenty-four is short and forty-eight deliriously long. Comfort at this hour is a dream. A distant quixotic dream. Almost there. Always always almost there.

What's in a day?

twoweeksoff@gmail.com (Chris) — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 16:35:00 +0000

Today is my birthday. The 37th to be exact. That number isn't significant to me other than letting me know just how many revolutions of the earth to which I have been a witness.

13,515 sunrises and 13,514 sunsets. More than many while less than half what the law of averages promise. Is that greedy or just hopeful? I'm not sure life cares.

I feel universally privileged to have experienced the things I have with the time I've been granted thus far. God-willing, I'll have the opportunity to see, feel, taste, smell and touch much more. Each and every experience is worth everything. Nothing is undeserving of our attention.

With the little I've come to learn about this world and the people in it, there is one thing of which I'm certain; the world is what you make of it.

If money is the goal, jealousy is the reward. Pass. If moments are all you need, all you need will be all you want.

Happy Birthday to me. Happy Everyday to all.

Bangkok Massage Soap Video

twoweeksoff@gmail.com (Chris) — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 01:29:00 +0000

I've been reintroducing myself to this site since in internet years I've been away for eons. Looking for links, posts or pictures that may have been broken by server gremlins or things that may have been blessed by the Google gods. Fat chance there, but fortunately nothing was too out of whack.

Scanning my stats program, that allows me to see under which search terms internet surfers find this site, I found several "hits" resulted from the phrase "Bangkok Massage Soap Video." Maybe it was the same guy not quite convinced I didn't have videos hidden in my wordy pages. OR girl. I assume nothing. (call me) Whether it was the same click-happy person or several different ones, the result was the same; I wanted to see the video too.

Especially if I was in it.

However, I didn't remember any of that happening during my 2 hour layover at the Bangkok airport. At least, not all at once.

Looking for what this was all about and possibly a new bookmark, I copied, pasted and a click click click later, guess what? Sure enough, page three on an MSN.com search for the title's good-time terms yields yours truly; Lord of the Bangkok Soap Massage Video.

Now, I've been in this web game long enough to know all about keyword content and how the sillier a string of search terms parsed together the more likely a search engine will blow a sprocket and spit out anything with those terms in any order, but creepy nonetheless I'm considered a purveyor of said possibilities.

Remember on Sesame Street when the shady Muppet in sunglasses, trench-coat and hat would confuse its young viewers with sketches that started, "Psst, hey buddy. Wanna buy a letter K?" Well that's the image I have when thinking about my site popping up in this type of search. As if some trench-coat wearing guy on the corner of MSN and Main is saying, "Soapy Massage? Hmmmm, lemme give it a tink. Yeah sure pal, give dis guy a call." And hands out my business card.

Furthermore, am I now on a Foggy Bottom watch-list as well? Of course not, but if I'm dumb enough to string them all together in this post you can bet your soapy ass I am now.

Rest assured or disappointed, as the case may be, you will find one of my posts via the mentioned phrase, but the only thing getting soapy was my well traveled shirt in a Taipei airport shower in between flights. Sorry, no video. Oh, the Bangkok massage? What can I say...it was worth every baht.

So lets try something. Go ahead, search MSN.com and click. Maybe I can climb the rankings and oust the reigning web champ of suds-sans-slacks and future surfers can read about themselves right here. Boo.

W.O.R.K. Works!

twoweeksoff@gmail.com (Chris) — Tue, 09 Aug 2005 21:33:00 +0000

Wow, it's been a few months since I last posted but behind the scenes there has been a flurry of e-mails and phone calls. The amount of work and dedication to continuing the reconstruction effort in Sri Lanka by those I know has been amazing and that list continues to grow. From speeches and presentations to walk-a-thons and mud bog racing, volunteers are finding some creative ways to keep the donations coming in and continue getting the word out. The word is that a lot more houses need to be built because there are still hundreds of thousands of Sri Lankans living in tents and makeshift shelters.

As I wrote earlier, Jesper and I have been trying to put together a group to return in early 2006 to build some more homes. I'm happy to officially announce that home building project is underway! We have formed the non-profit group W.O.R.K. which stands for Willpower. Organization. Respect. Knowledge. We believe these are the 4 tenets required for a successful volunteer group and our motto is W.O.R.K. Works! We invite you to take a few minutes and learn more about our upcoming project at our new site Work-Works.org

Several members of our April group will be joining us again this go-round as well as many new faces who are anxious to experience what they've heard so much about. We can't wait to get started! In fact, we have started and with a bang! For this project to be successful we also need funding and lot of it. With our first foray out into the world of non-profit fundraising we came up with nearly $20,000 in cash and supplies! However, we need another $167,000 to successfully buy enough land and materials for 20 homes. Because a large portion of the island nation is currently reconstructing and there is only so much raw material and speed with which it can be prepared, costs have risen substantially since our visit. Now instead of $4-$5k for a fully funded home it is now close to $7k per home. But, whatever the cost we will meet our goals and do our best to meet their needs.

If you would like to be a part of our project and help us build 20 homes for 20 families then please visit our site and find out how you can get involved. There will be a blog on the W.O.R.K. site for us to keep everyone updated with our reconstruction effort so be sure to watch it for any news.

Somehow I knew my involvement would be longer than just two weeks when I stared this blog but this new project is far beyond my best guesses. I'm thrilled to be actively working towards returning and helping even more people than our previous visit. Even more exciting, I get to continue working with some great people and no doubt will meet many more.

Another beautiful day in the UK

twoweeksoff@gmail.com (Chris) — Wed, 08 Jun 2005 09:32:00 +0000

It is Wednesday 10:30am in London and today looks to be a beautiful sunny day and I'm looking forward to another day of walking the streets and checking out all London has to offer. Monday I was planning on doing a museum tour but lucked out as Ruth had to take the day off to send her family back home after their trip. We were able to connect and since she is a merchandiser and buyer for BHS (British Home Stores) I was able to hit a few secret areas of London where dept. stores unload their overstocks at rock bottom prices. Linen suit, £35! I felt bad for running Ruth around central London on her day off doing what she normally gets paid for but we had a great day. Thanks Ruth!

On Tuesday, I put my museum plan into action and visited the Natural History Museum first. I was impressed with the building alone but the exhibits contained within were unbelievable. I believe most all museums in London are free and that's an amazing feat considering the amount of traffic they see on a daily basis. However, with 17% sales tax I can see how this is possible! I saw the dinosaur, Earth sciences, and Darwin exhibits. Amazing all.

I next visited the British Museum. This has been my favorite so far. Here's a typical conversation I had at the info desk.

"Excuse me, can you tell me where the Rosetta Stone is?"
"Yes, thru those doors on your right, take a left and it's straight ahead."
"Thank you very much."
"Cheers."

What?! THE Rosetta Stone! I don't know why Napoleon's army didn't just ask at the info desk. Really helpful people there. Besides one of the greatest literature finds in mankind's history, which was the key to deciphering Egyptiann hieroglyphics, the British Museum also houses many carvings from THE Parthenon, stone carvings from Mesopotamia, Babylon!, mummys, Egyptian sarcophaguses, etc etc ad naseum...
Wow. Truly an amazing place and one you must visit if you have the chance.

Last night Paul came back into town from Brighton and we had dinner out with John and Ruth. It was a short evening as we were all tired but I believe we'll be joining a few others Thursday night for another get together. I've heard rumors of Lottie and Sara joining us so I hope to see them again as well! I'll have to update this blog better about Scotland when I can get all my thoughts together, but I'll never forget listening to Paul's newly acquired Richard Pryor CD as we were driving thru the Highlands. I'm sure that's a journey not many have taken. Fantastic stuff!

Oh yes, Thursday. The day I was supposed to be back home. Well, I've done it again and pushed my departure back until Monday. One last weekend in London will hopefully be enough but you never know! Just having too much fun and regardless of when I leave I know I'll be back soon!

Hope all is well with everyone and I'm looking forward to returning and joining my good friend Jim in Maryland for a Wilco concert towards the end of the month in the same venue we saw Radiohead at last year. Can't wait! Alright, enough of this. The sun is shining and I have a tube to catch to Hampstead Heath which is supposed to be the premier outdoor spot and park in London. Perfect day for it!

-Chris

London, England

twoweeksoff@gmail.com (Chris) — Sun, 05 Jun 2005 14:34:00 +0000

It is Sunday 3:34 pm and I am in an internet cafe on Clapham High Street and back in good old London. John is with me as I am now in his reliable hands until I leave on Thursday. Had a great time in Scotland with Paul and Tracy before she left us and all her school mates at Napier yesterday. Big thanks to Tracy and all her friends for putting up with Paul and I in their limited space! They made us feel right at home and we even took part of a quiz night on their team in the local pub. We tied for third but lost the tiebreaker due to a James Bond stumper. Darn you Ian Flemming!

Paul drove us back to London yesterday which is about an 8 hour drive from Edinburgh. I had a pit stop at Ruth's house with my luggage upon returning as John hadn't quite finished with his economics test which many economists were taking throughout the world that day. I was able to sit and talk with her mom and brother who were in town for the week themselves. It nearly seemed normal meeting my friends families by this point. These relationships only continue to expand and I'm so grateful for it! John came by to walk me to his flat shortly after and we got ready for a night out on the town.

We had been invited to attend Sara's birthday party at a club just off Oxford Street called The Loop. She had a table reserved on one of the levels which was quite fortunate. All of London seemed to be at the club and around our section which was good as it saved me from walking around to meet them this week. We arrived at the club around 10:00 and went through several security points, passed the name-list test and found our way into a throng of sweating, dancing and drinking Londoners. I was looking for Sara but ran into Rob, Jaime and (the other)John from the later Sri Lanka volunteer group who Jesper and I had worked with. "Shocked" would be an understatement when I tapped them on the shoulder and they saw me. It was fun watching their faces turn from utter confusion into sheer excitement when they saw my face. It was tremendous fun catching up with them. I knew a few of them would be there that evening but they didn't know I would be present. That kind of surprise is always fun to be a part of! When Sara came into view it was a grand reunion all over again. Sara disappeared for a few minutes and then returned with Jane! Wow, I had no idea she was there and I think she was as shocked if not more so that I was in London at the bottom floor of this night club standing around all these distant yet familiar faces. I couldn't have stop smiling if you paid me in pounds.

Within 5 minutes more I saw about 4 other volunteers from their group and the shock, laughter, and dancing continued for several hours. I have a few pics of the night and will post when I return home. Great fun!! I was a bit tired from the non-stop Scotland adventure and return drive that day as John was as well from his exam and studies so we parted ways around 1:00. A few of the group has promised to get in touch with me in a day or so to take me out proper. Can't wait to see them again as well!

John and I hit a late night kebob cafe as we were famished. Since I've had 2 late night doner(lamb) kebobs in Scotland this week I opted for the more familiar taste of a processed hamburger patty and chips. It hit that magic spot only a late night Krystal or microwaved food can! John and his flatmates, Raf, place is really nice and I'm enjoying my own room and bed for the first time in over a week. Ahhh, the simple things in life. Travel certainly gives you an appreciation for privacy and space!

Ok, off to do a few touristy things in London. Not sure now if we'll make Paris but we'll look into it. So many things to do in London alone that you are constantly reshuffling as time passes. Hope all is well with everyone and I'll be in touch soon.

-Chris

Edinburgh, Scotland

twoweeksoff@gmail.com (Chris) — Fri, 03 Jun 2005 13:36:00 +0000

Friday 2:36 pm and I'm sitting in a cafe in Edinburgh, Scotland with Paul of Sri Lankan fame. I've been in the UK since Saturday and have loved every minute of it! The reunion has been a blast and has been great seeing all these lovely faces again. Saturday night we went on a pub crawl and just enjoyed catching up with each other. Sunday we had a large picnic in the large and wonderful Hyde Park, played frisbee and rounders while watching horseback riders, cricket and soccer games and many Londoners lying about enjoying a beautiful day. Sunday evening we went to a Sri Lankan restaurant which was good fun. I happily ordered a Necto which was a surprise to find on the menu. Sorry you weren't there for the moment Jesper but I raised a glass in your honor. We missed all that couldn't make it and I'll have a few photos to post soon.

Tracy and I rode with Paul on Monday to Edinburgh, Scotland where Tracy is finishing her semester at Napier University. We've been crashing at night on floors and beds of her flatmates so it's been a close encounter of the 4th kind. Fun stuff! While Tracy is taking care of last minute dealings with leaving a country and friends she has grown to love, Paul and I have been busy driving about Scotland. We traveled to the Highlands and Loch Ness where we took several memorable photos involving kilts, wigs, and Loch Ness. (Paul - Chris)

Visited Edinburgh Castle, St. Andrews, tried to make Isle Arran but missed the ferry due to traffic delays. No worries though as Scotland has beautiful countryside and the drive around it has been fantastic.

Back to London tomorrow where I plan to stay with John until Thursday. A few of us will be traveling to Paris next week for the day as John has a few train vouchers. Can't wait for that. So much to do and so little time but rest assured I am making the best of it! My travel bug is only growing larger and I'm looking forward to feeding it as my experiences continue to expand. Wunderlust!

Paul mentioned to me last night as we were sucking helium out of the party balloons in a local pub if I ever imagined 2 months ago that the two of us would be working side by side in a Sri Lankan rice field and a month later be enjoying the lightest of noble gases in a Edinburgh pub. Nope, never and I look forward to more of them down the road. Paul's company has been tremendous and I look forward to more adventures with him! A great traveling companion whose sense of humor does all Brits proud! That's all for now as Paul and I are off to catch up with Tracy. Climbing Arthur's Seat tonight for a good view of Edinburgh at sunset. Sunset, by the way, doesn't happen until around 10:30 pm here! Talk about getting the most out of your day.

Take care all.

-Chris

What now?

twoweeksoff@gmail.com (Chris) — Tue, 03 May 2005 00:38:00 +0000

I'm back in my apartment in Cookeville, TN sitting in front of the computer which started all of this. The journey has finally come full circle and I am home. I've been here since Saturday afternoon just doing the basics of unpacking, cleaning the aquarium and feeding my fortunate to be alive fish, cleaning and filling the gas grill in preparation for summer, picking up my mail at the post office, avoiding stares aimed at my out of season tan, paying bills, uploading pictures of the trip (the album is complete so check it out!) and figuring out, what now? Now that all the basics of returning home are covered, the rest is a mystery to me. I've avoided writing this entry for about as long as possible because I don't have the answer to the question that remains; the only question that matters after a trip such as this one. What now?

How do I operate within my old life with the knowledge and experience I have gained half a planet away? I have friends all over the world right now wondering the same thing. This was a crash course in humanity with some of the best people you could possibly want to experience it with and some of the best people you could imagine receiving our efforts. I wanted a grand adventure and help out some desperately needy people and that is exactly what I got. And more.

I wasn't prepared for the friendships I would make along the way. I was hoping for nice people and looking forward to meeting those that would attempt the same journey, but to feel such camaraderie and form friendships so quickly was fantastically unexpected. In a way, I've been looking to get out there for a while and this was certainly the perfect opportunity to make it happen. I'm grateful for the opportunity.

That trip has come to an end but the work has just begun. I will be working closely with Jesper to try and create more housing for the many many many wonderful people who still need a home. There is a lot of work yet to do and I'm looking forward to every step. There are so many people and smiles and laughs with no home and even worse, no voice, in Sri Lanka. We have outlets, many outlets available to us in which to voice our grievances or to simply ask for help. We send money to those less fortunate but they aren't receiving it.

The Sri Lankans have protested in some regions about the lack of help because they hear of all the money donated around the world but they don't see any of it and what does it accomplish? They still live in tents on dirt floors and when the full monsoon season starts it will make living conditions quite difficult. It's not the same as here. Their voices aren't counted in the same way. Not to be grandiose, but we can be their voice now. It would be difficult for me to share their food, homes, and laughter and not try and help however I could. It would be an insult to myself to turn my back now. These feelings are far from unique.

The great majority of volunteers on this trip were first time volunteers like me and many have been deeply affected. Those I have talked with are planning fund raisers for future projects or have plans to return to Sri Lanka and help their new friends. These people aren't just stories anymore. They are people we know and have dined with in their homes at night and built homes with during the day. Life can be that simple. Once you know their touch, smile, voice, stories, and generosity, they become a part of you. They are you.

Oddly enough, it doesn't feel too strange to be here at home. I like my home really. It's just strange to not be there. I became so comfortable with my life and routine in Sri Lanka in just one month that interrupting it to return home was the same as when I left my comfortable air-conditioned life here for the unfamiliar smells and sounds I now miss. I miss the simplicity. I've run a few errands around my small town and the people here are friendly, smile and say thank you, but this life is routine for all of us and it's hard to appreciate it without some perspective. The gratitude of just me being me is what I really miss from the people of Sri Lanka. Everywhere you turn you are the recipient of giggles, questions, waves, thumbs-up, handshakes, addresses, and smiles. Miles of smiles. And miles of tents. It's a feeling that can only be experienced. Words are only words.

The world has sent a lot of money to well meaning causes and charities in the past 4 months for tsunami victims. Unfortunately, it isn't enough. We need to now hold those governments receiving donations accountable for the money we have sent. We need to be asking questions. Where is the money? What have you built? Why is no visible support being given in Galle and the surrounding villages? Why are there Sri Lankans repeatedly filling out forms for aid or housing and receiving no answers while 100s of millions in donations have been received by their government?

Write your elected officials TODAY by clicking on this link and emailing them. Ask them how we are keeping those funds accounted for. Please. Write now. These are wonderful people who only are receiving meager support by NGOs (non-governmental organizations) who go and physically build homes because your donated money is not getting there. Yet.

I will return to Sri Lanka soon and I hope you are able to do the same some day. If you are interested, seriously interested in visiting and helping in Sri Lanka, contact me and I'll be happy to give you some contact info for projects going on in the Galle area you can join. Book a flight, rent a room or house for longer stays and help some well deserving people.

Thank you for allowing me to express my feelings and occasionally rant. There are some things which are just worth talking about however, MOST things are worth smiling about and I'm thrilled to be able to share one with you. This is the spirit of Sri Lanka.

-Chris

Home Sweet Home

twoweeksoff@gmail.com (Chris) — Fri, 29 Apr 2005 14:40:00 +0000

It's Friday 9:40 am cst in Nashville, TN and I am home! Just had an enormous breakfast out with my parents who picked me up at the airport around 7:30 this morning. 40 hours since I left Full Moon Garden Hotel at 4:30 am and I am finally home.

I'm off to shower and and and, well, I haven't thought that far ahead. It's good to be home and I'll write again soon.

-Chris

Taipei part 2

twoweeksoff@gmail.com (Chris) — Thu, 28 Apr 2005 10:55:00 +0000

It's Thursday 7:10 pm and I'm in the Dynasty Club in Taipei, Taiwan. I made it here 4 hours earlier due to the Bangkok transfer desk asking me if I wanted to grab the 1:30 flight instead of the 4:55 pm flight out of Bangkok. Since the lounge in Taipei is loads bigger than in Bangkok I jumped at the chance. This made my layover in Bangkok only 30 minutes and now I get to hang in Taipei for 3.5 hours instead of just 30 minutes. I love it when a non-plan comes together!

The flights thus far have been perfect. I just watched Meet the Fockers for the first time on the way to Taipei and was having to contain my laughter. A few times I didn't do so well!

In my last entry I said 2 Sri Lankan trains had collided but that was wrong. The train hit a bus trying to beat the train and I believe all the people killed, up to 50, were on the bus. Some were injured on the train. 50 lives is still 50 lives though.

I heard that Sri Lanka has the highest vehicle accident and snake bite death rate in the world. I only saw 2 snakes while there one being a viper and the other a more poisonous type but forget the local name. Though I saw many close calls on the streets, I didn't see one accident. I did see a rolled tuktuk after one but there didn't appear to be any injuries. I was told by Iyan that the buses are where the most people are killed. The buses are the largest and ironically the fastest traveling vehicles on the road and it amazes me the way they manage to squeeze thru nonexistent gaps in traffic. One went off the road and into a ditch the other day killing many more people. If I live to be 100 I'll never understand their hurry to get somewhere and wait.

I saw Jesper off last night at the Full Moon Garden Hotel at 10:30 as he left for the airport and his 1:30 flight. I grabbed a shower, went to bed, and woke around 4:00 am for my 7:45 flight. Leaving Colombo was certainly a lot easier than arriving. I was less tired and a little more seasoned this go around so the strangeness of it all was now familiar if not comfortable. I saw Chris, she has been there since early March?, and Brad, from the new crew, at the airport restaurant this morning around 5:15 am each enjoying a cheeseburger and Coke. Not to be outdone, my cheeseburger was ordered with fries.

It was hard to see Jesper go as we had not only spent our first 2 weeks working side by side as with everyone else, but we had also literally been side by side for the last 2 weeks. He made my trip that much more enjoyable and I have to say I learned a lot from him. He's traveled all over the world and it we had some fairly involved discussions on everything. I give much respect to the Jesper man and look forward to seeing him again either in BC or Sri Lanka. "Neal. Blah, blah, blah." - Manoche

I just heard from Katie who is doing well in Tibet. She says the Yak butter tea is an acquired taste, but the people are as friendly as the Sri Lankans. I know she'll have a great time there. Next stop for me is San Francisco, then Atlanta and finally good old Tennessee! 7 flights down 3 to go.

-Chris

Farewell Sri Lanka

twoweeksoff@gmail.com (Chris) — Wed, 27 Apr 2005 06:13:00 +0000

It's Wednesday 12:15 pm in Galle and this is my last entry from Sri Lanka. Jesper and I are renting a van at 3:00 pm to drive us to Colombo where I will stay at the Full Moon Garden Hotel one last time before flying out at 7:45 am tomorrow morning. It seems appropriate to spend my last night in the same place as my first nearly a month ago. As I fall asleep tonight I have no doubt my thoughts will be far different than those I had my first time there.

On Monday night we had met Paul and Michael and Ravi at the Lighthouse as scheduled. Without going into details, it couldn't have gone better. We have secured local contact now for us to purchase land and clear customs with our equipment. That's all still a long way off, but having a local contact whom you can trust is huge for us and indispensable for a project such as the one we will try to undertake. After the meeting, Jesper and I had one last pleasant meal inside the Lighthouse restaurant. I'm a sucker for Spring Rolls and 675Rs beef tenderloin!

On Tuesday morning we visited the job site one last time to say goodbye to Shantha, Lasanta, and everyone else. We gave them gifts to remember us by and it was a very nice closing for our time spent there. We told them we'd see them again soon and we all hope that will come true. We found out that 3 of the new crew, whose last day is today as well, is extending their trips by a week to transition the next crew. I hope that idea stays going as it seems to help and speeds up the learning curve. Good luck John, Rob, and Jane!

Later Tuesday we went back to Unawatuna for one last 2 hour session of beach time. I, finally, bought a few items from the beach merchants. Mike sang a song and I bought a little rubber necklace from him. I also bought a white cotton shirt from a lady selling clothes out of a very large bag. It only seemed right to buy something after I had said no about a thousand times in the previous weeks. One last club sandwich at the beach restaurant and we were off to Galle to check emails and get the ball rolling back home for our project.

This morning we visited Jesper's company's adopted family in Ahangama. T.W. Kularathna is the husband and his wife is H.H. Pathmini. I said earlier she had a boutique but she actually does batik work which is designs drawn or sewn into fabrics such as sarongs or other traditional wear. T.W. buys vegetables from the farmers market and sells them on the street. We met Iyan again at Club Blanca and he had a tuktuk waiting to take us to their land. Jesper took down the account information Iyan had opened for this project so additional money can be sent once each phase is completed.

Three men were digging the well on site and there was a pile of sand and a stack of concrete block for the foundation work. T.W. was very happy and beaming ear to ear. He cut coconuts for us to drink and eat and showed us all the plants on his 1/4 acre tract. 3 coconut trees, mango tree, and others. We also saw cinnamon plants. He now sleeps on the property in a mud walled hut to protect his newly acquired materials. He pointed to his dog and told us he was a good barking dog.

After coconuts and fond farewells we rode back into Ahangama and grabbed a bus with Iyan into Galle. Now, I sit one last time in the impersonal yet all too familiar internet cafe next to the P&J City building. I've printed my flight intinerary, sent off a few final emails and am about to sign off and pay my 100Rs for an hours worth of time. I'm excited to see my family in just a few days but sad to leave this place as well. I'm so glad I was able to extend my trip for a few more weeks and it has made all the difference in coming to terms with what I've experienced here and what it all means to me. Without the extended time I don't know how much a part of the upcoming project I would have been, so again, it feels like I was exactly where I needed to be.

I will not try to sum up this trip in a nice closing paragraph because it's not only impossible but my journey is far from over. It has only just begun really. It's a big big world with miles and miles of ocean and land between us but kindness and generosity are as universal as a smile. Thank you to those who have sent me many well wishes and words of encouragement. I forget sometimes that people actually read this. It has been a very cathartic experience for me to write down my memories and this trip as I experienced it. No doubt others had different experiences but we are all different people.

(Jesper just told me a train from Colombo to Kandy just crashed and at least 50 people were killed. I believe it happened at an interchange where trains stop for lights and let each other pass but something obviously went wrong and they hit head on. We had stopped at a light on our way back as well so it's all too familiar for me. I'm just imagining all those smiling faces I met on our train ride.)

Well, it's as good a time as any and I'll be talking to many of you soon for the first time in a while. I look forward to catching up with my friends back home and sharing my experiences with them, but I can't wait to return to my new friends in Sri Lanka.

-Chris

We've only just begun

twoweeksoff@gmail.com (Chris) — Mon, 25 Apr 2005 08:18:00 +0000

It's Monday 2:30 pm in Galle and you're all asleep. Just finished my first bit of shopping in the Fort area and it went better than I expected. Jesper and I are a lightning fast pair of shoppers!

Let's see, Saturday morning around 3 am the power went off which means no ceiling fan. You can feel the difference in a hurry. Power outages are quite common but usually come back within the hour. This one was different. I woke up and went out onto the deck to cool off and found the silhouette of another person already sitting there. I thought it might be a local Sinhalese so I didn't say anything as I was half asleep. The shadow said, "Hot, isn't it?" I answered yes and then after a moment thinking that was pretty good English I asked curiously, "Jesper?" He laughed at me and I asked when did you get out here? He said just a minute before me. That's how out of it you are at 3 am dripping in sweat looking for a breeze. I told him I was relieved I didn't have to have a broken English convo just then. It was pretty funny. Hmmm, well maybe not that funny on screen but we laughed about it then. Come to think of it, we laugh at just about everything.

On Saturday, after grabbing a few more hours of sleep, we took a complete zero day and hit the beach at Unawatuna. Met a few ladies from Holland and Germany, grabbed some lunch in the Beach Club at our gangs usual table, played frisbee and swam for a few hours until grabbing a tuktuk for Galle at only 100Rs! We must be getting good at this. Later that night Manoche prepared steak and fries for us and it was great. Then he came out and asked if we wanted more. Uh, let me think....YES! It was a great dinner and Manoche is a really great guy. He is definitely in the right business as he is always making sure you have everything you need and will go to any length to do so.

However, a "big music man" was staying at the hotel that night and since this was Poya-day, a full moon Buddhist holiday which occurs oddly enough once a month, they figured we may all want to watch Sri Lankan karaoke videos he had produced. I will only say they weren't what we would call "good." After about 2 hours of this one of his posse approached me and asked if I liked it. Lying, I said "yes, very good." He then gives me Volume 2 Sri Lanka Ultimate Karaoke on VCD and says "I give to you!" I now have proof of our night and can't wait to strap my friends down and play the video over and over again. You can run but you can't hide!

The music must have done some good though because on the following Sunday morning Jesper was thinking hard about what more could be done in Sri Lanka. We had all talked about the inefficient use of labor and lack of any machinery but knowing it and talking about it doesn't accomplish anything. I too, wanted to do more but knew what kind of effort it would take and honestly I wasn't ready to tackle that kind of project on my own but, you know how it goes when bouncing an idea back and forth between a few motivated people. So, without releasing any details just yet, we are working on a fairly big plan to come back around the New Year with all the required equipment and do this thing right. It would be about a 2 month project. These are simple houses and with some planning and 1 or 2 pro equipment operators we could literally move mountains. We are meeting with Paul and Michael tonight to get local contact points for us to work with while away, but we are excited about this plan and feel better now that we have a plan of action to go after instead of just more thoughts. More on this later. Stay tuned, we'll all need your help!!!

Later on Sunday we met Ian at the Galleria and gave him the first installment of 25,000Rs for the Ahangama family to get started on their well and foundation work. He said we could come out in the next day or two to see the work being done and we hope to have that opportunity before leaving. After returning to the Tuc Tuc last night and a great dinner of baked chicken and jumbo prawns I asked for a ride to a phone so I could use my phone card. Manoche had one of his guys grab the motorcycle and at 9:30 pm I was off on my 3rd ride thru the night on the back of a Bajaj motorcycle. Things shut down pretty early at night here and we had some trouble finding a phone. After 2 or 3 stops, my patient driver drove up to a house and we went to the front door. I quickly gathered this was one of his friends houses where I sat in the living room for 30 minutes while his friend and his mother and grandmother tried to figure out my card and their phone. The phone system here is, well, unexplainable. At least from me.

Anyway, after a lot of talking and number pressing I was hurried over to the phone and told it was ringing. I listened and heard nothing but after a minute I was able to hear my mothers voice mail on her mobile phone who is in Florida at the moment. I left her a hurried Happy Birthday greeting and wished I could have talked longer but since my card never worked my late night hosts were letting me use their own card. They said, "You tsunami worker, right?" I said yes, and the 25 year old man of the house smiled and said, "Now we help you. No problem." I thanked them, they thanked me? and asked me to return anytime. I left my 500Rs phone card on their table and said, "It's yours now, I obviously can't use it." Back on the Bajaj for another ride beneath the night sky and upon return Manoche told me no charge for the ride. I guess you can't go wrong wishing your mom a happy birthday from Sri Lanka!

I have made some great friends on this trip and as some of those relationships continue to grow so does my need to help this country and their people. I cannot help but think I am exactly where I was intended to be. Between my past month here and our future plans for returning my path is set and it feels, for the first time in a long time, clear.

Helping in Ahangama

twoweeksoff@gmail.com (Chris) — Fri, 22 Apr 2005 06:39:00 +0000

It's 12:45 pm on Friday and Jesper and I just returned from Ahangama where we met Ian, the local manager of the Galle restaurant Galleria. We spoke to Ian a week or so ago about locating a small village to help out. He suggest looking into Ahangama where he lived close by. We arranged to meet him there this morning.

We arrived early to walk the road for a km or two and returned along the beach. We met some friendly people along the way and saw the usual crumbling brick and block remains of buildings and homes. These villages further outside of the bigger cities don't get the help they need so it looked like a good place to inquire about. We met Ian at a beach club a half hour early as we were both early.

He introduced us to a couple who in turn led us to the remains of their beach side brick home. There was a tent there to house their remaining possessions but they slept at night in shelters across the road. She has a small boutique business at the beach club but it is now nearly non-existent due to a lack of tourists. In August they say things should pick up.

We hire a van to drive us to a plot of land they have purchased for 150,000Rs ($1,500). Jesper has some funds donated by his company to use in a small village and we're thinking we've found the right area. The true problem however is handing over cash in situations like these. Ian told us the best thing to do is to just purchase the materials and labor ourselves. Sounds good, but how do you do that when you leave in 1 week? Who can you trust locally?

Ian said he would manage the money and it can be a risk, but we keep in mind that we approached him originally and he has a very good job. Jesper is still deciding on how to handle it but thinks giving Ian enough money to start building a well and purchasing enough concrete, block, rock, and gravel for the foundation work is a good start. This will cost about 25,000Rs ($250) including labor. The entire house, well, and bathroom will cost about 400,000Rs ($4,000). Once we see some progress before leaving on the the 28th and pictures sent of continued progress then more money will be sent.

(Warning: Rant ahead) There is just so much to do here it can be overwhelming. I had a talk with Paul, the local GC coordinator, and we both agreed you have to choose your battles and it's better to complete one project than running around completing nothing. I further believe that GC just takes the money we give, sends us to Sri Lanka blindly without caring how the effort is handled here while Paul and Michael, who are trying what they know best, use us as mere manual laborers.

This IS how things are mostly done in Sri Lanka but with our western standards of organization and utilizing the best machinery possible for a job, it gets a bit frustrating. Our effort could be better used by using our fund raising abilities and organizational skills than as mere laborers. We DO want to help by getting our hands dirty but we could be moving forward by orders of magnitude with just ONE concrete mixer, and a few small backhoes or similar machines. These things are available in Sri Lanka but you have to understand their way of life and thinking.

In the western world, we organize, build quickly, and earn quickly so we can enjoy the finer things in life. In a third world country that line of reasoning just doesn't exist. Why hurry? What are you going to buy? Where are you going to buy it? You can't leave Sri Lanka without a foreign sponsor or $10,000 in the bank so what's the rush? Just take 10 people and move this pile of boulders 40 yards which will take all morning. It's maddening at times and a serious reorganization needs to be done from the bottom up. I see a for-profit company, Global Crossroad, sending over-charged volunteers to Sri Lanka to help while Paul and Michael just view us as manual laborers who need to work harder.

Paul and Michael, who are brothers, are doing a great job and are on leave with their jobs in Sri Lanka to organize this effort. We respect them and their efforts very much but there is room for improvement. To their extreme credit they do listen and put into effect nearly all we have suggested. We have suggested they overlap volunteer 2-week efforts so that all is not lost every 2 weeks. We suggested that volunteers arrive at least 2 days early to adjust to the time and temperature as much as possible. People getting off a plane half way around the world and getting up at 7:00 the next morning to do very tough work takes its toll on a lot of people. It is getting better and will continue to do so only if we help them with recommendations.

Some volunteers here seem to forget that the end goal is to get these people into good permanent housing and not to stress over the organizational skills of Global Crossroad or having someone make your stay more pleasant. I've heard too many poorly-aimed complaints about housing and heat and a million other excuses as to why people cut out early or whatever. There have been great examples as well of people not being able to cope with the job site heat and turned that into an opportunity to do some refugee camp work instead of sitting about and sulking. Most do give it their best which is great. But, if you don't or just simply can't then move on and either find something useful to do or keep quiet. Disgruntled talk in the midst of difficult work is tantamount to mutiny in my opinion. We have committed ourselves to a project and almost as importantly, each other. Half the reason I am able to drag myself around the work site in the late afternoon is because I see Jesper or James or John or Paul or Lottie or Steve or Ruth or Tracy or any of the other volunteers giving it their all. Charity only takes you so far in 120 degree humidity. Ok, that's my rant on ranters.

Yesterday, we met Ken and Carolyn back at Janaka House for a scheduled trip to drop off the donated items at the camp. We all took a van and there were about 13 of us total. We were greeted with the same warmth as before and piled our goods under the main tarp. The local leader, Cheeny, had us write down our brought items and sign our name next to them. (They have handwritten bookkeeping for everything here. You get a hand written receipt for everything. In the grocery store each item purchased is written out and filed away somewhere never to be seen again I'm sure.)

After writing out our donations we gave about half our items out to the local children. It was an exciting few minutes. The rest was stored for other children who may not be present or to hand out again at a later time. More hot tea was given to us, a few bought lace made by the women in the tents, and we toured some of the new tents. Inside the tents we were able to see the tables which our previous group funded the purchase of but was completely started and organized by Ken and Carolyn. It was a good site to see as they had nothing before to keep their possessions off the dirt and mud. We visited for a little while and a few boys started an impromptu cricket game with some newly acquired tennis balls. This was briefly interrupted by a loud machine being carried down the road and spraying a large white cloud of mosquito insecticide everywhere. This excited everyone and we all held our noses. Except Jesper who said it was just an oil rich mixture in a 2-stroke motor. Placebo or not, the locals got a kick out of it.

After the camp we were found by our tuktuk driver from the other day and he helped us locate the Land Surveyors office so that we could purchase some Galle District maps. We ended up not needing them but they will be nice to take home. After emailing and lunch we ended up back at Janaka to tell Tracy to come join us for dinner that night. She already had accepted dinner with Santa at his home but said she'd try to come by after. I told her those dinners can take a while and since she didn't show by 11:00 pm we figured it was to be expected and went to bed.

I believe we will just try and help this one family in Ahangama if not others over the next few days and perhaps some local shopping mixed in as well. I haven't bought anything and I better grab a few things because I know how these departures can sneak up on you.

The sting of our friends leaving stings a little less but my desire to see them again remains the same. I believe Pam said this type of close-knit work experience is equivelant to roughly 6 months in the real world. Most of us have never done this type of work before but a few have and we value their thoughts a lot. One great thing about it all is I feel very confident in moving forward on my own in the future when the call arises.

I have certainly learned a lot about not just Sinhalese culture but other western cultures as well. I've been told that someone like myself in another area such as Canada or the UK would have been on many many trips by now instead of just this one. In the US we have a very ego-centric society. It's easy to understand though since most movies, music and people are always trying to make it in "America." How can we be expected to look outward when everyone else seems to be coming to us? I understand our need to include others in our decisions which virtually effect everything, but I hope they understand when you have millions of people trying to enter your borders every year illegally or otherwise, its easy to think this is the place to be.

Jesper said the USA's self-reliance, mostly in thought, also accounts why the US is always head and shoulders above the rest of the world in terms of money, might and acheiving goals. We have a core set of values and stick to them. We don't look elsewhere for approval or acceptance. We are our own island. This is also the same reason why some people hate us. There is balance, there is a way to bridge the current divide and I believe I've found my own path. I hope you are able to join me and travel to lands such as Sri Lanka. Get outside of airports, hotels, and shopping malls. Take risk and reward your soul.

Talk to you soon....

-Chris

Goodbye GC...

twoweeksoff@gmail.com (Chris) — Wed, 20 Apr 2005 07:58:00 +0000

It's 1:00 pm in Galle and it's been my first unscheduled day in over three weeks. For those that know me that's saying a lot. I don't like schedules! Jesper and I left Global Crossroad and the new crew at Janaka House last night after our last day of work.

We spent 3 full days showing them what our group had learned and just wanted to try and get them off on the right foot. It was sad for us to say goodbye to Asanta, Santa, Bandula, Paul, Michael and the rest of the local workers. When I confirmed to them it was our last day, the looks in their faces nearly broke my heart. "Oh! Why? Why? Big Problem?" Santa asked.

I explained it was time for us to go and we had accomplished what we set out to do and we wanted to try and help with other forms of relief effort further east. It was sad to see those smiles one last time but we all shared quick and intense hugs and handshakes. I told them I'd be back in a few days as I wanted to give them something for being so genuine with us and working so hard with us. Jesper and I definitely agreed the locals had picked up their work pace as our groups own pace did throughout the project. I guess they wanted to see how dedicated we were to them before dedicating themselves to us. It was a form of respect they showed us by being there every minute, solving any issue we had, picking up slack where need be and working with us side by side to the very end. It was the ultimate form of team work and show of respect I've ever been a part of.

We came back to Janaka House after work on Tuesday, showered up, had a few Ole's (cream soda), went into Galle for email checks, came back for dinner and then grabbed a tuktuk to the Tuc Tuc Beach Resort a few kms east of Janaka. Don't ask me about the "Tuc Tuc" spelling. That's the only place I've seen a C used instead of K but the owners are Italian. Whatever that means. On paper, the owners are the local Sinhalese hotel operators because only Sinhalese are allowed to own businesses here. So, every operator says he is part owner but I'm sure you get the picture.

We were given the perfect tuktuk ride to the hotel and we were greeted with hugs and smiles by the staff and all their friends in the courtyard bar of the beach resort. This is also the same place where Jesper and his BC buddy Corey stayed their first week in SL before April 1. This is also the same place, and room, where they were awakened in the middle of the night to Manoche, the local owner, pounding on their door yelling, "Tsunami coming! Run! Hurry!" This is of course the 2nd Sumatra quake which occurred while I was asleep in the San Francisco Hyatt.

Jesper and Corey ran about 1 km inland before most stopped to climb a very small shrine saying it would protect them. Jesper and Corey didn't agree and continued on through the jungle several more km's until they came upon a house on a more elevated area. A family invited them in with complete acceptance and hospitality despite a lack of everything we hold dear. They told him to come back whenever he needed to. My running shoes positioned at our hotel door serve as a reminder. I hope they stay in place as my Tri-pack fortunately has.

I'm pretty sure we're the only westerners staying here if not the only guests at all. It's a 6 month old hotel with is pretty nice. Teak floors, 50 meters from the beach, 2nd floor balcony with lounge chairs just outside room #4. There's also a flat roof on top just like at Tiny. Pre-tsunami prices were 5,500 Rs a night, but now it's just 1,500 for a double. That's about $15 for two beds, hot water and gorgeous views. We are definitely in the right place.

After consulting the first decent mirror with lighting I've seen in a while I've concluded that I've lost a lot of weight! Jesper agreed, which surprised me. All my shorts and pants would fall off me without a belt. I didn't think I had that much to lose, but it does come off here! I don't have a scale but I wouldn't be surprised if I haven't dropped 15 lbs. I eat everything I can within reason but the work and heat is so strenuous that you just sweat everything out. It should be a great kick-start into a summer workout routine.

I have heard from and of a few of our friends returning home. Zach, Lottie, and Ruth have all thankfully arrived safely. Zach is in India for another 8 months before returning home to NM. He says it is difficult adjusting to life there! I can't imagine if Sri Lanka doesn't prepare you what would. A few have mentioned how difficult it can be trying to relate to those around you at home. Jobs seem trivial and full of emptiness while longing for something simpler and perhaps more real and concrete. I'm sure we'll all adjust to our lives eventually the same way we adjusted here, but certainly with a lasting and different perspective.

Today we are trying to find a good local map so we can scout out the villages to the east soon and to let our bodies heal a little. Tomorrow I will finally be taking all the donated supplies I've brought to a camp and school. It's weird that I still have all these items but I honestly haven't had the time. If we aren't working we are in a van going to Yala or Kandy which is also non-stop schedules. The only way to have donated items at this point was to take a work day off from the site or to use your one day off for that.

So, tomorrow I will be meeting Ken and Carolyn at Janaka around 9:30 so they can take me to a few good places which can use my families donated items. Ken and Carolyn also have been asked by the BBC to take along a video camera to film their trip. Nobody really knew this until about a week into our project when they asked if I could figure out their camera. I said they came to the right guy. I'm sure they've captured a lot of great video by now and hope I can see it someday. The piece is going to be just them as they were interviewed before they left home and will also have a follow-up interview upon their return. It should be great as they are great people.

Today officially starts my road of independent relief work but I've been here for 3 weeks now and it doesn't seem nearly as daunting as just arriving in Sri Lanka did. It's amazing what one can become accustomed to, as well as enjoy. I've concentrated on going to bed and making sure all my work clothes were ready for the next day so much that that routine had become my life. I couldn't see past it really until recently. What now? What's next? I feel there are endless possibilities awaiting me now but even scarier is that they are probable.

I'm not sure what the next week will hold for us but I have absolutely no doubt we are in the right place.

Be good.

-Chris

Janaka House, Sri Lanka

twoweeksoff@gmail.com (Chris) — Sun, 17 Apr 2005 13:55:00 +0000

It's Sunday 8:10 pm and Jesper and I checked into Janaka House yesterday. We finished our first work day with the new crew today. Another good group of people but it just isn't the same to us for obvious reasons. We feel we have a specific mission with trying to pass along our collective lessons learned and then we're heading down the road to find our own relief.

There is a shortage of construction materials now due to the holidays and they plan on resuming making them tomorrow. We filled in the last open foundation with dirt and dug 2 septic tank holes which is always messy work. The new crew had an introduction to Jesper the manimal today as well. Fortunately, some things never change.

That's all for now really. I'm tired from my Kandy travels and look forward to bed right after I sign off here. Half the new group went to Lighthouse for dinner and half stayed in. All GC volunteers are at Janaka House now as Tiny House was having some trouble meeting our needs.

Be back soon.....

-Chris

Back from Kandy!

twoweeksoff@gmail.com (Chris) — Sat, 16 Apr 2005 10:35:00 +0000

It is 4:44 pm and I am in the "free" internet cafe in Galle which now charges after catching on to their newfound popularity. Let's see, the last 3 days or so have been moving so fast. Way too fast. I miss my friends. I miss Lottie, Zach, John, Katie, Corey, Ruth, Pam, Paul, Monty, Keith and everyone. My left brain knew the time was coming on Thursday and Friday when vans and rented cars would carry everyone to their next great journeys but when it actually happened it was over in the blink of an eye.

Friday morning I was sitting in the carport of Tiny House while most were stalling for time and I stood up hugged Pam, Ruth and Lottie one last time. Exchanged a few last second words which always fail to hit the mark and climbed into our van with Loyal, Abbey, Alex, Krista, Corey, and Jesper. I cannot describe the feeling I had leaving those people behind. It was a very quiet ride for a while. At some point either Jesper or I started singing in an attempt to pick our spirits up. It helped break the tension but our minds were elsewhere. I certainly hope everyone returned home safely. We dropped everyone off at hotels in Colombo a few hours later as traffic was very light due to New Years. Jesper and I headed for the train station and had to cross the pedestrian bridge over the street to reach the station. Our prepaid driver wanted to know if we had money. I assured him we had plenty for the train and thanked him for his concern.

Jesper and I had a few hours wait on the platform before our 3:25 train and had a great conversation about the preceeding days and weeks. We finally hopped a 1st class observation car to Kandy and pulled out right on time. It was 200Rs for a 2.5 hour train ride thru the beautiful hill country and into the much cooler climate of Kandy. This was actually my first ever train ride and I loved it. The trains are the old red British trains I'm sure you've seen photos of on the news from the tsunami. It's a great way to travel in Sri Lanka and there's nothing like writing in your journal next to a large open window while the beautiful countryside rolls by your side.

The monsoon hit as we pulled into the Kandy station and we stood around for about 5 minutes waiting for it to let up. This was difficult as child beggars no higher than my thighs were constantly shaking coins in their hands and pointing to their mouths for food. It's a difficult site and a new one for us but expected. Not to say these children aren't desperately in need of care but they are trained by nearby adults to do this soul wrenching work. The rain stopped and Jesper grabbed a tuktuk on the road due to me being anchored by my backpack and 45lb. duffle. WHY DIDN'T I LEAVE THAT IN GALLE?!!! Anyway, we headed to Hotel Suisse, checked into our $74 room with a view of Lake Kandy, AC, HOT water and clean sheets. AHHHHHHHHHH!

We unloaded our gear, prepared the laundry service bag (I was determined to start my next 2 weeks with a fresh load of clothes not beaten against a rock), and hit the town looking for a meal. Everything was locked down tight except one place. Food City with a KFC inside. Sweet! We ordered everything. And ate it too. It tasted just like home with the exception of the iced cappucinno which was just cappucino. Back at the hotel we decided to check with the front desk to see if anyone we knew was in Kandy. What luck! John from the UK was here and we left a note for him. Ten minutes later our phone rang and John had returned and was at our door in another 2. We had a great reunion in our room for about an hour and it was really great seeing someone who you thought was a memory. John is a graduate of Cambridge University with a degree in civil engineering and one of the hardest workers on our crew. We agreed to meet around 8 for the breakfast buffet and hit the hay around 11:30.

Up at 7:00 I read some of my journal trying to reconnect with the past few surreal days. In my head it seemed distant but in my heart the memories were very fresh and all to real. I struggle to make sense of it all. The quick friendships and bonds mixed with the emotional yet rewarding work which all comes to a grinding halt way way before you are prepared for it to end. We meet John for breakfast over another great hour or so conversation and part ways, again, in the hallway. "Parting is such sweet sorrow." Blah. I feel there's not much sweet to it these days. I promise to make the reunion in London in a month or so as its been rumored and John heads up and we head down. Bye John.

Jesper and I grab a tuktuk outside and agree with the driver on 1,750 Rs for a day of touring Kandy and the surrounding areas. We first head to a photo store so I can empty my memory cards. This is difficult during the holiday as most everything is closed. I find a shop with it's metal barrier parted and knock on the glass doors. A man approaches hesitantly and I explain my situation of full memory cards and a days worth of photo ops ahead of me. He says, "ok, no problem!" and lets me in quickly. A nice man who is proud of running the largest print shop in Kandy. While my CD burns he shows me the upstairs office full of G4's and laser printers. I'm actually jealous. He's just returned from 2 years in Dubai where the money flows like oil and he explains his frustrations with the Sri Lankan systems and government. "The uneducated rule the educated here." he explained. They say the Buddhist statues stand because of their power against the tsunmai. He laughs at this and says no it's because they are round. I smile and agree. If only the masses could hear him speak. I see a commonality in our conversation with most cultures. The single man knows the truth but mass consciousness is the fool.

I thanked him for the CD and gave 300Rs for the burn. I find Jesper on the street pointing around with some stranger in an attempt to locate me. I've been gone a while. We jump in the tuktuk and off to Pinnewala Elephant Orphanage 46km away. We stop halfway for a delicious Necto which is like bottled kool-aid/fruit punch. We take pictures with the local Necto fiends and have a few laughs. We love Necto!

We arrive at Pinnewala just in time to see the elephants bath in the river. There must be 3 dozen of them of all sizes. It was awesome. Our driver VJ hussled us down to the waters edge where we snapped photos with a baby elephant. We had to move soon after for the herd to climb the hill and cross the road to their grazing pastures. Buckets of water were thrown on a few dry backs and up the hill they came. Wow. The first one had it's front right foot missing so it set the pace. Slowly. One after the other they lumbered up the hill and within mere feet of us on a high concrete sidewalk. The last one had manacles and chains all around it. It was the "nasty" one and was treated differently.

We followed them down an alley like the running of the bulls in Pamplona with about one hundred other visitors. The mix here is about 40% western. The most we've seen anywhere by far. Lots of tour buses. We go into the main gates across the road behind the herd and head up to watch them in the pastures. We take pictures with a blind tusked elephant. That was neat. Our driver then takes us down to an area where they are normally fed but we see the last "nasty" elephant being worked on with chains extending it's back leg. It's is supposedly getting medical treatment. He leads us closer and I take photos. The trainers say something to our driver and we give them space. I say if they are uncomfortable we'll be happy to go back to the top but for some reason he just hangs around. I change camera settings take another photo of the elephant but my flash goes off and things get interesting.

The trainers start yelling at our driver and he yells back. Jesper and I look at each other blankly. We finally walk off after minutes of the most shouting I've seen in a month. We decide to grab a few Nectos across the street as we wait for the 1:15 feeding. After a refreshing Necto sugar buzz we come back into the park and our driver is confronted by a man. Soonl, Jesper and I are 5 yards aways watching a group of trainers and security guards talk to our driver. I say, "I think he's getting kicked out." Jesper agrees and a minute later he is escorted away. He motions he'll wait for us outside. "No problem." I say with a nod to the side. International incident acheived! We asked one of the guys what he did and his answer was, "Very rude man. Feeding at 1:15." and he pointed to the feeding area. We can take a hint, turned around and walked on.

Five minutes later another park employee makes sure we know about the feeding and leads us to a clearing a few yards past a fence. We are motioned to sit and casually join a few men sitting on a log. We are introduced to a world famous elephant trainer with 25 years of experience which is only passed down thru his family. He told us our driver didn't know what he was doing and failed to follow their rules. We said we just followed him around and had no idea what was going on. They laughed and assured us everything was ok and we took pictures together. They told us that "nasty" elephant was in heat and anything could set it off. It was getting medical attention as well and it was just a touch situation for them. We understood completely and thanked them for their understanding. I'll post the pics of this as soon as I can.

We finally watched the feeding of large milk bottles to the baby elephants and found VJ in the parking lot. He had his version of the story about photos of elephants in chains upset the park officials but that didn't really jive with me as there were elephants in chains all over and they didn't ask for my pictures. Anyway, we made out in the end with a great conversation with the parks leading trainer.

Back on the road to Kandy our driver helped us run a few errands and then on to the Temple of the Tooth. We got barred at the gate for having shorts on. I zipped on my convertible pants and was allowed in but Jesper stayed behind. I was in and out in a few minutes with barefeet and don't really know what I saw but it was a solemn temple with lots of people giving praise inside. Our driver finally dropped us off at the Kandyan Restaurant where we ordered lots of food.

Back to the hotel for a clean-up and we walked down the road around Lake Kandy to the Y.M.B.A. for an hour long presentation of the Kandyan Dancing Troupe. It was a series of about 10 local dances in full costume with drummers, acrobatics, spinning plates and fire walking. Pretty cool for 300Rs. While inside the monsoon thundered outside so it certainly added authenticity to the show. The rain had stopped as if on cue and we made our way back to the hotel as all internet cafes were still closed.

We went to find the dinner buffet before close at 10 in the hotel and who do we run into but Monty and Keith from the BVI! Weird-o-rama. We had a great little conversation in the hallway with them and said goodbyes, again, to them as well. All these multiple repeated goodbyes is taxing. Dinner was great and we fell asleep soundly around 11 after a long crazy day.

We woke around 5:30 to catch the 6:45 train back to Colombo. It was a pleasant ride with a couple of men who questioned and talked to us the entire way. T-I-R-E-D One of the men was transferring to a Galle train as well and blazed a route thru the crowd for Jesper as I lugged "my damned green bag" up and over 6 train platforms. I waited on the main platform while Jesper purchased tickets and then they came running back at me as we grabbed our gear and back over a few platforms onto a standing room only 2nd class car to Galle. It was an interesting ride but a fun one. We sang and shared water with a few around us and had smiles all around. We were very tired pulling into Galle but I'm sure we made a few friends along the way. Handshakes at every stop.

This all happened just few hours ago so I'm running on a bottle of Necto and refreshing swim at Unawatuna beach. We checked into Janaka House first and grabbed a few baked goods before hitting the beach. That's all for now. We're off to Janaka to meet the new group who we will be working with in the morning. Jesper and I are sure we'll only stick around a few days before finding other projects of interest. I'll let you know how it goes.

Be safe and take care until next time!

Two Weeks Turns Into Four

twoweeksoff@gmail.com (Chris) — Wed, 13 Apr 2005 05:28:00 +0000

I'd like to say that I plan on making my entries somewhat smoother when I return because there's so much info to give at each update it's a bit of a shotgun approach. I'm trying to hit several marks with each shot here so please forgive the rambling nature. It is 11:30 Wednesday morning our last day of work was yesterday and my official two weeks off has come to an end. The past 5 days have been tough but we made tremendous progress. It's been 100-115 F each day with high high humidity. A few of the locals actually went home. They said it was unusually hot. ouch.

We've had several mini celebrations at the work site this week. The first family to move into one of our houses came to bring bananas, rice balls, and a spicy dish for us. Nuns came to bless the house. One day the Minister of the Interior came with a translator and Buddhist monk to present the first house on that site from GC to the people. There were banners hung and cameras everywhere. A TV camera recorded everything for them to send to the states and try and raise money for land. The money promised by the world isn't finding it's way to the people who need it. America says they've sent it and Sri Lanka says they haven't received it. The truth, and the money, is somewhere in between. I can only fight one battle at a time and can't think too much about that. I'm here and feel my efforts are best spent moving forward instead of sideways.

The ministers presentation seemed a bit odd. We just hear sooo many stories of misappropriated funds that you cannot help but think for a minute you are part of a propaganda film. It was a bit surreal eating your rice lunch in the dirt caked in sweat and mud while watching well dressed men fuss over how to properly hang the banners and arrange potted flowers for 30 minutes in the middle of our construction site. Them wanting us to move a rock pile 20 feet over for the presentation didn't help matters either. Anyway, there's more thoughts on all that but now isn't the time.

On Sunday I was working with the roofers who are a family of 3 brothers and a father. They are skilled workers and use templates to jigsaw patterns into wood beams for the roof. I helped them saw these for a while until I bent their saw. I felt bad but after 20 minutes of them beating it between two rocks everything seemed to be ok. You have to be careful with tools here. Nothing is expendable. It must not have been too big a deal though because 30 minutes later I was asked to dinner at their home the following evening. Fast forward to Monday night.

Two brothers picked me up on one motorcycle. I was second on the seat with my backpack held in one hand and the drivers shoulder with the other. His brother sat behind me. It was an experience! It's not unusual to see a family of 5 on one bike here but a few of those are usually children. Anyway, it was 30 minutes from Tiny and into the countryside to his house. Crickets, frogs, birds singing the whole way under a beautiful moon filled sky which reflected of the rice paddies on either side of us. What a way to travel! It was a wonderful summer night for a ride. It was all so new and alive to me I had the feeling of being 16 again and riding around with friends in a car on a perfectly warm summer night. The ride back was just two of us and even more enjoyable.

We had to walk a few hundred yards up a trail to his house through tea trees and lush forest. It was a lovely setup. Green grass, vegetable garden and about a 6-7 room home. There was a constant flow of guests and family coming in to see the strange new face. We sat in the living room and they put on Discovery channel so that I may watch in English. I didn't watch much (haven't even seen a TV in 2 weeks) but is was appreciated. A pound-like cake and marshmallows were brought out as well as a fruit juice for me and Bandula to enjoy. He is the oldest brother and the only one who can speak some English. He just returned from Qatar after working as an office-boy for two years. I got the feeling he was the man of the house as everything was centered around us. Dinner of rice, potatoes, chicken, curry, and other dishes was served only to the two of us at a table. We ate with our hands and mashed everything together to form a ball of food. I brought bottled water with me and boy did I need it. It was spicy! After dinner we dipped our hands in a water bowl, toweled them off and were brought a yogurt dish and a bottle of honey. We mixed to two together and ate it with a spoon. It was more sour than sweet but I ate it all. After we finished two of Bandulas friends joined us at the table and began to eat. They waited until I was done and no one else in the family ate. I never understood when or if they ate but it was late and we left soon after finishing. That was great night that I'll not soon forget. I was offered a monkey to take home but explained it just wasn't possible. Darn it.

Today is New Years Eve in Sri Lanka and no work will be done for a few days all over the country. All the kids are out of school for two weeks now so this is like their Christmas break. It's a nice time to be in Sri Lanka.

My two week commitment may have come to an end but my journey continues. I will be staying here until the end of the month. My flight isn't set yet but I will leave around April 25th. We have accomplished quite a lot in our two weeks and Paul and Michael, the local coordinators, have been extremely pleased with our progress. Jesper and I are staying on for a few extra GC work days to help transition the new group and teach them what we've learned so their learning curve will be quicker and so all of our group's combined experience isn't lost when we leave. Plus, I want to leave on my own terms and I haven't felt that I am finished here. I've had several conversations with people who are now contemplating what to do with themselves upon returning home. We all know what we mean but we have to work it out for ourselves. My life in Tennessee is no longer my own and I'm just not ready to go home and sit in front of a computer.

Plus, there's lots of work to do here and I am continually blessed with warm feelings from the locals. Jasper and I are riding to Colombo tomorrow on the GC van and then we'll take a car or train to Kandy. Most people are making their way to Colombo tomorrow for flights out that evening or Friday. About 7-8 people seem to be making their way to Kandy as well and we hope to meet up with some of them. After a few days there we will return to Galle and a new hotel with GC. The Tiny House Hotel we were staying at has had some problems with repeated requests from GC and the degree of problems really depends upon who you talk to. So, we will be staying at Janaka House for a the following few days while working with the new group. Our last week or so here will be spent trying to join with some general relief work.

There are a lot of organizational problems in Sri Lanka but its not due to any one issue. The Global Crossroad team is doing the best they can given the situation. Things just work differently in Sri Lanka and you have to take the good with the bad. They don't organize like westerners but they don't complain like them either so you do the math. As a volunteer here you can either choose to help them reconstruct their lives or try to reconstruct their culture. One way is frustrating but rewarding the other is beating your head against a wall. So, it's all good work but with some western grass-roots organized efforts the work is more efficiently used. I can't tell you how much time we could save at the work site with just a cement mixer or one Bobcat. Anyway, the physical work is tough but we'd like to help in other ways as well so we're looking forward to spending more time directly with the camps and shelters.

Last night we had a certificate presentation at Janaka and Paul said a few very nice words to our group and it was just a neat private celebration for us. Afterwards we went down to the beach club in Unawatuna for drinks and a bonfire just yards from the breaking surf. Beautiful starry night next to the Indian Ocean with all the volunteers and quite a few of the local workers. Most of the locals danced (women don't really go dancing at clubs here so the males dance together quite strangely) and we hung about the club and surrounding beach until about 1:30. John, Lottie and I grabbed a tuk-tuk back to Tiny and that was interesting. It was a long drive but the driver kept driving as if it were only the next turn up. It was a long confusing ride but very fun for me.

It's hard saying goodbye to some of these people and I can't believe this part is over. In a way I am relieved as this has been in my foremost thoughts for a while. I will miss a few tremendously and hope to see them again either in the states of abroad. The world is much smaller to me now.

Jesper is patiently waiting for me to finish so we can grab lunch and hit the beach for one afternoon. I have a wicked farmers tan. I have finally posted a few Sri Lanka pics so check out the album. I have many more but can only do one at a time from here so it's just the highlights. Take care and I'll write in a few days from Kandy hopefully. I hope everyone is doing well and I can't wait to see you all. I wish you could be here and hope you can someday.

Busy, Busy, Busy

twoweeksoff@gmail.com (Chris) — Fri, 08 Apr 2005 15:40:00 +0000

It is Friday night 9:45 pm and Jasper and I are in the internet cafe recommended by Bob after he heard of my troubles. Much better Bob, thanks.

Well, lets see. Thursday was our day off and it was great! 13 of us arranged to visit Yala National Park. It was amazing. After work on Wednesday, we had 2 vans pick up 13 of us and drive us to just outside of Yalla where we split 6 rooms. It was a 5 hour drive each way and we had a blast on the way up there. Lots of laughs and jokes that you can only understand in Sri Lanka. This one's for Bob:

There are 4 headlights, 6 turn signals and 3 horns coming at your van in the dark as you try to decide which way they'll swerve and how close it will be. Are they:

A. 2 tuk-tuks and a bus
B. 1 tuk-tuk a bus and a motorcycle
C. 1 tractor, 1 tuk-tuk, 1 moped, and 1 car with half a headlight
D. All of the above

Anyway, on the way to Yalla in the dark we nearly ran right into a wild elephant that had made his way onto the road. We stopped completely and watched as it bore down on an old wooden gate blocking it's path. You could hear the wood splinter into the silent night as this huge wild elephant nonchalantly pushed it open with his head. The silence was soon cut short by the lone cries of the man who lived at that house trying to shoo away this elephant wrecking his property. I don't know what he said but I'll never forget the urgency in his voice. I got one good picture and can't wait to share. (I know I know. Soon.)

After we arrived at our hotel that evening we had a preordered dinner and then we all scrambled to bed because we had a 5:00 am wake up call. The rooms were great. Hot showers and AC. Ahhhh, the simple pleasures of life. Up at 5 we grabbed our pre-prepared to-go breakfasts and loaded into 3 Land Rover jeeps for the 30 minute ride to Yalla. You have to get up early if you want to see the animals and boy did we see some.

There were 4 in our jeep plus a guide/protector. We saw monkeys, crocs, green pea pickers, water buffalo, elephants and those huge things are sneaky! One minute there's 3 of them and the next minute they've quietly dissapeared into 5 feet of brush. Beautiful birds and on and on. However, the best part was the leopards. We saw leopards. This is apparently not a common thing at all. Kingsley, the owner of Tiny, has been over 25 times and never seen one. Our guide has been 251 times and seen 5. We saw 4. They were up around a small creek drinking and over the course of about 1-2 minutes they leaped over the creek and walked into the bush. Wow. We were no closer than 100-200 yards and I think I got a few good shots. I can't wait to see them larger. The leopards are why everybody goes to Yalla but not many see them. Smiles all around.

We went to a local lunch at Refresh restaurant and then half of us went in one van non-stop back to Galle and the other van went to a temple and then shopping. We made the better choice it seems.

Today was a tough day. We went to work and I got into laying the brick this time and enjoyed that as well. A local mason was following me with the filling and said, "Good, Good. It's ok." And nodded his head side to side. I liked that. The Sinhalese will nod their heads side to side as a gesture of "It's ok" or in agreement with something. I do it all the time now without thinking as do others. Smiles and nods all over the work site all day.

After lunch we visited the refugee camp for who we are building these homes. Ken and Carolyn, a lovely older couple from the UK, visited on their day off and urged us to check it out as well. They suggested we pull together our resourses and purchase tables for each of the 49 familes living in tents here. So, we of course readily went. Ah, it was so tough.

They were so happy to see us. They couldn't wait to invite the 15 us to sit in the 4 or 5 plastic chairs they had on what was left of a tile floor in their makeshift headquarters. It just so happened that today was the day of the lottery. The lottery was to choose who got the first available homes we were building and we were the lotto number drawers. There were 12 families who were the worst off and they were in the lotto for the first 6 homes. We each drew a number and name. Mine was #9 and the name I don't remember but they stopped at 6 anyway so mine would have to wait another month or two or three of living in a tent on the dirt in what used to be your home and community. Anyway, the first name is read and everyone breaks into cheers and applause. It was all the same to us but they were very happy. It was a woman but I don't know her families story. Another man had lost his wife and daughter and had several small children with him. I believe an orphaned child will be living with him as well. I just don't have the words right now. This just happened 9 hours ago and it was tough on all of us.

I walked around the camp a bit to take pictures and a family urged me inside their makeshift wooden shack with a cot, dirt floors and a few possessions hung around the L shaped structure. They say "American?" "Yes, American." I said and they smiled big. Not much English with this family but they showed me the pictures of the older mom and dad who were killed and had a broken English statement about what happened to them along with their police report. I gave them some chocolate and told them we were meeting right then to help them. And they wanted to make sure we helped the whole village and not just a few. These people stick together because it's all they have. Before and after the tsunami. They are an amazing example of grace and kindness.

I met a man who saved his whole family by scaling a wall and pushing them onto the roof while his home was destroyed but he was, "Very lucky." He offered to climb a tree to get me a baby coconut and I politely said no thank you. All they want to do is invite you into their tent/remaining few walls of home and meet you. I had a few more addresses given to me there. One apologized for not having more chairs so that we all may sit.

I'm thinking of staying a bit longer. I just can't fathom returning to the States right now. It's too much too soon and I need to gradually come to me own acceptance of things. A few people are staying over like Jasper, Ken and Carolyn to smooth the transition between groups as others have done before them. Maybe we'll take a few days to visit Kandy before coming back to work and then maybe some different relief type projects. These people's kindness makes it so hard not to do all you can. This is it's own reward and I can't say that enough.

We went for a swim at Unawatuna beach late this afternoon before a few drinks and dinner. I'm off to catch a tuk-tuk back to Tiny. Talk to you soon.

Chris

Work Has Commenced!

twoweeksoff@gmail.com (Chris) — Tue, 05 Apr 2005 07:44:00 +0000

(note: blogger is acting horribly and not accepting my emails. when pasted in their site's editor it adds characters and basically self edits. Ughhh.)

It is 12:40 pm Tuesday April 5th and I am in the same Galle internet cafe. We were able to begin work at around 8:00 am Sunday morning and let me tell you it's hot here. Not just hot but the humidity is oppressive. I've never felt anything like it. That combined with trying to catch up on sleep leads to shear exhaustion but it's fantastic exhaustion. On Sunday we dug two foundations for 2 more homes in some very saturated land. It's like digging in a swamp. Tough tough work. We also built up more walls in 2 already started homes and some did some painting there and at another job site which I haven't visited.

There are 5 homes started and our 2 new foundations at our site with moreplots planned which we will start digging soon. GC is looking to build 50 total houses by the end of the year. Our group due to timing, chemistry, and forward thinking seems to be doing quite well in terms of work completed. We caught up the 4-day behind project in our first day. We were quite enthusiastic and glad to get our hands dirty. It was an awesome feeling to grip the heavy stones and wheelbarrow them across the wet muddy land to the new foundations on which houses will stand. We worked side by side, hand in hand, with local masonrys and workers. Every time they catch your eye a smile from ear to ear is not far behind. Occasionally local children will come by the site and someone will give them a sticker or plastic football. I had a toss with two boys and showed them how to throw a spiral. I think they're better than me now. Look out McNair, you've got company!

Sunday, I mostly wheeled large quarry blasted stones from the decentralized dump spot to smaller piles around the foundation footers where they are placed to form a sturdy foundation. Gravel is laid upon that and then sub walls are built using more stone for filler built up into 3 equal sized rooms using concrete blocks near our sizebut they aren't the hollow type. About 8 x 12 and only 5" deep or so. Monday, I did a bit more wheel barrowing as did others. This is very tiring work. The work load is increased several times over due to them being smaller than I am used to and having to muscle them thru the mud and swampy land. We set wooden planks up to cross the depressions in the ground and this didn't so much speed up the process as it just made it possible. I only did about an hour of this work on Monday as it is one of the more exhausting jobs.

Jasper from BC is a work animal. He is our team leader who just makes sure we know what to expect each day but he pretty much was all over the digging part. He's done the work of 2-3 people but EVERYONE is pulling their weight and finding suitable work when something becomes too much. I've had to take many breaks in between loads or the simplest of tasks. If I had closed my eyes for more than 20 seconds while standing or sitting I would have easily gone to sleep on the spot. I drink water constantly. Once you start sweating you are wet all day. It's not bad once you accept it and I think everyone looks beautiful all muddied up!

After quitting the rock moving I moved on to mortar work. I haven't been trained on laying the block yet but filling in the vertical cracks between the blocks after they've been laid. It's quite fulfilling work watching the walls go up in front of your very eyes not to mention much much easier than any heavy work. A work load here is exponentially increased due to the energy sapping humidity and only a breakfast of bread, jam, a banana, a pineapple slice, and a cup oftea. The power bars I have brought are the bomb.

Lunch is brought 12:00 - 12:30ish and we eat for no set time but everyone finds there way back into their gloves within an hour or so. It's usually a bag of good rice, vegetable mix cooked in oil, a baked? chicken leg or meat, a sweet salad type of mix and something else I'm forgetting. I like it pretty good and it's the quietest moment on site every day! They eat with their fingers but some tear the corners of their styrofoam containers and use it as a scoop. I brought my titanium spork and some do the same. After work each day we take a van or two back to our hotel and the other group of 10-15 is taken to theirs. After the first day of work we were so exhausted when we were picked up by the van and Ah-Ha's"Take on Me" was played on Ravi's loud radio speakers we broke into temporary insanity. We basically had a rolling disco thru the streets of Sri Lanka with everyone looking at the van of 12-15 crazy westerners singing at the top of our lungs and doing our best to dance in our seats. They must think we're all mad but their wide smiles showed approval.

I thought I would go to bed immediately that first night, but the singing and delirium did me good so we all showered and went into Galle to dine at the Lighthouse Hotel. Wow. What a beautiful place. You enter the drive-up entrance and walk the large wooden circular staircase wrapped around elegantly made copper/metal statues encircling a fountain. It lands on the second floor which is a very open and large space which opens to the elements thru large double doors which overlooks a magnificent patio, rolling grass which leads down to large boulders into which the Indian ocean waves crash into over and over. Beautiful sunsets.We dined on the patio by candle light around low-slung tables and deepchairs. It's a scene where ever we go. I had beef tenderloin for 675 Rs .

After dinner, about 8 of us walked down to the beach and swam underthe moon in the Indian ocean. I'll never forget that night. Zach, Krista from Michigan, Loddie (sp?) from UK and I braved the warm waters and played in the surf for almost an hour. We took several tuk-tuks (3-wheeled taxi/golf cart type vehicle - pron. "took-took"not tuck-tuck) back to the hotel. We all work very well together and I think I've had a pretty decent conversation with just about everyone there. I know my house pretty well and love them all. Fantastic people and I've never laughed so much in my life. I was wondering what the general mood would be here and am pleased it is very upbeat yet serious when it needs to be. There never seemed a reason to explain ourselves to each other. We all understand why we are here and have deeply clicked. I believe the lightheartedness you find all around is taking care of us. We need the laughter and at the same time it's automatic. There are some very smart people here with huge hearts and I have great faith in them all.

The monsoon this morning didn't allow us to work but sleep in and it was appreciated. I was just told we are leaving Tiny House at 2:00 for a few hours of work as the monsoon has stopped for now. I am going to grab a bite to eat upstairs and then it's back to the site. It is a good days work over there and a great "job well done" feeling at the end of the day. You just can't get that satisfaction in front of a computer. I hope to post pics soon. I have them burned but there is no cd-rom in my computer at the moment. I'll try better next time to find one.Take it easyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy.

-Chris

Galle, Sri Lanka

twoweeksoff@gmail.com (Chris) — Sat, 02 Apr 2005 12:10:00 +0000

I'm finally in Sri Lanka! It is 5:19 pm Saturday the 2nd and I am in
an internet cafe in Galle. Very slow connections so pictures may be
difficult to upload. These updates from here out may be more of a
factual nature than anything else. I don't have time to be creative
at the moment! There is so much for me to catch up on this blog but
so little time available to me right now.

The flight from Bangkok was uneventful but much different than my
previous flights. First off, I was exhausted. I slept nearly the
entire flight. I didn't drink anything or eat the dinner. My body
was rejecting the thought of everthing but sleep. It was basically a
system crash. I sat next to a lovely girl from England who has been
in Thailand for 7 weeks and just loves it. She was in SL to attend
her boyfriend's uncle's wedding.

We landed at 12:30 am and walked down the stairs of the portable
jetway. Entered a bus which drove us across the airport to the
terminal. I stood in line at customs for about 45 minutes. Out of
the 12 lines I picked the one with the guy who could care the least
about efficiency or us. He didn't ask a single question and looked at
me once. After about 5 minutes of pecking at the keyboard he handed me my stamped passport and I was officially in Sri Lanka!

Inside I found the baggage carousel and both bags made it checked thru all the way from S.F! I loaded them on a cart and made my way to the exit which was crawling with taxi drivers and signs. None had my name on it so as soon as I passed them i was approached and asked if I needed a ride. You are so exhausted by that time all you can do is say, "sure." Into a car we go and 5 minutes later I'm at Full Moon Garden Hotel. A lovely place with equally lovely people. I'm checking in at the desk outside when another van pulls up. This is all about 2:00 am. Out comes a guy a recognize from Bangkok. His name is Zach.

He's 20 from New Mexico but has just come from Austrailia and New
Zealand where he has been hiking and camping for a month. We are
quickly becoming good friends. He and I comprise just about the only
Americans in our group. Most are from England, a mom and daughter
from Kentucky, a couple from Virgin Gorda BVI, and two guys from BC Canada. Fantastic people all.

The Sri Lankans are the friendliest, kindest and warm hearted I have
ever met. Dispite all they have been through and the living
conditions which we would call appalling they are quick and eager with a shout of HELLO! from a window while waving and flashing their big beautiful white toothy grins. You cannot help but fall in love with them. When asked where I'm from I say Tennessee but they ask, "America right?" I say yes and the joy spreads over their face. It's almost as if meeting an American is a life goal. I've never felt sooo
humbled. I have addresses thrust upon me asking for pictures to send back that I take of us together. They want nothing more than to say hello and meet you. I guess I am as exciting to them as this place is to me.

The Galle Road from Colombo to Galle makes NASCAR look like amateur hour. Horns, brakes, and swerving all done without arguments or even concern. It's right hand drive here and it's just the way it is. Nobody gets upset or raises a voice. All horn honking is actually a system of signaling other pedestrians and motorists. It is a dance of traffic which I cannot understand.

I am forever comparing here with home and ask myself how can we have so much and complain about everything while these people have comparatively nothing and only want a happy life. It's fantastic. This is what life is about. People. Not the pusuit of stuff. This is it's own reward and I am forever changed.

As I am typing this a young man next to me is asking me where I'm from and wants my email address to correspond. He says he wishes all people had our hearts and is very grateful for us being here. I didn't even tell him why I was here. They just know.

The monsoon season has started early and rains on and off during the day. Work is slow due to mortar work getting wet and we haven't actually started construction yet. This will change in the morning. If weather delays us tomorrow I am going to find another site called the Galle Project that may have rain work for us. I met a British medical doctor named Christa in the morning after my first night at Full Moon Garden. We had breakfast together and she had been here for 5 weeks. She gave me the Galle project info as a backup plan and was very helpful and a delight to talk with and then she caught a plane back home. That's how it is here. Friends within minutes and then part ways.

My mind is a blur right now. So much to tell and so little time. Zach and I walked in the monsoon rain to Galle just now to experience what most do which is walk the streets. It was about 4km and a great walk. We are experiencing the hero's welcome which was promised in Iraq. Smiles and hellos the entire way. People stopping offering us rides, for a fee of course, but they politely smile and wave when you
say no thank you we're walking. I cannot feel anything but the knowledge that I am exactly where I should be. I've never felt anything like this. I explained to Christa about my Serendipity experience and how just that morning I noticed my backpack of 3 years had a "Made in Sri Lanka" tag inside when I was packing for Galle. How many things do you know of made in Sri Lanka in your home? Not many I'm sure. What are the odds of that??? I cannot tell you how weird that was. Christa just said, "So it's happening to you." I knew what she meant. She said that is more common than you think. When you are acting out of pure love and intent things have a way of falling in place. She told me similar stories which she experienced.
About needing supplies or an expert in some field which seemed near impossible to procure and they would arrive the next day on site without warning.

I cannot state enough how fantastic the Singhalese are. They need our help and support. So much more than they are getting. Govts get in the way as does greed. Many many only see relief from efforts such as ours. You don't need to sign up with GC. Just get on a plane to SL and hire a car to Galle for $30. You will be taken care of. Everything else is just details. This is where it's at.

I met James today from I think Minnessota. He approached me after orientation and we introduced ourselves. He said my site is how he found out about the project and seemed very pleased to meet me. I was more than pleased he told me. I cannot explain what that feels like.

Sorry for the rambling and I'll try to put my thoughts in better order but this past 48 hours has been surreal. The flight, the volunteers, the surroundings, the people and the purpose make it all perfect. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else on the planet. Take care until next time and find love in each other and in what you do. If you can't then come here and the Singalese will teach you by example. Love is all
there is.

I'm off to find my group. They left the cafe 45 minutes ago. I'll try to burn some pics and upload a few next time. Take care and I
wish you all could be here. They want you here and, trust me when I say this, you need to be here as much for them as for yourself.

Chris

Bangkok, Thailand

twoweeksoff@gmail.com (Chris) — Thu, 31 Mar 2005 07:28:00 +0000

It is Thursday 3/31 at 2:29 p.m. in Bangkok, Thailand and I am in the China Airlines Dynasty Club in stealth mode. I didn't have a pre-printed boarding pass for Colombo because even though the tickets were bought through China Airlines I'm flying Sri Lankan today and in so many broken English words, the downstairs desk said no Dynasty Club for you. But, at this stage I feel like I've earned a notch or two so I try my luck at the actual club doors. I show them the Club card I have and at least the last name matches mine. I explain I don't have a boarding pass because Sri Lankan Air doesn't open it's transfer desk until 2 hours before boarding and the club will be closed at that point. "No problem." The lovely Thai woman at the desk says as she writes my name, or my father's name down (sorry 'bout that dad) and my flight and puts it in a drawer. Sweet! I'm in like Flynn with internet access, food, drink and I'll be in Colombo soon anyway. Boy, are these clubs convenient. (Dad, if you're in Bangkok any time soon I'd suggest a pseudonym.)

Last time I wrote I was complaining about my road grime. Well, after I sat at the computer terminal for 2 hours in my funky smelling shirt at the Taipei Dynasty Club this morning, I asked if they might have a place I could clean up. Before I knew it, I had a basket with toiletries and 2 clean towels. I was led to a large private bathroom with shower, hair dryer and the works! No, I don't need a hair dryer but as you'll see it came in handy.

I was so grateful to get the stink off me I because I knew I had another 2 flights coming up with no chance of showering. But, then I spied my shirt hanging across the marble bathroom and still reeking. Hmmm. Shirt is CoolMax 100% polyester and I see a hair dryer. Into the shower the shirt goes. I soap and scrub it along with the rest of me. I have about 30 minutes to board a plane to Bangkok so I'm keeping an eye out on the clock and an ear on the overhead speaker. Every minute or so I have to stop the hair dryer because a pleasant "Ding, dong, ding" chimes and an announcement about some flight to some distant land is announced in 2 languages so each pause lasts as long as I can dry. Let's just say it was an interesting study in multi-tasking. "Ding, dong, ding. Now boarding flight 423 to Kuala Lumpur gate A-8." Nope not me. I continue to get dressed quickly and drying my now clean shirt. It dries pretty good but it's still damp. And white. Fun. I throw on the damp shirt and cover myself with my fleece. Down to A-4 to catch my flight and it's business class again! Fortunately, my body heat dried the poly shirt in about 45 minutes as it's designed to do. I bought these shirts for hiking and working on this project because I knew cotton wouldn't cut it in Sri Lanka. Anyway, bone dry and smelling like a rose the flight was fantastic. I felt so rested after that shower I had my wits about me a little better and may have enjoyed this flight as much as the SF-Taipei leg.

I forgot business class was for this flight as well but let's just say it was the same excellent service as out of S.F. Smoked salmon, sushi, fresh fruit, shrimp, you know, the usual lunch. Plus, the video screens had a channel which let you watch the ground in front of the plane or directly under from under-mounted cameras. No joke. As we are landing I get to watch Bangkok, Thailand grow closer underneath us from my private 10" color monitor while sipping Jasmine tea. Was I talking smack about consumerism a few days ago? Everything in moderation. That's what I meant.

On the flight over here I was reading my Sri Lanka guide book and came upon a very interesting note. Actually, I think it's more than interesting. I was writing of happy accidents a few days ago in relation to missing the earthquake on my way to Sri Lanka. It seems early Arab traders called Sri Lanka "Serendib" through the English word serendipity. Serendipity is defined as, "The faculty of making fortunate discoveries by accident" also a synonym for "the making of happy accidents by chance." I feel something bigger than me at work here.

Anyway, I'm in 90+ degree Bangkok and you can feel the humidity wetly throbbing through the plate glass windows. I just finished a 30 minute foot, leg, head, neck, back, arm, and hand massage by 2 Thai women in a kiosk for 600 bhat. About $15.70. Good deal I thought. It's pretty surreal to be in 3 airports and 2 continents in less than 24 hours and contemplating all this as you watch the blades of a bamboo ceiling fan circle overhead while you get a deep oil massage in Bangkok. I'm feeling limber and ready to get to work.

I'll be in Colombo tonight before midnight as I drop one more hour and then it's on to Galle in the morning. Did I tell you I completely skipped Wednesday? I left Tuesday midnight and arrived Thursday morning. Hello? I'm 2 days older than I was yesterday. But, I'll get it back when I return. What if you just kept flying in the other direction? Would you get continually younger? My friend Jim popped that one on me when I explained my schedule. Hmmm. I'll have to ponder that during my next massage in 2 weeks on the way back.

I've never had the experience of knowing nobody is talking to me because I can't understand a word around me most of the time. It's kind of pleasant. Like a fly on a wall. Now I know exactly how those strangers in a strange land feel when I see them on my shores. I'll remember to extend a kind nod of the head or quick smile next time that happens. It means a lot I can tell you. As you walk the terminals of whatever airport your eyes inevitibly lock onto other westerners eyes. It's a bit of a brotherhood out here. It seems very natural and almost welcomed to ask a complete stranger something as if you know them, because compared to everyone else around, you do.

I've emailed the GC contacts with my new details since I missed my original flight so I don't really know if I'm being met or not tonight. I have several contact numbers and I know of 2 hotels in Colombo the volunteers stay in so I'm not worried.

Well, here's where the real story starts and the reason your reading what I'm writing. I'm anxious to find out what happened with the volunteers after the 2nd tsunami scare a few days ago. Looking forward to some good sleep tonight in Colombo when I find a home with my name on it. (Or my dad's for that matter:)

-Chris

Taipei, Taiwan

twoweeksoff@gmail.com (Chris) — Wed, 30 Mar 2005 22:41:00 +0000

It is Thursday March 31st at 6:41 a.m. and I am sitting in the Taipei China Airlines Dynasty Club. I made it! Well, at least this far anyway which is pretty darn far. The flight was amazing. The upgrade to business class on China Airlines thanks to all those Hong Kong miles was incredible. I've never had service like that anywhere let alone an airplane.

I had my own row in the upper deck of a 747 and I truly felt out of place. Who gets used to service like that? There was a large crowd of people, 99.9% Asian, at the gate but I was let on first with the rest of business and first class. I was escorted to the stairway where I was greeted by classical music floating down from above. At the top of the stairs I was greeted by two BEAUTIFUL flight attendants who pointed me towards the forward seats There are only 24 seats up here of which only half would be used. I casually strolled towards my seat as if I had "been there, done that" only to discover 5 minutes later that I was in the wrong seat. And row. It wasn't confusing, I was just out of it. They pointed to my correct seat and I immediately sat in the wrong one again. I simply pointed out that I wanted to try all the seats on for size. Yes, we all had a good laugh at me. I think.

My seat was 2nd row right side. Two seat to a side and I had both for lounging. Foot stools, reclining seatbacks, the works. The flight attendants couldn't have been more kind or gracious. Slippers for the feet, hot towels for the face, GLASSES of juice, private 6" screen in the arm-rest with my choice of about 5 movies, 10 Nintendo games, or an animated airplane screen that showed our exact position on the globe with all the in-flight stats a geek like me would enjoy. At one point I noticed we were over Japan's coastline at 540 mph, 35,000 feet, and -70 degrees F but, with the wind I'm guessing it felt like -700 F. I felt just a bit out of place in my tattered cargo pants and a smelly shirt. I wasn't planning on living out of a carry-on that long! Think, peace-corps volunteer wins the lotto and immediately books one of the nicest flights possible.

An hour after takeoff I was served my pre-takeoff ordered prosciutto wrapped sea bass with lobster ravioli. That was after the salad and sushi appetizers. A fruit plate and tiramisu followed everything. I'm sure I just lost all my sympathy votes so I may as well tell you after my 4-5 hour nap swaddled in pillows and blankets and watching Friday Night Lights and Ladder 49, I was served breakfast at around 3:00 a.m. of wild mushroom and Swiss cheese omelette. Preceded, of course, by a fruit plate and croissant. After my coffee I went to the bathroom which is fairly private since there are only a few of us using it. Everytime someone exited, an attendant went in to straighten things for the next person. James Bond never had it so good.

All the passengers kept to themselves and no one said a word to anyone else. I tried to catch an eye or two to no avail. The attendants were very nice and engaging though. I'm sure I fell in love a time or two somewhere over the Pacific.

It is slightly disturbing to my better sensibilities of the service I just received. I'm not used to being waited on hand and foot especially with where I am going. But, I don't make the rules I just follow them, sometimes happily. The juxtaposition of that flight and what is to come in the next 20 hours will be extraordinary. I will completely go from one end of the comfort spectrum to the other quicker than you can say tiramisu. Perhaps this will be a good lesson in truly understanding the differences between the have-alls and the have-nothings.

Oh, yes. I must also mention when I left the S.F. airport Hyatt my bill was somewhat different than I had expected. Due to my staggering around the S.F. airport at 4:00 a.m. 2 1/2 days prior, I forgot to get a "distressed passenger voucher" for a discount at the Hyatt. Add to that 2 room service meals and 3 nights instead of 2 because I need the extra time in the room before my midnight flight Tuesday, I was expecting a rather large bill. When I checked out I didn't need to sign anything so they just handed me my receipt, smiled and said "Thank you for your stay." My hotel bill was about 1/3 what it should have been. I don't know if Jasmit had a hand in this but since he helped me so much at the business center I have to suspect as much. Thank you Jasmit and the entire Hyatt staff! My stay couldn't have gone any better and you were an oasis for this weary traveler.

Combining this unexpected courtesy with the wonderful emails I am receiving it's all a bit overwhelming. Thank you all so much for the well wishes and prayers. Keep them coming! Your support means so much to me and the mental journey to come, I suspect, will be the hardest road to walk.

My flight for Bangkok leaves at 9:10 a.m. in just a few hours and lasts 3 hours 40 minutes. It won't be a 747 but I think I'll survive. Then a 9 hour layover in Bangkok and finally a 3.5 hour flight to Colombo which will arrive there 11:30 p.m. tonight. Just in time for me to ask, "Huh?"

I'm not sure when I'll be able to check in next. Maybe hours, maybe days, but as soon as I can I will. Until then...

-Chris

Across the Bay for a Day

twoweeksoff@gmail.com (Chris) — Tue, 29 Mar 2005 22:51:00 +0000

I was so tired last night that falling asleep early was no problem. After blogging and before I hit the hay I decided to book a tour which would take me over the Golden Gate Bridge to the Muir National Monument (Redwood Forest) and then down to Salsalito before coming back across the bay. Ashley, at the concierge desk was a great help with lining everything up for me. Thanks, it was great!

We left at 8:00 am and had a really knowledgeable driver named Jon who told us about everything about the Monument's history on the way over. We were in a large bus which was really nice. The name of the tour group is Super Sightseeing Tours and well worth the $45 for a 5-hour tour. This included hotel pickup and return! Much cheaper than renting and driving yourself.

It was drizzling a little but somehow that really added to the magnificent redwood forest. Those babies drink A LOT of water. We only had 1.5 hours but given my time constraints it was perfect. I could have spent days wondering among those giants.

Back in the bus we headed to the rich and famous Salsalito, CA. With lots of art galleries and boutiques this is a great place to drop some serious cash. There are a lot of famous people living in this area: Sean Penn, George Lucas, Grace Slick, etc... I walked along the docks admiring the sailboats and the view of the bay which look back over toward San Francisco, Angel Island, Alcatraz, and the Bay Bridge. After a quick lunch we hopped back on board and since we were all good little tourists and came back on time we were driven up the hill to the right of the Golden Gate Bridge before going back across. This gives a fantastic view of the bridge. It's the money shot. For the driver that is! They work and talk a lot for those tips.

Back across the bridge and into the city I wondered around the Fisherman's Wharf area again while waiting for my photos. I missed the return shuttle due to getting pictures developed, but I grabbed a ride with one of the drivers who was going that way. He was from Spain and a very friendly man who loves this country. He says it has it's bad things like any other country, but most importantly it was fair. Fair means something different to a person from a country that would allow a rich citizen to pre-pay a fine before shooting a peasant. You can't make this stuff up.

You will notice a new album has now been posted. I'm about to go up to the room for a power-nap which will hopefully sustain me for most of my 13.5 hour flight this evening. This may work out well.

I've been chatting to my new friend Jasmit here at the Hyatt Business Center who is from India originally. A very nice, intelligent and charming young man who looks ready to take on the world. We've been talking webmaster stuff. Good nerd talk going on here! Let me know if you need any more tips Jasmit! He's recommended a spot for a great cup of milk tea upstairs in the Taipei airport which I'll have to try.

It seems that the recent earthquake did create a smaller tsunami but it fortunately traveled south instead of west again. I'm sure everyone is on their toes at this point and hopefully won't be caught by surprise again. Sri Lanka's coasts were evacuated further inland but I don't know any details yet. I'm sure I will soon enough.

Tonight I'm finally headed over the big blue. See you on the other side.

-Chris

Hotel California

twoweeksoff@gmail.com (Chris) — Tue, 29 Mar 2005 02:11:00 +0000

It is Monday 6:03 p.m. pacific time and I am in the business center of the SF Airport Hyatt. Things certainly could be worse. I could have NOT sat in my seat on the Nashville tarmac for 3 hours only seconds before takeoff due to weather in ATL and made my original flight out of Atlanta. ("Look kids, Big Ben. Parliament.") I COULD have caught my 12:05 a.m. flight to Taipei out of S.F. but instead I missed it by 3 hours. I could have made it all the way to Bangkok with my bags checked through instead of having to pick up my luggage (all 3-bags and 110 lbs. of it) in SF at 3:30 am, drag it through a deserted airport, up a flight to the departure lounge, across a rainy roadway to the shuttle median, and wait for the Hyatt shuttle which allowed me to fall asleep at 5:30 a.m. pacific time. I could have NOT gone through the hassle of all that and made all my flights with clear weather only to now be somewhere in the middle of the Indonesian earthquake.

So instead of making all my flights and being in SL right now, I missed one flight, an 8.7 Indonesian earthquake, and spent a perfect day walking up and down the hills of San Francisco with trolley bells in my ears and SF Bay waves at my feet. Happy accident or just an accident? I think attitude decides. This lesson never gets old to me and I hope to always recognize it; By not predefining your path you allow the path to define you.

I had pulled an all-nighter on the plane from ATL to SF since I was determined to bust through the inevitable jetlag a day early. Knowing that I would pick up my Taipei flight the following midnight, I knew I was still on schedule sleep-wise. That was until my room phone rang at about 10:30 a.m. and my dad told me no problem with my flights being rescheduled (thanks again dad and Sandra!) but I may want to turn on the news as there was another large earthquake in the same area as Dec. 26th! Of course, who knows what would have been, but arriving a few days late in SL and touring SF instead has to be better than being somewhere in Asia between flights when that earthquake hit.

There is a flight from Bangkok to Colombo only every other day, so when I missed my flight out of SF we decided for me to wait here 2 days instead of just one. This allows me to avoid an overnight stay in Bangkok with 110 lbs of luggage in tow. Again.

I have just returned from riding the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) which is SF's rail system into downtown SF and the bay area. I got off BART at the Powell Street Station and the place was hopping with energy. Blue skies and 65 degrees and alone in SF! Where do I go first? I paid $3 for a one-way trolley ride up and over the hills all the way to it's end-of-line just short of Fishermans Wharf. A 10 minute walk found me in the heart of the seafood district and all the shrimp and crab sandwiches a person could want.

I had a nice lunch with an older couple from NY. I didn't catch their names and they didn't get mine but they both were stationed at Pearl Harbor during the attack, have lived in Saudi Arabia, and had a sense of humor to match. Good stuff.

From there I walked along the bay park and just enjoyed the street vendors, sights and sounds. The people here are as diverse as the landscape. I think a few have been here way too long. :) After about 5-10 miles and 4 hours of walking up and down, up and down, and back up again, I made my way back to the BART and hotel where I now sit. Walking the hills of SF on five hours of sleep after an all-nighter in wild airplane rides takes it's toll. I may do some more touring tomorrow before finally making my way west/far-east at midnight but I may need more rest.

I found a place to burn a few pics onto a CD and have loaded them in the album. Some are posted sideways so I'll have to figure that out later. Take a look and I'll see you in Taipei. (maybe)

-Chris

Have Smile, Will Travel

twoweeksoff@gmail.com (Chris) — Sun, 27 Mar 2005 06:32:00 +0000

How do you prepare for a trip like this? Two months of preparation has netted 110 lbs. of gear in two army duffel bags, a carry-on backpack, 7 immunization shots, loads of new equipment and a world of unknowns ahead. How can you possibly prepare to travel to a third world country that has been wrecked by one of the largest natural disasters we have ever seen? I could pack for another 2 months and still not be prepared for what may lay ahead. Then again, how do you prepare to have your ENTIRE family, home, friends, job, economy, community, and the very ground you walk on to be swept away by a tsunami? How on Earth do you handle that????? Earth. That word is about to earn a whole new meaning to me.

Enough talk, it's time to go. Tomorrow will be a day I never envisioned for myself and one nobody wished necessary. These past 3 days have been a non-stop whirlwind of activities and last-minute thoughts. I stopped by my local Lowe's Home Improvement Center in Cookeville on Friday and asked if they would be interested in donating a few tools for the cause. Before I knew it I had 5 canvas tool belts, a tape measure, a complete set of masonry tools, and a nice first aid kit. Thank you Lowe's for coming through without hesitation. These supplies will be well used and appreciated. Also, the passport arrived not on Monday, as promised, but on Wednesday, as expected. Anyway, enough of that.

The posted times on my blog will be US central time and are automatically displayed when updated by the Blogger system, but I will post in my entries the local Sri Lankan time just to completely confuse you. Also, I was mistaken on the time difference in my earlier post but it did make a good story. India is indeed one big time zone on the half-hour but Sri Lanka is exactly 12 hours ahead of central time not 11.5. Normally they are 11 hours ahead but do not recognize daylight savings time. Learned enough about that? Me too. Just switch your A.M.'s and P.M.'s and you'll know where I am, because I probably won't. :)

I understand there is internet access in some of the airports and I will try to say hello between flights. Five planes and six airports in 2 days and I'll be happy with whatever accommodations I can find at the end.

Please note the new page, "Thank You", on the left-side menu. Also, the Photos page has a new link at the top which will open a new window to my offsite photo album. This album will be updated whenever I get my camera's memory card transferred and uploaded. Well, until then and as Forrest Gump would say, "That's about all I've got to say about that."

-Chris