The Joy of the Metered Tuktuk

Posted by Ellen on Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Today I had a million errands to run before coming back to the USA. It's impossible to know how long anything will take here, and because of this I save all my running around for one day (or one half-day). Because of this, my godsend has been the metered tuktuk. The metered tuktuk takes the best part of a taxi (the fare is consistent and non-negotiable) with the best part of a tuktuk (the fare is cheap). While I enjoy haggling just as much as the next person, the fare for driving over 30 kilometers with several stops and waiting at each one, like my trip today, is usually decided arbitrarily by the tuktuk driver and always includes a hefty "white person" tax. The metered taxi means I get charged the same as any other Sri Lankan, and at half the price of what my tuktuk driver would normally expect.

So where did I go today? First I stopped by Lanka Hands to select some Sri Lankan music for our New York fundraiser coming up in May. Then I swung by CENWOR (Center for Women's Research) to pick up relevant publications such as "Violence Against Women: Voices of Victims and Activists," Gender Based Violence - Sri Lanka," and "Sexual Harassment in Sri Lanka: Women's Experiences and Policy Implications." After that, I ran down to Suwasetha in Moratuwa to grab 150 bags that had recently been finished by our wonderful girls at the Vocational Training Center. We're sending a courier shipment of jewelry to the USA today, and those bags are needed for upcoming Mother's Day sales.

On my way back to the apartment I made one final stop at the fruit stand to grab some fresh papaya. Now the papaya was delicious, but the best part of the entire journey? When I was dropped off at the apartment with my many bags in tow, I didn't have to argue about how much I should pay. And that made the whole outing, while still tiring, much less stressful. Read more »

Avurudu with the girls

Posted by Nirukshi de Lanerolle on Monday, April 27, 2009

It was last Monday that I got to know that the girls hadn't gifts to celebrate the Avurudu celebrations though the party was planned for Friday the 24th. I had to find a sponsor desperately to buy gifts: I gave a round of calls and my friend Rochelle came to my rescue. She had only to write a cheque and the job was done.

Very hurriedly the gifts were bought, the party was planned, and the girls were so excited they insisted that myself and the `Sudu misses' (foreign ladies) must wear the Saree for the special occasion.

Friday 24th dawned and we all arrived at the party and the highlight of the day was the Saree, The `Sudu misses' looked radiantly beautiful! they had taken the trouble to go and get it draped by a professional for the special occasion.

All the girls took part in all the games like the `Banis Kama' (Bun eating), blowing the balloon, eating the yogurt blind folded, and the obstacle race. They had so much of fun, and we the spectators enjoyed every minute of it. I was asked to judge most of the competitions and it gave me great joy to see the girls having a good time.

There was a competition for the teachers and the invitees and I was one of the finalists in the musical chairs. Once Sanjeewa from Nona Foundation, Netherlands was trying to grab a chair to sit and I fell and one of the girls who I have a very soft place in my heart for had been very worried that I had got injured and she was very concerned about me.

The finale was the fancy dress parade, the girls dressed up as clowns, two girls as a foreign couple, drunkards, dudes, Fish monger, and many more, we had to judge who was the best dressed and it was a very daunting task.

Before the programme came to an end prizes and gifts were distributed and you could see how happy the girls were.

It is always my wish that I could organize more get-togethers and outings such as these because I know it makes them very happy and it takes away a lot of sadness in their heart.

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yikes!

Posted by April on Tuesday, April 14, 2009

!! 

I was just rummaging around Emerge's website, when I realized how long it has been since I posted a blog entry. Totally inexcusable, and I promise one soon.  There has been so much going on, and so much to tell! For those of you who need a quick fix....

 

- Curriculum development going REALLY well. Hope to finalize things when Alia and Ellen and myself are all in the US in May.

-May is coming soon! Headed back to Boston April 26th, Ellen to follow shortly after. 

-Have major plans to do sales and outreach this summer... it's so great to have the context to speak knowledgeably and passionately..... and people are so receptive to our work, it's amazing. Thanks y'all.

Ok, all for now. I promise a full-length entry soon!!

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My trip to Chennai

Posted by Nirukshi de Lanerolle on Monday, April 06, 2009

It was 17 years ago that I visited Chennai as an employee of World Vision and Nadiya was only 5 yrs old at the time. This time the trip was a totally different one, it was a church retreat and it was a gift to me by a lady whom I introduced the Lord to.

It was not easy to leave my family and my girls for 11 whole days. I had a lot of planning and never ending lists that I had to keep tracking and ticking off once the job was complete. On the 9th I had my last class at the orphanage and the girls were so sad that I was leaving them but I assured them I would come back soon. I also had chat with Ranjan and Nadiya and handed over a complete schedule of Things to do while I was away.

I was looked after well by the King Fisher crew on my way up and 3 gentlemen from my church accompanied me and I didn’t have a problem carrying any luggage and I was so glad. We were welcomed by the Indian church pastors who were awaiting us at Chennai airport and was whisked away in an Ambassador car.

When we arrived at the church premises I was astonished at the 30 acres of land and how they had decorated it with beautiful lights and the huge tents they had put up to accommodate a minimum of 200,000 people who would attend the meetings and services for the next 5 days. It was truly a beautiful experience.

We used to rise up at 4 in the morning to a sound of a bell daily and run for prayers and by 5 we were back in bed and 6.30 we were served bed coffee or tea by the church sisters, they were such a remarkable lot, I was overwhelmed by the love they had for us. At 7 it was Bible study time and there after we were served breakfast. All the Indian food like Idly, Thosai and Chapattis were served with dhal curry and sambar, it was such a treat to eat the food of a different culture so authentically prepared.

We had two services daily that went on 4 hours at least and the sermons and the singing and the prayers were so uplifting that we didn’t feel the time pass. The most significant part I experienced was this one Indian woman who used to be on her bare knees praying and she used to jump up and down to the music and she never stopped till the service was over. I tried it for a minute and I was unable to, I really do not know how she did it.

The lunches and dinners we had something special always like chicken, beef, mutton, prawns or fish lusciously made and served by the church sisters. This was done in batches for all foreign delegates who had come from all over the world for e.g. from the US, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Philippines, and all the Asian countries. I was truly amazed how well organized everything was, this project had been planed for a year, a fasting prayer round the clock for the past one and a half years and approximately 9 million rupees has been spent to organize this programme.

On the last day there was a healing service where Cancers, deaf /dumb, lame people were healed; it was a rare occasion to experience a service as such.

The next 5 days was exciting I traveled by train and the bus on my shopping sprees, every time I visited the shops I used to think of my girls and I managed to buy them plastic and glass bangles in many colours and I also bought them candy.

I met my Indian friend whom I knew for the past 17 yrs and she took me to some exclusive shops and I was glad I spent time with her and her family, she made me feel at home and treated me so well.

There were times I used to want to break free and run out of the room to catch the plane to come back to my family and the girls, however I consider it all an EXPERIENCE and I am truly glad I had 11 amazing days which was different to the other. The most sensational experience I had was that when I was returning home I had 52 kgs of baggage and the airline waived it off and in SL the customs guy just told me to pass on which was an experience by itself.

I would also like to share my daughter Nadiya’s thoughts on my trip and how she missed me which was also a very touching experience, you could check it on the following link.

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Sinhala Tikak Puluwan ("Sinhala a little I can")

Posted by Ellen on Saturday, April 04, 2009

Yesterday I graduated from Sinhala I, a class I've been taking for the last several months at the British Council. I can't tell you how good learning Sinhala has been for me. It's helped me to communicate better with our girls, and to navigate Sri Lanka and negotiate prices with less stress.

Along with those practical benefits, it's also given me something peripheral to Emerge to throw myself into. I have a tendency to continue working when I really should take time for myself. It's hard when you live and work in the same space to separate the two. Taking Sinhala has given me something different to spend my time and energy on, which has provided a nice change of pace from the rest of the work I do. And funny enough, it's made me miss school a bit. There's something about going to a class, having a relationship with your classmates and teacher, and just simply learning that I love.

And for now, I can go into stores or walk along the road and continue to surprise unsuspecting Sri Lankans with my knowledge of what they're saying about me. Read more »