Sapphire Colombo

... On Sunday evening Dominika and I went to a saree fashion show at the Cinnamon Lakeside hotel, before an audience of bejewelled and silk draped women, a handful of Europeans and even fewer men. All the models were Asian but were also tall and slim – yes slim, not thin and the richly coloured, highly embroidered silks, chiffons and brocades billowed around their curves by turns concealing and revealing. The comedy of ...

... Colombo there is a strong military/police presence, which is understandable in face of the last 30 years. It is quite off putting, and there are so many places you are not allowed to go or even stop and look at the views. <br>There is a strange energy here, there is the promise of a better time now the war is over, but its still early days (well about 2 weeks) so change has not happened ...

... consultants are in their 50s-60s, majority are Canadians. The local consultants are 50-70 years of age, usually retired from university positions. We stop to pick up Wolf Rhein, an Austrian cum Canadian cum Malaysian, the vocational education specialist, who lives in a furnished two bedroom air conditioned apartment at the 2000 Plaza apartment residences; I'll move there in the next ten days or so when Bob Smith, the project leader for SEMP II ...

... teaches how to use flip charts and other classroom resources that are not computer based. Apparently one full day was devoted to instruction in using the blackboard, because this is a culture where the teachers read their teaching notes, and students write and memorize in order to complete term examinations every few years to continue moving up. A little disappointing, I know, but everything is quite basic. Daisy is my age, from USA, and in fact, all of the ...

... days - The applicant must possess instrument of means of living expenses 10,000 Baht per person and 20,000 Baht per family accordingly. The queue was long but the thirty day stamp a indeed mere formality and when we arrived in the baggage hall our bags were there waiting. Money was easy to get from the ATM's beyond customs as was a good map of Bangkok from Airport Information.

I was so hungry at Dubai airport that I succumbed to McDonalds and had had my first cheese burger (heck I had two if I'm honest) since Super Size Me hit DVD. There were other food outlets with a more local spin but I couldn't handle them at the time. So, Singapore next. Or so that's what I thought anyway. I nearly missed my flight because it ...

... 2 days ago I got on the running bus with great difficulty (they hardly stop when people get on and off, I think they made a special for me) ! The same day, I got on a short bus ride and had to sit on the steps with the door open. There was no where to sit and there is no ...

... sized ) Truffles spent half the lesson licking my arms and the other half running off with the children's pencils. Last night when I was typing up the last blog entry ( the internet is very slow so I type them in word and then upload them when I am finished ) some of the other volunteers came over to find me as Bindus owner had come into the restaurant looking for me as Bindu was crying and not settling. Post op pain relief is not readily available here but I had brought ...

... to avoid. All we knew is that we needed a solid 6 days of chill out time on a less-touristy beach with possible surf. Without any hesitation Ayantha hooked us up! The next day he had already rang his friend who owned a guesthouse in Ahangama and booked us a cheep room, took us to an excellent Indian food restaurant for breakfast, drove us to the bus station and ensured we were safely on our way to the Ahangamo. The bus ride was ...

... In the course of history, men from a low caste began to put these high caste values on women. Hinduism never impacted the social structure to achieve gender equality but things are gradually changing. "Reimagining" women, marriage and family life in Sri Lanka must take into account the situation of war and the tsunami. The dislocation of homes and loss of relationships have put increasing burdens on women and completely radicalized the social reality of women as the ...