TravelStream™ news feed for member carjack83 on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/carjack83 en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Thu, 30 Oct 2008 11:50:26 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/carjack83/srilanka07/1225416000/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/carjack83/srilanka07/1225416000/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/carjack83/srilanka07/1225416000/tpod.html Thu, 30 Oct 2008 11:50:26 -0400 From Sri Lanka with love.....and Singapore, Oz and New Zealand

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Hambantota, Sri Lanka

So, yesterday we spent the morning at Tangalle Prison, where the prisoners have just finished building a small Christian Chapel that was sponsored by Smile. The thing that struck us most was the fact that 80% of the prisoners are actually innocent when they are eventually tried, however it can take a few years for their case to be heard. We had the opportunity to visit both the male and female wings - at the time there were 22 females, only 2 of whom were convicted, and around 450 males. Crimes ranged from drug trafficking and fraud for males and membership of LTTE (Tamil Tigers) and stealing for the female inmates. Perhaps the most random part of our visit was when there were 20 of us in the Governor's office (a 10ft square room) and being served biscuits and warm Fanta in china cups. It was an eye-opener to see the conditions in which they lived, especially the female inmates as they shared 2 quite small cells and had no real exercise yard to speak of.   This morning the "Smile Widows" came for their monthly gathering. This is an opportunity for 35 widows to come together for some fun, some educational talk and a lunch. At the end of their time, they also receive a food parcel to see them through the month. We struggled distributing these as they seemed to weigh the same as 4 elephants, although the tiny woman seemed to lift them with ease! I don't know hat that says about us! This afternoon we were banished from the classroom as the afterschoolers were preparing items for our farewell tomorrow. This gave Ronali Miss Amma the chance to give the long termers their "talk". In the evening. A few of us went to visit the home of a boy that Colin from the team sponsors and then on to see a family who had a boat donated to them through a Smile donor.  
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/carjack83/srilanka07/1225249200/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/carjack83/srilanka07/1225249200/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/carjack83/srilanka07/1225249200/tpod.html Tue, 28 Oct 2008 13:20:30 -0400 From Sri Lanka with love.....and Singapore, Oz and New Zealand

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Hambantota, Sri Lanka

So, AnnaKins and Jackson are here again to regale you all with stories of our latest adventures!Yesterday (Monday) was one of those random bank holidays they seem to have quite a lot here in Sri Lanka! In the morning we spent quite a while sweeping the yard in which the children play. This area used to be wasteland and consequently there are a lot of sharp rocks, glass and bit of plastic littering the playground. Obviously this is quite dangerous for the children and the staff as everyone walks around in bare feet. We grabbed a few buckets and had a tidy up!After a snack lunch we got in the van and went to Udawalewe. This is a safari park about 2 hours from Hambantota. Once there we found a jeep and piled in with a guide to take us around the park. Fortunately when, at one very scary moment, the driver decided to switch the engine off just as a herd of elephants decided to get a bit cross and charge at us, the guide was able to fend them off with only his baseball cap. Not something you see every day! As well as many beautiful 'alyias', we also saw peacocks, eagles, bee eaters and water buffalo.Today it was back to work for the team. Pam auntie, Colin, Holly and Katie were in the school; Ruthie Baby was a wee bit sickly so took it easy and AnnaKins and Jackson held the fort in the kitchen, chopping nigh on 807 aubergines; also onions, tomatoes, spinach and garlic. The chopping of the aubergines has possibly scarred us for life, but gave us the opportunity to mull over some of our experiences so far...One thing that particularly struck us was the humble attitude of so many of the people around us. They often have so little but are willing to give anything to help Smile and the volunteers here. When talking to Parwadi, the head cook at Smile Lanka, she told us that she cooks before she comes to the centre, then cooks 2 meals for 170 children and staff, then returns home to cook for her family. When asked if she enjoys cooking, she just shrugged but had a smile on her face and not a word of complaint. She, and everyone else we're coming in contact with, are happy and willing to just get on with the job in hand.When trying to imagine this attitude being met at home it is sadly quite difficult. Often when we're asked to do something we immediately think of how it will put us out and how inconvenient it will be for us - an attitude that is totally alien to these people here.We hope that our time here at Smile Lanka will enable us to develop this kind of mindset, where giving is always a pleasure and never a chore. We are learning so much already about how great a witness our actions can be. We don't understand the prayers the staff offer in morning devotions but their passion and enthusiasm throughout the day shines through all communication barriers.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/carjack83/srilanka07/1225065600/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/carjack83/srilanka07/1225065600/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/carjack83/srilanka07/1225065600/tpod.html Mon, 27 Oct 2008 09:58:05 -0400 From Sri Lanka with love.....and Singapore, Oz and New Zealand

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Hambantota, Sri Lanka

So we seem to have gotten a little behind with our blogging, as it has been a very busy bank holiday weekend. We'll start where we left off. Saturday morning we all had some free time, which was spent either shopping in Hambantota for Saris or poolside!  The afternoon was quite an eye opener for the team as we went and visited the kid's houses. Nayani (the headmistress) accompanied the team around the community as she knows most of the families who live there. Most of the houses are made from reeds or tin, often with only 2 rooms. These houses can accommodate up to 3 generations of the same family, which measure about 4/5 meters square. All the children loved showing us were they lived and introducing us to their families. It was a very humbling and moving experience for the team, especially seeing how happy they were despite how little they had.  On Sunday morning we attended, quite possibly, the longest church service in Sri Lanka. It started as 930am and finished after Midday. The service was translated into English for us, and was lead by Anita, Victor the pastor's wife. The Sri Lankan's love to sing and we were asked to sing in the service as well. Even though we didn't understand all that was being preached and prayed for, you could really sense their passion. There was a church lunch that we stayed for, and in true Sri Lankan style, we ate with our hands. In the afternoon we headed to the beach for some wave jumping, followed by a Sunday game of Monopoly.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/carjack83/srilanka07/1224896400/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/carjack83/srilanka07/1224896400/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/carjack83/srilanka07/1224896400/tpod.html Fri, 24 Oct 2008 11:39:14 -0400 From Sri Lanka with love.....and Singapore, Oz and New Zealand

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Hambantota, Sri Lanka

Nikki, AnnaKins and Jackson here reporting for blog duty part 2! So let's start with yesterday. Nikki spent the morning, and we mean all morning, slicing the ends of the green beans. When you think Smile have to feed 150plus people, that equates to a lot of beans! At 1 point, she was able to sit in the sun and do this, so all is not lost! AnnaKins spent the morning in Preschool. She had the fun task of teaching the kiddies to write the letter "E" and create a lovely worksheet entitled "Match the Letters". Such joy was found in this! Caroline spent the morning "painting" the dining room with Ruthie Baby. The room is now glowing with yellowness, as is most of the floor! We also entertained ourselves with our very own warpaint! The afternoon was spent in Hambantota town, as we needed to pick up a few things. E.g. Simcards, phones, henna and use the Internet café. The Internet was fixed this morning so all is well. Twas also very amusing to see a goat poking out of a bin outside one of the shops. We were too late to avail of this photo opportunity as the goat scampered off. After that, AnnaKins, Ruthie Baby and Jackson headed for a swim again. No monkeys were seen, only the odd bat! For the night's entertainment, we tried to copy Nikki and Holly's party tricks i.e. the splits and an acrobatic broom extravaganza. We all failed miserably, except for Ruthie Baby and AnnaKins. After that, it was down to some good all card games. So this morning AnnaKins and Ruthie Baby painted 1 of the bedrooms, again it looks like a lovely big bowl of custard! Jackson went to Preschool and did some painting with the children and played with the parachute. In the afternoon most of us hung around the Afterschoolers. AnnaKins and Jackson had great fun playing with worms with Sadeecha and Tirindu (staff children). However the most exciting part of the day was our first team visit to Food City. Alas it was an exciting time all round as we taught Teshani (teacher's daughter) to say "What's the craic" on the bus down. Jackson tried to have a conversion using some sinhala out of a phrase book, to which their response was they understand her more when she speaks English.  So what's in store for tonight? Well after some chicken drumsticks, we are chilling in front of a DVD while covering ourselves in henna......rock on!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/carjack83/srilanka07/1224723600/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/carjack83/srilanka07/1224723600/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/carjack83/srilanka07/1224723600/tpod.html Thu, 23 Oct 2008 06:27:54 -0400 From Sri Lanka with love.....and Singapore, Oz and New Zealand

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Hambantota, Sri Lanka

Yay I've returned to Sri Lanka for a 2week stint! For my return visit, we have decided to create a team blog..... So here we are at last in Hambantota!! It all started at 530pm on Sunday 19th October 2008 at Heathrow Terminal 4.  Mr Richard, Colin and Caroline were leaving for 2weeks, with Anna, Holly, Nikki and Pam Auntie setting up home for 6months.  After some tearful farewells, the excitement kicked in, as we waited to board. 11hours, 2 plane meals and a lack of sleep later, we landed and ran into the arms of Ronali (Smile's link in Sri Lanka and our Sri Lankan Mummy). We also added another 2week member to the team, Ruth who came to us via Singapore. It was then off to the lovely (or "lasseni" as us pretend Sri Lankan's would say) Pegasus Hotel for some R&R before our 6hour bus journey to Hambantota the following morning. Anna and Caroline (Richard chickened out) decided to use the pool facilities even though we were in the middle of a thunder storm. They decided to call it a day after 20mins as they realized lightening and water were perhaps not a great mix. We started out on Tuesday morning at 6am for the journey down to Smile Lanka. We had a cultural briefing at Ronali and Heshan's the night before, followed by traditional Sri Lankan Chinese! On arrival, the first thing we noticed with the heat and humidity! The lovely, sticky, sweaty busload of us were greeted by the children with flowers and lots of very cute singing. We also met Katie, who has been here for 2weeks and is staying until December. This was followed by much needed showers, unpacking and mingling with the kiddies. Our first day was finished with a delicious feast of bacon sandwiches - again another local cuisine! Wednesday was our first proper, full day. Anna, Holly and Nikki experienced Preschool for the morning. Initial thoughts from them were that the children were all very cute but have a cheeky side as well - quite different from Preschool children at home. There are also a lot of new names to learn, pronunciation classes may be in order!!   Pam Auntie, Ruth and Caroline spent the morning in the kitchen, preparing the food for the 150 staff, children and the team. This involved a lot of washing, chopping and grating!  It was a very calm and collected kitchen under the expert advice of Parwadi, head chef.  The Afterschoolers arrived for a games afternoon organized by Katy. After lots of fun rally games, Anna's team won with a grand total of 15. Caroline's team came a close last with 1point. There's no animosity at all......!! Initial thoughts of the afterschoolers were they love to chat and are confident. At the end of the day, Ruth, Anna and Caroline felt energetic and slightly sweaty so decided to cool off in a local hotel's swimming pool. It turned out we were not alone as we had an audience of monkeys in the tree above.  And that's 3 days in 1, hopefully our internet will be up and running in the next few days so we can be more regular. So until them, Smile Team Sri Lanka Oct08 say farewell!! PS. Apparently if you google "Hambantota photos" some very interesting pictures of our very own Mr Richard appear - indeed he is a local tourist attraction.....!!!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/carjack83/srilanka07/1197777600/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/carjack83/srilanka07/1197777600/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/carjack83/srilanka07/1197777600/tpod.html Sun, 18 May 2008 18:40:55 -0400 From Sri Lanka with love.....and Singapore, Oz and New Zealand

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Rotorua, New Zealand

Thursday was the day we had been waiting for (well I had been, Lynz not so much)! It was D-day. I had talked about it for the past month and what started as a joke actually turned into an ambition. Because of the weather, we didn't know if it was going to happen. When we woke up, the first thing we did was check for clouds-the sky was cloudy but there were still some blue patches which filled me with hope and Lynz with dread and a dozen more trips to the toilet. We were being picked up at 920am and while we were getting ready, everytime we hjeard the phone, we thought it was to cancel everything. However at 920 on the dot the bus pulled up to take us to our destination. So where were we off to? What had caused my so much anticipation, yet caused Lynz to want to scratch her eyes out? We were on our way to jump out of a plane a 12000ft over lake Taupo-45secs of freefalling at over 200km per hour followed by a nice relaxing parachute ride to the ground. Yes we were going to skydive, how very exciting!!After arriving at the place, everything happened so fast that we didn't have time to be nervous. After putting on the rather fetching all on one suit, we were introduced to the professional skydivers who we were to be strapped to. Of course the very first question we asked them was how many jumps they had done. It's reassuring when they say over 2000!We were the first jump of the day and because of the weather, it was the first jump for a week. It was absolutely amazing freefalling through the air and we were adrenaline fuelled for the rest of the day! We caught it all on dvd so I never think we'll tire of watching it! Ended up going out for dinner with a few of the skydivers, which was a nice way to end the day.Tomorrow we move from Rotorua to Waitomo, our final stop before heading back to Auckland on Monday for the night and then flying back. The last days will be spent soaking up as much sun and heat as we can before heading back to freezing temperatures!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/carjack83/srilanka07/1205293500/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/carjack83/srilanka07/1205293500/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/carjack83/srilanka07/1205293500/tpod.html Tue, 11 Mar 2008 19:47:56 -0400 From Sri Lanka with love.....and Singapore, Oz and New Zealand

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Carrickfergus, United Kingdom

BARN DANCE!! When - Saturday 12th April 2008 @ 7pmWhere - Greenisland, Co Antrim, N IrelandHelp to support Smile's work in Sri Lanka. You can see a snippet of what they do by reading my blog!Great night's entertainment for all ages and you get FREE Maud's ice cream!!If you'd like more info, or to buy some tickets, get in touch by leaving me a comment!!Thanks
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/carjack83/srilanka07/1194658200/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/carjack83/srilanka07/1194658200/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/carjack83/srilanka07/1194658200/tpod.html Wed, 05 Mar 2008 17:51:33 -0500 From Sri Lanka with love.....and Singapore, Oz and New Zealand

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Hambantota, Sri Lanka

A video to sum up the past 5 and a half months.....enjoy!!www.smileinternationl.org 
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/carjack83/srilanka07/1180230180/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/carjack83/srilanka07/1180230180/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/carjack83/srilanka07/1180230180/tpod.html Wed, 05 Mar 2008 17:48:21 -0500 From Sri Lanka with love.....and Singapore, Oz and New Zealand

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Hambantota, Sri Lanka

So to set the scene.....I'm based in Hambantota in South East Sri Lanka. 7500 people were killed in this village alone due to the Tsunami. It has since been rebuilt, although no doubt every single family has been affected. The main cause for the huge loss was because it occurred when the whole village (mainly woman) were at the weekly Sunday fish market along the coast. The project I'm working with is called "Smile Lanka". It is part of Smile International but has to be registered in Sri Lanka as a charity. Smile purchased it's current site in Sept 06. They initially rented a house after the Tsunami but the school outgrew it. Already built on the site were 2 shop fronts and a house. The 2 shops now act as the classrooms and the house is the Smile center where I am living. The center was extended in Feb so it can now accommodate Smile teams of up to 15people. There is still land left at the back which will be where Smile will build an orphanage. Hopefully this will start being built towards the end of my time here and be completed by Christmas.  Smile Lanka is managed by Ronali and Heshan who are husband and wife and live in Colombo. Ronali visits Hambantota twice a month but is staying with us here until Wednesday to help us find our feet etc. it's been great having her here and also she is fluent in English so can interpret.  Initially I was to travel alone but a few weeks ago was told Gordon was to come to. Gordon is in the construction industry and is overseeing the building of 2 new classrooms, which will take around 10weeks. This is his 6th time in Sri Lanka with Smile, his first visit was delivering aid days after the Tsunami. It's been great having him around and our weekends are going to be planned around safaris, rainforest etc. My day is divided into 2 parts - preschool (3-5yrs) and an afterschool club (6 upwards). Smile relies on the children being sponsored so they can receive free schooling- and most importantly they are provided with at least 1 hot meal. As some children live in the nearby slums, they are dependent on this food. Preschool starts at 8am and they have their breakfast before doing typical preschool activities - singing, colouring, playing. The day finishes at 12 when they have their lunch. Then around 130, the older children come straight from school and get lunch. From 3-4pm they have an hour of lessons (English, maths singlase, music etc). There are 2 full time teachers and 2 part time teachers who come to help with the afterschool club. There is also a headmistress and a cook. All staff are Christians and so the children are surrounded by Christian influences. The staff member's level of English differs - 3 have pretty good English, while the rest know only very basic words.  I've never met a more gorgeous bunch of children than the ones here. They have big brown eyes which just entice you and constantly have a smile on their face. We are  known to them as "White auntie" and "white uncle" but it sounds more like "sweat lankie" which to be fair is summing me up at the moment! The preschool ones are especially adorable - there are no boundaries and they are constantly hugging you, grabbing your hand and telling you random English words - you never think you'll have tongue, elephant and bag all in 1 sentence! It is also priceless to see the joy on face of the children when you simply clap when they catch a ball. It's sad seeing some of the older ones as you can see the trauma and hurt in their eyes. They are old enough to have seen the devastation first hand that the Tsunami caused and it has left them permanently scarred. Think that's really all the background...here's a "brief (!)" rundown of my week so far..... Monday - left sunny NI at 1115am bound for Heathrow. We were due to fly out at 5pm but it was delayed until 730. On the plus side, there were 250 free seats so we were able to spread out for the 10.5hr journey. It didn't seem too long and was quite surreal being woken at 430am by a member of cabin crew asking if I'd like a mixed grilled!! Tuesday - arrived in Sri Lanka at 11am and was met by Ronali. As our destination is 6+ hrs drive from Colombo, we stayed their overnight. After a much needed rest and 40winks, we met Ronali, Heshan and their 2 children for dinner. Wednesday - it was an early start. We set off for Hambantota at 6am. I would have thought the streets would have been empty - far from it. Children were walking/waiting for their bus to school and the cars were everywhere. Renalli was even able to call into the bank at 630am (some think they have it tough in Ulster Bank!!) Halfway through the journey, we stopped in a town called Galle to see an orphanage that was being built. It'll hopefully be ready by August so can't wait to see it up and running when I'm heading home. It's going to make such a difference to 25/30 children.  We arrived in Hambantota around 230pm and once we had food, unpacked and had a look around, headed into explore the town. Thursday - this was my 1st day in the actual school and Ronali advised me just to observe and get to know the kids. Before the class started, the children welcomed Gordon and I with flowers. One of the teachers had to leave early to go to hospital so I had to look after her class. Before she left she handed me blank paper and crayons. She told me I had to put the names on the pages, draw a picture and then the children would color. Now there are 2 obstacles here - 1) how was I to spell their names and 2) I can't even draw a straight line! But that did not defeat me - now hanging in a classroom in Sri Lanka, there are 15 deformed pictures of flowers and apples with phonetically spelt names that bear no resemblance to what they really are!!  Thursday's subject for the afterschool club was maths. My initial thoughts were "happy days, numbers are universal, I'll know what's going on...." How wrong I was!! The questions were in singlase and they answered in singlase. At least I'll be able to follow part of their English class!! Rodrick (Ronali's brother) arrived with us on Thursday and left this afternoon. He came to help Gordon source materials, builders etc.  He'll be back and forward during my time and we are already planning surfing trips, snorkeling and any other weekend trips! Friday - yesterday was an eye opener. After school we went to visit a mother and her 2yr old boy who live in a house probably about 15ft square. Gordon first met them when he was over in Feb. The boy was very weak and had been diagnosed with a hole in his heart. His only chance of survival was an operation that the family couldn't afford. When he came home, Gordon told this story in his church. After the service people voluntarily gave him money. Because of this and Smile's widow sponsorship scheme, the little boy can now have the care he needs. His fight still isn't over. Although the money is now available for the operation, he isn't strong enough so has to take a course of vitamins and energy powder drink. Per month, this only costs 7.50 - absolutely nothing to us, but the mother simply couldn't afford it. It showed me first hand how sponsorship can save a child's life.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/carjack83/srilanka07/1197419400/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/carjack83/srilanka07/1197419400/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/carjack83/srilanka07/1197419400/tpod.html Tue, 11 Dec 2007 01:36:01 -0500 From Sri Lanka with love.....and Singapore, Oz and New Zealand

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Wellington, New Zealand

Friday saw us bid farewell to Oz and enter the final stretch of our travels. We flew into Auckland on Friday and after checking into our hostel, had a nice wee bbq with newly engaged David and Jenny, who did a fine job of being our tour guides in Auckland. We took the ferry across toWaiheke Island on Saturday with them. As the sun was shining, we spent some time at the beach but the cherry on the cake was the random "Santa Parade" that ran in the afternoon down the main street of the Island. it was quite surreal and included everything from men spinning wheelborrows to woman dressed up as grapes! Abd yes Santa did make an apperence at the end! The Christmas festivities were carried through to the evening when we went to "Christmas in the Park". It was a free concert with in a huge park, that ended with a fireworks display.It was a double bonus when the Chipmunks turned up to perform their Christmas song!On Sunday we spent 3hours in tourist information organising our trip around NZ. I'm sure the woman's head was turning, the commission she was getting from us must have kept her sane. So on Monday we set off on the 11hour bus journey down to Wellington, our 1st stop on out bus ticket. Today we went to an interactive Museum, where we were more entertained at the children's exhibits. We also took a cable car up to the Botanical Gardens and did a bit of shopping. We are leaving Welly early tomorrow morning to go to Taupo for 2days, then Rotura for another 2, then a night at Waitomo and back to Auckland on Monday, to fly late Tuesday back to sunny Carrick! Hopefully we'll have a few adventure on our way back-that's the plan anyway.
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