Photos at www.rtsla.photofreeway

It’s pretty darn quiet around here with no Ron and no guests. I stayed home today waiting for the cable guy to come and disconnect one of the two cable outlets since we have never used it. He was supposed to here before noon and arrived promptly at 3:30. Any time you call for a cab, you need to build in 15 minutes as they are rarely on time. If you call and ask ‘where is my cab?’ they will always say ‘he’s at your door now’. On Wednesday when Ron left he got that response and the cab showed up 10 minutes later. It is a face saving culture. So you can’t exactly say they are lying when they tell you that ‘he is at your door now’ or ‘he will be there by noon’. You learn to expect it so you aren’t upset when things don’t go according to your plan. Ah island time, there is nothing like it.

The unfortunate thing is I decided to look at the Olympics after discovering they were happening at this time but our cable isn’t functioning. Instead of a TV we use the computer monitor. I think Geetha may have hit the plugs while sweeping and loosened something. There are about twenty wires around the computer and I have no idea what goes where. It’s in a spot that is hard to get to and impossible to see. Even the cable guy couldn’t figure it out. So I have no TV until Ron gets home on Wednesday. It’s funny because we never look at TV but now that I am alone with time on my hands, oh well you get the picture.

I had my second session with the young women who live in the group home. I think I mentioned that we are doing some career development work. Today one of the women read an achievement about her love of learning. She told how her family had to move to a camp because the LTTE had destroyed their village, then her father died. At ten she came to Colombo to the group home so she could continue her education, then her mother died. God, I worked very hard not to burst into tears. All the while telling this story she is smiling and telling how important schooling and learning is to her. She is an incredible young woman. I can’t help but think of how different my life is from hers. Yet she has come through it all a stronger person who is determined succeed. I wasn’t even looking for this yet it landed in my lap. Our language teacher, Chandini, is on the board of the home and asked if I would help out. Today another board member and a staff member sat in on the session. It is a privilege to be working with this group and I think I will learn as much as the participants.

Last night we had one of those wonderful Colombo rainstorms where the sky unzipped and poured rain for 60 minutes or so. There was a bit of thunder which is always fun. It made the evening cool and saved me an hour today, as I didn’t have to water the gardens. I find that if I water daily, the gardens do well but it does take at least an hour and longer when I do the lawn on the roof. It is a pleasant task if I can get out early before 9:00. After that the sun just beats down on me and god knows this ole magnolia blossom does not like to sweat. While watering I spy all manner of critters such very long tailed lizards, birds, bugs, snails and squirrels. In addition, one of the maids in a house about three houses away always claps her hands when she sees me out there. The house where she lives/works is gigantic and it has a second floor balcony where they store many large cooking vessels. That is how she discovered me. When I look up, she gives me a very enthusiastic wave. We have never met. I find it quite touching. There are several people who react in similar ways when we pass them on our walk in the morning. Ron has posted a photo of one woman. She speaks no English but is so warm to us.

Time to go scramble some eggs, my favorite dinner when RB is out of town. That’s it from Sri Lanka where the men are gorgeous, the weather sultry and the Bergmans are having an adventure!