In Print

I know I should tell you more about Sri Lanka, but Rudi did such a good job of it, you should just visit his blog (look right and click Rudi). He has pictures in his blog, too.

I have pictures but you will have to visit me to see them as they are in print. I was the only one using an SLR with film. Most of the pix turned out well, but the B/W prints came out very grainy. I think they are printed digitally- which sucks.

Rebuilding after the Tsunami

Our bus ride from Colombo to Galle took at least 3.5 hours. The distance? Just over 100 km. The cost? RM3.00

All along the way, the beach was at my right, just 100 m away, almost all the time. It was easy to see how everything was swept away by the waves.

Many shop fronts were rebuilt- you could tell they are new. Some still are unfinished. Along some places, the United Nations' blue refugee tents are still visible. We met a Portuguese chap who works in Taiwan, doing his 'tour of duty' along the coastline. He had come to Sri Lanka last year, three months after the tsunami, when situation was at its worst. I really didn't think the coastline or Galle looked bad at all and really one year is not too long to rebuild lives-but i had the benefit of reading development. The Portuguese chap was disappointed people we still living in tents.

We heard stories that some European agencies rebuilt houses and gave then away for villagers. However, the houses were built European style and encountered problems like there being an indoor toilet with no flushing water. The houses were eventually sold for a profit while the villagers rebuilt their own houses.

I can't tell you about building houses at the village yet- that is for another story.

Venky, one of the members of our 13-person Habitat team, was running his own project. He collected money which funded shoes, exercise books, text books, water tumblers, bags, lunch boxes, socks, pencil cases, stationeries and such to kids grade 1-3 in a school near Galle. I didn't have the opportunity to go with him to have a look, but he said the waves washed the school building away. Reconstruction is on-going with donations again, from Europeans, but kids are still studying in make-shift shelter.

Bravo, Venky!