Hi All
A pretty quiet Xmas here in Vancouver and a quiet New Years eve to come....all good though. I've been out doing lots of walking and an occasional catch up with friends. Other wise the usual work and time spent with my meditation group activities.
I have attached three B&W pics...one a seawall scene for this time of year and the other a fallen giant
Hope you all had a good Xmas and that the new year finds you all happy and well
love
G
It's New Year's Eve and I just got back into Colombo after spending a week down the coast visiting district CHA offices. December 26th was the second year anniversary of the tsunami; it was a strange feeling to be standing on the spot (at the time the wave hit- 9:25am) where 1500 people lost their lives. One of the responsibilities in my work here is to help coordinate livelihood programs for people who were affected by the tsunami. Two years after the fact many people still live in temporary shelters (ie tents). There are some great initiatives happening though, and many people have rebuilt their lives and have adopted more sustainable practices for their communities.
I did take time out of my schedule to enjoy the beauty of the south. I took a boat trip on a lake in Tissamaharamaya, traveled to a seated buddha near Matara, and stayed and swam at two beach areas (Hikkaduwa and Beruwela). My colleagues went back to Colombo after our last visit and I stayed in Beruwela for two more days to enjoy. AMAZING, and only one and a quarter hours to my home by bus!!! T
It's Christmas in Colombo, the most wonderful time of the year!!!
Hi everyone, just wanted to send a quick note to say Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Although I've only been away 6 weeks, this time of year always makes me think of friends and family, and I just wanted you to know that I'm thinking of everyone.
I've attached photos of my Christmas morning walk on the beach, a poster that reflects the reality of Sri Lanka, and a badly taken photo of my local shopping centre "Majestic City". T
I traveled to Kandy last weekend, and although it was only a 3 hour trip, the scenery and temperature changed quite a bit as the train climbed 500 metres into the mountains. It was raining and only 21 degrees in Kandy- I loved it, a full day without sweating. The photos I've attached are of the trip up, the lake in the middle of the city, and the temple of the sacred tooth (buddha's tooth is said to be kept there). T
Hi All
We have just finished a crazy .jpg)
weather week here in Vancouver with a huge storm with winds of 100km/hr that came through .jpg)
at 3am on Thursday morning .jpg)
taking out a lot of big trees and leaving more than 200 000 homes without power. I spent the night sleeping in the corridor away from our windows that face directly into the storm path just in case of a breakage...all safe and well by morning.
It was very sad to wander around today to see so many big old trees that have come down in the storm in Stanley Park, some of them more than 100 years old as well as a few favourites of mine by the water...a good lesson in impermanence and the power of nature I suppose. The internal roads in Stanley park are still closed off as well as the foot trails because of all of the damage.
G
What does one do when one lives in a tropical location?..swim of course. I wouldn't trust the waters around Colombo as they can get quite rough and they're not particularly clean. When I don't have the chance to go to the southern beaches I make it a personal mission to find the best pools in the city. I've joined the Royal College Pool as a member, which means I can do some serious swimming anytime for the amazing cost of $35.00 for the year (unlimited). What it offers in term of a place to exercise, it lacks in ambience...I've discovered some places to pass the time on weekends...the pool at the Trans Asia Hotel and the Galle Face Hotel. I prefer the former, but the Galle Face has a British colonial charm which puts it ahead. I know this blog is lacking in adventure, but I thought this would be a good one to throw at all of you who are "enjoying" winter!!! T.
Well I've now been in SL for just a little over two weeks. I'm settled in at work, have kind of figured out what my mandate will be for the next year, and have met some great people both at work and in social settings.
I realize other than the initial photos of my apartment, I haven't added any Colombo photos. So I've added one more of the outside of my home, and a couple more around the city.
A suicide bomber killed 11 people yesterday very close to where I work, but it all seemed very "normal" for my colleagues. The only suggestion made to me was to not take main streets home as there would be an increased militaty presence and traffic jams. It was all quite fascinating really and I'm not worried at all!
I am helping to coordinate a Post-Tsunami Rehabilation Conference next week. It will be interesting to find out what's been happening in Thailand, the Maldives, Indonesia, and India in terms of recovery to date. Chris, my predecessor was the brains behind the event, it's unfortunate that he will be missing it, but I feel quite privileged to be stepping into his shoes, so to speak.
That's it for this update...T
As Geoff said in his last post, my ADSL is still not connected, it should be done by the beginning of December. I am connected at work though, so I can add another blog or two before I once again head down the coast for more field visits.
The photos I've added here are from my recent visit to the towns of Matara, Hambantota, and Tengalle.
By the way, December 4 is a Poya Day here (full moon day) which means it's a holiday. I am planning to spend the long weekend down the coast or at one of the tea areas in the mountains. T
Hey All
Just to let you know that Terry is doing fine, but has not had his ADSL connected up yet so communications are a bit limited at the moment....hopefully connected in the next few days.
I just spoke to him briefly a few minutes ago on Skype from his office...sounds like he is settling in well and really enjoying the experience so far.
He has just gotten back from a trip south from Colombo..."I had a great trip, spent some time with some very motivated/motivating people, and even saw my first snake". Those who know Terry's morbid fear of snakes will appreciate that the 'first sighting' was no small matter. Photos of the trip will becoming
once he is back online.
As for me I am settling into a bit of a routine now and getting used to this being an extended trip away.
This time of year also marks my annual retreat time and I am off to Clear Lake, California for a 2 week retreat with my meditation group (see the photo). I will be leaving on Nov 24th and back on Dec 8th.
Till then
Love
G
Hey everyone,
well I've now been in Colombo for two days and have done an overwhelming amount of activity. I went into work on Friday to start my orientation and it turned into a full-day affair: Intoduction to the staff at WUSC, Security meeting, Dos and Dont's meeting, Cell phone shopping (yes Terry Rogocki has officially joined the 21st century), Contract signing for my apartment, etc.......Needless to say, I made it back to my hotel room at around 6pm and fell asleep until 5am Saturday morning.
I spent Saturday doing a city tour. Colombo is really a nice city once you get orientated to it. There are some beautiful buildings, lively markets, wide boulevards with amazing trees, the sounds of the TATA truck horns, and amazing smells (of food and spices). It does have reminders of the unrest present in the country though. There are random checkpoints around the city, and the Fort area, which houses many of the government offices has a few streets blocked off. I did the tour with a driver from WUSC which was great. I walked around earlier in the day for a couple of hours and almost died of heat exhaustion (okay I'm being dramatic). It's definitely going to take some time to get used to the heat and humidity!!!
After the tour, I moved my stuff into my apartment. Once I began unpacking, it hit me that I am actually going to be living and working in Sri Lanka. That thought was quickly replaced by the realization that I'm living in the tropics when I found a dead- lizard-surprise in one of my clothing drawers! That aside, I'm on a high at the moment. Lots to learn and experience, I just wish Geoff was here with me!
That's it for now. On Sunday I am going down the south coast to a town called Matara. I will be meeting some of the WUSC partners and I was told that I will have Sunday afternoon on the beach....ahh the perks of a tropical, hot country, filled with lizards.
Stay tuned for some photos!
T
Hi All
It looks like the weather was waiting for Terry to leave before it let loose...for the last day since he left we have had heavy rain and high winds which have really blown the shit out of us....lots of homes left with a power outage across the lower mainland. A bit more on the way tomorrow but nothing like the last day or so (we got 2 inches of rain and Port Mellon which is not to far from Vancouver recorded 8 inches of rain!).
Ok it seems that I now have no life and that all I can manage is a lame discussion about the weather.....arghh! No need to worry though I have been off to work and off to my usual mediation group meetings since Terry left and apart from a big cry on the day he left I have been doing well.
Just to finish off I have included a few pics from the day before Terry left.
G
Hi all, after a 15 hour flight I made it to Hong Kong (overnight). I arrived at 11pm, so I just went to my hotel and got a good night sleep. I woke up early and explored a bit of Kowloon (see the photos). I met up with a friend in the afternoon and wandered around Hong Kong Island. This is my fifth visit to HK and I thought I would catch a sunny day...as per all of my other visits, it was completely overcast which means I did not have a chance to go to Victoria Peak. The temperature was a comfortable 25 degrees though (with humidity), so I didn't feel totally drained...I'm sure that will come in Colombo.
T
Hi All
The bag is somewhat packed (?) and its now just two days to go until Terry heads off to Sri Lanka... Last night we had drinks out with a few friends and just taking things easy for today. On Tuesday Terry flies to Hong Kong then transits through Bangkok before arriving in Colombo on Thursday 16th. You can expect a few updates on here in from Terry after that.
By the way Terry will have high speed internet at his apartment so if any of you have Skype or are planning on using Skype www.skype.com (see also the link on the right hand column) send an email to Terry and he can pass on his user name so you can chat online free once he he arrives.
Only 8 days until I leave for S.L. I've added some links to keep people informed about where I'll be working and living. I've also added an apartment photo and will send more once I've moved in and added my decorating touches. T
Hi all
This morning I switched on the setting to allow your coments to be added as well, so feel free....At the bottom of each of these postings is a 'comment' link...just click on that and off you go. (The comments are all moderated, so there may be a delay between you posting one and it actually appearing...sorry about the moderation: To make things easier for all of you, I have made the ability to post comments available to literally anyone on the net who happens to pass by, so I thought it might be a wise to add that feature)
One last thing...We would be delighted to continue receiving any of your smutty comments via our regular email address but please remember that this blog is for our families as well and Gail (hi mum!) may not want to hear about your weekend away with that butch mechanic you met last month at the pool?
Love
G
Hey All
Here are a some pics that some of you have seen before but no harm in posting some nice scenery (Lake Garabaldi, BC)
G
Geoff n Terry
Good job with the blog G. I`m on the other side of the country at the moment (Ottawa and Montreal) and I just got my confirmation for my trip to Sri Lanka. I will be leaving on November 14...not a fun flight, 14 hours Vancouver to Hong Kong direct...overnight in Hong Kong then off to Colombo the next day routing through Bangkok (8 hours of flying).
I will be back in Vancouver to spend my last week with G, we even have the long weekend together (including the Monday).
T
This one is fairly recent from earlier this year taken just north of Vancouver in the mountains
G
Hey All
Well this is my first attempt since getting back to Vancouver in October at doing something about keeping in touch with family and friends (after several years of inexcusable slackness!) I thought I would throw out a test picture for you....
I have been back about a week and a bit now and really just getting over jet lag (this one is really taking a while). Back at work and all that is going well.
We have just had Halloween here and the 'fall' (autumn) has definitely kicked in since I was away, though we are really squeezing the last out of the sunny days which is quite unusual for Vancouver at this time of year... the rain is on its way.
I quite like this time of year as it is quite a contemplative time, clouds drifting through cedar and hemlock covered mountians...slow down time when the seawall and Stanley Park becomes home to the locals again.
Terry is away in Ottawa and Montreal this week doing orientation for his new Job in Sri Lanka....no news on the leaving date yet...hopefully we will know when he gets home on Sunday.
Anyway thats all for now...This will hopefully be the first of an ongoing 'blog' to keep you up to date with our lives
Lots a love
Geoff
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