Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Anna Greta went home to heaven.
I got a call from Sri Lanka around 10am this morning that Anna had passed away. Please pray for her family. She leaves behind 5 biological grandchildren and many many more children who adored her. She also leaves behind her precious precious husband, Pastor Jacob.
This is from Julie:
Dear All,
Jake's mom, Anna Greta, just passed away a few minutes ago. All were with her throughout the day and she passed very peacefully.
will keep you posted in the coming days,
Julie
Thank you for your prayers. And if anyone is interested in reading her story, I have her lovely memoir.
This is from Julie:
Dear All,
Jake's mom, Anna Greta, just passed away a few minutes ago. All were with her throughout the day and she passed very peacefully.
will keep you posted in the coming days,
Julie
Thank you for your prayers. And if anyone is interested in reading her story, I have her lovely memoir.
Wednesday, February 7, 2007
Anna Greta's condition
I've just got word that Anna Greta is not doing good at all and her condition keeps deteriorating. She is now in intensive care with a feeding tube. Since she is in ICU, the family can no longer be with her, and Julie mentioned that for some reason, the next 48 hours are very crucial.
Please keep her, her husband and the rest of the family in your prayers.
Please keep her, her husband and the rest of the family in your prayers.
Monday, February 5, 2007
Back home and remembering
I'm home (as most of you know)! After 48 hours of travel time, I was in one bad mood when the plane finally hit the tarmac. I had a 24 hour layover in Singapore and slept a lot of it in a hotel room despite my grand ideas of getting out into Singapore. Thankfully, I've been before, because all I saw was the back of my eyelids. On my flight from Tokyo to SF, this poor woman behind me lost her lunch all over the seat and let's just say that was not a good flight. :)
Being home has been nice. But it is cold here! Wow.
I wanted to write a few more things on my blog, because I wasn't able to during my last couple weeks in Kandy. I had a few experiences that have stuck with me and wanted to share them. Also, I wanted to give an update on Anna Greta because a few of you have asked about her condition. She is still not doing well and they have moved her to a different hospital. Things are quite grim so please pray for her and her husband. This infection has got the better of her. It's been a month now that she has been in the hospital, and all for a simple gall bladder removal.
On my first day back to Kandy after the New Year, I went on some CBR housecalls with its director, Galle (nicest man ever). CBR is a part of Fridsro and stands for Community Based Rehabilitation. I'm not totally sure on the background of how this started with Fridsro, but basically the idea is to teach communities that they must care for their disabled neighbours. These disabilities can range from being severely mentally or physically disabled to something small that we might see everyday but don't realize (like an hearing impairment). But in Sri Lanka, disability has been ignored and shunned. And, there is a lot of it. Galle has done tons of research on this and has figured in the factor that first cousins frequently marry each other which may play a role in the high numbers. As well as creating this awareness, Galle's mission has been to require the government and small communities to find their disabled and give them rights and a means for a way of life. This probably all sounds so vague, but I'll give a couple examples of people we had to find (in the backroads of Sri Lanka) and then met! The biggest thing here is teaching the Sri Lankans that these people deserve equality.
First, we went down many twisty muddy roads to find a village, and then had to walk down a muddy path to a shack. Inside was a 75 year old man who was completely blind and from what I could tell, definitely had Parkinsons Disease. He was so sweet and offered us a chair. But let me describe this house. :( (I started tearing which was hard to hold in.) It was a cement floor, 3 small rooms (each was the size of my bathroom), and the ceiling was just metal sheets. There was no bathroom. They had a hole in the yard outside that was used as a toilet. He had a 20 year old son who is mentally ill. This man's wife left him a few year's back when he started to go blind perhaps because she couldn't cope and well... I don't know. His state of life was so sad. I didnt even know what to feel. It made no sense that someone lives like this. Galle has arranged to build them a proper bathroom with funds from Fridsro as a starting point to giving them a better life.
Next, we visited a husband and wife who had a young son who was born with half an arm. Somehow the community had discovered this couple, and learned that they were living in cave. Fridsro built them a house with $2,000-. And, the son now goes to school. These people are very simple minded and have a terrible understanding of how to use money, but Galle is watching over them and teaching them, so that the boy will profit and one day, hopefully have a more normal (by our standards) life.
Last, we visited a village that Galle had never been to. We drove and drove. :) The scenery was unbelievably gorgeous. Beautiful mountains and surreal green rice fields. As you all know, I hate being near wildlife. I don't mind admiring them from the safety of a car. But if I'm in their territory, I'm a complete paranoid idiot. So, Galle and I had to walk through rice fields to find a disabled man that the government had told him about. Rice fields means snakes. And I was wearing flip flops. I just kept praying and praying, and whispering to myself a mantra: I can do this, I can do this, I can do this. As we walked, people went down paths on bikes with nothing but green green green behind them. It was so gorgeous and I just smiled. No snakes came out to say 'hi' that day.
We finally reached this man's house which was surrounded by banana trees and we came upon it as he was taking his bath outside (wearing a sarong thankfully). He had no legs. He finished his bath while his sister fetched us two king coconuts to drink. Once he came to join us, rolling up in his wheelchair, Galle interviewed him on his situation and how it came to pass. His sister's young daughters stared at me the whole time as I tried to tell small ants not to crawl up my feet. Galle translated for me: this man once was a logger and a tree fell on him years ago. He was unconscious for two months and both legs were amputated. His dream was to start a chicken farm to support the rest of his family. His wife left to be a maid in the Middle East some years ago and never came back. He was heart broken.
Galle told him that he would come back to visit in one week. By then, the man was supposed to have put together a business proposal for his farm. And then, Galle would supply him with a certain amount of chickens and supplies to help him start it. This was so exciting. I left so happy and went back through the rice fields with no fear of snakes. :)
The next day, I went with Pieter (Jake & Julie's South African friend) who had started a girls' home for the sexually abused with his wife, Luise. Pieter and Luise became good friends in those five weeks and I hope to have them in my life forever. Pieter took me to the girls' home he started 10 years ago and which he called Refuge. Sixteen girls live there and most had been abused by family members. Refuge is a self-sustainable farm with one maitron who watches over the girls. The girls' ages range from 8 to 18 years old. I cannot describe the feeling that I had being surrounded by 16 woman who had been raped multiple times. I do not even really know what to say. I wanted to hug them all, but felt distant from them for having no idea what they have gone through. Pieter has become such a special light in their life and their father figure. He has thought about everything he does. He even hugs them in a very particular way so that he never brushes their breasts. And, he has to talk with some of them about the medicine they need for their damaged female parts. He is a wonderful man. A true example of Christ. I was so touched to be with him. I didnt deserve it. I had nothing to give those girls. But, I did play cards with them! It was cute.
Refuge is up on a hill and looks over Victoria Lake - a massive lake which stretches through the misty mountains. And the girls have all learned to garden, and the place was meticulously freckled with flowers, fruits, chillies and vegetables. And, they had a couple goats. And lots of fish in huge ponds. So beautiful. If you feel the desire to support Pieter and Luise, just pop me an email.
For the next 3 days, I attended the leadership conference put on for his staff. We watched DVD after DVD of amazing speakers, one of which was Bono, and I'm trying to get a copy so that I can play it for you. It impacted me. I realized that it is my responsibility to care for those who have needs.
Then I left for India for 3 days to visit my dear friend and surrogate mother, Priscilla. I truly love this woman. I have only spent a month total of my whole life with her, but she is my Indian mom. And it's funny, her birthday is in October as was my mother's and they were born in the same year. For 3 days, Priscilla and I just caught up on the last 8 years, ate wonderful curry, drank wonderful chai, and did some shopping. I bought a white wedding sari.
Priscilla is a woman who never worries. Never. She is so strong and just trusts. Being a worry-wart, I just soaked up this part of her.
And, now I'm home in Oakland. It's a bit strange, but I am trying hard to keep this trip with me in my heart. Thank you all so much for praying for me. And thanks for putting up with my emails. Lastly, I wanted to write down things I observed or learned and want to remember:
1. Stop worrying about money. It's not mine anyway.
2. To much is given, much is expected. And this goes beyond the physical things...
3. The more of the world that I see, the more I realize I do not know.
4. God didn't ask me to love my neighbour, God commanded it of me. Yikes!
5. Life within a family is so fun! Living with the Perera's was lovely. And, I love my precious family more than I could ever describe. I love you Dad, Mark and Becky.
6. Nutrition during pregnancy is sooooo important! It determines the rest of ones' life. As does a healthy labour!
7. I am so thankful for my education. Thank you Dad so much.
And the most important:
8. Matthew 25: 31-46 "...Whatever you did for one of the least of these, you did for me..."
Oh, and stay tuned for a lovely website for WorldROC (World Relief Organization for Children)... I attached a couple images of the prototype.
Kisses, Gerilyn
Being home has been nice. But it is cold here! Wow.
I wanted to write a few more things on my blog, because I wasn't able to during my last couple weeks in Kandy. I had a few experiences that have stuck with me and wanted to share them. Also, I wanted to give an update on Anna Greta because a few of you have asked about her condition. She is still not doing well and they have moved her to a different hospital. Things are quite grim so please pray for her and her husband. This infection has got the better of her. It's been a month now that she has been in the hospital, and all for a simple gall bladder removal.
On my first day back to Kandy after the New Year, I went on some CBR housecalls with its director, Galle (nicest man ever). CBR is a part of Fridsro and stands for Community Based Rehabilitation. I'm not totally sure on the background of how this started with Fridsro, but basically the idea is to teach communities that they must care for their disabled neighbours. These disabilities can range from being severely mentally or physically disabled to something small that we might see everyday but don't realize (like an hearing impairment). But in Sri Lanka, disability has been ignored and shunned. And, there is a lot of it. Galle has done tons of research on this and has figured in the factor that first cousins frequently marry each other which may play a role in the high numbers. As well as creating this awareness, Galle's mission has been to require the government and small communities to find their disabled and give them rights and a means for a way of life. This probably all sounds so vague, but I'll give a couple examples of people we had to find (in the backroads of Sri Lanka) and then met! The biggest thing here is teaching the Sri Lankans that these people deserve equality.
First, we went down many twisty muddy roads to find a village, and then had to walk down a muddy path to a shack. Inside was a 75 year old man who was completely blind and from what I could tell, definitely had Parkinsons Disease. He was so sweet and offered us a chair. But let me describe this house. :( (I started tearing which was hard to hold in.) It was a cement floor, 3 small rooms (each was the size of my bathroom), and the ceiling was just metal sheets. There was no bathroom. They had a hole in the yard outside that was used as a toilet. He had a 20 year old son who is mentally ill. This man's wife left him a few year's back when he started to go blind perhaps because she couldn't cope and well... I don't know. His state of life was so sad. I didnt even know what to feel. It made no sense that someone lives like this. Galle has arranged to build them a proper bathroom with funds from Fridsro as a starting point to giving them a better life.
Next, we visited a husband and wife who had a young son who was born with half an arm. Somehow the community had discovered this couple, and learned that they were living in cave. Fridsro built them a house with $2,000-. And, the son now goes to school. These people are very simple minded and have a terrible understanding of how to use money, but Galle is watching over them and teaching them, so that the boy will profit and one day, hopefully have a more normal (by our standards) life.
Last, we visited a village that Galle had never been to. We drove and drove. :) The scenery was unbelievably gorgeous. Beautiful mountains and surreal green rice fields. As you all know, I hate being near wildlife. I don't mind admiring them from the safety of a car. But if I'm in their territory, I'm a complete paranoid idiot. So, Galle and I had to walk through rice fields to find a disabled man that the government had told him about. Rice fields means snakes. And I was wearing flip flops. I just kept praying and praying, and whispering to myself a mantra: I can do this, I can do this, I can do this. As we walked, people went down paths on bikes with nothing but green green green behind them. It was so gorgeous and I just smiled. No snakes came out to say 'hi' that day.
We finally reached this man's house which was surrounded by banana trees and we came upon it as he was taking his bath outside (wearing a sarong thankfully). He had no legs. He finished his bath while his sister fetched us two king coconuts to drink. Once he came to join us, rolling up in his wheelchair, Galle interviewed him on his situation and how it came to pass. His sister's young daughters stared at me the whole time as I tried to tell small ants not to crawl up my feet. Galle translated for me: this man once was a logger and a tree fell on him years ago. He was unconscious for two months and both legs were amputated. His dream was to start a chicken farm to support the rest of his family. His wife left to be a maid in the Middle East some years ago and never came back. He was heart broken.
Galle told him that he would come back to visit in one week. By then, the man was supposed to have put together a business proposal for his farm. And then, Galle would supply him with a certain amount of chickens and supplies to help him start it. This was so exciting. I left so happy and went back through the rice fields with no fear of snakes. :)
The next day, I went with Pieter (Jake & Julie's South African friend) who had started a girls' home for the sexually abused with his wife, Luise. Pieter and Luise became good friends in those five weeks and I hope to have them in my life forever. Pieter took me to the girls' home he started 10 years ago and which he called Refuge. Sixteen girls live there and most had been abused by family members. Refuge is a self-sustainable farm with one maitron who watches over the girls. The girls' ages range from 8 to 18 years old. I cannot describe the feeling that I had being surrounded by 16 woman who had been raped multiple times. I do not even really know what to say. I wanted to hug them all, but felt distant from them for having no idea what they have gone through. Pieter has become such a special light in their life and their father figure. He has thought about everything he does. He even hugs them in a very particular way so that he never brushes their breasts. And, he has to talk with some of them about the medicine they need for their damaged female parts. He is a wonderful man. A true example of Christ. I was so touched to be with him. I didnt deserve it. I had nothing to give those girls. But, I did play cards with them! It was cute.
Refuge is up on a hill and looks over Victoria Lake - a massive lake which stretches through the misty mountains. And the girls have all learned to garden, and the place was meticulously freckled with flowers, fruits, chillies and vegetables. And, they had a couple goats. And lots of fish in huge ponds. So beautiful. If you feel the desire to support Pieter and Luise, just pop me an email.
For the next 3 days, I attended the leadership conference put on for his staff. We watched DVD after DVD of amazing speakers, one of which was Bono, and I'm trying to get a copy so that I can play it for you. It impacted me. I realized that it is my responsibility to care for those who have needs.
Then I left for India for 3 days to visit my dear friend and surrogate mother, Priscilla. I truly love this woman. I have only spent a month total of my whole life with her, but she is my Indian mom. And it's funny, her birthday is in October as was my mother's and they were born in the same year. For 3 days, Priscilla and I just caught up on the last 8 years, ate wonderful curry, drank wonderful chai, and did some shopping. I bought a white wedding sari.
Priscilla is a woman who never worries. Never. She is so strong and just trusts. Being a worry-wart, I just soaked up this part of her.
And, now I'm home in Oakland. It's a bit strange, but I am trying hard to keep this trip with me in my heart. Thank you all so much for praying for me. And thanks for putting up with my emails. Lastly, I wanted to write down things I observed or learned and want to remember:
1. Stop worrying about money. It's not mine anyway.
2. To much is given, much is expected. And this goes beyond the physical things...
3. The more of the world that I see, the more I realize I do not know.
4. God didn't ask me to love my neighbour, God commanded it of me. Yikes!
5. Life within a family is so fun! Living with the Perera's was lovely. And, I love my precious family more than I could ever describe. I love you Dad, Mark and Becky.
6. Nutrition during pregnancy is sooooo important! It determines the rest of ones' life. As does a healthy labour!
7. I am so thankful for my education. Thank you Dad so much.
And the most important:
8. Matthew 25: 31-46 "...Whatever you did for one of the least of these, you did for me..."
Oh, and stay tuned for a lovely website for WorldROC (World Relief Organization for Children)... I attached a couple images of the prototype.
Kisses, Gerilyn
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Anna Greta
Dear Family & Friends,
This is a quick update on Anna Greta's situation. Jake and I returned from the hospital yesterday and she is still very weak. She is having a blood transfusion today but each day seems to be full of tests and more tests....For those of you who don't know what is happening, here is a brief explanation. She went in on Dec 26 for a routine surgery to remove stones from her gallbladder. During the surgery, the surgeon accidentally cut her small intestine and therefore she developed a very bad infection. They had to open up her stitches to let the infection drain out but until today, her wound has not been healing and drying up. So, she has been going in for test after test! She is in pain and quite uncomfortable. Being in the hospital for almost a month has drained her spirit. She has had many complications along with way, far too much to explain in this email. The important thing is that she receives prayer to keep her spirit up and that her body would begin to respond to the medication.
Please pray for her healing and speedy recovery!
Will keep you posted,
Julie
This is a quick update on Anna Greta's situation. Jake and I returned from the hospital yesterday and she is still very weak. She is having a blood transfusion today but each day seems to be full of tests and more tests....For those of you who don't know what is happening, here is a brief explanation. She went in on Dec 26 for a routine surgery to remove stones from her gallbladder. During the surgery, the surgeon accidentally cut her small intestine and therefore she developed a very bad infection. They had to open up her stitches to let the infection drain out but until today, her wound has not been healing and drying up. So, she has been going in for test after test! She is in pain and quite uncomfortable. Being in the hospital for almost a month has drained her spirit. She has had many complications along with way, far too much to explain in this email. The important thing is that she receives prayer to keep her spirit up and that her body would begin to respond to the medication.
Please pray for her healing and speedy recovery!
Will keep you posted,
Julie
Monday, January 22, 2007
Monday, January 8, 2007
Schedule
I'll try to do my best blogging this week but I have a busy schedule...
Today, tomorrow and Wednesday, I'm attending a Leadership Conference that Jake is putting on for his staff. It's so amazing. It's based off the Summit Conference by Willow Creek. Additionally, we watched "Dear Francis", a movie about AIDS in Swaziland. I cried and cried.
Thursday morning, I leave for Cochin, India for 3 days. Then I come back to Colombo for a day, then to Singapore for another day and then I'm homeward bound! I'm sad to be leaving Asia so soon, but I miss Derek and all of you. I'll be back to Asia soon enough as my time with Fridsro is far from over. :)
Today, tomorrow and Wednesday, I'm attending a Leadership Conference that Jake is putting on for his staff. It's so amazing. It's based off the Summit Conference by Willow Creek. Additionally, we watched "Dear Francis", a movie about AIDS in Swaziland. I cried and cried.
Thursday morning, I leave for Cochin, India for 3 days. Then I come back to Colombo for a day, then to Singapore for another day and then I'm homeward bound! I'm sad to be leaving Asia so soon, but I miss Derek and all of you. I'll be back to Asia soon enough as my time with Fridsro is far from over. :)
Good book to read!!!
Highly recommend picking up a copy...
http://www.amazon.com/Leaving-Microsoft-Change-World-Entrepreneurs/dp/006112107X
http://www.amazon.com/Leaving-Microsoft-Change-World-Entrepreneurs/dp/006112107X
Sunday, January 7, 2007
I'm safe.
Yesterday, two bombs went off on public buses, so I wanted to let you all know that I am safe. One was on the road from Kandy to Colombo which is a bit scary, but everyone involved with Fridsro never takes the public bus and drives private cars.
Yesterday, Rajiv, Maria and I drove up through Neyura Eliya, the tea country, on our way to Horton's Plains and World's End. We had the most amazing day and saw surreal scenery. I'll post the pictures soon. It was defininitely one of the most amazing National Parks I have ever visited. We hiked 9 km and were on the outlook for leopards. Thankfully, we didn't come across one. I'll tell more soon.
Also, yesterday, Anna Greta took a turn for the worse. The doctors here are really incapable of good medicine. She has an infection from the surgery. Please please say prayers for her as you go throughout your day. She is such a special woman. Julie and Jake drove to Colombo yesterday to visit her in the hospital... I'm very grateful nothing happened to them.
Kisses, G
Yesterday, Rajiv, Maria and I drove up through Neyura Eliya, the tea country, on our way to Horton's Plains and World's End. We had the most amazing day and saw surreal scenery. I'll post the pictures soon. It was defininitely one of the most amazing National Parks I have ever visited. We hiked 9 km and were on the outlook for leopards. Thankfully, we didn't come across one. I'll tell more soon.
Also, yesterday, Anna Greta took a turn for the worse. The doctors here are really incapable of good medicine. She has an infection from the surgery. Please please say prayers for her as you go throughout your day. She is such a special woman. Julie and Jake drove to Colombo yesterday to visit her in the hospital... I'm very grateful nothing happened to them.
Kisses, G
Friday, January 5, 2007
Anna Greta Perera (founder of Fridsro)
Anna Greta went in for surgery to remove gallbladder stones right after Christmas. They successfully removed the gallbladder but she has a lot of complications since the surgery because the surgeon scraped a part of her intestine accidentally. Each day, the scenario changes with her feeling better or getting an infection. Please pray for her. We visited her in the hospital and I saw the stones and wow, they were a lot of them. But she really needs to fight this infection away so that she recover safely and get home. She is such a trooper and has been through a lot in her life, but we are anxious for her to get well.
Kisses, G
Kisses, G
Beruwala and New Years!!!
After 2 relaxing days in Colombo, we all went to Beruwala to stay 3 nights at the Palm Gardens Beach hotel. Soooooooo fun!!!!! Lots of foreigners were there, but I was the only American (besides Julie & Jake). At this hotel, you can buy 'the green band' which then means you have all inclusive food and drinks. So the group would always yell out 'the power of the band'!!! This particular hotel was the sort of place for families where there are all these activities (for adults or kids) performed by this group called the Animators... i think this is some sort of mistake with the English language. The Animators were hilarious. We played bocci ball, did morning yoga, water aerobics (I'm laughed so hard while doing it), played beach volleyball, and each night there was a sort of "show".
The first night was a beauty pageant for the foreigners and for some reason the MC always asked each contestant which shampoo they used as if he was marketing shampoos. The ladies had to dress in saris and walk by a table of 3 foreign judges (our crazy Dutch Piet was one of them). The second night they performed a fire show and finally on the third night, they performed this really strangely translated Big Blues Band show which had all of us on the floor laughing. They would try to immitate Tina Turner, Prince, Whitney Houston... etc... so wierd.
The beaches were gorgeous and each night that the sun set, I was so happy to be here while I swam in the warm waves!!
Rajiv, Maria and I spent New Year's Eve dancing in Colombo. So fun! People were so dressed up for New Year's! Cool in the Gang was quite the hit! it was a late night... :)
The first night was a beauty pageant for the foreigners and for some reason the MC always asked each contestant which shampoo they used as if he was marketing shampoos. The ladies had to dress in saris and walk by a table of 3 foreign judges (our crazy Dutch Piet was one of them). The second night they performed a fire show and finally on the third night, they performed this really strangely translated Big Blues Band show which had all of us on the floor laughing. They would try to immitate Tina Turner, Prince, Whitney Houston... etc... so wierd.
The beaches were gorgeous and each night that the sun set, I was so happy to be here while I swam in the warm waves!!
Rajiv, Maria and I spent New Year's Eve dancing in Colombo. So fun! People were so dressed up for New Year's! Cool in the Gang was quite the hit! it was a late night... :)
Driving in Kandy!
I drove tonight!!! Rajiv and I met Julie's brother and sister in law for dinner and needed to borrow one of their trucks for a trip to World's End tomorrow, so I had to drive the little mini car we had arrived in back to the house following Rajiv!!! I was so nervous. Not only is it driving on the left side of the street, but its just like driving in India!!! It was so fun!!!!!! Like a video game dodging pot holes, rickshaws, dogs and people! I did it! I think I've done everything now... crazy... :)
THANK YOU!
This is a bit bold of me but I want to ask each of you to consider a small donation to Fridsro. You can do it through Pay Pal on the Fridsro website under "Join Us" / "Donations". Our dollars go so far over here and people are truly blessed and changed by Fridsro. Fridsro is known well in Sweden because of Anna Greta's connection there, but little support comes from America. If you have the time, please let as many people as you can know about www.fridsro.org. It would be so cool to let people know about this organization and the change in the world that they are making. Since the tsunami, there has been a lot of conversation about all the wasted donated money in Sri Lanka... funds that went missing. You can be sure that if you give to Fridsro, the money will be used correctly. It's tax deductable.
Many of you gave me money for this trip and I want to say the biggest THANK YOU for your help and support with this trip. It will never leave me. Some of this money went towards the baby I spoke of earlier in the blog. On Christmas Eve, the baby had a proper surgery to replace the shunt with a new better one. Julie and Jake organized and paid for this surgery. Last week, Julie met with the mom and said that she saw the mom smile for the first time. The baby is improving!!!! We still don't know the long term effects of this, but for now, she is doing better which is an answer to prayer.
Many of you gave me money for this trip and I want to say the biggest THANK YOU for your help and support with this trip. It will never leave me. Some of this money went towards the baby I spoke of earlier in the blog. On Christmas Eve, the baby had a proper surgery to replace the shunt with a new better one. Julie and Jake organized and paid for this surgery. Last week, Julie met with the mom and said that she saw the mom smile for the first time. The baby is improving!!!! We still don't know the long term effects of this, but for now, she is doing better which is an answer to prayer.
Merry Christmas!!!
It's been so long since I have updated this... so sorry and so much has been going on!
Just before Christmas, I stayed up at the Fridsro Children's Home in Bokavala. It is about 45 minutes outside of Kandy and in the most beautiful countryside. The head maitron of the home, Luxmi, walked me around the complex and I got 2 leeches on my feet. That was a first in life! I screamed and pulled them off before they had a chance to suck away. Eek! Luxmi showed me all of the dorms for the children at the home and I cant describe the feeling in my heart. Having lost my own mother at a young age, I know the feeling of losing someone special and non-replaceable, but I was blessed to have a wonderful father to grow up with and a beautiful home and school. These kids have so little and Frisdro is giving so much to them so that can live a normal life one day. There were two new boys who had recently come to the home in the last month. They were 1 1/2 and 3. Pathum is the name of the 1 1/2 year old. SO CUTE!!! I didn't hear their entire story but it was something like their mother is 19 and the father left, and she has absolutely no money to raise the children. None of us would ever be in that position.
Luxmi also showed me the home for 3 mentally disabled people who have grown up at the home: Barti, Rosy and Bella. Bella was sexually abused as a child so now at 30 years old, she isn't all there completely. She was so in love with me and kept holding on to me and holding my hand. She didn't want me to leave. :( She says that Julie is her best friend. :)
We also visited the elders home which has 3 elders. I attached a picture of Achi knitting. She sells handmade lace for 10 rupees a metre, which is 10 cents a metre.
Fridsro is truly amazing. The word 'fridsro' means peace in Swedish. The complex is gigantic with so many facilities. If anyone wants to read Anna Greta's story and the history of everything, I have the book which you may borrow.
I was also asked to judge, alongside Maria visiting from Sweden, the dorms' nativity scene competition! This was fun! They had to use no money and use objects from nature to construct the scene. These adorable little boys won - their prize was a bike for their dorm! I also had to judge the staff workers' scenes which involved walking through the jungle to their homes. For those of you who know me, and how much I hate snakes and any large animal, this was a massive challenge for me! I was so nervous. I had already seen those 2 six foot rat snakes dancing together in Julie's front yard! I didnt need to see more. But it turned out that the walk was animal free and I really enjoyed visiting the homes and felt so unworthy to be there. The homes would always offer sweets and tea. One home offered me a cold drink made from water which I really did not want to drink, but I knew if I refused it, that it would offend them. So I said to God, "If I'm going to drink this, you better not let me get sick." And I didn't get sick! :)
That night I had to go through all the names of the children (74) and make sure that they each had a stocking for candy. The stockings all had names written on them, but we had to cross out with a pen the old names, and write new ones for some cases. And, they were all spelled in different ways because it's difficult to translate from Sinhala to English. This probably sounds like a simple job but it actually took 3 hours. But by the time I was finished, I had memorized all their names. And then in the morning, when the kids were playing, they'd yell out names and I could remember where they were on the list. It was cool! I keep thinking that I will bring the list of names home and we can divide up their names amongst our family to pray for each of the kids as they grow up.
Christmas Eve, Jake's back went out. So he had to stay at home with Julie and the baby, while the rest of us went up to Bokavala to celebrate Christmas. Fridsro celebrates Christmas on the 24th as Sweden does. First, they had a little celebration to honor the staff, some of which have been with Fridsro for over 20 years, then we had Christmas lunch. Curries, rices, salads, yum yum and George Michael singing 'Last Christmas, I gave you my heart...' super loud on speakers!! :) After lunch, we went back to the chapel to wait for Father Christmas!!! The kids all had to stay seated with a pile of gifts under the tree while the 3 Santas danced with the kids and passed them their gifts. The kids had made gift requests before so they got what they wanted along with the toys Paula had sent over. It was so cute to see the kids go up to the Santas to receive their toys... I started crying.
On the way home, Rajiv, Jade, Asia and I yelled out Merry Christmas to every kid we saw along the way. It was so funny! Many smiles along the way!!!
Christmas Day, we woke up early to make the turkey which we had picked up in Colombo. This frozen 19 pound turkey was from Minnesota...too funny. Rajiv, Julie and I made stuffing from scratch and it turned out so yummy. I even carved it, which I've never done. The Swedes brought their Christmas treats: Christmas omelette, pickled herring, weird cheeses in tube, Swedish cookies.... and tea and coffee. I think there were about 30 of us: tons of Swedes, a few Americans, 1 Dutch guy named Piet (craziest guy ever), 4 South Africans...
It was a lovely Christmas.... warm but lovely.
The next morning, the whole crew, most of the local missionaries who are friends with the Perera's, left for Colombo and the beach for a week of holiday. In Colombo, we ate fun fancy food, went dancing, got the most amazing foot massages at Dr Scholl's shop, more lemon meringue pie, played pool and went to Odel's (the Nordstom's of Colombo). Everyone in Colombo visits Odel's. I got Auntie Gerilyn a birthday present from there!!! Hee hee hee!!!
Just before Christmas, I stayed up at the Fridsro Children's Home in Bokavala. It is about 45 minutes outside of Kandy and in the most beautiful countryside. The head maitron of the home, Luxmi, walked me around the complex and I got 2 leeches on my feet. That was a first in life! I screamed and pulled them off before they had a chance to suck away. Eek! Luxmi showed me all of the dorms for the children at the home and I cant describe the feeling in my heart. Having lost my own mother at a young age, I know the feeling of losing someone special and non-replaceable, but I was blessed to have a wonderful father to grow up with and a beautiful home and school. These kids have so little and Frisdro is giving so much to them so that can live a normal life one day. There were two new boys who had recently come to the home in the last month. They were 1 1/2 and 3. Pathum is the name of the 1 1/2 year old. SO CUTE!!! I didn't hear their entire story but it was something like their mother is 19 and the father left, and she has absolutely no money to raise the children. None of us would ever be in that position.
Luxmi also showed me the home for 3 mentally disabled people who have grown up at the home: Barti, Rosy and Bella. Bella was sexually abused as a child so now at 30 years old, she isn't all there completely. She was so in love with me and kept holding on to me and holding my hand. She didn't want me to leave. :( She says that Julie is her best friend. :)
We also visited the elders home which has 3 elders. I attached a picture of Achi knitting. She sells handmade lace for 10 rupees a metre, which is 10 cents a metre.
Fridsro is truly amazing. The word 'fridsro' means peace in Swedish. The complex is gigantic with so many facilities. If anyone wants to read Anna Greta's story and the history of everything, I have the book which you may borrow.
I was also asked to judge, alongside Maria visiting from Sweden, the dorms' nativity scene competition! This was fun! They had to use no money and use objects from nature to construct the scene. These adorable little boys won - their prize was a bike for their dorm! I also had to judge the staff workers' scenes which involved walking through the jungle to their homes. For those of you who know me, and how much I hate snakes and any large animal, this was a massive challenge for me! I was so nervous. I had already seen those 2 six foot rat snakes dancing together in Julie's front yard! I didnt need to see more. But it turned out that the walk was animal free and I really enjoyed visiting the homes and felt so unworthy to be there. The homes would always offer sweets and tea. One home offered me a cold drink made from water which I really did not want to drink, but I knew if I refused it, that it would offend them. So I said to God, "If I'm going to drink this, you better not let me get sick." And I didn't get sick! :)
That night I had to go through all the names of the children (74) and make sure that they each had a stocking for candy. The stockings all had names written on them, but we had to cross out with a pen the old names, and write new ones for some cases. And, they were all spelled in different ways because it's difficult to translate from Sinhala to English. This probably sounds like a simple job but it actually took 3 hours. But by the time I was finished, I had memorized all their names. And then in the morning, when the kids were playing, they'd yell out names and I could remember where they were on the list. It was cool! I keep thinking that I will bring the list of names home and we can divide up their names amongst our family to pray for each of the kids as they grow up.
Christmas Eve, Jake's back went out. So he had to stay at home with Julie and the baby, while the rest of us went up to Bokavala to celebrate Christmas. Fridsro celebrates Christmas on the 24th as Sweden does. First, they had a little celebration to honor the staff, some of which have been with Fridsro for over 20 years, then we had Christmas lunch. Curries, rices, salads, yum yum and George Michael singing 'Last Christmas, I gave you my heart...' super loud on speakers!! :) After lunch, we went back to the chapel to wait for Father Christmas!!! The kids all had to stay seated with a pile of gifts under the tree while the 3 Santas danced with the kids and passed them their gifts. The kids had made gift requests before so they got what they wanted along with the toys Paula had sent over. It was so cute to see the kids go up to the Santas to receive their toys... I started crying.
On the way home, Rajiv, Jade, Asia and I yelled out Merry Christmas to every kid we saw along the way. It was so funny! Many smiles along the way!!!
Christmas Day, we woke up early to make the turkey which we had picked up in Colombo. This frozen 19 pound turkey was from Minnesota...too funny. Rajiv, Julie and I made stuffing from scratch and it turned out so yummy. I even carved it, which I've never done. The Swedes brought their Christmas treats: Christmas omelette, pickled herring, weird cheeses in tube, Swedish cookies.... and tea and coffee. I think there were about 30 of us: tons of Swedes, a few Americans, 1 Dutch guy named Piet (craziest guy ever), 4 South Africans...
It was a lovely Christmas.... warm but lovely.
The next morning, the whole crew, most of the local missionaries who are friends with the Perera's, left for Colombo and the beach for a week of holiday. In Colombo, we ate fun fancy food, went dancing, got the most amazing foot massages at Dr Scholl's shop, more lemon meringue pie, played pool and went to Odel's (the Nordstom's of Colombo). Everyone in Colombo visits Odel's. I got Auntie Gerilyn a birthday present from there!!! Hee hee hee!!!
Thursday, December 21, 2006
The hills are misterious!
Friday afternoon, we all went to the children's home for their Christmas program. See the pics to the right of the kids. I could not believe how amazing the home is! It is on this hillside with the most amazing view of the hills and it is so lush and green. They have a pet peacock and a huge gate at the entrance of the compound with a security guard. This place is not just an orphanage but a safe gorgeous haven. It is the work of God, for the founder Swedish Anna Greta to begin taking 12 children into her home in 1972, and then have it grow into this lovely place. It now has 76 children and they look so happy. When I started to learn about individual (horrible) stories, I was so moved, and then to see them growing up here and to see the older ones who have been married and are now working for Fridsro as loving smart hard-working adults. The Fridsro compound is many large buildings that are gorgeous... the old English colonial architecture. The kids live in dorms with a maitron for each dorm. The kids are so small. Julie has had their food approved by a nutritionalist and doctor, but these kids are still so small in stature. Jade, Julie's 7 year old is way bigger than the 12 year olds.
Their Christmas program was very cute and very long. It had a little bit of a Justin Timberlake influence which cracked me up. Oh, and they did a play about the Christmas story and this one young girl named Harshani who has down-syndrome played a sheep. She was in a full body sheep outfit and the shepherds could not get her to do anything. She just sat in the middle of the stage playing with things and it was so cute!!!
That night I worked on the Fridsro Children's Homes Times which I'll try to attach to the blog.
Saturday, I volunteered with these Swedish and Nigerian girls at a kids' Christmas party. We played all these different silly games, the best of which was wrapping the kids like mummies in toilet paper. That afternoon, Julie and I went to get pedicures at "Adam & Eve's Hair Salon". :) This salon is ran all by woman who grew up at Fridsro and then started the salon for their own business. It was very cute and in a gorgeous location.
The weather has barely been hot so far. Every now and then, a blast of sun will break through the clouds, but for the most part, it has been cloudy, breezy, humid and lovely. The Sri Lankans always refer to it as being misty. One time, I heard it accidentally being called 'misterious'. :)
Kandy is this very hilly, green town with a central city center which really isn't too big, and then houses and streets spread throughout the hills with lovely views. There is Kandy Lake which the Temple of the Tooth is next to. I visited the Temple on Tuesday right before a huge amount of rain dumped! It is supposed to be the dry season now according to the Lonely Planet, but it has rained almost every day, sometimes for the entire day. People have also mentioned that the season are all messed up since the tsunami hit. Or... it could be global warming.
The temple was really beautiful, but much more modest than the temples I am used to seeing in Thailand. It also had a lot of a protection around it since it is in threat of the Tamil Tigers, because it is important to the Sinhala who are Buddhist. I've been learning a lot about the conflict over here and it is definitely not as black and white as I once thought. The Tigers definitely use tactics like terrorists, but the government here and other groups are not all good either. It's a bad situation and very sad, because if the conflict had not started in the 70's, some say Sri Lanka could have been like Singapore.
Last Monday, I went to Colombo for the day with Jake, Jake's father and Rajiv. It was a long trip because of the twists and turns and traffic. Jake and his dad had a meeting, so Rajiv showed me around town and we shopped. There were lots of military out holding rifles. The weather is supposed to be hot but it was actually not too bad out. Colombo is totally different from Kandy, much more Western and modern and multicultural. I saw lots of foreigners. We also went out for a piece of Lemon Meringue Pie and a glass of chardonnay at this lovely cafe ran by a German woman and her Sri Lankan husband. It was also an art gallery and so beautiful... coy ponds, cool decor and an atmosphere right out of The English Patient or something.
Yesterday, I went to get my visa for India. I'm going to visit Priscilla and her husband from January 11 through January 13. The High Commission of India in Kandy is where you get visas and the place was ridiculously disorganized. It takes a few days to get the visa so I'm hoping it is ready before I leave. It took all of yesterday morning just organizing it!!! I was so frustrated but a part of like in Asia.
Last night, I made lots of progress on the work Jake has given me so that was good. It's super cute! But it feels to be wierd on a computer while in Sri Lanka!
Tonight we are having a Xmas party and white elephant exchange with all the missionaries and it should be lots of fun! Supposedly, there is an infamous Kama Sutra book that gets passed around each year. We have lots of Swedish sweets made by Anna Greta (she looks just like Mimi and I got misty-eyed when I gave her a hug). Right now, Jade and I are at this hotel's top floor bar doing some work... me typing and she doing school books while eating fries and drinking coffee milkshakes!!!!
More later... love you all, G
Kisses!!!
Their Christmas program was very cute and very long. It had a little bit of a Justin Timberlake influence which cracked me up. Oh, and they did a play about the Christmas story and this one young girl named Harshani who has down-syndrome played a sheep. She was in a full body sheep outfit and the shepherds could not get her to do anything. She just sat in the middle of the stage playing with things and it was so cute!!!
That night I worked on the Fridsro Children's Homes Times which I'll try to attach to the blog.
Saturday, I volunteered with these Swedish and Nigerian girls at a kids' Christmas party. We played all these different silly games, the best of which was wrapping the kids like mummies in toilet paper. That afternoon, Julie and I went to get pedicures at "Adam & Eve's Hair Salon". :) This salon is ran all by woman who grew up at Fridsro and then started the salon for their own business. It was very cute and in a gorgeous location.
The weather has barely been hot so far. Every now and then, a blast of sun will break through the clouds, but for the most part, it has been cloudy, breezy, humid and lovely. The Sri Lankans always refer to it as being misty. One time, I heard it accidentally being called 'misterious'. :)
Kandy is this very hilly, green town with a central city center which really isn't too big, and then houses and streets spread throughout the hills with lovely views. There is Kandy Lake which the Temple of the Tooth is next to. I visited the Temple on Tuesday right before a huge amount of rain dumped! It is supposed to be the dry season now according to the Lonely Planet, but it has rained almost every day, sometimes for the entire day. People have also mentioned that the season are all messed up since the tsunami hit. Or... it could be global warming.
The temple was really beautiful, but much more modest than the temples I am used to seeing in Thailand. It also had a lot of a protection around it since it is in threat of the Tamil Tigers, because it is important to the Sinhala who are Buddhist. I've been learning a lot about the conflict over here and it is definitely not as black and white as I once thought. The Tigers definitely use tactics like terrorists, but the government here and other groups are not all good either. It's a bad situation and very sad, because if the conflict had not started in the 70's, some say Sri Lanka could have been like Singapore.
Last Monday, I went to Colombo for the day with Jake, Jake's father and Rajiv. It was a long trip because of the twists and turns and traffic. Jake and his dad had a meeting, so Rajiv showed me around town and we shopped. There were lots of military out holding rifles. The weather is supposed to be hot but it was actually not too bad out. Colombo is totally different from Kandy, much more Western and modern and multicultural. I saw lots of foreigners. We also went out for a piece of Lemon Meringue Pie and a glass of chardonnay at this lovely cafe ran by a German woman and her Sri Lankan husband. It was also an art gallery and so beautiful... coy ponds, cool decor and an atmosphere right out of The English Patient or something.
Yesterday, I went to get my visa for India. I'm going to visit Priscilla and her husband from January 11 through January 13. The High Commission of India in Kandy is where you get visas and the place was ridiculously disorganized. It takes a few days to get the visa so I'm hoping it is ready before I leave. It took all of yesterday morning just organizing it!!! I was so frustrated but a part of like in Asia.
Last night, I made lots of progress on the work Jake has given me so that was good. It's super cute! But it feels to be wierd on a computer while in Sri Lanka!
Tonight we are having a Xmas party and white elephant exchange with all the missionaries and it should be lots of fun! Supposedly, there is an infamous Kama Sutra book that gets passed around each year. We have lots of Swedish sweets made by Anna Greta (she looks just like Mimi and I got misty-eyed when I gave her a hug). Right now, Jade and I are at this hotel's top floor bar doing some work... me typing and she doing school books while eating fries and drinking coffee milkshakes!!!!
More later... love you all, G
Kisses!!!
Saturday, December 16, 2006
Prayer for a baby.
One little section of Fridsro is a preschool and special ed school that Julie has started. In fact, for those of you who know Stacey Porter, she actually came out here for 2 weeks last year to train the special ed teachers. Julie's head teacher was pregnant and her pregnancy was just about 2 weeks behind Julie's. While Julie was in the States, her head teacher's water broke and because the culture here is secretive and the medical system is not up to par, this woman did not go to the hospital for 3 days, meanwhile waiting for the baby to be born. Finally, when she went, she was given a C-section, and the baby was delivered with hydrocephilus, better known as 'water on the brain'. The baby is now 3 months old, still in the hospital, and has a shunt to drain the liquid. I think they mentioned that the baby also has meningitis.
Julie was so sad to hear about this. And so bummed that this woman did not go for delivery the moment that her water broke. An infection probably caused this.
http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=8476
(I saw a lot of this in India -- just bad medicine during pregnancy and birth. very sad.)
The thing is that the Sri Lankans are very superstitious. And Julie was hoping that this woman as the head teacher would have a normal healthy baby. A lot of Sri Lankans believe that if you are around the special needs children, that you will give birth to an abnormal baby. So Julie is worried that this will be a nail in the coffin to her program. Please pray that this will not end the program, and the best for the baby, and grace for the mother and father. And, peace for Julie.
Kisses, G
Julie was so sad to hear about this. And so bummed that this woman did not go for delivery the moment that her water broke. An infection probably caused this.
http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=8476
(I saw a lot of this in India -- just bad medicine during pregnancy and birth. very sad.)
The thing is that the Sri Lankans are very superstitious. And Julie was hoping that this woman as the head teacher would have a normal healthy baby. A lot of Sri Lankans believe that if you are around the special needs children, that you will give birth to an abnormal baby. So Julie is worried that this will be a nail in the coffin to her program. Please pray that this will not end the program, and the best for the baby, and grace for the mother and father. And, peace for Julie.
Kisses, G
Friday, December 15, 2006
Shopping for toys!!!
Thursday, I slept in!!! And, woke up to a yummy breakfast that Julie's cook prepared for us! Little toasts with egg, cheese and chillies, and sambal to put on the top. I had had sambal before in India, so yummy. It is shredded coconut with chillies and onion and it is good on everything!!!! After brekkie, Jake and his good friend Rajiv and I sat around to brainstorm what they're interested in seeing Fridsro become in the future. It's so great! Rajiv is originally from Calcutta, but actually was at Cal Poly when I was and got his degree in Electrical Engineering. He is one smart dude.
We threw around different ideas all morning... and talked about these 2 websites:
www.one.org
www.roomtoread.org
Afterwards, I went with Julie's secretary and a teacher into the town of Kandy and we bought toys for 100 children for Christmas! It took 4 hours. Thankfully it was cool, or I think I could have collapsed. We had a driver in a three-wheeler (tuk tuk, rickshaw) drive us from store to store. The best part was buying clothes for the teens and 20 year olds. I'm good at buying clothes, and they have some cute ones here! We bought Barbies, games, clothes, watches, perfume, deoderant, you name it!!! And when we finally got back to the Perera's, Julie came running out with a camera, because we were smooshed into the three-wheeler buried with boxes.
Last night, tons of sutas (foreigners) came over to the Perera's to see them since they had been away for 6 months. The house was filled with missionarys: 2 Swedes, 4 South Africans, 1 Indian, 2 Nigerians, myself, and the Perera's.
Then I went to bed at 7.30pm and woke up this morning at 5!!! And have been working on a newsletter all morning soooo far! Pizza Hut is for lunch!
Kisses, G
We threw around different ideas all morning... and talked about these 2 websites:
www.one.org
www.roomtoread.org
Afterwards, I went with Julie's secretary and a teacher into the town of Kandy and we bought toys for 100 children for Christmas! It took 4 hours. Thankfully it was cool, or I think I could have collapsed. We had a driver in a three-wheeler (tuk tuk, rickshaw) drive us from store to store. The best part was buying clothes for the teens and 20 year olds. I'm good at buying clothes, and they have some cute ones here! We bought Barbies, games, clothes, watches, perfume, deoderant, you name it!!! And when we finally got back to the Perera's, Julie came running out with a camera, because we were smooshed into the three-wheeler buried with boxes.
Last night, tons of sutas (foreigners) came over to the Perera's to see them since they had been away for 6 months. The house was filled with missionarys: 2 Swedes, 4 South Africans, 1 Indian, 2 Nigerians, myself, and the Perera's.
Then I went to bed at 7.30pm and woke up this morning at 5!!! And have been working on a newsletter all morning soooo far! Pizza Hut is for lunch!
Kisses, G
Arrived safe in Kandy
Hi from Kandy!!!
I arrived on their Wednesday morning at 1am, and a lovely guy named Danny picked me up in a truck all decked out with gadgets like those UN trucks with FRIDSRO posted on it! Too cool! He was listening to Santana and we drove to Kandy in 90 minutes (later I was told it was to take 2 hours, but he's a fast driver!). Danny was a Fridsro child and now works for the organization. He is 30 years old, married and went to Fridsro when he was 8 years old.
When we arrived at Jake and Julie's home, I was starting to get dizzy from jet lag, but we talked for an hour and I finally went to bed at 3am Kandy time. Their home is so lovely, and Kandy is gorgeous. A beautiful green hilltown, but the 2nd largest in Sri Lanka after Colombo. It's fairly cool here right now as well. Kandy had a lot of rain in the prior months, so the mosquitos are out in full force and Dengue Fever and some chicken Fever is on the prowl. Thankfully, mosquitos have never liked my blood.
I read Running in the Family, buy Michael Ondaatje (author of The English Patient), while on the plane. It is his family memoir about growing up in Sri Lanka. So far, it all feels so similar to the book. And, I read Anna Greta Perera's memoir from Singapore to Colombo. She is Jake's mother and started Fridsro 30 years ago. She is truly an amazing woman. A mother Theresa. She left her hometown in Sweden to come to SL and started a home for 12 children which then grew to 100 children. She is lovely and gorgeous. The memoir was unbelievable. She has endured so much. Currently, she is recovering from Dengue Fever so say a prayer for her if you think of it.
Wednesday, I stayed around the home all day just trying to recover from jet lag, and I played kitchen with Asia, Julie's 2nd girl. She is 4 and has more energy than I could ever imagine. We played kitchen for a very long time. very long time. We also decorated their Xmas tree. I can't remember much else from Wednesday. Think I was in a blurrrrr....
I arrived on their Wednesday morning at 1am, and a lovely guy named Danny picked me up in a truck all decked out with gadgets like those UN trucks with FRIDSRO posted on it! Too cool! He was listening to Santana and we drove to Kandy in 90 minutes (later I was told it was to take 2 hours, but he's a fast driver!). Danny was a Fridsro child and now works for the organization. He is 30 years old, married and went to Fridsro when he was 8 years old.
When we arrived at Jake and Julie's home, I was starting to get dizzy from jet lag, but we talked for an hour and I finally went to bed at 3am Kandy time. Their home is so lovely, and Kandy is gorgeous. A beautiful green hilltown, but the 2nd largest in Sri Lanka after Colombo. It's fairly cool here right now as well. Kandy had a lot of rain in the prior months, so the mosquitos are out in full force and Dengue Fever and some chicken Fever is on the prowl. Thankfully, mosquitos have never liked my blood.
I read Running in the Family, buy Michael Ondaatje (author of The English Patient), while on the plane. It is his family memoir about growing up in Sri Lanka. So far, it all feels so similar to the book. And, I read Anna Greta Perera's memoir from Singapore to Colombo. She is Jake's mother and started Fridsro 30 years ago. She is truly an amazing woman. A mother Theresa. She left her hometown in Sweden to come to SL and started a home for 12 children which then grew to 100 children. She is lovely and gorgeous. The memoir was unbelievable. She has endured so much. Currently, she is recovering from Dengue Fever so say a prayer for her if you think of it.
Wednesday, I stayed around the home all day just trying to recover from jet lag, and I played kitchen with Asia, Julie's 2nd girl. She is 4 and has more energy than I could ever imagine. We played kitchen for a very long time. very long time. We also decorated their Xmas tree. I can't remember much else from Wednesday. Think I was in a blurrrrr....
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Sawasdee kha!
Sawasdee from Bangkok! I'm here just for 7 hours but managed to go to town and have some brekkie (som tam) on the river. Walked by the Grand Palace, Silpakorn, where the bird almost pooped on Akeida, by where the lady sold me pineapple everymorning on the way to school, and had an iced coffee. The air was so beautiful, not as smoggy as usual, but thick and breezy and I love it! The new airport is very cool as well. I split a taxi into town with a Canadian, I knew because he was wearing the flag like they always do, into town and that was fun. It helped me to muster the energy to go into town alone. I'm so glad I did. My blood is renewed and I LOVE BANGKOK. Definitely one of my most favorite cities.
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