HAPPY NEWYEAR...again?????

Happy New Year to everyone…. Tamil and Sinalese New Year that is, which is tomorrow, Sunday 14^th April. Not quite sure what to expect but we are sure there will be lots of fireworks, really loud music and heaven only knows what else. The school is very quiet at the moment with no students or staff around and we are resting and recovering from huge term. Things will get busy again next week with 160 pastors coming for a “reconciliation” service between Tamil and Sinalese on Tuesday to which I have been invited and the family will come to a meal at lunch. On Wed the hordes descend for the youth camp. NO IDEA what chaos that will bring.

The milestone this past week? On Friday 5^th of April, last week, we had been in Sri Lanka 100 days. I think we should be pleased with ourselves as it is certainly an achievement to be proud of. The sheer chaos is starting to feel normal.

The big markets in Jaffna, we really pay "Foreign" prices here

The Jaffna markets..the aroma is amazing

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some things we have found amusing and keeps our level of “wonderment and awe” high here. (All the teachers of Hervey Bay High will understand the reference)

·        Saw a three wheeler taxi towing another three wheeler taxi down the main street. The tow rope being used…….?  A single 3 metre length of barbed wire!!!! Wish I had the camera

·        Cleaning floors in the school. Chuck a big bucket of water and push the ensuing flood with a large squeegee out a hole in the side of the room.  It’s quicker than mopping.

·        The sweeping of the school corridors 3 times a day, there is literally a small sand dune swept down the hall way each time. I am not kidding

·        The wonderful lady who sweeps the dirt outside our home each morning to remove the leaves. We don’t know why dirt needs to be bare but it is the accepted practice.



A never ending job, but she always does it with a smile and a "Good moring sir" in broken english as I walk to school each day

·        Constant blackouts!! No one bats an eye. It is amazing, the teachers continue teaching, the students continue working, those walking down the hall continue walking down the hall, all in near darkness.  It’s just like they don’t even notice the lights and fans have stopped.  Of course our girls think it’s hilarious to be plunged into darkness.

·        Mowing the grass…with a machete, I have to try that at home. No such thing as a lawn mower (except the 4 leg variety), maybe that’s why they don’t have much grass.



·        Bank Transfers. I am too use to the paperless commercial world I’m afraid. When I went to the bank to transfer funds to an account in another bank, Bunny (the assistant manager who looks after us very well, if I go into the bank and it is full, I always get ushered into his office to do banking there, and yes that is his name) organised it all for me. I assumed it would be transferred electronically. But no, the cash (well more than a teacher’s yearly wage here) was handed over to another employee who got onto his bike and travelled the 3 km to the other bank to deposit the amount. I sat in the air-conditioned comfort till he returned with the stamped deposit slip!

·        The love and respect we get from the staff. At times we have said “let’s go home, we’ve had enough”. We then remember why we came and the staff and students are so worth the effort.

·        Finally, me driving into Jaffna city and having the car overheat and stop dead in the middle one of the busiest intersections. With girls and Jacinta in car, I have to get out and push (have to remind Jacinta car doesn’t roll too well when gear is in park!) and to the blasts of a variety of horns I push the car round the corner. 37 degree heat and 80% humidity did not help. A nice shop keeper gave me a chair to sit on while waiting for lift.

I am learning to really love the way they do things here, nothing is too big or too much trouble. They think grand and do things we would normally put in the too hard basket.  They work with a smile.

 Life is so different here and we feel we are operating here well individually and as a family. We also seem to be having an effect on the staff. Last week a hand made card arrived for us in the “suggestion box” we have set up in the staff devotion room. I won’t go into the whole card, but it started off on the outside “Open with a smile” and went to start inside addressed “To our beloved Mr and Mrs Garty…” with some personal messages of support and thanks. Another staff member, in a very nervous way came up with a small package containing two items, one she gave to me. It was like a small trophy which had “Dear Teacher” on the top and a short verse about me as a teacher, the other was for Jacinta, who all the staff call “Mrs Andrew” or “Dear Miss!!” was a trophy like item with a verse on teachers.  I often get referred to as  “my sir”.   Some of the primary teachers have really taken our ideas on board and have positively changed the way they teach.  Even Emma has taught her teacher a lot on how to teach children who are different.  The people we are working with are so accepting of us and appreciate what we are trying to do. We are making a difference. It is a very humbling experience.

Making our own entertainment, ten pin bowling on the basketall courts!!!

It was an incredibly busy week but it was all involving school. We have finally finished a huge term that started on 6^th of January and “officially” ended on the 10^th of April. Exams have occurred all this week and I do mean ALL. The students (and staff unfortunately) had to turn up on Saturday to do exam sessions and the 6 day week certainly had taken its toll on me, I feel so sorry for the poor students. I am going to see if we can change accepted practice and avoid this happening in the future.

Emma had finished school (and therefore so had Jacinta) for the term and gets a wonderful 4 week break, and Sarah had her last exam last Monday. I was involved with the senior Chemistry class in tutorials all this week in preparation for the Cambridge exams. The week after this there is to be a huge Christian youth camp (600 13-35year olds) at the school for 4 days in the second week of the holidays and I am involved in presenting a session during the week. I have no idea what to present.

We finally get a break as a whole family on 19^th of April and that is when the fun starts. Last week we booked a tour with a company called BlueLanka (sounds like a naughty website, but they have had very good reviews in Trip Advisor, a travel website). We will be travelling for two weeks and getting a really good look at this beautiful country. We get picked up in Jaffna and are taken by driver / tour guide in a private vehicle and the company takes care of the whole lot. We need the break and are going to enjoy having someone else do all our worrying for us.

We will fill you in on some the wonders we get to see as we travel. The girls are in seventh heaven as almost all accommodation has a pool!

Take care everyone and please keep in touch