Marvelous Monsoon

Watching the weather segment of BBC World, I am informed that "the Monsoon has come early to many parts of Southern India and Sri Lanka". No kidding.

Since Saturday, the torpid heat has been replaced by a tumultuous, ever-changing maelstrom of showers, winds and lightning. For those of us of European stock it is quite a relief after the last couple of months.

Our apartment is up high and looks out over the famous Galle Face Green to the ocean (don't get excited, there's a 4 lane thoroughfare, squillions of people and myriads of rubbish also in this picture). We sit in the safety of our living room with our backs to the TV, watching the storms roll in. From about 15 mins away (DY help me out here - how far would that be?) we can see the sky turn black, and this squally mess approaching. The countdown begins for real. 10 mins away and the windows start shaking due to the strength of the wind. I get up to make sure the balcony door is locked. 5 mins away and the rain pounds down onto the glass, and the lightning bolts strafe the air. BLASTOFF, it hits, and we can literally see nothing except this white swirling dervish of cloud. We can hear the rain but can't see it, and the wind sounds like a mini-tornado.

This sensation only lasts for about 15 mins, and as soon as it has arrived, blows out again. This happens several times a day, and leaves me exhilarated every time - I feel like one of those thrill-seekers that chase tornadoes!!! Hardly, but it is wild, wild, weather and to be rejoiced in in a primeaval sort of way.

Juggling Act

Back in SL Dunc and I are doing the juggle of career aspirations, life aspirations, location aspirations to name a few!

Given the contractual nature of this "industry" it seems fairly common for couples i.e. we've met several, to be apart for short or even long (often unsustainably) periods of time whilst they follow their career/ life goals. Regularly one individual finds a job in Afghanistan (for argument's sake) and leaves a partner behind somewhere whilst they try to find employment in the same location. Often the partner just tags along and picks something up when they arrive. Other times they are happy to be unemployed or volunteer. And some seem quite happy for their spouse to be off in some forsaken part of the world whilst they have access to the bank account in (delete as appropriate) New York/ Paris/ Geneva!

To me it's a human resources disaster and costs the organizations involved a fortune. The opportunity costs of an expert (take Watsan for example) leaving Sri Lanka mid-project, 'cos his missus hasn't been able to gain employment is astronomical. Often the replacement is recruited from overseas with a huge time-lag and in the interim, the existing staff have to "cover". Why no consultancy has worked out that there's a shadow market in "spousal" employment to mirror the work being done by the contracted employee is beyond me. And I am incredulous as to why these international organizations persist in shipping people around the globe for often ridiculously short periods of time, with no hand-over at beginning or end of projects/ contracts, only to do the same thing over and over again. What no doubt started as a way of maintaining flexibility for the organization now seems to serve the opposite function and hamstring them.

Of course there are financial implications on an individual level to all this, and if you've got a mortgage as big as ours, then even contemplating work in the development field is CRAZY. But that doesn't stop me as it's where I want to be. Poor old DY is left playing the role of the "sensible" one, trying to keep my feet on the ground (and not in the air on the way to Afghanistan etc etc) and a roof over our head. I of course would rather face the practicalities later (like when I'm 80) ..... but I write this safe in the knowledge that I do still have a roof over my head!

What a dilemma. So watch this space - we could end up anywhere, or nowhere, but rest assured one factor will remain constant, there'll always be dogs that need rescuing .....

Lazy weekend recovery

Snoozy, recuperating w/e post a long flight, getting back into the heat and vibe of Colombo.

A fun friday night with friends and colleagues in the bar at the bottom of our hotel, catching up on the NGO gossip in the goldfishbowl that is the expat community in Colombo. Who did what, who's project is going (or not), common frustrations, funny life stories, getting funnier by the beer. Roll out at 11.30pm and not looking forward to feeding the pooches at 6am!

Saturday, lounging, coffeeing, chatting to friends and strangers. Night in with a DVD which was gazumped by a cheezy James Bond movie. Dunc is in re-run heaven.

Sunday brunch, where the talk errs on the esoteric side, followed by the World Food Programme Walk for Want. 200 or so mainly NGO workers from all sides of life walking (slowly, slowly) together to show solidarity for those who can't afford food. Am not convinced that this small group needs 3 (!) marching bands, but am glad of the accompanying police who attempt to stop us being crushed by over zealous bus drivers. DY and another aussie mate (Jon) manage to persuade me that a cleansing cola in a local watering hole would not be relinquishing the cause, given how slowly the cause is walking. They turn out to be right - we catch them up in 5 mins and resume the march.

Back to ours for nibbles and more conversation before a languid crime filled (I'm addicted) triple CSI evening.

and so to work again ....

Cultural Contrasts

Arrive back in Colombo at 04.30am this morning and already it's 29 degrees and there are paper lanterns everywhere - a reminder that I've been away during the most important religious festival in the Sri Lankan calendar - Vesak day. What a temperature and cultural contrast to the last week spent in France in 12 degrees and revelling in the snippets of afternoon sunshine ...

After Paris we jumped on the train to Rouen, which is the closest transport hub to my parents village. Then by car for 30 minutes through green and yellow fields, forests, past 15thc and 16thc houses and chateaux. Picturesque in the way that only Europe can be.

Finally we arrive at this beautiful old homestead on 5 acres which my parents have gradually renovated over the past 18 months. 2 dogs going crazy with excitement; 4 chooks indifferent to our presence, and oh the serenity!

Over the next few days I meet their delightful neighbours and friends; go to the local market; eat crepes in the village square; um and ah at the local hypermarche and generally feel a million miles away from development work in Sri Lanka. Food for the soul.

Body and Soul held together.....

I defy anyone to have a bad time in Paris. Truly, if you're not swept up in it's manifest charms then there's something seriously wrong.

For me Paris is about ambling through the streets, watching the stylish men and women who are graced with living there go about their daily lives. Yes there's the museums and galleries (or as we say in Oz "kulcha"), but my pleasure is gained from wandering, voyeuring, eating and drinking.

There is so much that is "right" about the French way and attitude to life. Like 3 hour lunch breaks with wine; like sitting in the park all afternoon chatting to friends and enjoying the spring sunshine; like being able to take your pooch anywhere you feel like it; like children falling asleep at your dinner table, exhausted and a little bit inebriated at 10pm; like women who are confident in their own appeal no matter their age.

Ma mere booked an apartment adjacent to the Sorbonne which was just divine, and looking out over the rooftops of the other apartments listening to other peoples lives I just breathed it all in.

And aside from the spiritual rejuvenation of a few days in one of the most attractive and easy cities in the world there are of course more temporal attractions, such as the food. I confess to going a little crazy (hey; you try 5 months of SL cuisine and you'd go crazy too!). Day 1 I had 2 butter filled croissants for breakfast followed by a 2 course lunch. I've never eaten 2 croissants before in my life, never mind 2 genuine French croissants in 1 sitting!!!! and I have to confess it went downhill from there ....

Now sitting looking out over the paddock behind my folks place - a 16thc farmhouse in Normandie which they've gradually been renovating - fabulous - and feeling today as if my luck is looking up - it doesn't get much better than this, surely?

Gay Paris

Oh to be in Paris in the springtime ..... say I, in Paris in 10 degrees!!!!! I kid you not, it's freezing, and I can barely walk for the four tshirts i'm wearing, but who cares? it's Paris and it's fab .....

the story so far - flight with the national childrens under 2 year choir - only 10.5 hrs, followed by a surprisingly easy trip in from CDG, rendezvous chez mater and pater and back to the "compact and bijou" (it is Paris) apartement, which is superbly located in St Germaine. now officially part of the Left Bank (man).

anyway 1st day we started with lofty aspirations of the Musee Rodin; only to be distracted by the charms of Zara and lunch - well, I'm only human!!!

now writing this on the world's most frustrating keyboard which in fabulously French tradition is different from those sold in the rest of the GLOBE!

VIVE LA FRANCE

Democrazy

How we love democracy in the West. We just can't get enough of it. If you think about the number of times (or number of idiots) you've heard say: "it's my democratic right" or "you can't do that, it's undemocratic". In fact we love it so much we think everyone else should have it (Iraq), but we're not so keen if they use it to vote for someone we don't like (Palestine).

ANNNNYYYYWWWAAAYYYSSS

I've been mentally collecting quotes whilst I've been here, because some of the East meets West, English meets (tick as appropriate) Tamil/ Sinhala/ Russian/ Dutch/ Danish/ American/ Latvian/ Macedonian/ French/ Australian ..... interactions are absolutely hysterical. I regularly find myself pondering how someone can "make" a remote control (read fix); what exactly is meant by "go and come" (I'll be back); "I'll end it" (I'll just finish what I'm doing); "Off it?" (Shall I turn the printer/ computer off?) etc etc etc

But my all-time favourite so far (I am still accepting entrants), was when I had a conversation with my boss about the project I've been working on (rolling out a performance appraisal system throughout the organisation), and said that I'd like to conduct a small staff-survey. He looked blank, so I explained that it would be useful to find out what familiarity/ understanding the employees had of performance appraisals, which would enable me to target the training to the appropriate level.

Looking indignant at the very suggestion, he puffed out his chest and in his broad (through the nose) northern European English responded: "It's not a democracy you know". Priceless.

Dinner with the DAWG people

As has been the way in Oz, a pleasing spin-off from our passion for dawgs has been that we have made lots of two-legged friends as well.

It may have sounded from previous blogs as if we've been puppy-rearing and dog-feeding on our lonesome, but in fact this burden has been shared with Deb, a no-nonsense, forty-something from the back of beyond North QLD, and her husband Hamza, a mad Sri Lankan animal lover. They live in a block of flats on the other side of the car park and are our closest neighbours.

So to celebrate the success of re-homing the pups they invited us round to dinner last week. We arrived on time (always), much to Deb's surprise as that is almost rude in SL. We walked into this palatial apartment decorated in an Asian theme, which as it turns out is in a block that Hamza's father built and is still managed by their family. The apartment looks as if it should be in Vogue living - Deb has worked in Indonesia and done a lot of travelling, and Hamza it seems lived in Switzerland for 20 years - so they've got a fairly eclectic collection of 'bits'. At the end of the 40 ft dining cum living area is the piece de la resistance, the bar. Complete with golf trophies and Oz paraphernalia it is a truly masculine domain in what is otherwise a tastefully decorated apartment!

We meet a lovely German couple (architects) who have been living and working in Colombo for 12 years - (I can only begin to imagine how hard it would be to get building projects off the ground here), and an interesting English couple - the wife runs the Next factory which is based near the airport.

True to form in SL we sit down for dinner just after 9pm (early) and DY and I stagger out of there at about 2am. I know things are going seriously downhill when Hamza brings out the grappa, and Liz (the English girl) tearfully starts to tell me that she know's she's being selfish not having children.

Making polite apologies we exit stage left and saunter home, to be greeted by our dawgs in the flesh, standing around the hotel fishpond, staring into it. From behind you can imagine the conversation bubble coming over their heads saying: "But you said you'd go in first" "no, after you". I call them over and after cuddles send them all off to bed - the hotel would be less than amused to find a fishless pond ....

Postscript: Wake up with a hangover from hell which is only alleviated by the prospect of brunch and not having to think or cook for myself. It was a great night, and surprisingly we didn't talk 'shop' all night!