April to June . UK sunshine, Vesak festival, Eilidh leaves and Valy moves in!

Dear Friends,
I have sent some emails to those on the list but I am sorry to have taken so long to update the blog. Since March I have spent 3 weeks in UK, leaving Zigger here, and then returned to sort out the 2 year retirement visa and restart the classes. I went to  Kandy in the cooler hill country for 2 days ensure a seat for the August "Perehera" a big street parade that goes on for a week and culminates with 150 elephants, dancers and performers going through the streets. Good for tourism but was sad to learn that this year all the best seats were block booked for overseas corporate entertainment.

VALY comes to stay

I decided to take care of the outside dog as we couldn't get her to leave the garden and she was sick - so VALY joins the team and has had 2 operations and is now fine. Zigger is cautiously welcoming and Valy stays outside the house. Since securing  the 2 year visa after much complex dealings with banks I have felt more like this place is now home.
UK was hectic - I was there for the Easter and the wedding bank holiday weekends which were limiting for travel and admin and was sad that I could not see all my friends- 2 years seems a long time but now I have a good WIFI connection I can keep in touch .

In May the celebrations of the 2600 anniversary of the Lord Buddhas birth --VESAK -  involved a magical scene each night of small oil lamps set out in the lane and paper lanterns on every building.
I hope the pictures tell the story but most satisfying has been that we now have all the classes working! I have put aside enough money from your donations to keep going full steam ahead until the end of September by which time I hope more money will come rolling in. With the regualar monthly donations from individuals totalling £60  month I can keep the basic classes going and Hullabaloo community Quire in Brighton have raised enough to pay for the Kandian Dance and Computer class teachers. Without rent , electricity and water the cost of keeping the classes going is £200 per month- for teachers, helpers, refreshments and some transport.

DO YOU SHOP online?

Eddigoeseast is now registered on the www.easyfundraising.com site . If you register and use any of their retailers ege or any other charity you might want to support gets cash from the retailer .
Really the smallest amount goes a long way here . At the moment I'm looking for £50 to make a simple bamboo fence to go round the outside theatre space as I'd like the children in the Kandian dance and play classes to have a bit more privacy from the street and it would mean we don't have to wash the concrete before each class because the dogs would be kept out. It;s a bit of a luxury but would be well worth  it.

So here are the pics which I hope tell the story of the last 3 months.

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In UK -- Met Many many good friends- this is Rosanna outside the Tate Britain when temperature was 25C !!

 Rottingdean to Seaview cafe as well as Preston park cafe, Bond
St Nero cafe, James St Coffee bar Gardner St, Sydney St and Pavilion Gardens-- lots of cake !!!!

 And Stanmer Park of course - cherry blossom and more cake !

Back to Sura Medura where Mangelica the amazing house keeper had got her hands on the art class glitter to welcome me back and Sisera the guard had set up table and tea in the garden and Zigger met me at the airport and stopped sulking after about 10 minutes.


Eilidh leaves.

Eilidh Graham helped by local artist Sumudu bakes her farewell cake before she returned to Scotland after 6 months here. She has been coming to Sri Lanka every year since the Tsunami and particularly helps the Girls at Sukitha orphange. Without her experience Sura Medura and me would be have been at a loss.  I hope she comes back soon!
However, 2 young people from Brighton are turning their redundancy to good effect by raising money to come out here for 6 weeks in September to help and run play and camera workshops

                                                    It's Sunday Afternoon at Sura Medura 
The Junior Kandian dance class struggles a bit with left and right hands . Maybe one day they will be dancing like these performers welcoming a government guest to Queens hotel in Kandy.

 

The older Kandian dance class play volleyball over the garden fence until the senior class begins. Meanwhile the 2 Computer classes are going on indoors and Mangelica and I are babysttting for the mothers in the class and keeping an eye on the older kids playing ,and making rather lot of orange juice and tea and keeping Zigger away from the ginger biscuits.

Art and Music Class

Jayanga and Heshan in Art class making a fabric strip of local shops to go on a long banner we are making to depict the Hikkaduwa Vesak Perehera- festive procession.

And newcomers to the music keyboard class catch up with the theory work before learning the scales on the keyboards.

In the garden
The monitor lizard outside the front door and VALY the " outside dog " appeals for rice and curry .

The VESAK festival.   Rassica and wife Mutu with 3 month old Tarindi treated me to an outing to see the range of Pandels - huge outdoor light displays depicting the life of Buddha where there is a festive atmosphere with fairground stalls and  free food . the displays go on for several days

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Hikkaduwa had a Perehera ( procession of dancers , performers and elephants)  to celebrate Vesak. Adults and children from different organisations paraded in the midst of  cars, buses and tuk tuks along the Galle Rd 

One of the dancers catches sight of Zigger and soon he is surrounded by dancers.

Then the elephant swings his trunk to Zigger who retreats behind the woodcarvers front door.

 Vesak Lanterns.All the tiny pottery oil
lamps in the forests were really magical.

So that's the news from Sura Medura. I am so pleased to report that all the classes we set out to create and the environments and equipment for them are just about in place. Of course I want to do more -so much more could be done and Im specially pleased that we are reaching the people who cant afford private classes and especially because they are clearly so happy to be here and their confidence grows by the week.  I'm  working one hour a week with a severely handicapped 5 year old with cerebral palsy and hoping to add some fun and stimulation to her restricted life.  Discussions continue with the Psychology department at the teaching hospital and I will be looking for more funding to host parent seminars in the Autumn. The climate means that pens run dry and paper gets damp and mould grows on anything it can get a grip on and the heat is tiring and a storm stops everything .Cleaning is non stop  to keep the insects inside the jungle and out of the house!  So working with the climate and the environment is crucial. I am on a rapid learning curve!  My 69th birthday last week was a bit of a time to take stock and hopefully learning to rest and not work too hard is a good objective for the next few months. 
Below are some pictures of the accommodation on the first floor that we hope to let to fund the work here . Many many thanks for all your support - Keep it coming ~!
Love from Eddi and Zigger

Sura Medura Accommodation

is in a renovated 150 year old Colonial style building in spacious grounds. 

( above) the beautiful main double room .
The single room has canopied nets. There is also a 2 or 3 bedded family room opening into the fully equipped kitchen/dining area.
Fans and mosquito nets througout, free Wifi, housekeeping every second day full use of porch on ground floor, security guard,
PLUS ---monkeys in the coconut palms and mango trees outside the window, monitor lizard, many birds singing, coconut palms, terrapin in the well, tortoise in the backyard and Valy and of course Zigger! Who could want more-- and all the income goes to support the work of Sura Medura.
Very reasonable tarrif includes welcome groceries and the house is no more than 5 minutes from the ocean on the quiet side of the Galle Rd in the " Jungle" Special relationship with Sunbeach ocean front hotel for meals and excursions. The Accommodation is let by the room or as a self contained apartment. 
Come and enjoy a superb holiday in Sri Lanka - the pearl of the Indian Ocean.  

February is very HOT! Internet is very SLOW! Classes are very FULL Children are very HAPPY

Harvesting the King coconuts from the garden of Siri Madura

Dear Friends
The title reads rather like a selection of my flash cards for the English Conversation Teenage group!
The teenage group takes a lot of energy and concentration but its very exciting to see them grow in confidence each week.I do have to fool around a lot to wake them up from their politeness. 
If anyone speaks Sinhala they get a yellow card. If anyone says they don't understand they get a blue card.
3 yellow cards means only 1 buiscuit and 3 blue cards means an extra biscuit. ( not that Ive ever inmposed the outcomes!) The young people are extremely quiet . The small ones insist on standing everytime they speak to me and it's hard to know if I should discourage this traditional mark of respect for the teacher or not!
I can't begin to describe the delight of the children who attend the classes at being able to succeed at all sorts of activities. If , as I believe , enjoying and achieving helps to raise self esteem and give confidence then we are certainly on the right track.


with volunteers -Scottish Eilidh and German Katrina

 Moved to tears
Recently an English couple , Denise and Martin who were staying near to the Centre began taking Zigger to their villa garden so that he could run free on the grass. They also helped to paint some of the centre walls and as they left gave me a donation. I cried at this unexpected gift and it made me realise how much I want to provide more places for the village people in the classes.
Now from your donations we can provide each week  1 Kandian dance class 1Art class 1 Music class , all with local teachers and 3 English conversation/ emotional health  classes-that's with me and a local helper and lots of Morph cartoons.
The waiting lists are long and so Ive restricted children to one class of 8 weeks only.
Oh dear ---its not good when they turn up and ask to be let in, accompanied by their parents and holding the notebook and pencil which they assume will always be needed
Morph and Secret Millionaire.
In the English conversation I'm using Morph video clips from Youtube which goes down very well unless the internet is not working. Last week I had to use a clip from an old Secret Millionaire tv programme that I had on my laptop. They were puzzled by the sight of a run down housing estate in UK.

A Cleaner !!! Mangelica is wonderful.
I have been trying to clean the whole centre myself each day and getting very tired by 9.0am. now the charity has appointed a cleaner and it makes a huge difference. This week I was able to take Zigger for a run on the beach at 7,0am and be back to open the office by 9. and not exhausted at all. Ive actually been in the sea for the first time. The water is really warm and so refreshing. I mainly just paddle and sit in it as the waves are rather much for me to attempt to swim.

Kandian Dancing begins !!
At last, after much fretting and nagging, the Kandian dance teacher begins her class on Sunday afternoon in the now completed outside space. The registration sheet is already full and the waiting list grows.

Rassica is a proud father!

Rassica the Tuk tuk driver who has been showing me the sights of the area has been absent in the last few weeks as his wife Mutu gave birth to a tiny baby girl. He is busy every day washing and cleaning and is the picture of proud Dad. The baby was 3 weeks early so he hadnt finished his plan of connecting running water to his house and has just about completed it now.. Can't say how great it was to visit Mutu and hold the so small child .

Challenges
Well I cant say that its all a bed of roses though I now do have a bed of tomatos and pineapples and pumpkin and mango and papaya trees and a grassy area where zigger runs like mad early morning before collapsing in a hot heap under the bed. He scared the living daylights out of me by getting an infection on his face and refusing to eat ! The animal doctor who is excellent gave him injections  and antibiotics and he is now fine. I did feel guilty bringing him to a place of so many dangers. We think he got the infection from rooting around in the garden where the monkeys visit at night.  I've had a few shaky moments in the last month as the internet has been difficult and so many small jobs still to be completed in the Centre and it has been very very hot. But I sing along to old choir MP3s and listen to podcasts of Desert Island discs and Friday news quiz and lately the 10 oclock news comedy show. If anyone has any DVDs of films or Cds of audio books they no longer need please send .
Over 50 people per week now attend classes at the centre and I have to find £160 per week to pay for that.
of course I can allways reduce to classes I can run myself but the music , IT and Kandian dance are beyond even my skills !
The villagers lives contrast starkly at times with the lives of the tourists and expatriates living side by side in the same lane - Wewelagoda Rd . Wooden shacks with standpipes outside next to Aicon villas with swimming pools- and of course they assume that I am rich and own Siri Madura. Several people a week ask  about their money problems and I just have to say no and put my spare cash into the project. Im not sure we are reaching the poorest children and am trying to make sure that  everyone knows what we can offer. Getting translations of information into Sinhala is complicated but we're getting the hang of it now.




trying out the slack line in front of the disused well water tower

 

The last Sukitha orphanage arts day. Care staff are in Saris.



Starting to lay the concrete for the theatre space.



The Music teacher and  2 boys trying  out scales on the keyboard while Demi watches .





Kali, who helps with translation , sits in the doorway watching her severely disabled 19 year old daughter Demi, who loves the music.

 



Zigger always turns up at juice and biscuit time. this is the childrens art group with a young tourist from France.





Waiting to begin the fortnightly film evening and for the rest of the audience to arrive. This was a Hindi Bollywood movie and very very long. We may only have Hindi films occassionally and alternate English and Sri Lankan films. Next week its the Wizard of OZ- (because Ive got the DVD with me!) Whole families come to the film evening which here was in the ~Hall but now we use the outside theatre space.



Frustrations,Progress ,and one less hairy knee..

The mask which brings good fortune to Siri Madura

Frustrations = Internet and email access
I was unable to access the site for awhile so sent an email to blog readers. In the last blog I was rejoicing that we had dial up internet access at Siri Madura and would soon be getting wifi .
Well!!!!!!!!!!all change . Im now using a dongle - the dial up is off, the wifi is set to go but the phone line is disconnected- I got a really good technician to service my lap top and note pad and now neither of them work properly !! However  Ive managed to get onto the internet this lovely sunny Saturday morning when its not too hot and the monkeys I can see outside my window are grunting away as usual and Zigger is snoring contentedly under the bed having been out for his morning  toilet and had his customary ginger biscuit in leau of dog biscuits. The local ginger biscuits are very gingery indeed but Ive become accustomed to them now.
So it looks like Im back to intermittant email contact. My small IPOD allways works well when Im in range of Wifi so its not total lack of communication.

                                                       

.This is me using a ginger biscuit to try to get Zigger to look at the web cam.  He now has a fenced area in the garden so that he can be off lead and run about and chase the ball. I hope that will reduce some of his excess weight. He gave me a terrible fright when he staggered up to me swaying from side to side , panting furiosly and clearly asking for help but I remembered something I'd read and covered him in cold wet towels and after about an hour his heart rate was back to normal. He had been running about at midday and was just too hot. I learned later that a solution for overheated animals and humans is to put and icepack under the armpits to lower body heat quickly. Im sure those of you in the UK will find that very useful in your present climate.

Tuk Tuk rides with Rassica - one hairless knee!

A depiction of female monks bringing a special plant from the Buddha, in India, to a temple near Umawatuna, Galle.

Below is Eilidh holding a turtle in the turtle sanctuary which we visitited on a fun day out . A trip in Rassica's Tuk tuk with Zigger and a hotel guest Clare to see the " Cinnaman " man who lives on one of many islands on a vast lake and farms Cinnman and demontrates, outside his cool mud walled home. how he strips the bark and uses the cinnamon. It tastes more lemony when fresh than the old dried stuff we get in UK. I don't have any pics of this trip after the turtle sanctuary as I dropped my camera there. In the evening the turtle farm owner got a tuk tuk for an hours trip to bring it to sunbeach to see if it was my camera. I hadn't noticed that I'd lost it. The turtle sanctuarty needs volunteers for a day just to help feed the turtles and when they are ready release them into the ocean. they collect the eggs and care for them until they hatch and keep any disabled turtles who would not survive - some blind. some with damaged legs. 

 The beauty of the shell patterns was amazing. And the small newly hatched turtles soooooo sweet. Each tank is signed by the UK benefactors who support the place.

We also went to a spice garden where the herbalist produced many lotions and oils for ayuvedic medecine and proceeded to magically and painlessly remove hairs from one of my knees with a special lotion. I was very impressed but the price condemned my other knee to remain hairy.  

I am planning to create a Tuk Tuk rides guide with Rassica and we planned to meet this week to discuss the booklet but then Rassica had to rush home as Mutu his wife had started to give birth - 3 weeks early- to their first child - a girl -and all is well. So the booklet plan will have to wait awhile. It would give me the excuse to go on interesting journeys and I could sell it to raise a few more Rupees for the Centre.

she loved the keyboard

The Chandrasevana Arts Centre welcomes the locals. 

This was a big event for us as we advertised a film evening to the people living nearbye so that they could satisfy their curiosity about all the work that has been going on  over the last few months and find out what we are doing here. As usual technology was a little problematic at first but projector and sound system and laptop eventually worked in harmony and  we had an audience of around 25 to watch  A Mr Bean film.  We set up a display of photographs of the  arts days and put a line of tiny oil lamps to light the way and served water or  coca cola -cold from the fridge and room temperature - an important choice for people here. Afterwards the requests for a Bollywood film and a Sri Lankan film have set the programme for the next 2 film evenings. It was very clear that people welcome the Centre and the acitivities and are keen to take part  so I am much encouraged by this evening even though rain started half an hour before we opened and stopped some people from getting here.

We have a volunteer, James, from Suffolk here for 2 weeks and he is helping and will do some work in the garden.    We are thinking of putting a notice on the gate to see if any tourists would like to come and do a couple of hours practical work, like painting and clearing the garden while they are in the area.                         

fabric painting of initials

Visa application I am progressing with my visa application for the " My Dream Home" Visa - for people over 55 who are allowed a 2 year visa if they can deposit £10,000 retunable surity and reasonable pension income. Im hoping to borrow the surity by various means as I don't have much savings but my pension is sufficient. Compulsory private health insurance is a big obstacle - extortionate charges but I am sorting it all out with the help of generous friends and all the money is returned after the 2 years with interest whichb I undersrtand is quite a bit higher than current UK rates..

Sukitha Days.

We have completed 4 of our 6 days with the disabled groups from Sukitha orphanage. On one there was a power cut all day. So candles were needed even with all shutters open. The penants show intials in English and in Singhalese. There is such joy on some of the faces-- and some residents who seem withdrawn manage to smile and take part as best they can. 

games in the garden

I won't be able to continue with these sessions when Eilidh returns to Scotland as she has brought funding for them and each day costs about £80.  

Progress!!
Today ,Sunday, the carpenters began putting up the roof of the outside area which will be a theatre space and soon the Kandian dance teaching can begin .
We have found a local music teacher who will begin a weekly class for keyboard and drums. This man is disabled and drives himself around in a converted Tuktuk .His English is very good and I will help with this class and engage participants in some art/ discussion along side the music teaching. 
Eilidh begins a weekly art and play class for 8 to 14 year olds tomorrow and is full of interesting ideas for that.
After the film night we have had several requests for English conversation classes, and this is my inroad to the emotional health/ peer support idea that brought me here. I'm planning those now.using simple paper creative art exercises, adapting some materials I used in UK ,to get conversations going.


the wiahes tree in the garden

 Many parents are keen on the English class idea but  of course my time and money is limited and this is an Arts Centre so most things will have art or craft basis. We are still searching for local people with good English to run the groups and translate for us. Many people would like to set up activities for young people in the centre but at the moment we don't have the money to pay the teachers.

So suddenly  I'm very busy and could be too busy. I find the heat slows me down and I do get very tired so have to take care to get rest time in the day and not take on too much. Tonight a mosquito or 2 got under my mosquito net and began feasting , unable to sleep, Im writing this blog - it helps to stop me from scratching ! 
Off to the big supermarket in Galle in the morning to stock up on essentials and treat myself to some real cheese - I cant bring myself to tell you how expensive that is !!
 I have to say that this project is so very worthwhile and the local people are so pleased that this facility is open to them and especially for the young people. Your support is really paying off now and Im thrilled to see the results of all the planning and preparation.. If you want any information do please email me on eddi.pipe@gmail.com  or write a comment in the space below the blog.
Hoping that there are signs of Spring in Europe and you have had the worst of the winter by now.
All bestwishes  from~Eddi and Zigger at  sunny Siri Madura, Sri Lanka.

lunch for the Sukitha girls





time to leave the creatiive arts day

Hello from the Chandrasevana Arts Centre at Siri Madura

 Pic is Eilidh Graham with participants from Sukitha orphanage at the Creative Arts Day 

Dear Friends,
This blog was begun just after Xmas  but I was sick for a short while and didn't complete it. All Ok now and I was well looked after with people bringing me food and making sure I was OK. Missed the New Year celebrations which was probably good for Zigger as the firecrackers figured loud and long.

Internet !!

Yes we now have our own Internet access and Skype - without a web cam as yet but its great. Might mean I get to bed a bit later perhaps. It has been very difficult to get online using the hotel WiFi system.This is a temporary dial up system but the Wifi will be with us "soon ". It seems the company  had run out of the hardware and is waiting for supplies. Ill then have TV as well , though not expecting to want to use it much until the rainy season .

Weather
Well this is supposed to be the dry season but we've had rain and dullness all over Xmas which is not good for the tourists.We seem to be having heavy rain every day after about 5.0pm which is not how it should be in the dry season but there's plenty to do here for the tourists.

People are off in the tuk tuks ( a 3 wheeled 2 stroke engine with a cab that takes up to 3 thin people or 2 and small dog! )to the turtle sanctuary and the gem mines and Galle street festival and the cinnamon maker on the lake and further afield to Kandy and tea plantations and National parks and Elephant reserves.

And the people are smiling as usual trying to keep the visitors happy

Paying Guests.

The first guests came to stay on the first floor and  killed a rat we've been trying to get rid of for weeks, and I learned what old houses sound like when 4 adults are stomping around above my head  throwing boots at a rat in the middle of the night! Shortbread biscuits
Well the oven wouldn't stay lit !! so my star biscuits and mince pies are still in the fridge waiting to be cooked !update - oven now repaired and biscuits cooked and eaten !
.

I find the contrast between those who live in  nice houses with electricity and a car and usually several motor bikes outside and those who only next door are living in a wooden shack with an outside standpipe and no electricity quite strange.
Many of  the older Sri Lankans seem to prefer the simpler way of living and it is what they are used to and I guess less stressful and much cheaper.
Pic- Sorry about the underwear but the thought you might like to see the shy dog who lives in the outside loo
Creative Arts Days

We've had our first Creative Arts day which was amazingly successful - 10 residents of Sukitha orphange aged between 12 and 42 years came and loved the day. They all have a handicap of some kind though difficult to tell with some who simply have no means of support and no families. 

With the theme of Myself we made name banners to hang round the hall, each person painting their Sri Lankan and their English initial and decorating the pennants. After 5 weeks of 10 participants per week the place will look much friendlier as its rather austere at present. A wishing tree sadly revealed what few hopes for the future the women have.

The day cost 50 pounds including refreshments and lunch and transport for 16 people and all expenses.

Well worth it as you can see from the pictures. --

 

Hanging the  laminated hopes on the wishing tree.

Sisera who is the night guard come all rounder who was a great help all day.

We are trying to get everyone involved in Siri Madura to make their own pennant with their Sinhalese and English initial.

 

Cahli the adult in this picture  helps us translate and brings her severely disabled daughter ( next to her) who seemed to enjoy the day.The man is the driver of the bus the participants came in. 
So Activities have actually begun and the Centre is more or less fit for purpose. Quite a lot of work still to be finished but its much more clear how we can use it now.

These days will be every Wednesday for 5 weeks till all the Sukitha residents have attended. Of course they will want more but that's the funding limit at the moment. I 'm keeping careful track of the money and making a record for the charity of all activities.

Film Evening 

Our next  venture is a film evening so that local people and the families of people who worked on the restoration can come and see the house and learn what we are about. A trio of local musicians and a Mr Bean film and some home made biscuits is the current plan for that. And I hope to be able to give you news of the Kandy dancing as soon as the outside space is finished and also about the IT training. We now have 4 reconditioned computers and once the installation of the airconditioning is complete a training room to keep them in.

Donations 

Some of you have asked if you can send things. Of course a great deal of equipment and all sorts of goods will be welcome. However we can buy everything we need here and postage from UK is very expensive so you need to balance out the cost of posting. Sea mail is cheaper but it takes several months and involves us in a trip to Colombo ,costing about  60 pounds  and a day at the customs sheds to collect it. So it needs a lot of thought before you decide to send any goods. 

 

I hope  you have enjoyed the festive season and wish you all the best for 2011.

Many thanks for your continuing support.

Love from Eddi and Zigger.
January 6th 2011.