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Sri Lanka Journal |
The Clown's DiaryWednesday 16 MarchThe first thing I saw as we left the train station was a wall, along which was repeated well written, official looking statements along the lines of Peace should start growing from the bottom of the heart upwards, and Only when you respect humanity and culture will you find peace. A stark reminder of both, the cease-fire that has lasted since 2002, and its fragility. I met the Rev David in his home next to St Nicholas Church, and explained what CHILDREN'S WORLD INTERNATIONAL is, and what it is hoping to achieve, and asked if he could help me by recommending a driver, interpreter, and hotel, etc. - also, could he come and see what we do so that he could recommend us to other Reverends along the coast. He told me that he was leaving tomorrow to go to a big meeting with all the other Reverends in his order and wouldn't be back until Palm Sunday (20 March), neither would any} of the other Reverends, so I said that I'd stay until he returned so that he could better see what it is that CHILDREN'S WORLD INTERNATIONAL do. He seemed happy with this and very kindly took me to a hotel he knew, and said he would see who was available for interpreting, driving etc., and contact me later that night. Over the last 10 days Bella and I have worked every single day, with no time off at all (I'm not complaining - it has been great - we achieved shows for more than 1,200 and participative parachute games for almost 500 children, as well as making masses of useful contacts for the Autumn Tour) This, the travelling, and the heat was having a tiring effect on me so, rather than endure the midday heat, I decided to spend the afternoon resting in my room, catching up on my sleep. I awoke around 4 p.m. and hired a tuk-tuk for a drive around town so as to orientate myself, noting the positions of UNICEF (the child orientated wing of the United Nations), SAVE THE CHILDREN and other child minded N.G.O.s with a view to visiting them tomorrow morning. The military presence is a lot more obvious here in the East than it was in the South, with gun bunkers and armed military personnel scatted here and there - although it must also be said that I feel safer here than in some of the other countries in which I have worked. Also the people seem a lot more relaxed, which is always a good sign. Here and there I tried to pick the brain of my driver but his English was somewhat limited - although he did confirm to me that some of the I.D.P.'s (Internally Displaced Persons) here are due to the Tsunami and some are due to the Sri Lankan/Tamil political tensions of the last couple of decades. I remembered one of the I.D.P. camps we visited in Hikkaduwa. The strain it was putting on natural resources etc. was causing tensions between the camp and the local village, and I wondered if a similar situation could occur between the two different groups of I.D.P.s here in the East. Especially if there is an influx of N.G.O.s whose remits restrict them to working only with victims of the Tsunami. But I won't know the situation until I meet with UNICEF. I returned to my hotel and was told that I had just missed Reverend David, so I went to his house. He was holding a service in the church, so I waited quietly at the back, where I would not be a distraction to the children. The service was held in Tamil, so I could understand none of its content, but I must say that both the service and the church had a good feel about them. After the service he asked me some more questions on my needs and said he would come arrange for a driver to visit me that evening. I returned to my hotel, had dinner and was introduced to the owner of the car hire company whom Reverend David recommended. I thought the price quoted was a bit steep and said so. He explained that this was because of the bad state of the roads to the camps. My suggestion that all he need do is drive slowly was met by light hearted laughter and earned me a small discount! I then returned to my room and retired early so as to be awake early the next day. 
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CWI Tsunami Tour