Happy Poya Day!

Poya Day is a national holiday marking the full moon in Buddhist tradition. The last full moon was on the 26th, the day the Tsunami hit, so this day is very special both for mourning, rituals of the full moon and the nation's marking of the Tsunami.

This evening, Monica and I will meet at a Japanese restaurant with Yukiko who is here with a Japanese relief NGO and leaves tomorrow. It is amazing to see people from so many parts of the world and connect in person as well as on the web.

A special thanks to all of you who so generously donated finances, medicine and supplies and so many things to the people effected by the tsunami.Yesterday we from AHIMSA went as part of two bus loads (school bus type) of workers to a village to help with cleaning and repairing a house, inside and out, for use with the orphans of the community. The home the Orphans had lived in previously was destroyed in the Tsunami and many of the children were lost then as well. The neighbours reported to us that three waves hit. The first one came in and then receded. They had fled but returned when the water went back, to recover some of their things. The second wave was 30 ft high and did not recede and the third wave added power and caused the buildings to collapse and many of the people who lost their lives were caught injured in falling buildings and the force of the second and third waves.

I think it is easier for those who are not part of the community to do some of the repair and clean up as one old woman came by and recovered a small purple shoe, about the size of a three year old girl... and she took it silently and held it to her heart. I do not know the story and not only because I do not speak sinhalese but also because some just can not find words to speak of all that they have gone through.

I saw two separate homes with snakes and I heard a man telling another one of the cleaning group that snakes were the first to notice the danger as they felt it. So many people think a snake might serve as an alert if future waves or earth quakes happen. There are four houses with some rooms still standing where they share the kitchen utensil's together. They collect a spoon from their neighbour and cook in the open area between the houses as no one's kitchen survived.

The neighbours were all amazed at 75 people cleaning, and came to watch some of our efforts. The group were a whole factory of workers who work to pack tea and fruit and vegetables for export and donated their day's labour (and supplied food and many tools) AHIMSA provided transportation, tools, cleaning supplies, masks and such... The neighbours were helpful with sharing what they had and provided tea for us at the end of the day. We cut down trees and bushes dead from the salt water, cleared out debris which lodged itself in places inside the house and garden when the water receded finally. The water reached higher than two meters and stayed there for days.

We are talking with various groups about psycho-social programs and I am finding that all my work with trauma and resilience is important in all this. The Muslim, Buddhist and Hindu people are not at all happy with USA Baptists who have come in to provide relief and are handing out Bibles. They have been told to stop; they did not listen and continued. Kassapa approached some US Army personnel who were bulldozing standing walls in partial houses. Kassapa was with the team who were gathering bricks to recycle in rebuilding the houses. The military agreed that recycling would make sense, but they had their orders to bulldoze. In order for them to stop, they would have to get that order from their commander, and he would not be back until the end of the day. By then they needed to completely bulldoze the area.

I have been accepted into the PhD. program for September and feel a pull both to trauma and resilience and to conflict resolution training focusing on ethics, decision making and conflict resolution training with peacekeepers as well. I have this feeling that even thirty years from now my lifetime addition to learning will keep me picking up books by Gergen as relaxing reading.

I think I mentioned the man who claps next doors. (I understand that he does not speak.) He seems to clap in tune to a new CD mix (June 04) from a friend. The horn music is great and I think his clapping is in rythum with that piece, (maybe just my immagination!) music can communicate to be sure. I will find away to bring music to our next work with the community. This village we work with is the same one that is also part of the Buddhist temple community. We are getting to recognize them as they recognize us.

This is all for now. the three wheeler is waiting.

Greetings from Sri Lanka!

This is new for me, so I hope it works. This 'blog' is a weekly update from Sri Lanka as I work in Columbo and around the Island with AHIMSA. AHIMSA is a small NGO (Non Government Organization) working with psycho/social programs for children and adults in peacebuilding areas.
I initially contracted to work here with a program in peer mediation with youth, and the tsunami has changed things quite a bit. Another aspect of psycho/social work which will be most applicable in the immediate future is my work and research with trauma and resilience. Trauma and resilience were the focus of my MPhil degree at the University of Bradford as a nice integration of previous MA in Counselling Psychology and MA in Peace Studies; yet I did not know what a real application it might have in my work until now.

I will write on this blog weekly updates of life and work here. Through the eyes of a Canadian woman with at this moment more heart and soul and less head insights into working with people in camps who have lost everything. I arrived here on Thursday night (just a bit of Jet lag as Calgary, Alberta home to London is 7 time zones away, and London to Columbo is another 5!).

Friday we went south to a camp with tents for people on the land of a buddhist monastary. We brought books and supplies for 80 children, hoping to start school (the school is gone, but they will meet in a building that was not destroyed) on Monday.(just told new update- they hope to find a place for school to start by the end of the month.) We brought underclothes needs for women, as the AHIMSA group had asked for specific needs. The donated clothes of course do not include such basics as underwear. Once the word went out that we were there with such things, a large group from the villiage as well as the camp were all the exact size of our limited supplies. We will go back on wednesday next with many more supplies. One woman who is 8 months pregnant was hoping to fit a size 32 bra, but better than nothing.

I brought medicine and supplies from Calgary donations (my family doctor and the travel clinic staff) and the Chinese doctors were most grateful as they had run out of supplies the morning before. at some point it is mostly about cleaning sores and providing relief as there is very little in terms of serious medical care one can do in a tent. The doctors are a team from China, and the tents in this camp were provided by the King of Saudi Arabia. There is a tremendous out pouring of relief from so many nations. It is very appreciated and at the same time complex.

One child's drawing had blue water drawn over everything. The boy lost his whole family and is now with extended family, but his dog came back. small things like panties, or a package of crayons and a notebook make a smile come to some who have had very little to brighten their lives for a long time.

The road was packed with traffic as this was a long week end and many around traveled to see the site of the train which was destroyed and over 1000 lives were lost in that one spot. the train is off its rails and pushed a great distance from it's place, and large fishing boats (the type for 8 people or more to stay at sea (not small dingy types) have been washed up to beyond two football fields from shore. There are still people wandering the wreckage of pieces on wall and houses and total destruction, looking for a piece of fabric from their loved ones clothes, I suppose hoping in vain for someone alive...

Life back in Columbo has a necessary balance as Monica (My friend and colleague from Bradford and AHIMSA founder) and I went to dinner with Yukiko who was also a fellow MA student at Bradford and is here from her usual work in Jordan to do preliminary work in setting up a relief office with her Japanese NGO. It is a wonderfully small world to share such good times with friends!

As i write this, I am listening to a man next door to this office who claps his hands all day. He has had a stroke and now spends most of his days clapping. i will plan to go and visit him, and I am not sure if he is interested in music or has the capasity to play cds. if so, I will bring him Keith Jarrett and some of my music.

Music fills the soul and sort of centres one.These are transition times for me, with sleep, eating, heat, lifestyle and all in a state of flux. I am living with a family of another AHIMSA staff and finding my way there as well. By the time I fall into bed at night I am barely 2 minutes before sleep takes over. Dreams full of flight and fun so my wild times seem to be sleeping expeditions and connecting with friends. See you there!

Take care, all of you.
Peacefully,
Martha