ABDF

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Well I’m happy to say the things have really picked up project-wise. After a coupla weeks of relatively little activity, it’s great to get back out in the field. But that’s the nature of this kind of work; when it rains it pours, otherwise it’s a drought.

First, I’d like to mention Albert in LA. Thanks to Albert, we are now able to fund the second six months of transportation for the kids at Puhalidam, the school for mentally and physically handicapped children. Thank you Albert!

We are just about to start building the fence around the local school in Mangikkadu, next door to the site of our recently completed water tank. The original plan was to use concrete pillars set directly into the ground. This makes for a good fence, but it isn’t as stable as one with a concrete foundation. Fortunately, it looks like we might now have the resources to have a foundation thanks to Jerry in the UK. I’m waiting to see the new estimate in order to compare.

I’m also pleased to announce that the shipment of English books destined for the after-school tutoring project in Kattankudy should arrive in Colombo next week. I’m headed there towards the end of the month, and will be able to bring ‘em back to Batticaloa myself. Heather and Dave in Valencia, California were generous in their support of the project, and the logistics were taken care of by Sandra up in Portland.

Sunday I visited three new project sites with my friend Vive. Vive is our partner with the local Batti St. Vincent de Paul Society (SVP). Last year we did a small project with SVP: the Widow Neasamany Awning Project. I also connected them with a friend visiting from Ireland, who then funded several small projects of theirs. SVP is great to work with; it’s an all-volunteer grassroots organization that works directly with the poorest of the poor. I’ve found them to be honest, hard-working, and efficient – no waiting around for a month or two for an estimate with them! In fact, the Awning Project came in around 200 rupees under budget (about $1.80) and along with the receipts, I got change back! So I do like working with them.

Vive took me to see three houses in bad need of tin roofing. All of them had roofs made of cadjan. Cadjan is a type of palm tree, but instead of a big round fan-shaped leaf, its fronds are long and separated. It’s an ideal plant for weaving, and is used to make everything from baskets to sleeping mats. It can also be woven into very large mats and used as walls for houses, and when thatched makes an OK roof.

The problem is that cadjan needs replacing annually, and that ain’t free. Also as roofing it leaves a lot to be desired. Not in the least bit waterproof, during the rainy season a cadjan-roofed house is pretty much uninhabitable. And during the dry season, it becomes the beloved home for spiders (some of which are big, scary, and venomous), centi- and millipedes, small snakes, and worst of all, mosquitoes. More on why mosquitoes are a big problem right now later in this letter.

So usually the first goal of any family is to get a corrugated tin roof. And at an average of 50 rupees (about 45 cents) a square foot, it is within reach of all but the very poorest. That’s where we and SVP come in.

The three houses I saw, one in Chenkallady about 20 km north of Batti and two in Valachchenai, about 35 km north, all are in bad need of new roofing. Each had very old, very dried-out cadjan which, aside from the problems I mention above, are a major fire hazard. It also turns out that the two Valachchcnai houses are constructed entirely out of stripped tree branches, which can’t support the weight of the tin. So I’ve asked for new estimates to be done, with the cost of creating 2x4 wood frames included. This will change the costs considerably, but I think it’s worth finding out by how much, then weighing our options. Fortunately, the rainy season doesn’t start until late October or early November. So we have time to figure it out.

I’ve asked Vive to start on the house in Chenkallady, as that has the proper framing and will be the quickest (and cheapest!) of the three.

I have to tell you that I was considerably impressed with the house in Chenkallady. The family are refugees from the North, Jaffna to be precise. The father and son are day laborers, which mean they are at the bottom of the socio-economic ladder. And right now there is very little work. And yet the wife, Mrs. Viknarajah, has spent a lot of time creating an extremely pleasant place to live. On no budget whatsoever, she planted a vegetable garden as well as flower garden, and turned the property in a cool shady oasis. Having talked with her (with Vive translating) it was very obvious that poor or not, she is very proud of her home and her family, and she takes great care of both. I admired her dignity and lack of victimization attitude, and so was very happy to ask Vive to have the work begun straightaway.

I also agreed to roof their toilet, which has no roof. I can’t imagine the discomfort of taking care of business with the rain pouring down on you.

There will soon be pictures of all three sites on the Project page.

I mention a couple of paragraphs above that mosquitoes are an extra big problem this year. That’s because in addition to all the other problems Sri Lanka is experiencing; the drought, the refugee crisis in the north, etc, there is now an outbreak of Dengue fever. Over a thousand people have died so far this year, and now there have been a half-dozen deaths in Batticaloa.

The government is taking the problem very seriously, and is starting a major anti-Dengue campaign. One manifestation is mandating households clean up mosquito breeding grounds, which means drying out anything that holds water; old tires, tin cans, puddles, and so forth. Inspection teams are starting to make the rounds, and the fine is hefty; something like 2,500 rupees.

I don’t know what the government plans on doing about big breeding grounds such as the lagoon across the street from my house. Or about the rice paddies, which use standing water to grow the crop. Personally I’ve been a bit more careful about covering up and using repellent, especially around sundown. In the past month I’ve only gotten three or four bites, which is pretty good, considering. Dengue is the LAST thing I need.

After visiting the three project sites, Vive and I went to Pasakudah beach, which is just a kilometer or two from Valachchenai. I’ve mentioned Pasakuddah in previous dispatches; it is THE best place for swimming in Sri Lanka. (For surfing you want to go to Arugam Bay.) The beach is stunning to look at in that stereotypical tropical way, and the water pristine, warm and gentle.

It may surprise you to know that the vast majority of Sri Lankans can’t swim. Even the fishermen. At best some can do a sloppy dog paddle. The result is that there are many deaths by drowning. As a Californian I find this weird.

Vive doesn’t really know how to swim, so we spent a couple hours in the water with me teaching him. He was a pretty quick learner. He liked floating on his back the best. So we floated on our backs, eyes closed. The water was very calm, and there was virtually no tidal pull; it was almost a meditation to float like that.

Of course I got sunburned. I don’t hang out in the sun more than I have to. Growing up in LA, I was in the sun all the times, and deeply tanned. We still had an ozone layer back then but nowadays I’m a little paranoid about skin cancer. And the sun here is much more intense than it ever was in California. By the time I got home, the heat was really coming off my skin. However I had access to a secret weapon – buffalo curd!

I think I’ve mentioned curd before. It’s essentially yogurt made from the milk of the water buffalo. It is amazingly delicious, and puts our low-fat no-flavor US yogurt to shame. It also turns out that curd is fantastic on sunburn. Just rub it on thickly and let it dry. After an hour wash it off then re-apply as needed. The cold curd seems to leach the heat out, and I’m sure all that milk fat is good for the skin. After two coatings, the heat had gone down considerably, and I was able to sleep well that night. I was still red the next day, but thus far I haven’t had any pain, nor have I experienced that dreadful sunburn itch.

Since I’m on the topic of food, I might as well tell you about my encounter with toddy two nights ago. I had heard about toddy, but hadn’t had it before, as it is a highly localized and non-regulated drink, and so you have to know someone who knows someone, if you take my meaning. Well, I know someone; my house-mate Easwaran. He grew up in Kaluthavalai, and was our partner on the EDS Project there earlier this year. Kaluthavalai is a toddy-producing area, and so Easwaran considers himself an expert. The other day we were talking, and I told him I had never tried it, but wanted to. Surprised to hear this (that I hadn’t tried it) he went out to a local house where he knows they sell it, and brought some home. It was fantastic.

Arrack is the golden elixir of Sri Lanka. It is the fermented and distilled nectar of the Palmyra palm tree. It is SORT OF like Whiskey or Scotch. When a palm is tapped, the blossoms are tied off to prevent pollination, and a plastic jug hung below it; this collects the nectar that flows from the blossom. The nectar is sweet when first collected, and has a slight alcohol content; probably less than the same volume of beer. As it is exposed to the air, the alcohol content slowly increases and the nectar becomes tart. After a day or two, it is taken to the distillery and made into arrack.

Toddy is the pre-distillation nectar. It is known as sweet toddy or sour toddy, depending on how long it’s been exposed to the air.

Easwaran scored us a plastic bottle full of fresh – and I mean fresh; it was tapped about 20 minutes prior – toddy.

Toddy looks like watered down non-fat milk, with a very slight natural effervescence. It tastes primarily like sweet coconut water with a very slight tang which increases as the hours go by. The alcohol content is low; a full pint of the stuff barely registered on my brain. But it was very tasty. Easwaran even made a curry with it, using the toddy in the same way we sometimes cook with beer. Wonderful.

We saved half a glassful so that I could taste the sour the next day. It too was good; tart like lemonade, although for my money I liked the sweet better.

Unfortunately, due to the nature of the fermentation process, it would be impossible to bottle and sell. That’s what I meant when I said it was localized; you buy it directly from the guy who tapped the palm a few minutes before. It’s a shame, really, because it’s something I know all of you would enjoy immensely.

In the past I’ve written extensively about the huge temple festival at Mamangam kovil; about the fire walking, the carnival-esque atmosphere, the incense and chanting, the men hanging from hooks. This year the festival is happening in July, not August, as is typical. In fact, the shindig starts Sunday. I couldn’t be happier. I usually go every night and meet friends there; it’s a very social thing. So expect some interesting stories!

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