ABDF » Letter from Batticaloa

The Greaseman Go-eth

Bennett Hinkley — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 08:09:33 +0000

I don’t have much project news to report to you, but it looks like we MIGHT have the secured the funding for our well project, and our O-Level tutoring program. So please, those of you who made commitments, please send your money in! And thank you! Well, Greaseman disappeared as quickly as he appeared, at [...]

The Greaseman Cometh

Bennett Hinkley — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 15:50:38 +0000

OK yeah. It’s been a really long time since I have updated. There are a couple of reasons for this. One is that I haven’t had internet for a month or more. The other is that while our projects proceed apace, there has been little change in them, nor have we had new ones starting. [...]

Off the grid, as it were.

Bennett Hinkley — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 08:17:38 +0000

Well finally! The last couple of weeks haven’t been the most productive, which has been frustrating. Most of our current projects are educationally oriented, and the past two weeks have been the end of the school term, which means that our partners, who are mostly teachers, have been giving and grading exams. So while I’ve [...]

A Rough Homecoming

Bennett Hinkley — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 07:06:22 +0000

Welcome to my first post in this, the 2011 season of ABDF in Batticaloa Sri Lanka. I’m now back in Batticaloa. I won’t go in to great detail of the journey to Sri Lanka; I’ve written about that before, and it was uneventful and Emirates Airlines made the whole thing as painless as a day-and-a-half [...]

In which Results are Pondered, the Rains come Early, and a Fond Farewell is Bid

Bennett Hinkley — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 08:17:53 +0000

With the exception of one, all of this year’s projects are finished, and so it is time for me to leave Sri Lanka. I’m writing this in Colombo, having actually left Batticaloa this Tuesday. The past couple of weeks have been very hectic; the myriad of little detailed things that are so easy to put [...]

In which there is Bitter Defeat, a Visit from Afar, and an Uncle joyfully Greeted

Bennett Hinkley — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 10:20:26 +0000

After five years, I know who is legitimate and who is a fraudster, where to get the best deal on purchases and which shops gouge, which government authorities we really need to get permission from versus those who SAY we do in order to take a bribe, and how to set up and run projects in this particularly fragmented (politically, religiously, and security-wise) minefield called Batticaloa District.

In which one Teacher is Aghast while another is Found, Chicken Briyani Strikes Back, and Beautiful Eyes bewitch an older Gentleman.

Bennett Hinkley — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 12:23:48 +0000

One last thing before I close. This can be filed under Very Random Things. At the local market I can now buy – get this – Hunt’s BBQ sauce. Yep, both Regular and Honey Mustard. Hunt’s BBQ Sauce, straight outta Omaha Nebraska. How did this happen? How did it get distributed all the way to Batticaloa Sri Lanka? Is there even a consumer market for it? At almost 500 rupees for 21 ounces (about $4.50) it ain’t cheap, but… BBQ sauce! Whodathunkit?

In which a Cow discovers Rapture, Children study, study, study, and a Journey is Made

Bennett Hinkley — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 11:56:16 +0000

While I am happy that the cow found such bliss, it wasn’t something that I had anticipated as a problem. I’m a city boy, and the thought never had occurred to me, any more than, say, elephant damage would be a problem at our project site in Irunuroovil. I mean, where I come from, cows are something that live Out Over There Somewhere, and elephants are in zoos. Prabha, who was born and raised in Mamunai West has cow experience (as it were), but apparently his years of service as a teacher had softened him up; he hadn’t thought of this potential problem either.

In which the insects rise up, weight is thrown about, and the tongue is tied, possibly beyond all help

Bennett Hinkley — Fri, 21 May 2010 11:39:50 +0000

In my last letter, I talked exclusively about projects; current, considered, and applied for. I also talked a bit about how we go about choosing those we choose, and the trials and tribulations involved. In this letter I’m going to keep project talk to a minimum as, well, there isn’t much new to discuss. Instead [...]

In which a deluge falls, and a swamp waded through

Bennett Hinkley — Tue, 11 May 2010 09:24:06 +0000

Last year was apparently the Year of Water. We had a lot of requests for water tanks to help villagers cope with chronic water instability; at times water was plentiful, other times, a dearth. Our tanks were built in order to help even this out a bit, and so far that has been mostly successful. [...]