Tricky situations
Sarah here – it’s been a long time since I blogged. Luke’s sleeplessness has rendered me inactive. I fluctuate between getting on with things even though I’m constantly bleary-eyed, and barely getting on with anything at all. In the last 4 nights I have only been woken once or twice (as opposed to 3-8 times) and I feel like a different person. I have a feeling that things may go pear-shaped tonight as Luke’s not slept well today and seems to be teething again – so will quickly write the blog now. I am trying not to get my hopes up. I can’t express how hard it has been to have 9 (no - almost 10) months of sleeplessness – except to say that the thought of possibly only waking up once a night makes me want to sob with gratitude and relief.
That he's gorgeous does help!
Blogging comes somewhere down my list, after the priorities of feeding us all (we’re currently at the pureed and finger food stage for Luke, which I find hard work but seem to have achieved some recent success with – perhaps hence the improved sleep patterns … but lets not count our chickens yet), washing and clothing myself and the boys and providing some entertainment for us all.
Luke and I on a rusty swing seat
As we are closer to leaving anyway, we feel a bit more able to comment freely on the civil war, which is increasingly impacting our lives, but more so our Sri Lankan and particularly Tamil neighbours. (We were just a bit concerned before that we may get thrown out if these comments were traced to us.)
A street cleaner
In the last month we heard an aerial bombardment of an army barracks about a mile up the road, and random shooting into the sky all over the place in response. There have been two more bombs in Colombo district, and the unrest in the North and East has worsened. See Mike’s blog, posted earlier this week.
Driving around Colombo has become more problematic. In about December, I think, the Government introduced a new one-way system that is really unbelievable. Traffic enters and exits from both sides of four lanes of traffic – there is no fast lane or slow lane so it is common for vehicles on both sides to cut in front of you and squash you. Constant use of the horn is essential – ours broke recently and it really made travel more dicey. (It’s now repaired!)
It is very common for all lanes of traffic to be stopped for army convoys or presidential / ministerial convoys to pass. I am wondering if I need to add 10 minutes onto my school pick up journey each day, because it is becoming so commonplace. This week I was held up, I presumed for an army convoy to pass on the road ahead, when the convoy instead came up from behind us and then itself couldn’t get through because the traffic had been stopped (for it!). It was hair raising for me and neighbouring civilian cars as about 6 army vehicles all ground to a halt just next to us and we were trapped and couldn't go anywhere. THEN all the army men jumped out! Guns at the ready. I was surrounded. I presume that's just the drill when they are made to stop, but boy was I scared.
In December there was a gun battle just a few hundred metres from where I was stopped. I had Luke with me and was pleased Joe wasn't there as he would have sensed my fear. If it happens when Joe's there I am now prepared, and will try to hide my fear and will say things like 'oh, look at those army cars, ooooh, how many guns can you count…1,2,3,6,8.39…, isn't this fun?' The road cleared and they hopped back in and sped off. We all sat there frozen to the spot until a policeman noticed us and waved us on. Soldiers with guns are on EVERY corner, and sometimes every 5 metres, on the roads near our home.
For us it is really just an inconvenience, for our Tamil neighbours it is a different story. They live in constant fear. Police and army carry out frequent raids of Tamil hostels and homes – so my friends’ Tamil house helpers report (and news articles confirm).
There are security checks too, all over the place. In the last two weeks I have been asked for my ID twice, and this is less frequent that most of my friends’ experiences. Once the policeman kept me at a checkpoint for 5 minutes just cos he could, flicking through the international driving licence. I was held up for an hour once in a queue of traffic, where the security checkpoints were checking every single vehicle going into Colombo on every single road. I was very late to pick up Joe from school. (People living further away from the centre of Colombo have to put up with this and worse much more often.)
For us it is really just an inconvenience, for our Tamil neighbours it is a different story. They live in constant fear. Police and army carry out frequent raids of Tamil hostels and homes – so my friends’ Tamil house helpers report (and news articles confirm).
There are security checks too, all over the place. In the last two weeks I have been asked for my ID twice, and this is less frequent that most of my friends’ experiences. Once the policeman kept me at a checkpoint for 5 minutes just cos he could, flicking through the international driving licence. I was held up for an hour once in a queue of traffic, where the security checkpoints were checking every single vehicle going into Colombo on every single road. I was very late to pick up Joe from school. (People living further away from the centre of Colombo have to put up with this and worse much more often.)
Our gardener - I did tell him to stop working!
Changing the subject now, I once almost couldn’t get to Joe’s school because of the Monsoon storms. We had two days in particular where we had the biggest downpours I’ve ever seen. Even the raindrops seemed big! Almost instant time, rapid thunder and lightning absolutely crashed across the sky. Lightning struck very close to home - breaking our TV and stereo – both on the same circuit. On the second day, I had taken Joe to school as it wasn’t stormy in the morning. I was enjoying an all too rare opportunity to play with Luke when the storm kicked in. So I chose to hope the storm would lighten up before Joe’s pick up time at 11.45. At 11.30 I left the house in the midst of the thickest sheets of rain, and incredible thunder and lightning.
A view behind our house
Every time I stopped at lights I tried to park in advance of any trees, in case they were struck. I was hunched over the steering wheel, peeking out through a misted up window screen, unable to see the road often for water that at one point was two feet deep! Cars were driving on the brow of the road. My tummy was fluttering and the rational side of my brain was saying ‘go home, stay indoors’. The emotional side was saying ‘but I must go and get my little Joe-Joe’. At one point other cars turned round, and just as I was thinking what a GOOD idea a 4 wheel drive would be in Colombo, I realized I was one of the few vehicles ploughing through a deep flood – less than 300m from Joe’s school. I made it through, but the most scarey thing was the wave created by the cars coming in the opposite direction, which buffeted my car. It was only then that I worked out that my wheels could come off the ground.
I texted Mike’s colleague, whose daughter usually gets picked up later than Joe, and we arranged that I could take her home. I had to wade through 1 foot of water in the playground and road, to get to Joe’s school front step. I hoped snakes and rats weren’t swimming in it – it was murky – I guess a good bit of sewage was mixed in. Don’t seem to have caught anything.
I texted Mike’s colleague, whose daughter usually gets picked up later than Joe, and we arranged that I could take her home. I had to wade through 1 foot of water in the playground and road, to get to Joe’s school front step. I hoped snakes and rats weren’t swimming in it – it was murky – I guess a good bit of sewage was mixed in. Don’t seem to have caught anything.
The kids were carried to the car, and they thankfully both sang and chatted merrily during the hour it took to get home. Though his friend did say in a worried voice at one point ‘but my Mummy won’t know where I am’. Luke was at home with our helper, and I knew he would be sobbing by then – hungry and missing me. Joe and friends in a school dance and movement activity - on a sunnier day
It rained and rained and rained all day. That day, part of the main ‘Galle Road’ through Colombo collapsed. 2-3 lanes became out of action because of what became known as the ‘Wellawatte (a district) Sink Hole’. The roads were all dried in the baking sun the following day but a lot of roads now have dips and trenches that were not there before. Civil Engineer Mike pointed out that they shouldn’t do that, so best to avoid those bits in case they also become sink holes. The things I am learning, living here!
On the same day a person from an NGO drowned because he couldn’t’ see the ground due to the flooding and fell down one of the many open man holes. There were many other horror stories.
On the same day a person from an NGO drowned because he couldn’t’ see the ground due to the flooding and fell down one of the many open man holes. There were many other horror stories.
Taking another leap into a completely different, and more steady subject area, I am pleased to report, the boys are doing well. Luke is really changing into a little boy. Pulling himself up to standing, cruising and beginning to let go and stand unaided. More opinionated about what he wants and doesn’t want – more aware of everything – more a little cheeky character and increasingly standing up to Joe. Good!
Luke is also starting to play alongside Joe on the toy Joe’s playing with – albeit on very on rare occasions. He pushes cars along now (though most also make it into his mouth still) and throws balls and pushes them with his feet. He is VERY into movement and balls. Can’t get him to look at a book for love nor money, nor extremely loud and expressive sounds and movements (VERY unlike Joe).
A very sweet thorn among the roses
He has some nice little friends – all girls! The opposite of when Joe was a baby. Sadly one of these girls has just moved to Bangkok - her Daddy took the lovely photos.
Luke with some close older friends!
Joe is developing at school. He recognizes the letter ‘a’, and possibly his name. He has started to draw things – like circles within circles – which are either shoes or beds. He puts dots on squiggles for eyes. It is all rather interesting. He seems popular and has many offers for ‘playdates’ – from children from all over the world (Philippines, Japan, Canada, Belgium, to name a few, as well as Sri Lankans). The thing Joe likes most is having school friends over for the afternoon.
He is increasingly disappearing into another room with his friends to play on their own – feels like heaven for me to be able to chat with the Mum and play with our babies – and I think this new maturity means that older kids at school who weren’t so interested in him before are happy to play with him now. He has one closer friend at school, a Sri Lankan boy, and they seem to have developed their own 
language (the boys’ first language is probably English – so it’s just using fun English words ‘Net!’ ‘Donald Duck’ etc). He is heavily into imaginary play, and is always a different animal or character. Today it was scarey dragons and Cyril the friendly dragon.
language (the boys’ first language is probably English – so it’s just using fun English words ‘Net!’ ‘Donald Duck’ etc). He is heavily into imaginary play, and is always a different animal or character. Today it was scarey dragons and Cyril the friendly dragon.
We regularly meet up with another Brit trio – Mum, Joe and baby Isabelle (Luke and Joe would have been Isabel if they’d been girls). That’s great – we share pureed food, Big boy food, shorts if they are wetted, nappies if they are soiled. Fun. And the two Joes play so well.
Joe gets tired and often falls asleep during lunch, or while playing on our hard floors!
On the future job situation front, Mike’s employer has yet to confirm whether his contract will end in September as previously agreed, or be extended to December. All the Tsunami work will be completed then and the Tsunami Response Team will pretty much fold up. The employer is indicating an interest in finding another contract for Mike, in another country, and we are pursuing this, but not taking it as a given at all. There are not many other suitable jobs advertised at the moment, but we will keep looking.
Healthwise, we are well!
To end on a trivial note, I am pleased to report that despite sleep deprivation, my social life is good, and improving, since a group of my friends have just launched a ‘Girls Night Out’. Its inaugural session this week was a great success. Mike and I also went to the ‘Orange Ball’ in May (profits go to charity - in case any blog reader objects to us going to a ball). A lot of balls have colour themes here, but according to reports on other balls, (this was our first ball here,)
I think this one goes a step or two further than the others in being completely and utterly orange, with no other dress code holds barred. I don’t do orange, so felt out of place, but more comfortable, in the wrong outfit. (Orange is a Dutch thing – their Queen is Queen of Orange.)
posted by Mike and Sarah at
6:41 PM
