Blog Fixes

I think I've got most things under control now (thank you, Adam!), so hopefully I'll go back to posting more regularly. If you were trying to leave comments before, sorry, my fault that it didn't work. But all the backlog is cleared now, so they're all posted, and new ones should show up immediately. Sorry for the mess. :)

Time to clear the blog backlog...

I'll go back to journaling in a minute, but I found out that my audience has extended further than the States (Hi Ashan, Swasha, and Mr. and Mrs. Dias!) which is really cool. Anyway, everyone reading should understand that this is a journal of random ramblings, and I may complain a bit, but don't worry. If there really is a problem, I'll get in touch with the right people. In the mean time I'm having fun being a stranger in a strange land with all that that entails.

Monday
I am a gallery of bug bites. During work yesterday, I noticed an odd redness on my foot. A closer inspection revealed oozing, swelling, and more discoloration. This worried me a bit, and later when I realized that the bite wasn't closing, I was concerned enough to seek out G., the financial director of the center, and the employee available with the best English. G. examined the bite and then sought out a few more poeple. Lots of pointing and Sinhala ensued, along with the physical repositioning of my foot (by them) to get it into the light. Meg thought all of this was absolutely hilarious and couln't looks at me without laughing hysterically. After much discussion, D. disappeared briefly and came back with a lime that she rubbed vigorously on the bite. G. explained that lime juice will neutralize the poison. !

When I woke up this morning, my foot was still swollen. So far, no one has been able to tell me what bit me, although the popular opinion is ants. I can believe that. There are red ants of all sizes here. I don't remember stepping on an anthill, but it might have happened.

Meg tells me that W. works 7 days every week and "invites" everyone else to do the same. I've been assured by MIjka through Meg that a 7 day work week is not the custom here and that I should be very firm about getting days off. So be it. I think we've come to an agreement with W. that Mondays and Fridays are our holidays, but the problem now seems to be enforcing the point that holiday means "no work." Today is one of my days off, but Meg and I are still leaving at 2:30 to go to a computer store with B., the IT supervisor, to pick up networking gear for the center. I'm not thrilled about this, but it means we'll get to see another part of town and it should be a short trip. Hopefully, after that, the beach.

Las night I was given a bit more insight into the lack of English here. I wandered into the kitchen to find Thushari studying a series of English instruction booklets. The booklets looked very nice and they were probably expensive. I peered over her shoulder. The book had sections of sentences, divided by verb usage. The english sentences were riddled with errors, both in spelling and grammar.

Tuesday
My mystery bug bites are getting better. They've turned an ugly purple, which in my experience means they're healing. I have about 4 of them on my feet and ankles, and they're each about .75" in diameter, so my feet are atrocious right now.

The visit to the computer store yesterday was unremarkable. The biggest difference between stores in the States and stores here is that here, people are much more devoted to customer service. The customer walks in and immediately sits down at a service counter. The employee behind the counter records everything the customer wants, then goes and retrieves it. This makes it a bit harder to browse the store, so I can't decide if I like it more or less than the States style of offering help only when asked.

Thushari made us macaroni for dinner last night. It had eggs, carrots, leeks, sausage, and chicken stock. Great stuff, reminded me of home. Very salty though, and after Sri Lankan food for a week, I'm not sued to it.