Thursday, October 24, 2013

But what do you actually DO there?

Yup  ..it is something I get asked quite often, especially by family, friends and ex colleagues in the UAE and NZ. It was even something I struggled with before I came to Sri Lanka.... the move from a 9 - 5 (lets be honest more like 9 to 8 in Media!) to having "all this time" was something i could just not get my head around.

Well turns out "all this time" was a bit of an illusion! My days here in Sri Lanka are longer and fuller than many I had in Dubai, although the flavor of them is quite different. So in order to attempt to answer this question and to invite you into my world a little more... here is a "typical weekend day"....

SUNDAY (2 weeks ago)

Wake up at 6.30am... those squirrels (or "TinTin" in Singhala) are surprisingly loud and persistent alarm clocks... and if it is not the squirrels it might be the Buddhist chanting from the next door neighbor (he is quite devout it seems). G brings me tea in bed....

Early morning dance to Bob Marley (must remember to position myself so Bus's going past do not see me mid "skanking". This is part of my experiment to start with a dance in the morning for a week and see what is different!

Head off to Unawatuna with Garrath (in the Tuk Tuk) for breakie at Sunil Guesthouse. After that we check out a hand-loom fabric place as the time has come to make decisions on fabrics (eek!). Time is ticking with the project but have to remind myself that I have designated Sunday as a "weekend" so I want to allow myself to relax!

Come home belly's full, read on the Hammock (a birthday pressie from G) for a bit and then decide to head  5 min down the road to the auravedic  place for a massage.

Come home and wake Garrath up with a coffee... he has been enjoying an early afternoon nap...

Head next door to the "wizards house" - maybe worth noting he is not a wizard...but an old, crazy haired insanely happy man (when he rides his bike it looks like he is grinning at the wind) with an awesome rambling garden and 5 dogs! His daughter is home on Sundays so just wanted to go over and say hi...and check out his garden again!

(late) Lunch time! again jump on my trusty bicycle... noting that the basket needs to be fixed and bike needs to be serviced (it costs a grand total of about 2 dirhams for the later). Pick up bread (pan) from the local shop 5 min away to make toasties for lunch (no matter how many times i say "plastic is bad" in singhala I always seem to get a plastic bag! ) . FYI NO ONE on a bicycle has ever overtaken me here in Sri Lanka before.. I am FAST! ( i am ridiculously 5-year-old-ish proud of this fact).

Garrath and I decide it would be great to speak to his mum in SA so we arrange a skype call!
Then we get a little guilty that we have not done anything for the business today (really....looking at fabric does not count) so we sort out the email database and send out an email to those people that gave us their address over the last few years when we told them about our crazy plans!

Homemade vege pizza for dinner (we now have a very small oven woop woop!). Poor old garrath has become designated chef as a direct result to my lack of inspiration in the kitchen... (Sorry G!)
PS: Buffelo curd is THE FOOD OF THE GODS!  and with a bit of lime juice it becomes just like sour cream... amaze-balls on pizza!

Then watch a movie on the couch...thanks to a lovely friend in Dubai that loaded up a hardrive for me! (I know someone that would call "conveniently useless" on that one)  A few Araks (the local spirit)  and a ramble on the couch and it is bed time....

The standard joke/squabble about the speed of the fan (g likes it high...i like it low) and zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz