Today I had a million errands to run before coming back to the USA. It’s impossible to know how long anything will take here, and because of this I save all my running around for one day (or one half-day). Because of this, my godsend has been the metered tuktuk. The metered tuktuk takes the best part of a taxi (the fare is consistent and non-negotiable) with the best part of a tuktuk (the fare is cheap). While I enjoy haggling just as much as

It was last Monday that I got to know that the girls hadn’t gifts to celebrate the Avurudu celebrations though the party was planned for Friday the 24th. I had to find a sponsor desperately to buy gifts: I gave a round of calls and my friend Rochelle came to my rescue. She had only to write a cheque and the job was done. Very hurriedly the gifts were bought, the party was planned, and the girls were so excited they insisted that myself and

!! I was just rummaging around Emerge’s website, when I realized how long it has been since I posted a blog entry. Totally inexcusable, and I promise one soon.  There has been so much going on, and so much to tell! For those of you who need a quick fix…. – Curriculum development going REALLY well. Hope to finalize things when Alia and Ellen and myself are all in the US in May. -May is coming soon! Headed back to Boston April 26th, Ellen to

It was 17 years ago that I visited Chennai as an employee of World Vision and Nadiya was only 5 yrs old at the time. This time the trip was a totally different one, it was a church retreat and it was a gift to me by a lady whom I introduced the Lord to. It was not easy to leave my family and my girls for 11 whole days. I had a lot of planning and never ending lists that I had to keep

Yesterday I graduated from Sinhala I, a class I’ve been taking for the last several months at the British Council. I can’t tell you how good learning Sinhala has been for me. It’s helped me to communicate better with our girls, and to navigate Sri Lanka and negotiate prices with less stress. Along with those practical benefits, it’s also given me something peripheral to Emerge to throw myself into. I have a tendency to continue working when I really should take time for myself. It’s