Back in Male'

So, I'm back to Male' after a fifteen day break. But I really needed a few more days. I guess everybody feels like that after a break. It's not my annual vacation though, just my first R&R, but had to do a lot of studying too since I sat for two papers while in Colombo. So it wasn't a complete R&R!

The security situation in Colombo is very tight. But it's understandable though. One difference I see is that the army guys seem to be doing a lot better job courtesy wise but they haven't lost focus on the objective. One incident to prove this is when my wife left her ID's and driving licence home she was stopped at a check point, army guys were quite nice to her but they refused to let her go until she could prove her identity. She is a Law student who just completed her finals and the fact that she had a Law College sticker on the windshield didn't help. They told her to call home and ask someone to bring the IDs so that they could let her go. Throughout all this they were very nice to her. Ultimately she called one of her lawyer lecturers and he was able to talk to a senior police guy and sort it out. They even apologised to her after the incident. So all throughout I think they have been quite professional in their approach and managed not to intimidate the civilian in question. But she did get a bit of a lecture from me for being careless!

Highlights of the break would be that I managed to get out of Colombo with the family thanks to a marriage proposal to my sister. I'm so happy for my little sis because she likes the guy and he likes her. She is anyway a very shy girl and my brother-in-law-to-be seems pretty shy too. Families can like each other endlessly but what use will it be if the guy and the girl don't like each other and don't feel like living with each other for the rest of their lives! Anyway I'm glad it all worked out fine. He's from Kurunagela so that means we'll have one more place to take a trip to after she gets married. But that will be the sad part, to let her go so far away from home. But she seems to like it, probably she's a bit bored with all of us.
So we went to my BIL's place, my father took a break from his work in Kuwait for this, confirmed the marriage, decided to have the wedding in next May, went to visit one of my father's old friends in Nikewaratiya, and from there went to Matale to see my other sister's mother-in-law and from there to Kandy to see my father's mother, since she is a little sick (One big family we are, and often when my father comes home for his vacation this trip is a must and all the family should join in. We will start at one end and go on for about five days and end up at another corner. Lot of fun and more importantly a very good renewal of family bonding). But I must say at 80 years my grandma is looking fitter than most of the Colombo women in their forties! Even my mother's mom who is also in her late seventies is very much healthy. God bless them both! All in all it was a good trip and did a lot of good for all of us.

Anyways, since coming back I think I'm missing home even more than I missed it the first time I came here. Colombo was good! Outstations were even better! Food was gorgeous! Family was fantastic! Kids were great! And I love my wife very very much!
God I miss them! But 'what to do', my next break will be in February, maximum seven days. Can't wait for that.

On other notes, work is fine. Male' has it's ups and downs as far as I'm concerned, but the worst experience during these few days has been the fact that they have disconnected the water connection to our room. The building is shared by several different parties, the bill has accumulated and no one bothered to pay it. Everybody realised it only when they came and disconnected the line! Bloody idiots! It's been five days and they still haven't fixed it. Our lazy bum ass Administration Manager keeps saying that he is looking into it but no progress so far. So me and my room mate, Mr. R, have had to use the facilities at the office and I have been practically living in the office for five days now, bringing my clothes here in the evening,showering, changing....the clearing guy, a good humoured fellow, was saying that I should move my bed also here! May be I should seriously consider sleeping here if it's not resolved to day also. But I think finally something is being done and they are going for a seperate connection to our room and let the owners of the building worry about the previous bill. I think that's a very good move.

So, apart from that 'little' water problem all other things are pretty much back to normal, the same white basmati rice for lunch with the same types of curries and fish, the same seven dinner items rotated during the week, the same people with the same problems and the same niceties...what a life! Only solace for me is work, internet, the studying during the night and the msgs and the phone calls from wife, the kids and my mom.