SriLanka Tsunami Reconstruction Project - Day 1
Woke up today...completely refreshed and unbeleivably un-Jet lagged...I guess the trip yesterday from Colombo to Galle had tired me so much that my body was able to rest and sleep completely. Its definitely making it easier to adjust to the time difference...Am totally amazed at the guest house...can appreciate it a lot more in daylight and it is way more than what I expected...
Infront of the Guest House-Distracted by the monkeys in the trees
Sarah, myself, Warren, Nicci and Immy-Left to Right
Infront of the guest house with our private TUK TUK :-)
Met with the Global Crossroad reps this morning...They briefed our team and took us on a site tour around the Galle area to show us the affected areas from the Tsunami...Sadly, you don't have to look too hard as damage from the water was everywhere... As we were walking around, we saw water line marks on tops of many houses...The locals told us that the water depth rose to 40 feet, basically submurging all buildings upto 2 -3 km inland and subsided to 10 feet within half an hour...This was evident from the boats that were strewn about inland from the coast......
Ships that ran aground because of the waves
Walking about we met a lot of families that were just coping with life as best as possible...Some of us were overcome with emotion as we walked around the maze of tents and holes and shacks... I was humbled as all I saw was destruction but the human spirit of these people seemed to rise above it all. Amongst all the pain and suffering that was evident, it was amazing to see how these people were trying to cope with the new set of rules that nature had setup. The cards were reshuffled but the social and psycological structure of the communities had already evolved to this new reality of life..Kids were running around barely clothed, some young adults were sitting in their now de-walled verandah and house, playing Carem board. A testament to the fact that despite all the mayhem, life goes on... A somber feeling came over me and I decided to not directly interact with the locals...This was not due to any feeling of disgust or apprehension as some may have perceived but rather from a lack of emotional capacity to comprehend these people's suffering and more due to respect for them...If felt it was in appropriate to mingle without knowing the so many painful stories that each of them held in their hearts..I simply felt inadequate...In addition, I did not want to raise anybody's hope for my task here was to do as much as I can and I did not want to disappoint anyone..
The reality of life for the locals
Litter and destruction from the aftermath of the Tsunami
On the way back we stopped at the Galle Fort which lies near the Ocean..A throwback to the Danish rule over the Island, the black walls stood high as if in defiance to the Ocean...Indeed, the Tsunami waves had thrashed around the Fort walls and had gone around into the main area of Galle....The faint line on the top of the Fort walls was a reminder of how high the water had come and how close it was to nearly destroying and submerging the Fort as well... While driving back to the guest house, I reflected on what this all meant and how I would face the coming 2 weeks of hard labor...
posted by Trance Addict @ 10:54 PM
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