So, here you go: Tsunami Birdhouses on Flickr

I’ll try to try to leave the following gallery relatively static, but will try to tidy up the store and remove products no longer available, on a regular basis. Please let me know if this is satisfactory.

I enjoy Sri Lanka immensely. The beaches, the mountains, the wildlife and birds, the smiles that come from everywhere. Still, I have a couple of complaints. Forgive me or the rant, but are you listening?

The country is effing hot. The heat and humidity never end. I think Southeast Asian cultures eat a lot of chilies simply to make sweating more efficient. I’m sweating constantly. Every day I seem women wearing black burkas walking around under the noon sun and wonder how they don’t consider their religious clothing requirement torture.

I used to say places like Florida and Hawaii were so humid that one has to take a bath five minutes after getting out of the shower. In Sri Lanka, one has to take another shower WHILE IN the shower.

Ceiling fans, which are common here, provide some relief from the mozzies and the heat. But from room to room, I find there are two settings–slow and prepare for take-off. The latter speed provides some relief from the heat but the mechanism holding the fan to the ceiling–a small metal rod with a base and a couple of screws directly above the bed–is precarious to say the least. It jostles and shakes and looks so flimsy it’s hard to sleep for fear the thing will lose its hold and, well, you get the picture.

This leads me to my second complaint. The whole of Sri Lanka needs to discover mattresses. No matter where one goes, often even to the best hotels, mattresses comprise little more than a five- or six-inch thick “pad” stuffed with, I don’t know, something hard. Marbles maybe. Wing nuts. I imagine there’s a great opportunity for a mattress revolution here. I suppose I can add that to the list of other conflicts.

I most certainly am craving my own mattress. A little California weather. A meal that does NOT include either rice OR curry. Some relief from the heat for chrissakes! Sri Lanka, I love you, but as an outsider sometimes you can be a grind!

Image : Aníbal Pees

I love Sri Lankan food. LOVE it. Spicy. Rice and Curry. Deviled (hot!) fish and pork and calamari. Jack fruit. But after months in the country I begin to need something different: pizza. A burger. Nachos. Mmmmm. That’s why it’s unusual for me to crave a Sri Lankan restaurant in the US, in Santa Cruz, called the Pearl of the Ocean. It’s legitimate Sri Lanka fare, but owner Ayoma pairs foods in her own refreshing way. If you’re in the area, check it out and let me know what you think.

I just received this photo from a new (birdhouse) owner in Bend, Oregon. It always pleases me to see photos from happy homeowners and this is the first I’ve seen yet with snow!

Happy new year to all. Here’s to a new year (and decade) of peace, joy, and economic recovery.

Orange Dogwood Bowl by Diana Fayt

I never meant this site to be categorized as a blog, so much as an information portal for our efforts in Sri Lanka. Still, from time to time I’m compelled to highlight a political or human rights issue in Sri Lanka that consumes me or to describe for a few people in the United States the wonderful sides of Sri Lanka: the birds, the coconuts, the friendly people, the art. So many things.

Although having carried the burden of ethnic conflict for decades, and while operating under many questionable policies even now, Sri Lanka remains a place of great beauty, culture, and mystery. I personally have frequently been seduced by that side of the country, and it’s in that spirit I try to bring up the joys of the place for my American audience, which represents the majority, just ahead of my Sri Lankan audience.

I’d like to take a bit of a departure here, however, and reverse the formula.

I’m often amazed and impressed by the support that comes my way in forms practical and creative, compassionate and challenging. Usually that support comes by way of outstanding individuals who have somehow crossed my path and decided for reasons of their own that Sri Lanka (even if they don’t have a personal connection to the place) is full of bright lives looking for a new beginning. If I’m lucky, someone who I’ll intersect with will not only feel that, but will also decide to make, a connection with me that’s more personal, and even generative, where projects merge and take new shapes.

It Must Be Fayt

The most recent person to approach me in this context is a woman named Diana Fayt. She has a varied and rich genealogical history–a mix of American, Hungarian, and probably a few other ingredients. She’s well-traveled, well-educated, and from the sound of things, a damn fine cook.

But for my purposes here, I wanted to call her out for her skills as an extremely talented artist. She is what she calls a “ceramicist.” Someone who works with clay as a major medium for creating works of art that are not only functional, but original and beautiful. She has a talent and style all her own and if you check out some pictures of her work, I’m pretty sure you’d agree. (Her One Black Bird blog isn’t half bad, either.)

It never ceases to astound me when someone comes forward and says something along the lines of “Hey, I LOVE the concept of the tsunami birdhouses. Please tell me more.” Or, simply, “How can I help? I don’t want anything but to show appreciation for what you’re doing and to support the progress of people who have experienced things I can’t imagine but who now might find a better way.”

That is Miss Fayt. People like her, in my view, could use a little recognition all their own, even though (or especially?) they haven’t asked for it. So if you’d like to celebrate her along with me, let me ask just this: It doesn’t matter if you’re from the U.S. or Sri Lanka, from Japan or Timbuktu, please consider sending her a thank you email. Or visit her site and just be inspired by her work. Or, perhaps, just do something to support someone else unselfishly. Someone you know, someone you don’t know, someone you want to know. It doesn’t matter.

My guess is it will be you who experiences the greatest joy.

Indi recently published a post that might appeal to doctors who have a little time to travel and volunteer their skills. Medical services are in great need for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) at camps in the north. If you’re interested in helping and have the time to travel to Sri Lanka, get in touch and we can discuss it further.

Shortly before the medical post, Indi also summarized some of the main concerns of IDPs, so anyone interested might read that for some context about the population in need.

Yesterday I awoke to an email containing a video showing the wounds of a young boy whose leg had been hacked off by an axe near where the leg joins the hip. Gruesome is an understatement. The video claims the incident was the work of the Tamil Tigers, who punished the boy for trying to escape from their last stronghold. The video ends reporting the boy “died mercifully” then goes on to show close-ups of his wounds.

While not nearly as gruesome, below is an alarming video summarizing the situation in camps for Internally Displaced Persons from Sri Lanka’s formerly occupied Tamil Tiger territory. The sources are anonymous Sri Lanka aid workers on site and, as is typical, the Sri Lanka military labels the work as LTTE propaganda. The most obvious question, for me at least, is if everything is on the up and up, why not allow independent/international aid workers and journalists access to these sites?

Remember, this is a small country around the size of West Virginia in the United States. Everything that happens is essentially only a day-trip’s distance from wherever you are. Suffering is palpable right now. Most Sri Lankan’s I know are used to it t some degree, but I’m not.

Don’t get me wrong–Sri Lanka CAN be a sort of paradise. But right now it’s only potential. Kind of like a high IQ. The country has the resources to emerge in the world as a setting of limitless wonders. Will the people running it persistently apply themselves to that end?

After much “back-room” deliberation, P2P Rescue project partner Paavima has decided to, at least temporarily, put a hold on new efforts. The people I met and worked with on and around Paavima are some of the most creative, inspiring, and selfless people I have ever met (both within Sri Lanka and the myriad supporters from countries around the world). These are people who volunteered a great deal of time and energy and asked for nothing in return. In most cases, they worked out-of-pocket and paid for their own flights and other expenses, just so they could help in the aftermath of the tsunami.

Along the way, I think, the southern coast of Sri Lanka in the area of Matara has become somewhat of a second home to many involved with Paavima–a place where we recognize faces, remember the walking paths to family homes, and have great memories of the meals and traditions we’ve shared as invited members of these communities.

For now, however, circumstances being what they are, there comes a time when it’s smarter to put a project “on hold” rather than labor through inefficiencies and outright dangers caused by elements far outside our control. We hope conditions in Sri Lanka change soon and that Paavima will find a suitable new environment for continuing what we all set out accomplish as early as 2005.

As usual, if you have an interest in this project or wish to learn more, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. — Sean Kelly

Official Statement from Paavima (www.paavima.org):

Due to the resurgence of the conflict in 2008, Paavima and its funding agents, MailMan Sri Lanka, felt it necessary for the safety of its staff, volunteers, and clients to close its offices. That being said, the founders are still active and not only keeping in touch with their constituents, but helping to guide the adventurous traveller and volunteer vacationer around the the south coast of Sri Lanka. Some of Paavima’s students have gone on to other careers, beyond the hazards of fishing the dangerous waters of the south coast. Some are now working in the diving profession, some in the shipping industry, and some in the hospitality sector. Some have returned to their profession on the south coast, despite its risks. All the students, as well as the Paavima volunteers, have enjoyed the experiences of a lifetime while pursuing our mutual goals: providing increased opportunity for employment and enhancing environmental stewardship while furthering the understanding and appreciation of Sri Lankan culture, natural resources, and people.

We at Paavima are often asked the question “What was the most challenging aspect of your work?” Many have difficulty in imagining traveling halfway around the world, only to immerse oneself in a foreign culture in order to make a positive impact. We found it hard to comprehend as well. Contrary to our initial beliefs, the greatest difficulty was not in raising funds, organizing local support, or even finding enough volunteers. The greatest challenge was to spread a message of hope: that human beings can persevere. After years and years of half-fulfilled promises by non-profits and non-governmental organizations, many in Madiha had given up hope. Despite aid from dozens of countries in dozens of forms, very little had changed for the people of our favorite village. The single most difficult task for us turned out also to be our greatest accomplishment: rekindling some human spirit that says that man is capable of bettering his situation, despite overwhelming odds. We were not wildly successful at this, but we have learned that change of this magnitude happens one person at a time. It comes not through material donation, political revolution, or the removal of hardship, but through the fundamental belief of one human being in another. As such, Paavima continues to live on in the individuals it touched and the bonds it formed, both in Sri Lanka and beyond.

All this being said, we are still here, looking forward to the day when the war ends and Sri Lanka can return to sharing its natural beauty and culture with the world. We still regularly respond to emails and are happy to share with you our inside knowledge of the south coast. Should you be interested in volunteering some time, diving (or learning to dive) in untouched locations, exploring the gorgeous south coast, or eating some of the spiciest food you’ve never had, please send us a note. We’d love to hear from you. To other organizations looking to jump start a grass roots non-profit organization in the field, please don’t hesitate to contact the Paavima team. We’re there when you need us.
- Team Paavima

I couldn’t be more excited about last night’s election results and the electricity in the air today. America already seems like a new place though the official handoff won’t happen til after the new year. There’s an almost unfathomable amount of work to be done to realize the change Obama has campaigned on and he’s entering an environment that, in itself, almost requires miracles. If the world doesn’t see the change he has inspired us to work toward, many will say he sold us a bill of goods, or an empty promise. If he can unravel the disaster that has become the United States government over nearly the past decade he will be celebrated beyond what I can begin to imagine. It seems an all or nothing proposition. That man has guts, but he also has follow-through. I am very hopeful, as he wanted us all to be. But the task at hand is clearly large enough to merit at least a little skepticism.

Just following Obama’s speech last night in Grant Park, I stumbled onto a site in Sri Lanka where a blogger could only find in this historical moment sarcasm and the despair (paraphrasing): “Big deal. When will Obama lower our food costs?” I hear this kind of thing surprisingly often in Sri Lanka. The country is on the opposite side of the planet from the US and incapable of feeling the results of such a sea change immediately. But Sri Lanka, I think (and I argued on the site) WILL feel a difference. It might take a while. But I feel this election will ripple across the world in ways I’ve not yet seen in my lifetime.

Still, I was curious about what other countries, or people from the US that are in other countries, felt about last night’s events. Here’s a snapshot of opinions from around the world:

World Celebrates… (Times Online)
A Change for the Better (Pravda)
World Reacts…(Al Jazeera)
Jubilation Follows…(Al Jazeera)
Latinos Turn Out in Force (Yahoo)
Mideast Echoes Obama’s “Change Message, Skeptically (Reuters)
U.S. Troops React to Election News (CNN Politics)
Late Addition: Reactions from around the world…

These are but a handful of examples, but all of them show that the eyes have been focused on this election and the message it sends. My own message may not be even as significant as that of the Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who has already sent his congratulations to Obama on his victory, but let me say it nonetheless:

Congratulations to President Barack Obama and to all the supporters who helped make this historic event.

It’s nearly Halloween here in a number of international locations, such as the United States, Canada and lots of Latin American countries. That got me wondering: Does Sri Lanka “celebrate” Halloween? (I’m not sure celebrate is really the right term, unless you’re into celebrating the Night of the Witches.)

I was in Sri Lanka during a recent Halloween but I don’t remember seeing anything unusual. Then again, it could’ve been Poya day, which has some similarities–especially involving costumes. I can’t imagine Halloween is a particularly safe idea in Sri Lanka considering the political/war climate.

What do you do for Halloween?

Photo by stevechasmar via Flickr
Check out “stevechasmar’s” other Halloween photos. They’re hard to explain and most definitely twisted.