September 8, 2010 Breakfast is rice and dhal. There's also watermelon left over from lunch yesterday. We eat with Suni who spoke at and moderated a forum at the center yesterday about community organization and the roles of NGOs and POs. Currently, he's a drama teacher in Columbo but he's really interested in community development. He's lived and worked in several parts of Africa. We got into talking about the attitude of Sri Lanka and American people towards government. He also filled me in about how the current president of Sri Lanka is trying to get a constitutional amendment through that will allow him to run for a third six-year term. Apparently, this a rather cyclical occasion in Sri Lanka history. After breakfast we start at second row and get about halfway finished before we hear the bell for tea. It's already gotten quite warm and my ball cap is soaked with sweat. Jean is looking flushed. We're thrilled to give the pineapples a rest for a bit. We g...

September 8, 2010 Compared to India where we often found ourselves on a buses or trains or rickshaws Jean and I have led a sedentary existence here in Sri Lanka. Other than four or five nights in Beruwela and the night in Nurwela we've slept at our little bungalow at the DDC in the village of Yakalla every night. And during the days it all about the pineapples. Chaminda told me that there a five thousand pineapple plants on the DDC farm. That's a lot of pineapples. Here's a day in the life of a pineapple farmer: I usually wake up about six when everything is still quiet. We're a couple of hundred yards from the road and during the day there's regular traffic. The sun hasn't risen yet and the top of the palms are aglow with soft yellow light. There's a covered porch attached to our bungalow. Lately, I've been reading from the book of Jeremiah in the mornings. I've always had trouble keeping my focus through the the old testament prophets. I keep...

August 18, 2010 My palms are calloused and my back aches. The sun has set on our second full day in Sri Lanka. The cappuccino machine in my stomach that has been affecting me since Mumbai four days ago is still burbling away. SURGEON GENERAL'S WARNING: THE FOLLOWING PARAGRAPH INCLUDES DANGEROUS LEVELS OF ACRONYMS Jean and I are volunteering with the Sri Lanka chapter of World Wide Opportunties on Organic Farms (WWOOF) making us WWOOFers. As indicated by the name WWOOF is active all over the world promoting cultural exchange, knowledge and skill sharing and cultivation without the use of insecticides or pesticides. The Sri Lanka WWOOF chapter is hosted by the Devasarana Development Centre (DDC) in the village of Yakalla (90 miles northeast of Columbo). The DDC is a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) that works with surrounding villages to promote community and agricultural development, health, human rights, gender equality, literacy and civil society awareness...