Last days...

I returned to Kandy and to the little haven of the Kawasaki's. I'd promised to help Lily the cook prepare some food for the lunch they were hosting the following day. A few people were arriving to share a meal and discuss the comings and goings and politics of the country.
The home is always abuzz with activity and there are people always appearing to chat of discuss some matter. It's one thing I learned. The Kawasaki's connect people.
I had my first lesson in making cutlets. This seems like an odd name for the tasty little balls of veggies, but whatever they were called, I was happy to be learning and helping.  After a rather slow and awkward start, I got the hang of consistently rolling the mixture. Lily was kind and patient, although I felt she was ready at times to push me aside and take over.

The next morning Ken was busily cooking chili in his kitchen and Lily was sweating away in the outdoor kitchen deep frying and preparing the feast. I think there were about 10 people to feed including Ven. Lekdron (Ani-la), a Burmese nun and a Monk who all ate first and were the honoured guests. The variety of food was astounding and my little balls were a hit. I only got to try one.

Later that day, Ani-la had organised for us to visit a girls' home. She had a friend from Melbourne visiting and two other local ladies joined us. One worked for an International Engineering firm and the other, Takiri, was our driver. Women drivers are a rare thing in Sri Lanka and this one was exceptional not only in her driving and navigating skills, but also her capacity for kindness. She had bought three large cakes for the little girls to share for birthday celebrations. It was a joyous afternoon and I gathered from talking to Ani-la that there wasn't much joy in these little girls' lives. Abused and used by the men in their community, children as young as 11 have given birth to their brothers and sisters. Incest is illegal and the children are given refuge in the shelter until their court cases. Ani-la is doing what she can to give these little girls life skills and some light in their lives. Check out her website, Tara Lanka.