Today Raja and I left Colombo for Matara with our driver Gayan. The load was so big for this trip that I needed to hire a van to carry all the goods.
Travelling out of Colombo and connecting with Galle Road which took us to Matara and the Metta Training Unit where the girls from the Methmal Orphanage at Hambantota are staying.
That drive took us 6 hours, we did have a small stop for tea and toilet but the traffic conditions is what delayed us the most.
We arrived at the Matara centre and was met by the Chief Monk, Rev. Ratanasiri. After a quick linch, we immeditely went to the orphanage where the children were staying.
We were surprised by a traditional welcome by the children. I was almost in tears as I got out of the van and went to where the drumming had started, I had never expected this type of welcome. It was wonderful to see the girls from Methmal in traditional Kandyan costume and excited to perform for us.
Raja and I were presented with floral sheaths and then followed the children as they walked us to the entrance with the beat of the music.
Again we were present with a floral stem and asked to enter the orphanage. All of those familiar little faces were staring at me with half smiles. They knew me and I was overjoyed to see them. They'd all grown so much and had even put on some weight. The last of the rituals was to take a plate of flowers over to the Buddha shrine as an offering. Raja and I did this and then returned to be with the children.
I was literally mobbed by all of the girls. It was so nice to see them so delighted at having me visit them. I asked Raja to explain how sad I was in January when I went to see them at Hambantota and they had all moved and this visit, I wanted to make sure that I came to see them at Matara.
Six of the girls were fighting over who was going to hold my hand as they showed me around the orphanage. I decided to make them take turns. I felt like the Pied Piper....
As I entered each of the rooms, each girl was excited to show me their bed and cupboard. Everything was pristine. The conditions here at Matara are good, so much better than at Methmal.
After viewing all of the sleeping quarters, we were asked to come and have tea in the library. The library was amazing, it had a large number of books, both in English and Sinhalese. They also had a number of computers which had been purchased at a reasonable price in Singapore and shipped to Sri Lanka.
After tea was finished, we unloaded the van and brought all of the goods in so that we could start to give them to each of the children.
We had underpants, dolls, games, children purses, teddies, toiletries, hankies and a number of other small items that girls love.
It took about 2 hours to sort and distribute everything, once finished, we took lots of pictures and bid them farewell.
The biggest hit of all were the dolls. A lady in Australia had collected dolls and knitted outfits for them. The girls loved them. I even saw them hugging them like babies. It was gread to see. They were happy and so were we.
I asked Raja to tell them that I was very happy to see them again and to be able to bring them some small gifts. After that, we bid them farewell and left as they were saying "madam Julie, please come again". As I walked away and turned to look at them all again, they were watching me and waving. I left with a happy but heavy heart.
Wednesday, 21 September 2011
Sunday, 18 September 2011
I finally have the cargo
On Thursday last week, Raja and I spent a very exhausting day at the Sri Lankan Port Authority inspection warehouse waiting for the cargo to be inspected not once but twice. I never in my wildest dreams imagined what an enhauting and long process this would be until I was there in the midst of it all.
To begin the day, we met with the clearing agents at their office at 9am and proceeded to the inspection warehouse by 10am as I was told the inspection of my cargo would take place at 10.30am. I was also told that all the 49 boxes would be inspected by the Revenue Department and also by Customs as it was such a big shipment.
I wasn't worried about this as I knew that the packing list that I'd provided was a 100% reflection of what was in each box.
Finally at 12.15pm, the Revenue inspector came to look at the goods. He looked at the packing list, the letter of support that Raja had written and the brochure of In My Heart Serendib activities over the past 5 years. He then wanted to speak with me.. I was a little nervous, at this point anything could go wrong. He was a very nice gentleman who assured me that he was convinced of the purpose of the goods but still needed to do the inspection and then levy the tax that would be payable.
He indicated to the shipping agents that he would inspect 6 boxes chosen at random and if they complied with the packing list, then he would be satisfied. He again spoke with me to confirm a couple of things like "thongs", here they are called slippers and I had written badminton instead of table tennis. He at this point indicated that he had no authority to waivre the tax due on the shipment, I said I understood that and hoped that he'd make a concession at least.
At about 12.45, he left us to go and see his superiors to see if I could have an exemption of tax. He took a few samples of the goods from each box to take with him as evidence that it was to be donated to children and not sold for profit.
A short time later I was summoned to come to the Superintendant of Customs Office. Whilst waiting, the inspector came out and spoke in Sinhalese to the shipping agents, Fortunately I know enough Sinhalese to understand that he said I had been granted a tax exemption. I was very happy at this point and had just one more hurdle to get over, Customs.
We returned to the warehouse and again waited and waited for the Customs Inspector to come. It was lunch time and they took 1 hour so I just had to suck it up and be patient.
I was hungry, tired, dirty and a little over it all by this stage. It was around 3pm that he came to our shipment. By now most of the other people who'd been there all day had had their inspections completed and were arranging for vehicles to take their belongings to their homes. We were still waiting and I knew we still had a little longer to wait.
This Inspector again wanted to know about the shipment, he spoke with the agents and then wanted to speak with me. He asked a lot of questions, again deciding to look at 5 random boxes. I was a little concerned this time because he didn't appear to be as friendly and understanding as the Revenue Inspector. Anyway, he called me over a couple of times and then he indicated that he would go back to the office to make his decision. We all thought this would take about 10 minutes but after 30minutes, a phone call came and I was again asked to come to his office.
The shipping agents and I went, this officer asked a lot of questions about such things as my job in Australia, how many hours per week I worked and how long I'd been in my position. He also wanted to know how many trips I'd made to Sri Lanka and the previous purposes. I wasn't at all comfortable answering these questions but I didn't want to rock the boat at this stage so obliged.
He read Raja's letter and then looked over the brochure before telling me that he would charge the minimum in Customs Duties due to the bone fide nature of the goods. This amounted to about $140- which I was really pleased about. I agreed and then he signed the release of the goods over to me.
Hoorah!!!! The next step was arranging for a small truck that was capable of carrying 600kg of goods. By now its just after 4pm and most of the suitable trucks have gone taking other peoples goods. Anyway, both agents said that Raja and I could leave and they would arrange the rest and the delivery would take place later that afternoon. By now it's after 4pm and I desperately needed the toilet and to eat.
I couldn't believe that the 3.5 week delay was over, I can now do what I came here to do. To deliver donated goods to the children.
My shipment arrived in Colombo on 22nd August and I didn't take posession of it until 15th September. There is so much bureaucracy that went on, I just don't have the energy to tell the whole story. All I want to do is get the goods unpacked so that we can start our delivery journey.
The first trip will commence on Tuesday. We'll head to Matara in the South of Sri Lanka, where the girls from the Methmal Orphanage are staying whilst repairs are being undertaken at their place near Hambantota. I'll meet with the Chief Buddhist Monk and we'll talk about the repairs to the building and what suitable item we can purchase for the children that will bring fun and enjoyment to them.
Then it's off to Galwewa school, Seth Sevana Orphanage at Thanamawilla then on to Pottuvil where I'll meet with the children from Panama Tamil School. On the way back to Colombo, we'll call at Wandinaheliyaya school at Wellawaya. That should all take about 10 days and then it's back to Colombo.
I'm really looking forward to Tuesday so stay posted for the updates.
To begin the day, we met with the clearing agents at their office at 9am and proceeded to the inspection warehouse by 10am as I was told the inspection of my cargo would take place at 10.30am. I was also told that all the 49 boxes would be inspected by the Revenue Department and also by Customs as it was such a big shipment.
I wasn't worried about this as I knew that the packing list that I'd provided was a 100% reflection of what was in each box.
Finally at 12.15pm, the Revenue inspector came to look at the goods. He looked at the packing list, the letter of support that Raja had written and the brochure of In My Heart Serendib activities over the past 5 years. He then wanted to speak with me.. I was a little nervous, at this point anything could go wrong. He was a very nice gentleman who assured me that he was convinced of the purpose of the goods but still needed to do the inspection and then levy the tax that would be payable.
He indicated to the shipping agents that he would inspect 6 boxes chosen at random and if they complied with the packing list, then he would be satisfied. He again spoke with me to confirm a couple of things like "thongs", here they are called slippers and I had written badminton instead of table tennis. He at this point indicated that he had no authority to waivre the tax due on the shipment, I said I understood that and hoped that he'd make a concession at least.
At about 12.45, he left us to go and see his superiors to see if I could have an exemption of tax. He took a few samples of the goods from each box to take with him as evidence that it was to be donated to children and not sold for profit.
A short time later I was summoned to come to the Superintendant of Customs Office. Whilst waiting, the inspector came out and spoke in Sinhalese to the shipping agents, Fortunately I know enough Sinhalese to understand that he said I had been granted a tax exemption. I was very happy at this point and had just one more hurdle to get over, Customs.
We returned to the warehouse and again waited and waited for the Customs Inspector to come. It was lunch time and they took 1 hour so I just had to suck it up and be patient.
I was hungry, tired, dirty and a little over it all by this stage. It was around 3pm that he came to our shipment. By now most of the other people who'd been there all day had had their inspections completed and were arranging for vehicles to take their belongings to their homes. We were still waiting and I knew we still had a little longer to wait.
This Inspector again wanted to know about the shipment, he spoke with the agents and then wanted to speak with me. He asked a lot of questions, again deciding to look at 5 random boxes. I was a little concerned this time because he didn't appear to be as friendly and understanding as the Revenue Inspector. Anyway, he called me over a couple of times and then he indicated that he would go back to the office to make his decision. We all thought this would take about 10 minutes but after 30minutes, a phone call came and I was again asked to come to his office.
The shipping agents and I went, this officer asked a lot of questions about such things as my job in Australia, how many hours per week I worked and how long I'd been in my position. He also wanted to know how many trips I'd made to Sri Lanka and the previous purposes. I wasn't at all comfortable answering these questions but I didn't want to rock the boat at this stage so obliged.
He read Raja's letter and then looked over the brochure before telling me that he would charge the minimum in Customs Duties due to the bone fide nature of the goods. This amounted to about $140- which I was really pleased about. I agreed and then he signed the release of the goods over to me.
Hoorah!!!! The next step was arranging for a small truck that was capable of carrying 600kg of goods. By now its just after 4pm and most of the suitable trucks have gone taking other peoples goods. Anyway, both agents said that Raja and I could leave and they would arrange the rest and the delivery would take place later that afternoon. By now it's after 4pm and I desperately needed the toilet and to eat.
I couldn't believe that the 3.5 week delay was over, I can now do what I came here to do. To deliver donated goods to the children.
My shipment arrived in Colombo on 22nd August and I didn't take posession of it until 15th September. There is so much bureaucracy that went on, I just don't have the energy to tell the whole story. All I want to do is get the goods unpacked so that we can start our delivery journey.
The first trip will commence on Tuesday. We'll head to Matara in the South of Sri Lanka, where the girls from the Methmal Orphanage are staying whilst repairs are being undertaken at their place near Hambantota. I'll meet with the Chief Buddhist Monk and we'll talk about the repairs to the building and what suitable item we can purchase for the children that will bring fun and enjoyment to them.
Then it's off to Galwewa school, Seth Sevana Orphanage at Thanamawilla then on to Pottuvil where I'll meet with the children from Panama Tamil School. On the way back to Colombo, we'll call at Wandinaheliyaya school at Wellawaya. That should all take about 10 days and then it's back to Colombo.
I'm really looking forward to Tuesday so stay posted for the updates.
Tuesday, 6 September 2011
Waiting, waiting, waiting
I never knew waiting for something could be so tiring. The cargo isn't off the port, I'm waiting for it to be moved from one warehouse on the Port of Colombo to another warehouse so that Sri Lankan Customs can inspect it and then release it to Raja.
I'm considering this, my forced holiday. I'm reading, walking in the hot sun and trying to stay as calm as I can.
Today, Raja and I visited the Mulleriyawa Mental Hospital. I'd read earlier in a Sri Lankan newspaper that this small hospital close to Raja's home had implemented a gardening program for it's long term patients. As I love gardening, I was curious about what was being done, so decided that I'd like to make a visit.
I found that I needed to seek approval from the Chief Medical Officer for Mental Health at a near by hospital, I did that and today made the visit.
It was inspiring, that such a project could be undertaken with such enthusiasm by the staff and volunteers from a prestigious Boys school from Colombo, all the time encouraging the participants from the hospital to enjoy the experience, develop good skills and be creative with their hands.
We spoke about their plans for growing new varieties of vegetables and herbs and how I could help with the plan, I will send a few packets of seeds when I get home and bring more varieties when I visit next time.
I'll keep intouch via email and the gardening staff will keep me informed as to how the new varities of seeds take in this climate.
Overall,it was a good visit and as it's close to Raja's home, I can easily make visits when I am waiting, waiting, waiting.
A good plan I think.
I'm considering this, my forced holiday. I'm reading, walking in the hot sun and trying to stay as calm as I can.
Today, Raja and I visited the Mulleriyawa Mental Hospital. I'd read earlier in a Sri Lankan newspaper that this small hospital close to Raja's home had implemented a gardening program for it's long term patients. As I love gardening, I was curious about what was being done, so decided that I'd like to make a visit.
I found that I needed to seek approval from the Chief Medical Officer for Mental Health at a near by hospital, I did that and today made the visit.
It was inspiring, that such a project could be undertaken with such enthusiasm by the staff and volunteers from a prestigious Boys school from Colombo, all the time encouraging the participants from the hospital to enjoy the experience, develop good skills and be creative with their hands.
We spoke about their plans for growing new varieties of vegetables and herbs and how I could help with the plan, I will send a few packets of seeds when I get home and bring more varieties when I visit next time.
I'll keep intouch via email and the gardening staff will keep me informed as to how the new varities of seeds take in this climate.
Overall,it was a good visit and as it's close to Raja's home, I can easily make visits when I am waiting, waiting, waiting.
A good plan I think.
Thursday, 1 September 2011
In Sri Lanka at last
It's Sunday and I'm as ready as I'm going to be for my journey to Sri Lanka. Abbie is taking me to the airport and on the way, I'll meet with Darryl De Netto from Platinum Cargo. His companies been helping me since 2009 to get the goods to Sri Lanka. It was finally very nice to meet up with him and to personally Thank him for his very generous and consistent contribution.
After that, Abbie and I headed for the airport and check-in. All went well and I bid her farewell. I boarded my flight at 3pm and left at 3.50 to head for Singapore for my connection to Colombo.
I arrived here on Sunday night just before midnight. I was weary and really just needed to sleep.
As usual, Raja was at the airport to collect me. He had his younger son Pulasthi with him. I was very happy to see them both and to feel the warm air in my lungs after such a dull winter in Melbourne.
By the time we arrived at Raja's home, an hours drive from the airport, it was just after 2am (6.30am Melb time). I really needed to sleep now. I had a quick shower, fell into bed and slept until about 6am the next morning. My body clock was still on Melbourne time.
On Monday, I had call from Thariq at SDV Logistics here in Colombo to tell me that the cargo was still to be unloaded from the container and as soon as he had notification from the Port of that, he'd let me know. It's always a slow process here so I'm not on enforced rest until I hear from him again.
Today (thurs 1st Sept) I spoke with him, the cargo is out of the container (de stuffed) and in the private warehouse waiting for Customs Inspection. Once that's done and I agree to the amount of duties payable, we'll have it all delivered here to Raja's.
Today, it's hot and sunny, I'm trying to get into the sun to get the Vitamin D I've missed out on over winter, just careful not to over do it and end up sunburned. I had accupuncture treatment on my hip this morning and have been asked to go each day for the next 7 days. I've also got to have an oil pad each night. Let's hope it works, I can't have too much pain with all my busy work coming up.
After that, Abbie and I headed for the airport and check-in. All went well and I bid her farewell. I boarded my flight at 3pm and left at 3.50 to head for Singapore for my connection to Colombo.
I arrived here on Sunday night just before midnight. I was weary and really just needed to sleep.
As usual, Raja was at the airport to collect me. He had his younger son Pulasthi with him. I was very happy to see them both and to feel the warm air in my lungs after such a dull winter in Melbourne.
By the time we arrived at Raja's home, an hours drive from the airport, it was just after 2am (6.30am Melb time). I really needed to sleep now. I had a quick shower, fell into bed and slept until about 6am the next morning. My body clock was still on Melbourne time.
On Monday, I had call from Thariq at SDV Logistics here in Colombo to tell me that the cargo was still to be unloaded from the container and as soon as he had notification from the Port of that, he'd let me know. It's always a slow process here so I'm not on enforced rest until I hear from him again.
Today (thurs 1st Sept) I spoke with him, the cargo is out of the container (de stuffed) and in the private warehouse waiting for Customs Inspection. Once that's done and I agree to the amount of duties payable, we'll have it all delivered here to Raja's.
Today, it's hot and sunny, I'm trying to get into the sun to get the Vitamin D I've missed out on over winter, just careful not to over do it and end up sunburned. I had accupuncture treatment on my hip this morning and have been asked to go each day for the next 7 days. I've also got to have an oil pad each night. Let's hope it works, I can't have too much pain with all my busy work coming up.
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