Getting started in Colombo

24 plus hours of flight time had my son Sean and I arriving in Sri Lanka on July 3rd after leaving Seattle on the 1st. We had a 9 hour layover in Hong Kong that was a pleasant break. It allowed us and two other team members that we met at the airport to go sight seeing, walk in a forrest park, visit the zoo, get a good lunch, a Starbucks coffee. Our driver "Kiru" picked us up for the of first experience of Srio Lankan driving. It is harrowing, sweat filled, jaw dropping, and generally just scarry... it also was accented by a torrential monsoon downpour. Prior to leaving I thought it would be a good idea to rent a car while in Sri LAnka. I no longer have any interest at all in this idea. An hour latter at the team building we all rapidly took to our rooms and slept/passed out. Outside it's very hot and humid as Colombo is just a little north of the equator. Our bed rooms are located on the 4th fl. at the NWMT office in Colombo, and are air conditioned thank God. The team offices are located on the 2nd floor of the same modern five story office building that is as nice or nicer than most modern office buildings in any large modern city. The office runs with a staff of about ten people. The NWMT country coordinator "Carol" was nice to me and gave me a few days of easy work. This gave me and Sean time get a little oriented and rested. Sean and I went with Kiru our interpreter/lifesaver, and our driver "Renga" for a day trip to the South West end of the island to a small town called Hikkaduwa. It is a popular tourist area and surf spot. While there we met and talked with the people at the ambulance service/dispatch center which is sponsored and run by NWMT. The Hikkaduwa ambulance/dispatch center is run as a pilot project and hopefully will become a model for the rest of the country . The picture associated with this post shows the building they work out of. Try to immagine a Tsunami wave over the roof of this building. The picture also does not show the train that was about 100 yds. behind this buiding that was flipped over killing more than 2500. (All trains in Sri Lanka are overloaded, as are all buses and all vans). The tsunami waves hit the opposite side of the Island, and then wrapped around the South and North end to cause massive dammage to the West coast as well.


The people at the ambulance quarters were fantasic. Very humble, generous, and wanting to learn more EMS stuff. They, as most people in Sri Lanka, are extremely poor. Which makes thier generosity all the more touching. Many of them suffered through the Tsunami and were then inspired to be a part of this pilot project.