I feel like I blinked and seven days just passed by. The first week I was here I was disoriented and time passed in a disjointed way. This past week I settled into a routine and it made the time go by much faster. Too fast. Yesterday was my last day at work and I felt like I made the best of it. I got a little work done, had time to chat and say goodbye to each of the core group of local workers individually, and even made a trip to Sambodi House at lunch time. Sambodi House is an orphanage, school, and home for the mentally and physically disabled. It is run entirely by internal staff who live on site, and it's operating expenses are funded entirely through donations - no government funding. The manager there told me that 40 people from Sambodi House died in the tsunami. I got nice photos and met the sweetest people, but as usual there was an emotional intensity that went beyond what I can explain in a blog post. I returned to the work site and finished out the day, got some hugs goodbye, and walked away with a slightly painful lump in my throat.

During the time I was here I witnessed a great deal of progress and I hope my efforts contributed to that in some small way. The people I worked with on this project are all intelligent, motivated, sensitive, and generous. It's been an honor working with such a group and it makes me feel good about myself to be associated with them.

I think this will be my last blog post from Sri Lanka. I'm going to spend the rest of this weekend being a sponge, soaking in as much of the atmosphere as I can.