It was off to an early start for those enthusiastic about yoga - and it seemed nearly everyone was! Eva led us through some basic yoga with a smattering of meditation and relaxation. From the very experienced and ultrafit to the beginners and not so supple we all enjoyed it.
And then rewarded ourselves with another sumptuous breakfast. The egg hoppers are becoming a fast favorite for all: a thin rice pancake cooked in a bowl shaped pan with an egg in the bottom of the bowl. Plenty of room to add traditional breakfast extras - bacon, tomatoes, mushrooms etc. - or, for the more adventurous, a range of curries. In the photo below it appears to be a pale pink colour: it was a betroot egg hopper: delicious. (Later in the trip a few hopper pans were purchased so some Australian families will be able to try this peculiarly Sri Lankan breakfast treat).
The next session of the conference started with Anne asking us to ask questions of ourselves, followed by Annemarie helping us to deal with crises and Jane leading a panel of star performers to focus on resilience. Another fascinating morning and yet again the personal stories resonated with all of the listeners and there was much lively discussion.
Lunch was a wonderful array with tempura prawns, marinated tuna...and more curries. Interestingly spaghetti bolognaise was also available, and Jessie thoroughly enjoyed her roast beef with mashed potato and vegetables. Every taste was catered for!
We piled into the buses and headed back to the Galle Fort for a fascinating afternoon learning about Sri Lanka from 5 of the locals:
- two elderly sisters who described themselves as Jaffna Tamils although their family had lived in Galle for the last 5 generations
- a 22 year old girl who was studying and working
- a 25 year old go getter who had moved through a number of careers including radio announcer, beautician TV presenter, and who is now marketing manager at a large hotel
- a beautiful woman , mother to 4 sons, whose family was left with only the clothes they were wearing after the tsunami hit.
All of them had interesting perspectives to share with us as they answered our questions and chatted to us over cups of tea.
They were the perfect example of a multiracial community and also of women who had made the most of the opportunity to be educated and self- directed.
The next item on the agenda was a peruse of the shops, and for some the purchase of superb gemstones including sapphires of many colors, moonstones, topaz, amethyst, garnet, turquoise and more. So many choices and prices to consider!
Then it was a quiet drink in the breeze overlooking the bay before heading to dinner at The Fort Printers with the women we had met during the day. More discussions - hard to believe I know!
Some songs from the Sri Lanka women were followed by our own appalling version of 'Kookaburra sits on the old gum tree' and then it was back to the hotel for a quick cooling swim before flopping into bed after another busy - but very rewarding - day.
Your rather exhausted correspondent
Dianne
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