Friday, January 21, 2011

Day 6 & 7 - Stray dogs and other friendly visitors

A lot of work on the trades training centre in Tangalle on day 6 and 7. More concrete work on the third building and finishing off the brick work on the first building which is currently being used for wood manufacturing. After a meeting with two officials from the Sri Lanka Vocational Training Authority, our hope is to finish the first building to the point where the Authority can install the steel doors and windows and begin the classes within a month.

Sleep has been hard to come by as the night is filled with howling dogs and some viscious fights. There are a few females in heat which has led to a territorial battle at the Palm Paradise. The stray dog situation here is very similar to many developing countries where sterilization is uncommon due to the lack of responsible pet ownership. I have been in discussion with veterinary clinics in Kamloops about sponsoring a sterilization clinic in Tangalle in the near future and Kamloops Veterinary Clinic is the first to step up with a $500 donation. Hopefully we can reduce the stray dog population as it is a very sad sight to see so many dogs infested with mange and suffering from malnutrition.

Stray dogs aren't the only interesting wildlife we have seen - today the girls uncovered a huge spider with pincers at the front. We knew something was up when a loud scream erupted from the building in which they were working. I had the fortune of finding a scorpion while digging around the foundation of the third building and a few minutes later I shovelled two large specimens into the foundation. I thought the black I noticed on the shovel was plastic and was just a little bit shocked to see the two scorpions jump out of the shovel full of dirt and immediately begin fighting.

The day ended with a delivery of bricks that had to be unloaded and stacked and more concrete to pour. We were rewarded with an great few hours at the beach followed by supper at the Lagoon Paradise restaurant to watch the sunset. Tomorrow brings more dirt to be moved, more concrete to pour, more bricks to lay and more fun with great friends in Tangalle.


Terry Lake
DWC Participant
Sri Lanka 2011

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