# Sitrep: Colombo, Sri Lanka 5-10-03

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitrep-colombo-sri-lanka-5-10-03/174283>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [May 10, 2003, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitrep-colombo-sri-lanka-5-10-03/174283 "2003-05-10T05:12:23Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![False\_God](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ee7513/32.png) [@False\_God](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/False_God)\
**Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitrep-colombo-sri-lanka-5-10-03/174283/1 "2003-05-10T05:12:23Z")

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Due to circumstances beyond my control, I’ve been away fro some time. (Yeah, right, like anyone noticed). I thought I’d build on my earlier thread called “My new office is 200 yards from the Indian Ocean” and let the Doper community know a little about what I’m up to and what Sri Lanka is like.

The job is hectic, but I like it just fine. However,  
the next time someone says “Oh, nothing happens in Sri  
Lanka”, I’m going to pop them one. In the what, month  
and a half I’ve been here, the following has happened:

- Tamil Tigers out of peace talks, then maybe back in,  
then back out
- Fifty killings that I know of (mainly political  
figures and informants)
- Our Admin officer and her husband indicted on what  
may be the biggest case of visa fraud and embezzlement  
in State Department history
- VIP Assistant Secretary Rocca here next week, which  
is a circus
- My 26th birthday and first official promotion

All that in a month. We’ve hired a maid, a gardener  
and will get a driver in a couple weeks when the car  
gets handed over. Our combined staff salaries are just  
over a hundred dollars a month.

I’m learning to cook Sri Lankan food, and have become  
ruthless at bargaining for things. Even though part  
of me doesn’t like the South Asian idea of “Rich  
Americans get handed everything, yes, sir, please let  
me carry the bag and open the door” after which you  
hand the guy a buck (the equivalent of a day’s to  
three day’s salary); I’m slowly getting used to the  
fact that some things I just don’t want to do for  
myself anymore. Like figuring out how to get the  
paper delivered on time, or mopping the floors. One  
just waves one’s arms and says “fix this” and it’s  
fixed.

Since I’ve been working ten-hour days  
(conservatively), home life is pretty low-key,  
although we did have our first dinner party yesterday,  
which went well.

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**Author:** ![leander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bcef8e/32.png) [@leander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leander)\
**Post date:** [May 3, 2004, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitrep-colombo-sri-lanka-5-10-03/174283/2 "2004-05-03T11:30:31Z")

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I’m resurrecting this thread in hopes of learning more about what’s happening over there in SL, and what you’ve been up to. I noticed that you just posted in the “where are they now” thread, so that’s why I’m jumping in here. (Hope it’s okay with the mods.)

So, if you don’t mind, please let us know how you are, if you’re still there, and most of all, how you like things…

Thanks much,  
leander

(ps. my grandmother lives in Colombo 7)