Herbarium

How the World Can Change in a Single Day (Updated May 29, 2019)

How one day can change everything.

Downtown Colombo on Saturday, April 20, 2019. The Shangri-La Hotel is the tall building on the far right. Just beyond it, out of the picture, is the Cinnamon Grand Hotel. Behind from where this photo was taken is the Kingsbury Hotel. All three hotels were struck in the tragic attacks the next day, Easter Sunday.

We still grieve with all Sri Lankans the terrible pain and loss that aches through this country since Easter morning. At least for now we will suspend the blog until and later, if it seems appropriate, we’ll go forward again. In the meantime, we are very grateful for your kind thoughts and concern about the people of Sri Lanka and about us   — we are well and safe, and like everyone here still processing the grief and waiting to see what will happen next.

with peace,

D & D

UPDATE: May 29, 2019

It has been over a month since the heart-breaking tragedy of April 21, 2019, and today Sri Lankans are struggling to recapture the fleeting, promising glimpse of what Sri Lanka hoped to become before that awful Sunday. It was a nation healing after a civil war that had visions of development and positive, progressive engagement with the world on the way to building a brighter future. That sense of optimism and warm-hearted openness was something that we came to know and love in our few months in Kandy.

About a week after the attacks, the US State Department decided to pull US Fulbrighters out of the country until the security situation improved. With deep regret we quickly packed up and made our hurried good-byes to colleagues, friends, students and neighbors and traveled to Bangkok, and from there on to where we are now, in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. More on that in future blogs.

We left with the feeling of of having unfinished business, but have decided to resume the blog about our experience in Sri Lanka over the weeks just before we had to leave. The country and people left a deep impression on us, and one day we hope to return.

The Amazing Haylee — the 4 year-old daughter of our wonderful landlords, Chaminda and Ishani — drew us in a going-away card that she made for us the day we left Kandy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



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