Expat Life



Scrubbing bathrooms

VSO volunteers live quite differently than other ex-pats in Sri Lanka. Our home is constructed of concrete with painted concrete floors (paint mostly worn off), blue tiled bathroom (1) with sketchy plumbing, open drains, no oven and no cupboard doors in the kitchen. Our modest housing comes with an ensemble of VSO furniture: uncomfortable plush couch (1), uncomfortable plush chair (2), wicker bookcase (1), rickety desk with drawers that don't work (1), Zellers type kitchen table (1) and kitchen chairs (4), bed (1), skinny mattress (1), hotplate (1), oven (0). Landscaping: weeds. Staff (0), Fan (2), drapes (0).
The VSO housing and furniture scheme amount to a hill of beans in comparison to the INGO and the NGO housing. These homes, reminiscent of the old colonial Cinnamon Garden homes, display high vented ceilings, are roomy and breezy with grand sweeping, wrap around verandahs overlooking lush green and well tended floral tropical gardens. Muslin and linen sheers billow about in the ocean breeze.
Inside, these homes are graced with large pieces of antique furniture, thick wooden tables circa unknown, lovely comfortable leather or rich fabric furniture, multiple occasional tables and yes, real stoves with ovens and air conditioning. These homes also come with three staff members: a driver, a cook/housecleaner/ironing person/nanny (if required) and a security person. These staff people are full time. Security staff is on 24 hour watch.
These ex-pats are forbidden by their employers (UN, demining companies, embassies and the like) to travel by public transportation. We are required to take the dangerous night bus to Colombo for our monthly meetings. They receive security phone calls at precisely 8 pm each night to ensure all is well.
Expat's children attend private schools while their parents shop at Odels and socialize in expat environs. They receive large salaries and incur few expenses. It's a grand life. We feel quite humble and proud to be living with and amongst the local people; not being a part of the new colonialism.
Just the same, I'd give it a go.