Welcome

Hey guys, I'll be writing in here at least once a week to let everyone back home know what's going on with me. Here are some quick facts about my trip:


I leave on October 1st and come back on December 27th.

The flight is 10,000 miles and total flying time is 19 hours 24 minutes.

Sri Lanka is about half the size of Wisconsin, the capitol is Colombo.

The official languages are Sinhala and Tamil, but most people speak English. (Let's hope...)

There is a 10.5 hour time difference between here (Madison) and Sri Lanka. I don't know where the half hour comes in, but I read that they added a half hour for some reason.

The water is not safe to drink unless it has been boiled or is in a sealed bottle.

There's been a civil war going on since the '70s between the Tamils and the Sinhalese. Most of the conflicts are located in the northern part of the country.

I'm staying with a family that can host 5 volunteers.

I have to bring my own toilet paper.

The town I'll be living in is Galle (rhymes with "Gaul") which has a population of 100,000. (source: wikipedia) (I love irony)

I'll be working at Teaching Hospital Karapitiya, which is really big and has almost 1,500 beds.

I'll do a two week rotation at the various department around the hospital.


Some of my personal goals:

See most of the country. (I'll probably stay away from the north)

Buy interesting things.

Make sure I have some ridiculous stories to tell you guys about.

Bring back an elephant egg.


That's all for now. I'll be traveling for over 26 hours starting October 1st. I will have my phone on me in Sri Lanka, but don't call me. I don't know if I'll even have the same number because I'm buying a SIM card there, and I can't even imagine the roaming charges.

-Kurt