I had a bit of a sad week. One of my favorite people in the office, Regina Mariyanayagam, the legal secretary for the Home for Human Rights(HHR), passed away this past Sunday. The office was closed this past Tuesday so everyone could attend the funeral, which was a Catholic funeral mass held in Tamil. Though I didn’t know her well, she was always very nice to “the new guy” in the office and we all miss her.

On a lighter note, the Monsoon season has arrived. Officially beginning in May, the rains really started two days ago. Basically, there will be an hour or two of heavy rains followed by sunlight, which turns the city into a virtual sauna. Flooding is taking parts in some lower lying areas in the west of the country while Colombo roads are full of giant puddles. The good thing is the weather can be a bit cooler (except for right now!)

Though I still plan on traveling to Batticaloa in the near future, I am still working on reports in the office. Though many people in the office speak English, it is gratifying to help with the subtleties of the English language. In return, I am trying my best to learn some basic Tamil. I have noticed in just my two weeks here that HHR employs really smart and dedicated people who work extremely hard at what they do. I feel extremly lucky to be here learning from these great people. Thanks again for reading and until next time…