So much to stay, so sticky keyboad and slow connection

I'm in Matara now and feel like I am finally where I am supposed to be. Right now I am living with boss and wife. I didn't expect after one day I would be calling her Amma, mother, but this is how the culture works. The girls at INDECOS are so sweet, always giggling and very friendly. Love to practice English. But right now I am at the children's center, one of the INDECOS projects where Amma Pearl is boss. She would have only had to work for 2 more years with gov't to get pension but decided to do this instead.
All 15 pre-schoolers are very poor but you can't tell because they are all wearing uniforms & also because clothes are cheap here even poor people are dressed well. A blouse costs about a dollar or 2. Amma took me shopping yesterday and I got 3 long skirts and three blouses for about $30. All I would wear at home.
The children at the center are calling me suduakka, white sister. It is so sweet. They are all so tiny. The older children are very good at english and very smart. They have to keep good grades to get their scholarships from Sweden. Swedish girls came yesterday for a study & came over for dinner. Pearl and Conrad love to entertain! Actually, the working women cook here for about 2 hours in the morning, then work for 8 hours, then cook for another 2 at night, then maybe do housework. It brings new meaning to the concept of the woman's double burden when there are no pop tarts. Food for these people is so important and cooking & eating is such a huge part of their day! The girls from work will actually come over to help Pearl prepare though and sometimes sleep over.
It is so interesting to see how this org works. They eat together during the day and we have a tuk tuk & driver so that we are safe. I feel VERY (hari) safe here! But still, even living on a cinnamon farm out of town, I am not to answer the door and last night when Amma and I were talking and we heard noices she told me "Shhh... we must listen when noise. It's noting but tings happen in Sri Lanka." Generally, as long as I do not go anywhere along like the beach I will be safe because I have so many people around me. Plus, the average Sri Lankan is so kind. Sometimes they look mad but then I smile and they always smile back. I don't yet know how to read facial expressions.
The best was at the temple on Poya. The kids in particular would just stare at me in amazement- especially when I was worshipping. Apparently it was because many people would be coming from out of town & so they thought me white skin was magic! The temple was so beautiful.
I still have not been to the beach but driving down the coast was a beautiful ride and much less traffic than drive to Kandy.
I have seen the house I will live in and it is very nice. As usual, there is a fish pond in the entrance but the colours are exceptional- red, yellow, green. I will miss staying where I am but I promised to come for dinner a few nights a week.
As for work, I am learning to be a Mr.Slow. This is where my patience and being in the moment will be tested. Today, the work comp gave my laptop a virus through my flashdrive. I can't see my desktop anymore. Maybe I will have to reformat? Anyway, I have not gotten much accomplished in terms of the marketing material yet but that is ok because I am still getting to know about what the organizations are about anyway.
I can't wait to bring home my pamphlets because I think people will really want to donate to this cause!!! I was telling Conrad about how we donate to World Vision at Christmas and he was saying that he took a volunteer the child's house that they were donating to and found out the child recieved very little of the money. With this funding it goes directly to the poor child and there is constant checking to make sure the family is not using the money for anything but the education. Yesterday when the Swedish girls asked the kids what they wanted to do if they could do anything they all said either doctors or engineers and each one said to help their family!