Friday 9^th October 2020

We call ourselves “Friends like family”. Our group was born sometimes in October 2019, so we are celebrating first anniversary. 5 friends who understand each other, all connected with children in British School in Colombo – 2 English girls, 1 Pakistan/English, 1 Czech/English, 1 Romanian/Japanese.

We see each other periodically, all of us, or just some of us, for coffee, breakfast, events or just in each other’s houses/apartments. We enjoy each other’s successes, we support each other’s in challenges whatever they are, we are there for each other. We talk, we debate, we discuss, we analyze and plan, we advise, and we help. We are all different with our strengths and weaknesses. One is a teacher in secondary school, one is a teaching assistant in junior school, one is a manager of a big department store, one is a linguist and me a midwife/lecturer – an interesting mix, and each here because of our spouses’ work.

As mentioned earlier, we help each other – that is what we do the most. Two of them, with their families, were in the UK over the summer holiday and managed to get back on repatriation flights. However, they had to go into quarantine in a hotel for 14 days under government rules and watchful eyes of the army and the police. Stuck in a hotel room for two weeks is not a joke. We shopped for them and got them each a box delivered full of goodies and games to kill the time in a hotel – the only space they had to go was their balcony.

They were let out of the hotel with negative Covid test and now have to isolate themselves in their apartment for another 14 days just in case they caught the Covid in the hotel. Coming from the UK after so many weeks/months and being in a hotel quarantine, their apartment was empty of food so we offered to shop for them.  I and Jo shopped for non-perishable items on Monday, friend Gabriella shopped for them fruit and vegetables on Friday morning with me shopping for fresh goods like bread and meat too on Friday afternoon.

We delivered it to them on Friday afternoon for their arrival into the apartment on Saturday. Their maid had to come and take it upstairs and put it away. Good job Gabriella has got a big car! Jo’s daughter Amber made a Welcome poster – I hope their maid put it up for them. I made them some carrot cupcakes and put a fireworks candle to celebrate their return home. There is nothing better than a cup of tea/coffee and a piece of cake in your own home. We will have to celebrate our group’s first anniversary when we are all out of quarantine and isolation. A party on the beach sounds lovely.

Rennie