 Our new home My name is Shantha Weerawarna and this is my home, where I live with my wife Ramani and our two children Peppi and Asalya. Our original home with my beloved Sunshine Café and its two cabanas were destroyed by the tsunami on December 26th 2004. That was a terrible day for Sri Lanka. Many of my people were killed or injured. Thousands of us lost our homes and the businesses that we had worked so hard to build up. My family was fortunate as we and the travellers staying with us survived without serious injury.  All that is left of our old house With the assistance of a German Aid Organisation called GTZ we were able to build our new house on land that an English/Portuguese family had bought for us. They were staying in one of our cabanas when the tsunami occurred. It is a very fine house with a large garden and a shady porch. My wife Ramani and my children feel safe here as it is 2 kms away from the sea and far from the danger of any future tsunami.  Our new house gradually begins to take shape With money donated by friends and travellers we also rebuilt my Sunshine Café and a two bedroom cabana close to the beach near the spot where we used to live. It was hard work, but we managed it. A year later we were ready to open, but then the fighting with the Tamil Tigers in the north-east of Sri Lanka flared up again. Travellers and tourists stopped visiting Sri Lanka. The last few years have been very difficult for me and my family. I manage to make a little money from buying dried fish in Negombo and selling it in the markets near Ranna. We also grow our own vegetables and fruit and sell them in the market. It is just enough to live on. Now the fighting in the north is over. Sadly, many people have been killed. It has been peace at a terrible price. I hope that we have all learnt from our mistakes and that we can now hold out a hand of friendship to the Tamil people. We cannot forget, but we may be able to forgive each other. I believe we can. Now is the time for us to rebuild harmony in our country and to say to our many friends all over the world to come back and visit us. We are hoping that many of you will wish to stay with my family so that we can introduce you to the beauty of our land, our rich culture and our delicious food. Ramani and I have been working hard to get everything ready for our guests, so please come. Travellers, old friends and families are most welcome. You can stay either on the beach in our cabana next to the Sunshine Café or in our house with us. We have a special room for guests. My wife Ramani is a fantastic cook and with the help of her mother they produce the most exquisite mouth-watering meals. My family and I look forward to your meeting you. |