Letter from Colombo 1986.

AuthorMarks, Edward

Editor's Note: Written as a letter to an imaginary correspondent from his overseas postings, the author wrote a series of such "letters" from a dozen of his assignments abroad. He pens this from an assignment to Colombo, Sri Lanka in 1986.--Ed.

After six years in Washington we were posted to Sri Lanka and arrived at Katunayake Airport in the evening, after a long flight from Hong Kong via Singapore. The new international terminal was not (and is not yet) ready and even the best of airport terminals are a bit sad at night unless they are full of bustling crowds. This was not the case. The man I was replacing was there, however, so we loaded up the baggage and headed into Colombo--our new post and home.

The drive in takes almost an hour, which is something given that the distance is only about 12 miles. The road is narrow, lined with shops, bullocks, shrines and people, and more like a Third World High Street than the usual airport highway. We were new to South Asia and in some respects the initial impression of Colombo derived from the drive from the airport to the city was not reassuring. The city lies in the center of over a hundred miles of semi-urban strip development along the coast and the airport road is part of that strip. We had hoped for more glamour and development from this shift to Asia after years in Africa. Even when we arrived in Colombo we drove to the house by back roads, which indicated that Colombo is not exactly Hong Kong or Paris. I think I will remember to bring other new people in via the center of town and the Galle Face along the ocean.

Tired as we were, we could see that our new house was really quite nice and after a long voyage we were home again--in the way of the Foreign Service. The overwhelming impression of Colombo gained during the first weeks was that of a frantic social whirl. At first we thought the luncheons, cocktail receptions, and dinners were due to the arrival of ourselves, and an inordinately large turnover of the Mission staff. However, as time passed it became clear that the pace of social life in Colombo is always fast. Sri Lankans, it seems, love to give and go to parties. They almost always accept invitations, arrive on time (no to be regretted Third World casualness about time here), and, interestingly enough, extend invitations at a faster rate than they accept them. Fellow diplomats will understand the importance the of last statement; how much time has been spent in numerous capitals trying to entice the local citizenry to a) accept our hospitality, b) thereby acknowledging our existence and c) providing satisfaction by reciprocating. Oh, the joy in a diplomat's breast when a local dignitary invites him to come and break bread. The Sri Lankan pleasure in a busy social round is not specifically directed towards diplomats and other foreigners. It is clear they behave this way amongst themselves. They like cocktail parties and dinners; they like to eat, they like to drink, and they like to talk and gossip; they like the warmth and bustle of social intercourse. Being that way among themselves, they see no reason why foreigners in their midst should not participate.

And so the invitations flowed in. Every night it seemed, and often was, we went to somebody's house to meet new people and exchange names and cards. An exchange that soon resulted in another invitation. All very nice of course, if eventually tiring, except that there turned out to be a saving characteristic of local socializing. By and large after a brisk evening of socializing dinner ends with coffee, possibly a quick pousse-cafe, and then quick goodnights with everybody home by ten thirty or so. No late night Latin dinners here.

All this socializing soon created another problem. Our social debt mounted rapidly, and we panicked at the thought of managing to repay it. Who said a diplomat's life is free of worry?

That the interest and enthusiasm for social life is not restricted to Colombo's social elite--generally referred to as the Colombo 7 crowd is evidenced by an unusual project sponsored by the Prime Minister. The third in a series of "Pradeepa Halls"--community reception centers--was opened recently. These are modern reception centers "replete with all facilities for the use of the public ... to provide inexpensive centers for the holding of private social functions." These halls have VIP and bridal suites, pantries, and fully equipped kitchens with cutlery and linen. Two of the centers are in especially built new construction while one is in the oldest existing colonial mansion left in Colombo. They will be managed by a government catering operation and available at modest rental for the general public who cannot afford to use the expensive international class hotels. They are not located in the expensive residential areas--to the contrary--and their sponsorship is particularly interesting. The Prime Minister is the most active practitioner of elective political campaigning in the country. He is always...

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