To visit the four children was a lot of fun.  It was our first visit to Fatima who lived at the humble house of her brother.  She was quite fluent in English and her brother had excellent knowledge of the language. 

Therefore, it was very interesting to talk to them.  It was obvious that it was the best way of help support the families that had given a new home to the orphans.  Fatima wants to go to school till graduation after grade 12 and wants to become a teacher.  Without the support she might have been married at the age of 17, as well.

Maduka and Resla were also doing fine.  While Resla was still quite shy, Maduka was rattling on and on about the soccer world championship that he had been able to see on TV.  He even remembered the Swiss national team:  the one that had failed to score one single penalty!  Like all boys his age he was particularly fond of Beckham. 

Ruhi had become even cuter and was delighted with the photo album, Christine and Max had made for her.  It showed the two of them in various situations during spring, summer, fall and winter.  Used only to either dry season or monsoon, Ruhi was fascinated and it took quite some time till we were able to hand over the other presents. 

The book about Switzerland was received with many thanks and was left unopened. 

In Sri Lanka, it is considered very rude to open and inspect a present in front of the donor (in this case I was the courier).  Too bad that we were not able to see how Christine had dealt with the girl’s request to get a book about Switzerland.

Therefore, we had not bothered to wrap the box of crayons and I tried to get Ruhi’s attention for the picture of the Matterhorn that was on the box.  I explained to her that this would be the Swiss, Adam’s Peak, the second highest mountain in Sri Lanka that was holy to all religions.  I gave her a little piece of the Matterhorn that we had brought along.

That piece wandered from hand to hand and at the time the Grandfather held it under his nose and sniffed at it, it was obvious: THEY NEVER HAD HEARD OF OUR FAMOUS MATTERHORN………. After we filled them in, a young lady in the background holding her hand to her belly and smiling at us, caught my attention.

I asked Ruhi’s uncle about her and he quite casually answered that she was his wife.  His wife?  When did he get married?  Oh well, back in February as he had been under pressure to get married.  Under different circumstances, he would have waited two or three more years.  

His explanations were very pragmatic:  his Mother had been asked too many times about the household and the raising of a young child.  Therefore, he had to get married to bring a young woman into the house.  His wife was smiling all the time and it was obvious that she did not understand one word.

Ruhi had listened to her uncle and then walked up to her auntie and cuddled up in her lap. She had a new Mom and soon will have a sibling.