In A Past Life: Neel and Hope

In a Past Life: Neel Welandagoda

Katherine Bertone

In a Past Life features aspects of the lives of library staff before they joined the library world.

Library Specialist Neel Welandagoda has made a lot of people—both staff and patrons—feel welcome at the library over the past two decades. I would love to know just how many have been warmed by his remarkable smile; I estimate the number to be in the hundreds of thousands. When I started at BPL in 2006, Neel was here, smiling that wonderful smile, and making me feel that he was glad I had arrived. Neel has filled the seemingly natural role of welcomer for a long time now. But, of course, it hasn’t always been this way: in his “past life, ” Neel knew what it was to be a newcomer, too. And February 4, 1998—the day Neel landed stateside from his native Sri Lanka—was not the first time. About a decade before that, Neel became a newcomer student, venturing to India to study at the University of Kerala in Thiruvananthapuram. (After three successful years, he earned his BA in English Literature, World History, and Sanskrit Language.) During his post-college years, he had the chance to become the newcomer as traveler, visiting Singapore and Malaysia for several weeks. And then there was his time in Australia as newcomer on assignment.

In the 1990s, Neel was recruited for his language skills and experience as an instructor to work within a Sri Lankan community in Australia. He taught the Sinhalese language and history to children who were growing up speaking English as their first language. This was Neel’s first time in the “western world” and, as he recalls, he certainly felt some culture shock. The food was different and he had to become adept at preparing his own meals. The English was different; he was used to accents influenced primarily by British English. The space was different. “Living in Australia made me feel isolated at times due to [the] enormity of the land and sparce population compared to the crowded living in Sri Lanka. But I felt I could breathe better, ” remembers Neel. After a few months of settling in, he found plenty to appreciate: dry weather and cooler winter seasons; fluffy koalas; the country’s friendly, open-minded people; and the satisfaction of growing more independent in this new place. But none of those was the best thing. The best thing was what Australia didn’t have: monster cockroaches. Neel discovered with delight that, while the Land Down Under is home to some insignificant varieties, it is apparently not home to the disgusting beasts he had grown up with.

Yes, even someone as generous and welcoming as Neel has limits.

Neel’s Australia adventure lasted about a year and a half. Not long after, he touched down in Colorado for the first time. I really think we should check the local weather report for February 4, 1998. I think we’d find that that day was just a little brighter here than usual.

In a Past Life: Hope Arculin

Katherine Bertone

If we ever hear that the zombie apocalypse has begun, I call dibs on Hope Arculin, Carnegie Library Archivist. I don’t actually know that she knows what to do in a zombie apocalypse, but I have a good feeling about it. You might be thinking, “Hope? Would she charm the zombies with all her loveliness?” I think that’s not entirely out of the question. But really I’m counting on her many and varied mad skills. This is, after all, a woman who graduated from college with a BFA in painting and art history and then thought something like, “Hmm, the National Guard seems interesting. I’ll do that. ” A mistake? Hell, no! She reports that she loved basic training, which she considered “one big adventure. ” So, if you’re picturing Hope wearing those little white cotton gloves at Carnegie, know that she’s not afraid to get dirty. At another point in her pre-BPL life, she worked in the hot, grimy wax sculpting room of a sculpture lab, preparing castings before the metal was poured to make the final product. Not her favorite job, but it didn’t scare her away from hard physical work. Later, she put her college metalsmithing skills to use as the “soldering ninja” for a company making LED hula hoops. A soldering ninja, for heaven’s sake! How could you not want her by your side?

It’s true that zombies are remarkably scary creatures. But I really don’t think that would be a problem for Hope. She knows how to deal. Once, while working for the Western Center for the Conservation of Fine Arts, she spent three weeks cleaning the murals at Denver International Airport where she was exposed to travelers— travelers who accosted her to share all kinds of DIA fun facts they had heard or to opine about the “demonic” Broncos. And Hope just laughs it all off as great material for dinner conversation! Later, while working for a small poster restoration company, she had to satisfy collectors. For one project, she was tasked with removing the smudge from the Texas-shaped sign used in the hitch-hiking scene of Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure. It took repeated effort and some bad words to get it done. But here she is at BPL, none the worse for wear. This woman is a tough cookie.

I do really love learning about colleagues’ past lives and sharing their fascinating stories with you. But I’m sort of kicking myself here for giving away too much. Please just remember that dibs carry the weight of law, even when civilization is falling apart.

Hope A. bravely works among travelers to restore a mural at Denver International Airport. Photo courtesy of Hope Arculin 34

Stay tuned for a re-opening roundup of in-person events, and get to know our BPL staff who work with teen patrons!

THANK YOU FOR READING.

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