Sri Lanka Blog
While the students are in Sri Lanka during the summer they will maintain a blog here.
31/07/10 - Written by Andy Thompson, Glenn Dawkins, Daryl Howe and Danielle Mead
The beginning of the day came as a formality with the rigour of final packing and room checks to be dealt with. A real sense of leaving 'home' was apparent amongst the group. The waiters and other staff that had looked after us so well for the past 14 or so days are really going to be missed and it showed with the group stumpting up a hefty tip, which was matched with a contribution from the school, and also giving personal gifts to each waiter, a MFC shirt was distrubuted the night before though some may consider this a punishment not a gift (from the geordie contingent amongst us). The waiters seemed saddened to see us go just as much as we were to leave ourselves. A few of the group have done no less than promise their repeat custom to the Tropic Inn in the coming years. With bags packed one last long slog up the hill towards the Galle Road and a short bus journey to a turtle hatchery awaited us.
We saw 100s of day-old turtles saved from poachery by kind hearted fisherman who are paid to collect the eggs from the beach instead of sellign them on for illegal trade. Upon introduction to aforementioned turtles a huge collective 'awwww' rang around the hatchery, from men, boys and girls alike. Turtles also housed at the hatchery included a rare albino turtle, several injured and blind rescued turtles. A quick stop in the gift shop and a short bus hop later we arrived at the final hotel where we were greeted with a beautiful beach-side view right outside the hotel.
After lunch and being given our rooms we retreated to the pool for a few hours rest and relaxation. A thoroughly enjoyable and relaxing day at last!
After 10 months of hard work, copious bagpacks and other fundraising events, what we came here to do has finally come to a close. Looking back over the past couple of weeks its hard to absorb and recognise just what this group of 22 young people and adults have come to achieve and experience. The whole trip has been eye opening and jaw dropping in many different ways. From the unfamiliarities of seeing 100s of children flock to you day in day out for 2 unbelievable weeks to being treated to an evening of cabaret courteousy of Sister Concepta and her adoring group.
Speaking from experience it will not dawn on these young people just what they have been part of until they sink back into the familiar world of consumerism and luxury. When you are here absorbed and immersed in the whole surreal lifestyle these people live it becomes harder to appreciate what difference you could have made to them, be it a phrase they might remember in an English exam in a few years or just that someone somewhere far away knows, empathises and realises that this problem exists and cannot remain to be a problem. This is something that is 100% preventable and changeable; in the word of the great woman herself 'its a start'. Little acrons grow into big oak trees and for many people involved both Sri Lankan and English, this will be a little acorn, something which they will look after and nurture into a big important and life changing Oak tree.
We are all of the firm belief that this is something everyone should see and witness first hand, the adverts on TV or the 30 second videos on comic relief we all love to ignore are so much more than that. This is real. This is not pictures on a screen in your front room. These are real peoples lives 365 days of the year for every year they battle through and make it to a new one. We worry about the smallest of things like a small rain shower getting our hair wet, these people, they get wet and become ill, this means no work, income, no support, no food, no shelter.
This situation must change and I urge everyone reading this (and I know we are well supported) to look at the fantastic work and blog of asha turst and carry on supporting them. Their website is : http://www.ashatrust.co.uk/ . You can also follow their blog at http://tuktuktrips.blogspot.com
We will be continuing to add a brief blog on our remaining two days at the beach before we return but thank you so far for following us and we have you are enjoying hearing about it even half as much as we are enjoying doing it. Unfortunately without any more pictures! due to internet connection issues at our final hotel.
Make a change, Make a difference, Make someone smile.
30/07/10 - Written by Andrew Lodge
The day started off well. We swapped addresses with some of the students and took some photos of the group. The afternoon was a bit hectic but that was what we expected so we handled it quite well. The play was a great success and it was recorded so we can show it when we get home. In the end, the story of the play changed from Giraffes can't dance to Warthogs can't dance because the Giraffes 'really' couldn't dance. When leaving the school for the last time, I think that everyone got slightly if not very emotional but everyone ended up smiling and realising that we had definately 'made a difference' which was our upmost priority. On the evening we went to the Golden Mile for tea (we ate Al Fresco) for the second time and personally I enjoyed my meal a lot more than the first time. The whole group seemed to enjoy a 'chill out' night in the restaurant before coming back to the hotel. Finally the long days of hard work have paid off as we now have 3 days of relaxation before the daunting journey home.
29/07/10 - Written by Melissa Tyreman
Today was a very long day, meaning we are now all tired! Everyone is getting tired and are getting worn out now so little things annoy people but hopefully with tomorrow being the last working day, we will all be able to relax.
We have planned tomorrow as an easy, relaxed day in the school as we are hoping just being there will make a difference.
Today we also donated the resources that we have collected and bought to both the school and to the Asha Trust Centre which they will be able to use everyday and hopefully will enjoy them. I believe that the two weeks have made a difference to both our lives and to the people that we have being working with.
After our days work we went to the Asha Trust Centre in which the children perfomed dances and songs for us-they were truly amazing and heart warming in everything that they did. Some people got emotional including myself, as it shows us just how much they appreciate our company as they got all dressed up in their best clothes and seemed happy to just do something for us.
One thing that they sang was Heal The World by Micheal Jackson, all sang in English which was truly amazing. This made a difference to the way I feel about their lives. We had to also make a fool out of ourselves by doing the Cha Cha Slide and the Superman song.
I am looking forward to tomorrow as we are doing a play with the children in the school which we have worked on this week and they are all getting hyped up as it is coming towards the end of the week. I am loving it here as it is an amazing experience but I am actually looking forward to coming home and even looking forward to the cold weather that I miss of England.
Today it rained for the first time since we have been here so we got Tuk-Tuk's to the the school and found out that our classes were smaller as they dont tend to go to school when it rains. Well I am now looking forward to going home and missing most people!
28/07/10 - Written by Natasha Kennedy
Today's been a result! Another day where no one was ill. The phrase 'Hand sanitizer is necessary' has became our motto.
This morning we did our usual routine of going to the school to teach. For my group it was mostly quiet until grade nine entered, hectic isn't even the word I'd use to describe the lesson. For everyone else's group the day ran smoothly, how unfortunate for me, Michael and Daryl who got tortured - literally. This afternoon was possibly one of the best we've had all the time weve being here and its put everyone in a hyper mood, sorry Talbs and co. We had to carry on with our play of 'Giraffes Can't Dance' later changed to 'Warthogs Can't Dance' and incorporate a full song and dance within the different groups. Our 'Riverside' dance was the highlight of the trip; the kids loved it and really took to it. We've brought a 'boro dance half way around the world. GET IN!!
We've been here a week now and it still hasn't hit me and a few others that we're 6 thousand miles away from home. Suprisingly I actually miss it, living out of a suitcase isn't really ideal for most of the girls. We go to our Beach hotel on Saturday and I think everyone now just needs a little bit of a relax. Everyone should be proud of what they've accomplished here. It's remarkable how much we've got done it such little time, and everyone's bonded with the kids insane ammounts and its something we really will never forget.
Everyone sends there love. Laters xx
27/07/10 - Written by Jessica Atkinson
From being at the Centauria Hotel having a buffet, lazing around the pool or having a splash.. to a 5 hour bus journey back to the Tropic Inn and having a half 7 wake up call off Talbo this morning really came as a shock to the system. Waking up with a slightly burnt Tyler beside me who probably wasn't the most comfortable she has been the past 7 days. All of us were worn out from the travel home the night before, but we made our way to the school over the bustling main road we have to fight our way across each morning before.
Our first day back at the school was exciting as the children were just as excited to see us as the week before. The children were a lot calmer today with us as they know who we are now. They are all coming along more with their English and it makes you feel like you have achieved something when you have pupils coming up to you saying the English words you have taught them a few days before. When you have an accent like mine,the word 'bear' comes out 'ber' which isn't very helpful!
This week we are starting a new topic with the pupils in the afterschool club which is based on the book 'Giraffes can't dance' Today I had the younger pupils from the school in my group and they enjoyed making lion masks for the performance which we are presenting on Friday. After the arts and crafts we all joined in for a game of duck duck goose with a creative twist of Lion, Rhinos, Giraffes and Monkeys. With a ditch in the middle of the grass and 100 + pupils ranging from the age of 6-17 in the game and 20 + pupils running around a massive circle at any one time, the spirts were VERY high - even the neighbours nearby came out for a look as we were all making so much noise!
After a well deserved shower we sat down for our routine meeting and then tea with our new menu! Tropic Inn are too kind!!
From being here for 7 days, we have all came to the conlusion Sam Skillcorn is a very bright A* pupil.. with ZERO! and we mean ZERO! common sense!
peace out xx
26/07/2010 - Written by Tyler Sharp
Hi guys, today was a really good day in Sri Lanka as we did a lot of things as well as travelling. First things first - a wake up call at quarter to 5 wasn't the best part of the day, put it that way, but it was really worth every minute of it. I really enjoyed seeing the lovely sights of Sri Lanka as I didn't realise it was like that! I expected it to be all trees but I got a big shock, seeing beautiful views as we were travelling in the open topped truck. The safari was brilliant! I saw some of the things I didn't think I'd ever see in my lifetime. The elephants were completely different to what I thought. I expected them to be big ugly animals but I was really shocked because they were actually quite cute. We also saw a lot of other animals such as crocodiles and many different types of birds - some I've only ever seen in cages. They were also very different to what I thought too. P.S. Kate has named an Elephant Arthur.
Today for me has been one of the best days in Sri Lanka since we have been here. I have loved the school(we are back there tomorrow) but I just love seeing new animals and animals that I would never go near before. I hope there will be more great days to continue with the other ones. It has been a great experience and I haved LOVED every minute of it. I really don't want it to end!!
I miss everyobody loads! See you soon, not long now. Lots of love Tyler
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25/07/2010 - Written by Jan and Katy
Hi to everyone,
Another eventful day. Up early this morning for breakfast - to leave hotel by 7am. We boarded our coach and set off for the tea planatation/factory. What a hot place to work and the smell of tea was overwhelming. We will never drink a cup of tea again without thinking of the tremendous process the leaves go through. Tea Bags are made from the left over dust!!!!! Proper tea was bought by many.
We then headed onto a bakery on route to Centauria Hotel ready for our elephant safari tommorrow morning- starting at 5am!!!!!!
The hotel is very impressive and the pool inviting - most joined in with water volleyball whilst others did a spot of sunbathing (we were careful to monitor) - several even got splashed by the boys!!
We are staying on the edge of the lake which welcomes much animal/bird life - we even thought we saw a crocodile?. The heron are beautiful as are the hummingbirds and kingfishers.
A lovely buffet meal tonight, and even had desert - a luxury in sri lanka.
All off to bed early for our adventures tommorrow.
Love to all x
24/07/2010 - Written by Charlotte Hierons
Hello everyone ,
Today has been fantastic - relaxing at last, so everyone is nice and happy now. Some of the group went to Athidiya this morning to the Asha Trust Centre to play some sports with the children from Athidiya, who are adorable. They went into Athidiya where they were met by Sister Concepta and some of the children. They were all greeted with biscuits and juice and a variety of different performances including singing, all were said to be brilliant. They then started playing games with the children with different activites such as frisbies (which hurt!), skips and cricket. Even the parents came to watch their children being so happy. One father brought his adorable toddler who wanted to play but couldn't, so Chloe held her in her arms. The other half of the group stayed around the hotel relaxing, chilling out and getting some well earned rest.
For dinner we then decided to go out to the family bakery and the supermarket, everyone was pleased to buy their own food and some little luxuries, which were greatly appreciated.
Next it was time to go swiming. Everyone really enjoyed having a splash in the pool and having a game of catch with some of the cricket balls and also some of us liked to enjoy the relaxing jacuzzi, watching everyone else from above the pool. This was really nice and everyone had great fun. Soon after getting changed we all got in Tuk-Tuks and headed off to the gorgeous Mount Lavinia hotel where we watched the beautiful sunset and the huge waves crashing against the rocks, bwhich was a truly unforgettable sight. We then went back to our hotel in Tuk-Tuk's which, lets just say, were crazy fast and going over speed bumps and were scary.We all had a nice tea and are we now are sat around eating the luxuries we got earlier - chocolate has become the best thing we have ever had!
We now have a good few days ahead of us- Safari is to come and everyone is looking forward to seeing the elephants and having a break from working :-)
Hope everyone is ok - whoever is reading this!
Byee xxx
As it's been a "non-working" day, here's a few words from the team!
"Hello Mam- having a great time! Hope you're all fine, love Chloe! x "
"Hello everyone, having an amazing time. Hope everyone is okay, love Charlotte x "
"Hello Mam, Dad and Scott - missing you loads! Having a good time, love Melissa x "
"Hello - really enjoying it!Hope everybody is ok- love Micky"
"Hello, really enjoying it! Hope everyone is coping without me! Love, Andrew Lodge"
"Hello Grandma - love you! Love Connor"
"Hello- really enjoying it in Sri Lanka - loving every second with the lads! Hope everybody is ok, Adam"
"Mam, Dad, Suey, Dan, Jay, Dan and co! Love you and miss you all! Having a great time, love Tasha x "
" Nanna and the rest, I'm thinking of you! Love you loads and loads, Lauren x "
"I HEART SRI LANKA! I've been in a Tuk-Tuk! Love you Tray Tray and co! Love Jess x x "
"Mam, Dad, John - missing you loads - I love Sri Lanka! Love you loads, love Tyler x "
"Hello Mam and Dad, Emily and Ellie. It is great! Look forward to seeing you, love Sam x x "
"Hello to all, here and well - having fun :-) xx Scott xx "
"Hello all.....Missing a few but one in particular - she knows who she is :-) x x Josh x x "
"Hello, hope you're enjoying Tenerife. Sri Lanka's good - not coming home! See you soon ;-) x Daryl x "
"Hello bloggers, hope you are well- lots of love to you all x Andy "
"Hello all, hope everything's fine. Having a good time. Good luck in football Amy! Elle x "
"Hiya everyone. I'm missing everyone loads - love you all so much. See you soon! Love Kate x x "
"I have fallen in love with this country! Thinking of you all back home x x Glenn "
"Hi Kev, Mike, Jen, James, Marc, Georgia (woof), Mum, Alli et al- miss you all- love you x Jan x "
"Hello all and thanks for following us! Missing you all but having a great time - especially mum! x katy x"
23/07/2010 - Written by Kate Byrnes
Hello J,
Amazing day today! The school this morning was one of the best days in my opinion. The children were great, well lets just say the kids in my class were. They just love to laugh at me, which is amusing. We have made some good friendships to be honest, I’m actually remembering names and if we can’t we have nicknames such as ‘cheeky’ that Adam has been calling an amazingly cute little lad. So the school was amazing!!
In the afternoon, I had the most eye-opening experience I’ve had in my life! Elle,Jan, Charlotte, Mel and mysellf went down to Athidia to look at the shanty towns. At one point I nearly cried, it was that sad. The sheer fact that they live in total utter poverty and we can’t actually do anything about it, really upset me. Sister Consepta said a few words at the beginning and it was touching if I’m honest. She said even though they live like that they are still happy, and willing to let you into their homes. Sister Consepta is such an inspirational women, I’ve never met anyone like her before.
Well I think I’ve talked too much now – it’s 10.30 and we are all sitting in the halls colouring in and making braclets! How old are we really?
Tomorrow should be a good day... we get a sleep in yeahhhh!! And we are going shopping for sweets, the lack of sugar is actually killing me. While some shop and get stocked up on sugar, a handful of us are going back to Athidiya, to play games with the children from the shanty towns for an hour, which shall be good (I hope I see a water buffalfo again).
Bye bye, I hope everyones ok J.
p.s. Elle and Mel say the visit silenced them... Shock horror!
xxxxx
Also by Katy Talbot
The group that went to Athidiya on the morning can echo kates experience. We met some extraordinary people with very different stories but it makes you realise that people are perfectly happy with some little and puts a lot of our lifes into perspective. We also had some hospitality with the group on the morning getting a king coconut from a sri lanka family. Wildlife so far has been amazing - chipmunks in the hotel, lizards (billy and geofrrey we have named so far) and kingfishers.
The afternoon activities went well today - we had a lovely crafts session, making cars and butterflys and sticker scenes in art. The outdoor group got some more space for a game of less controversial football today. Stories and Drama were also very successful. This was followed by a lovely parachute game which was great the kids loved it.
We also ate out in the evening at a beach restaurant which was a nice change - connor got a lovely vegetarian dish and several got boneless chicken a true luxury in sri lanka.
22/07/2010 - Written by Josh Holden
Errmmm... Pretty good day today. :)
I think we're all used to the heat and humidity by now so i'st getting easier and better. The t-shirts are still coming back dripping wet but everyone just seems to be showering in them so it doesn't really matter... It's the easiest thing to do out here!
I think the day went pretty well for everyone today and things were carried out as they were planned and the kids listened (slightly) for once.
I think the people that we see everyday on the sweaty walk to the school and the children that we greet everyday are begining to bond a relationship with all of us... Things are getting easier and communication is a lot better as we (kinda) know there names and they seem to know ours.
In my group I was very surprised at how well the kids knew their English and also their times as the games/stories we did went very well. There were some that did not listen and found it hard but... we expected that.
Errmmm... Miss Talbot has decided to change her nationality and become Sri Lankan after a very contravertial football match and cricket match. She decided to be the Referee and Umpire and lets just say "England" was not very happy with the decisions...! Overall the Football finshed England 5 - 3 Sri Lanka. And the Cricket finished England 18 all out - Sri Lanka 74 - 4... so we got our "derierres" kicked. :)
Tomorrrow should be just as good as today or even better so... I think everyone islooking forward too it and also the blog that someone else is going to leave. Mine was very rushed and Miss Talbot is shouting at me this very second to "Hurry Up...!" sooo... Bed Soon and bye...! :) xx
Ps. Sri Lanka has a very distinct smell and the Lion Beer is very very very very very nice.. Mmm...
PPS - Only the boys are drinking the beer (and talbot has banned it tommorrow!!!!) - but the ginger beer is also very refreshing - from Jan
21/07/2010 - Written by Sam Skillcorn
Excellent day!
Unsure of what to expect and how we would react to what we would see, everyone went to the school with a degree of anxiety. This was soon washed away though, as the children were so keen to make us feel welcome, and to show their appreciation that we came. As soon as we arrived, we were surrounded by kids who couldn't wait to say hello!
We had been put into 5 groups the night before, and names such as Elephants were suggested. These were quickly dispensed with, and they were rather cleverly named groups 1-5. The groups had different classes of different ages, ranging from 6 to 17 years old. They rotated between the groups, getting different types of lessons from each, hopefully enjoying each one equally. We certainly did! The after school club which we ran this afternoon was great, and it gave us all even more of a chance to get to know the kids more and have fun!
The temperature is a lot higher than at home, and the stickiness and humidity is a huge change! It will surely take rather a long time to adjust to. The same cannot be said for the school environment, as everyone is already enjoying being with the kids. Going into the village made us all realise the true poverty that these people have to endure on a daily basis, as well as showing us just how grateful we should be for what we have!
Jan was away from the school for a time this afternoon, as her and Steve went into the village to celebrate Sister Concepta's birthday and hand over a card. Jan saw a water buffalo, although you would never know because she hasn't mentioned it at all! We have all sat and plaited hair into bunches (Tasha did Jans corn plaits) and are now sat making resources and playing with balloons.
This blog would have been on far earlier had Katy not deleted it all!(accidentally of course)
Tomorrow is sure to be a totally different, yet equally awesome day! Read the blog to find out just how different it was.
Bye :)
20/07/2010 - Written by Chloe Millward
Arrived in Sri Lanka today at 8.50 local time after a 6 hour bus ride and 10 and a half hour plane journey. We all were extremely tired, but excitements kept us awake.
After collecting our luggage from an extremely busy Columbo airport, we headed outside were the humidity and heat just hit us. Even though it was initially not to sunny, the heat was still tropical and sticky. We travelled from the airport on a coach, and many fell asleep. However, the scenes from the coach were incredible and unexpected, for me at least. There were people just crossing the busy roads, many expeccted them to be run over. There was even a woman walking a cow along the street on a lead.
We soon arrived at the Tropic Inn which as yet cannot be faulted. The rooms are immaculate and clean and the food is delicious, with more to offer than just curry. Sister Concepta came to visit us this evening and greeted us to Sri Lanka.
Now after a busy couple of days travelling, we are all extremely tired and excited for our first day at working in the school tomorrow. Check the blog tomorrow evening to see how the day went.
Night xx
05/07/2010
We are all ready to go on the 19th of July!! Heres the final team photo!
