The final Sabaragamuwa University group arrived in the beautiful hill country yesterday to a warm welcome from the Vice Chancellor.After breakfast this morning we were shown round the small but interesting campus museum, which houses a collection of artefacts from the region dating back to the British colonial period, as well as historical coins and traditional hunting and farming implements used by local indigenous people. This provided a fascinating insight into the history and culture of the region.

Chandana, an English lecturer at the university, then gave us a tour of the campus, including the English Language Department, where we will be based for our work here.In the afternoon we had an interesting discussion with a senior lecturer from the Applied Sciences Department about the differences between the Sri Lankan and British education systems, which brought to light some interesting points. For example, Sri Lankan students study for three years to gain a general degree and can then choose to study for a further year to specialise within their subject, giving them more of an opportunity to understand the basics before choosing a specialism.

The rest of the afternoon was spent planning for our weekend of teaching, with a little time for a swim in the outdoor pool and a quick chat with some of the students there before dinner. We’ve really enjoyed our first day here and are looking forward to getting to know some of the students.