The away days in Northumberland are a chance for the Team to spend some time together
and bond before leaving for our summer in Sri Lanka. Having not seen the Team for
quite a while due to everyone’s exams, I was looking forward to the weekend immensely.
Moreover, they make our imminent departure all the more real as the weekend is the start of
the many adventures, highs and lows to come.

It was very cramped to squash all 10 people plus food and luggage into two small cars,
but was good practice for the close quarters we will be living in for the next 10 weeks. We
managed not to get lost on the way, thanks to the women who organises Gareth’s life for
him, aka the sat nav! It was late when we arrived so everyone settled for a quick meal
options of beans on toast which everyone chipped in to prepare. It was great to see the
team working together even at this early stage. As well as the away days being a chance
for us to bond, it is also an opportunity for us to plan the programme for the summer,
discussing different educational, sports, arts and music activities we could run in our adopted
communities. As part of the educational workshop, Julia taught us a simple lesson in her
native language, Cantonese to illustrate the difficulties children in Sri Lanka could face when
we are teaching them English. It was a poignant way of demonstrating how we can model
English to children in Sri Lanka so that they understand what we mean. It has also helped
me reflect on the way in which I have been teaching in Sri Lanka over the past 2 summers
and has given me some valuable tips.

The second evening everyone gathered after dinner in the cosy little farmhouse kitchen in
front of the wood-burning stove. It provided us with the opportunity to really get to know
each other and find out lots more about the people on the Team. It was really encouraging
to see everyone so relaxed, enjoying each other’s company and chatting about our lives,
loves and funny habits. We are a really strong and talented Team this year and am very
much looking forward to spending the summer together. We arrived home late in the
evening after a tiring but productive weekend, happy in the knowledge that the next time we
are all together will be at the airport as we depart for the exciting adventures awaiting us in
Sri Lanka.