Bharkavi and I worked together at the pre-schools in Kirelawela and Hithathiya villages. To sum up our time precisely would be extremely difficult because we have so many amazing things to write about but we have tried to paint a vivid picture in this diary.

Kirelawela:
So far, the pre-school in this village has proven difficult due to some minor problems but we were massively surprised when we visited them. They literally swept us off our feet. Bharkavi and I knew were going to have an amazing day when the kids came out to greet us with flowers, which implied that we were warmly welcome. The turnout was astonishing; about fifteen children turned up to this session.
We played various games and sang different songs with them. Bharkavi and I were really surprised at how eager and interested the kids were in the activities we suggested to them. We were glad that this session was a massive success for everyone.

Hiththatiya:
Once again, this pre-school lived up to expectations. Initially, the children were shy but after Bharkavi and I made some funny gestures, they became extra lively. We sang songs such as the ‘Hello song’, ‘The Wheels on the Bus’, ‘Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star’ and some Singhala songs. The children had a good command of the English language whilst singing the songs. They did this impressively; literally almost brought tears to our eyes. We also made paper butterflies, which we all designed with some abstract patterns using a thread and watercolour paints.

The teacher and her assistant even made the day better. They were so hospitable, as all Sri Lankans are. The [the teacher and her assistant] participated in all the activities, from making butterflies to singing and dancing; they were so cute.

The afterschool was of top quality. Once again, the children were shy but after making some jokes and getting them to laugh, things started to fall in place. There were about eighteen children at the afterschool; just the perfect number for open field games. Luckily for us, this pre-school has a large open space, so we played different games outside such as ‘duck-duck-goose’, ‘blink murder’ and volleyball. They absolutely loved ‘duck-duck-goose’ because it gave them the opportunity to display their sprinting talents, probably because of the recent London 2012 Olympic Games. Whatever the reason, they were brilliant.
It was an emotional time for us at these village pre-schools and we learnt so many things from them. One of the many things we learnt was that the smallest things you do for people actually do make the biggest difference.