My summer in Sri Lanka came to a sudden and abrupt ending towards the end of August.  After sustaining an ankle injury on the first day I arrived in Sri Lankan that didn’t heal well, the insurance company made the decision to curtail my trip two weeks before the end of the programme.  To say […]

I’ve been back in England a week now since returning back from Sri Lanka. Even though it was a massive culture shock going to Sri Lanka in the first place, it’s arguably been even more of shock coming back. Stepping out of Heathrow back to the hustle and bustle of London was very weird for […]

There are many things worth reflecting on since the programme is at its end. Looking back, I feel like I have made less a difference in the world than I initially thought I would, but that almost does not matter. This is because my favourite moments of the summer were those involving just talking to […]

This has been an extremely rewarding experience and I have thoroughly and completely enjoyed every aspect of this trip and the experiences that have gone with it (both enjoyable and difficult). I feel a sense of pride the team and have greatly enjoyed been a part of it. I have made a great many new […]

Project Sri Lanka 2013 has been truly rewarding and emotional experience. I was so pleased that the money people had given to us as wedding gifts went to such successful projects and the building of the well. As a team I was very proud of the work we have achieved with all the villages we […]

So this week was our final week of the project. We haven’t treated with such kindness and generosity by our schools and the surrounding villages. We have been fed till we can’t eat anymore, and enjoyed running around with the kids for the last time! On Friday we visited Vikumgama to attend the closing ceremony […]

Well our last proper week of programme is finished considering next week is closing ceremonies and goodbyes. It’s crazy to think I have only one more week before I get to go travelling. My week has mainly consisted of me and Beam finishing up the painting at Rassandeniya by painting an alphabet and numbers as […]

Our highlight of the week has to be the after-school club at Rassanedeniya. Normally we would be at the temple opposite the pre-school but this time we arranged a trip to the beach instead! We had a lot of fun throwing the kids in the water, not to mention burying a boy in the sand […]

Well our last proper week of programme is finished considering next week is closing ceremonies and goodbyes. It’s crazy to think I have only one more week before I get to go travelling. My week has mainly consisted of me and Beam finishing up the painting at Rassandeniya by painting an alphabet and numbers as […]

Our highlight of the week has to be the after-school club at Rassanedeniya. Normally we would be at the temple opposite the pre-school but this time we arranged a trip to the beach instead! We had a lot of fun throwing the kids in the water, not to mention burying a boy in the sand […]

Selling raffle tickets this week with the teacher was definitely my highlight of the week. We were all on a mission to sell as many tickets as we could. The money that we raise is going towards the water piping for the pre-school. She was asking everybody in sight as we walked around the village. […]

After a week of programme, including dress making, card making, gardening and painting, we reached Friday! It was also the first week in which I had participated in Jon’s gardening project. We visited the last plot in Vikumgama and dug about 11 holes and began to plant some chillies. Our gardening skills (if any) were […]

Friday’s are spent in Rassandenyia with the pre-school children in the morning followed by after school with the young people from the village. We have all developed a strong relationship with both the children and the teacher. This week she presented us each with a beautiful saree. We were overwhelmed that she had given them […]

It’s starting to feel like the end of the project is in sight now. Quite a few of the pre-schools have closed for their holidays and with only one more week of the formal programme left before all the closing ceremonies in the last week, there isn’t really that much time left. The gardening project […]

This week Sarah, Rose and I are back from Sabaragamuwa University and are ready to crack on with our work in Matara. My favourite day of the week had to be Wednesday where everyone (plus Jon) went to Kirelawela preschool to do some painting. It was Rose’s last working day before she was due to […]

So last week, Laura, Poppy, and myself did our shift for the final week of the Sabaragamuwa University programme. The mountain scenery was more breath-taking than I had anticipated; the view from our guesthouse was amazing. The programme started off well – Puwakgahawela pre-school in the morning was a lot of fun, the children were lovely, […]

This week I was back at Sabaragamuwa University.  For me, the highlight of the week was being able to engage in teaching formal classes for both students and staff.  As a qualified primary school teacher, the past year I have been out of the classroom whilst studying for my Masters has been difficult; I did […]

During our week at the university, we visited 2 of the preschools Project Sri Lanka has funded in this area over previous years. These are Ihalagalagama, a preschool based in the mountains and a 40 minute tuk tuk ride away from our base, and Puwakgahawela, one of the more successful preschools which is only a […]

It was the second week of the Sabaragamuwa University programme and we had sessions with both the non academic staff and the students. We also attended the pre schools which were great fun and the views were spectacular. The non academic session was successful; we had ten students all of which were keen to practice […]

The weather certainly changed at the beginning of this week.  Both Tuesday and Wednesday brought a very heavy monsoon downpour and this made the 8 hour bus journey on Wednesday daunting in the constant rain. On top of this we were over an hour late due to the truck we were following up the road […]

The week started on a bit of low. Tuesday brought a very heavy monsoon downpour and this made the 8 hour bus journey on Wednesday even more daunting. On top of this we were over an hour late due to the truck we were following up the road getting stuck on an electrical pylon. So […]

The week in which everyone had been excitedly anticipating. The Hippola well opening. We started our journey at 7:30am, in the typical monsoon rain. We made it to Colombo by bus around midday, and after discovering we hadn’t actually lost Ollie after a brief trip to the toilet, we boarded the bus to Kandy. Sri […]

This week I got the chance to visit Gandarawatta preschool, the only school in the Matara area which I have not been before. It was Poppy’s first time there as well and we thoroughly enjoyed the teaching and the picturesque scenery which surrounds the school. As for my painting project in Rassandeniya School, we finished […]

So my football project is in full swing now. I have been coaching at Gandara School Monday and Wednesday mornings. The head-teacher and sports teacher there have told me they want it to be a football course where at the end of my time in Sri Lanka, each child will get a certificate signed by […]

An important aspect of Project Sri Lanka is the exposure volunteers have to a wealth of new and diverse experiences.  As a veteran of the Project, I have come to expect the unexpected surprises that pop up out of nowhere and can result in a forever-altered perception of the world as you know it.  This […]

My personal ‘highlight of the week’ has to be getting started with painting the interior of Rassandeniya preschool. After having spent some time coming up with ideas and purchasing paints last week, I was ready to get to work on Tuesday. My whole day was dedicated to working on the project with Rose coming in […]

So my project is in Aththudawa setting up English classes for children in the village because currently the pre-school is not being used for any community activities. Teaching English has certainly made me very aware of my strong Northern accent which causes great hilarity for the villagers. For example I said I was going to […]

Since the last time I wrote a diary entry things have picked up speed here in Sri Lanka. Our leader’s leg may still be in a cast, but we have been going full pace getting various community projects organised and implemented. Each of the team has been assigned their own project for which they are to […]

Arriving in Colombo, I was greeted by a hobbling Laura and overwhelmed by the breath taking heat. Not quite the sunny Sri Lanka I had imagined, more over cast with a slight hint of rain in the air! After staying in Colombo for the evening we began our seven hour journey to Matara. My first […]

So the second week of our programme has finished and even though it has only been two weeks it feels like we have been for such a long time as we have done so much! We have been to every pre-school at least once. The children there are a delight to work with and even […]

This week has seen very positive momentum with the projects. Meetings going well and plenty of shopping trips for supplies have built up excitement for what’s to come. From a personal point of view it’s been great to make preparations for the Gardening plot project in Vikumgama and to go shopping for tools and equipment. […]

Today I went to Rassandenyia for the first time since the pre-school reopening with a new teacher.  I was really pleased to see that it had been given a thorough spring clean inside and out, as well as a lick of fresh paint.  More importantly, the school was thriving with around 16 children attending that […]

Our first full week has been packed with visits to some of our adopted communities. From Hiththatiya to Kirelawela, I have found the various schools to be completely different, with each having their own characteristics and uniqueness. For instance, Kirelawela had a sense of tranquillity to it and hence I had personally found the teaching […]

Well our first week here has certainly been entertaining! It all began with Laura falling over and hurting her ankle- not such a productive start although we have since made lots of progress and are close to finalising our programme for the summer. We have had a productive week working with the children in the […]

I’ve always known I’m a lucky person.  After a long flight from London to Colombo, a good night’s sleep at our partner organisation, Sarvodaya Shramadana Society to recover from the journey was extremely welcome.  The Team set off on our journey to our base in Matara to following morning, arriving at Panadura station sweating in […]

This is the single biggest culture shock I have ever come across. Sri Lanka is an amazing place to come to; everything about it seems the complete opposite to home. The area that we are in is beautiful and Neutral Wind is just as nice. The people here are lovely (especially Leonard and his family who have been […]

So it’s Saturday 22nd June and I am now in the middle of my third day in Sri Lanka. As I have not been here long I will quickly talk about my first impressions of Sri Lanka. The first thing that came to my attention was the humidity! It hit me straight away when I […]

We arrived at Colombo airport late on the 20th June after a very long journey… 24 hours of solid travelling had taken its toll, and bleary eyed, we stumbled out of immigration into the welcoming arms (or vans) of the Sarvodaya Organisation. This initial meeting gave me the impression I have had for the few […]