Third Week of Adventure

Wow, so I have now completed my THIRD week of this amazing adventure in Sri Lanka! Time is going so quickly, and I cannot believe it will soon be time for me to head up to Jaffna. Wattala is beginning to feel a lot like home and I am feeling very comfortable! It is great to be around some great people and friends, and getting to know the kids more and more.

Actually being here, with the children has made me realise that this is what I am passionate about. I love kids - of all ages and investing in them and their education. After all, this is the only thing that lifts them out of poverty and onto higher success. Children join the school with the hopes and dreams of becoming tailors or working in a supermarket but as they get older, learn more and unlock their potentials, they realise these dreams just aren't big enough.

Upon reflection of my last week, amongst the two previous, it has come to my attention that my blog posts from my first few weeks were not sent out to subscribers as they should have done. Check them out below if you would like!

Arrival in Sri Lanka

Week 1

Week 2

This week has also included a few more exciting adventures, including walking along the local canal, eating corn on the cob (cooked in salty sea water) and eating out a lot. I was offered a trip out to sea with some random fishermen whilst with Tharshini and Korbika, but I chickened out. Apparently, this is a usual offer that is given to anyone along the canal who looks as though they might enjoy the experience of sitting in a smelly boat, rocking with the waves. Perhaps next time I may do it... After all, this year is supposed to be an adventure!​​

Alongside the usual school adventures, I have become known as the teacher who likes a bet with kids surrounding school work. I have been beaten several times as maths quizzes, English dictation (FYI - Spelling has NEVER been my strong suit), and sporting events (don't ask!). I have owed teenagers prizes for my stupidity at accepting these challenges, and the best I can offer is a funky mosquito repellent band. They were definitely unimpressed with my choice of colours, or maybe just the prize itself...

Playtime was an experience for me this week on Friday - as a "thank you" and reward for behaving so well for me, as a solo teacher this week, I granted a short down-time for the students. It was great to really let our hair down and just have a bit of fun. I started off playing cricket with the boys in my class, who it is safe to say are all close to professional standard, playing netball with the girls and various other ball games. I was greeted with my first 'incident' which involved a boy in my class completely ripping his trousers from playing cricket too enthusiastically! We then decided to play some more quiet games back in the classroom, involving 'Seven' and a hand banging game. It was really enjoyable, and I hope the next coming weeks we will be able to play these again.

My film collection has emerged this week, and we christened the DVD player in the lounge with Frozen, which seemed to be a welcomed change to the usual Tamil movies. Amongst this, a few evenings I have cooked western food for the house, which I am not sure was to everyone's fancy, but I have specifically enjoyed these meals!

The Saturday adventure of heading to a friend's house and playing cricket with her son and his friends happened this week also, and I encountered my first calling of "Aunty". A beautiful 4 year old called me "Aunty", a phrase usually used to someone who appears to be the same age as parents, or act as a parent figure. Abiuth, who was not impressed, immediately scolded this little girl, telling her "she is AKKA, NOT Aunty!". She was so upset she called me the wrong name, she grabbed my legs and said: "I am so sorry AKKA, AKKA, AKKA, AKKA". (Disclosure: Akka = Older Sister).

I also learned how to make homemade conditioner from cactus, how to get coconut flour with a contraption using a pizza wheel and how to organise Christmas presents for over 250 students from donations (yes, we've started very early!). The organisation process felt to me like a giant brain teaser, not exactly what you want after a church service and in humid weather, although it was really fun to spend time working on a whole house project together, and using our creative flares and ideas all together. We made a success of it, and I can't wait for the Christmas celebration in Wattala School to hand them out to these deserving kids I have had the past few weeks to get to know so well.

On the subject of Christmas - if you sponsor a child with The Dust Project, keep an eye out for the post in the next few weeks; Christmas cards and/or letters from your children are on their way. As I am on the ground, I had the chance to quickly flick through them and I can say there are definitely some precious things air bound to you. Mine from Esther were delivered straight into my hand, in plenty of time before Christmas, and it fills me with so much excitement that I will be spending a Christmas with her.

A new class (Sunshine) in the school has welcomed me for the first few hours of school this week, which is made up of 4 and 5 year olds. They are taught only in English, and are in the process of learning the Phonetic Alphabet, body parts, colours and numbers this term. I am here to observe and understand how this side of the school works, so when I head to Jaffna I will know and be able to use the same method for Non-Paalam ESL students.

I have English and Social Studies essays to mark over the next few nights, work through Advanced Maths exercise books (HELP!), begin going through the French system and learning phonics so I can join in, in class with Sunshine tomorrow. Let's get cracking!