The Half Way Challenge

After a few weekends of exploring the island we decided to brave ourselves for Sri Pada, also known as Adam's Peak. The sacred footprint at the summit is worshipped by Buddhists, Christians, Hindus and Muslims, therefore making it the holiest mountain in Sri Lanka. There is a lot of legend and history behind Sri Pada, which has been interesting to find out about, especially concerning the mysterious footprint, which lies beneath a precious gem covered by a large boulder. There are different routes to climb to the peak too, with Ratnapura being the oldest, longest and viewed as the most difficult. We climbed up the Hatton trail, with about 5,200 steps up to the peak, 2,500m above sea level.

The pilgrim season runs between the Poya (full moon) days in December and May, with weekends bringing the largest crowds. So we were expecting it to be a tad busy. But we had no idea what we had actually let ourselves in for...

We started the ascent at 1.30am on Saturday morning, so that we could see the sun rise from the temple at the top for Rachel's birthday. So this left us a lengthy five hours, plenty enough time for some leisurely rest stops at the tea stands on the way up too. Our friends had made it up in under three hours a few weeks previously, so if anything we thought we'd be waiting around in the cold for too long at the top!

However nothing in Sri Lanka is that simple. At 4am the queuing began. One step every ten to fifty minutes. With absolutely no clue how long or how far it was to the top. I remember thinking that we were so close at this point, and when someone said it might take two more hours we scoffed and said that was ridiculous! As if!

Seven hours of queuing later...

So we eventually reached the peak at 11am, feeling drained and delirious, five hours late. But with a huge sense of achievement for our physical and mental determination! The temperature and morale had plummeted after a few hours of queuing amongst thousands of dedicated people, compacted all the way up the narrow staircase to the top. Luckily we'd taken a few extra layers, but I think it was the biscuits, singing and laughter that pulled us through! Although we weren't at the peak for the sunrise and the apparently spectacular shadow it casts, I must admit we had a pretty incredible view. It forced me to appreciate it a whole lot more, and I was actually kind of glad that I was able to just stand there and take it all in properly. I also gained a lot of respect for those that were climbing for their beliefs and religion. It was really motivating and inspirational to see some of the people who had already made it to the top - elderly, sick, disabled, mother and baby, with most of them being barefoot. I saw a man with one leg and another man with prosthetic legs, which just goes to show their dedication to their religion and their belief of a better rebirth. I reminded myself of this when I wanted to complain and moan - if they could do it then we could too!

We hadn't anticipated being out in the sun and heat at all, so after some celebratory photos and chocolate at the top we had to get on with the steep knee buckling descent! Breakfast was waiting for us at 2pm, eight hours late, which we needed after no sleep or food all day. It was an extremely long and exhausting day, and most people did not want to speak about it for days after as the memories were still too painful! Nonetheless I thought it was still an absolutely amazing experience and the view definitely made it worth all the hard work! This challenge marked the half way point for my time in Sri Lanka, so the achievement celebrated what we have accomplished in our projects and life in Sri Lanka.

Saying that though, the remainder of the weekend still didn't go to plan... When we got back to the guesthouse we realised that no one had our room key, and after an hour of searching we had to get the bolt and padlock removed, pay the damage cost, then got stuck in a bad traffic accident on the windy hill roads and then caught in torrential rain, eventually arriving at Bentota seven hours later for the rest of our 'relaxing' weekend by the beach! I did have my first Sri Lankan train experience on the way home though, with people hanging out the doors and the sea being right out the window only three metres from the track! So the weekend was certainly an adventure, but left us feeling physically and mentally exhausted for days, so much that most of us were unfortunately vomiting and bed bound for the rest of the week!

Lets Go Exploring

Due to popular demand I have decided to write about my weekend adventures around Sri Lanka, which means that I don’t have to update everyone individually too!

After our first weekend in the jungle we thought it was best to spend our time enjoying the beautiful coastlines of Sri Lanka, so we decided to visit Unawatuna and Hikkaduwa for the next two trips away from Maharagama.

Our bus arrived in Unawatuna just in time for the most amazing sunset, the perfect start to our weekend! It was nice to finally relax and soak up the sun, away from the intensity of our week-life. After dinner next to the stilt fisherman we had a night out in Happy Bananas, it was a treat for me to hear Western music again! Saturday was spent on the sand under the palm trees, swimming in the clear water of the natural sea bath, and sea food on the beach for dinner – paradise!

The next day we were lucky to have a private tour of Koggala Lake, where our homestay family are building a holiday villa. We were paddled across the water by two fisherman, with some planks of wood in between their boats as our seat! We saw jumping fish, bats, birds of prey and also some boats fishing prawns on the edges. The lake is huge and comprises of different sized islands - Bird Island, Temple Island and Cinnamon Island. Afterwards the fisherman took us to the tiny Cinnamon ‘factory’ nearby where the leaves are burned and used to make oil. It was really beautiful, apparently the director of Harry Potter lives next door, alongside other celebrities!

The following weekend was spent in Hikkaduwa, again arriving to see the sunset on the beach. That night we went out to a bar called Vibrations where there were Kandyan dancers, fire eaters and traditional drums, it was incredible! On the beach the following day we were delighted to find they had beds, with some mattresses in huts shaded by palm leaves. What more could you want? The waves are a bit bigger in Hikka so it wasn’t ideal for swimming, but a few of the others hired a board and tried out surfing! On the Sunday we stopped off in Galle on our way home and demolished some chocolate rotti’s at our favourite Dutch Café in the Colonial Fort.

After chilling out for two weekends we decided it was time to venture further into the island. We caught a bus from Colombo to head to Uda Walawe National Park, so we were up before the sun rose for our safari. There were hundreds of species of birds, lizards and crocodiles chilling in the lake. At one point our jeep became surrounded by a heard of mother and baby elephants grazing, they were absolutely fascinating to watch so close up in the wild! Unfortunately we didn’t spot any leopards, there are only around ten in the entire park so they are very rare to see. We also visited the Elephant Transition Home nearby, which cares for orphaned elephants and aims to rehabilitate them in order to release them back into the wild.

 Then for the six hour bus journey from Embilipatiya to Deniyaya, which was surprisingly enjoyable! I sat right next to the windscreen and loved the scenic route through the tea plantations on the narrow winding roads, watching the ladies plucking the tea. Another early start at 5.30am the next day to climb up to a rock temple, with a beautiful view of the sunrise over the hills on the way up. The view from the dagoba at the top was worth the steep trek up, on a clear day apparently you would be able to see Galle lighthouse too. We observed the chief on his morning meditation, pacing alongside the temple one hundred times; it seems a bizarre concept doesn’t it!

For the following weekend I was excited to stay with my Sri Lankan family again, three years after my first trip here. The Friday was Poya Day, so every full moon is a bank holiday (I think Sri Lanka has the most public holidays in the world!). In the evening we visited Panadura Temple for their traditional offerings and prayers; I was the only white person in sight so I got quite a few stares! Then we headed to the beach with all the locals to enjoy the atmosphere and the stars. The rest of the weekend was spent catching up with the family, walking along the beach, playing with their cute nine-month-old neighbour and getting a good night’s sleep! On Sunday we also visited Bambalapitiya Hindu Temple in Colombo, it is so ornately decorated and it was really interesting to watch their prayer routines!

I will leave it at that for now and update you on the remaining weekends soon!

My Psychology Projects

Where does time disappear to? With only five weeks left with SLV I thought it was about time I lock myself in an internet cafe booth and write!

I will just give a brief update on my projects for now, I'm sorry for the lack of photos!

I have surprised myself that I am enjoying youth teaching the most and really look forward to each session. I teach a class of 17-22 year old boys studying a Refrigeration and Air Conditioning vocational course in the Youth Centre. We have been doing topics like careers and hobbies as well as grammar e.g. distinguishing abstract nouns, adjectives and adverbs. They are all a bit giggly and shy but it's such good fun, they just need practice to improve their confidence in English! My morning at the Primary School is probably the most challenging, with a very cheeky Grade 2 class! They are only 6 years old, so their English and attention span is very limited. We've tried our best using songs and games to teach numbers, animals and shapes; but for a two hour class of children running about it can get very tiring!

Some of the psychology projects aren't quite what I had expected, I thought we would be learning more about how they deal with mental health, services available, therapies they use etc. But the fact is they don't actually have anything; for instance there is only one drama therapist in Sri Lanka and one mental health institution in the entire country. Therefore at the moment we are part of a progressive movement to gain contacts and trust and to understand the current facilities, so that they can be worked with to continuously develop and improve. The SLV founders have noticed a huge change since they first arrived, even from the nurses interaction with the patients and the participation in activities. Yesterday was the first time I experienced a facility that was already developed and successful - in the Occupational Therapy Unit at the Mental Health Hospital. As we arrived there they were doing morning exercises and stretching for physical stimulation, participation and focus. Next they did a social interaction activity where they sat in a circle and had to work out what was inside a box through movement and sound, which encouraged them to communicate and problem solve together. Then they were individually assessed on their mood and progress and each allocated an activity - there was cooking, an anger management session, sewing, card making, drawing/painting and jewellery making. I sat in on the last two to learn about what they did there and how it is beneficial. These sorts of activities help with their concentration, following instructions and gaining skills for outside the institution. They sell the things they make at a market in Colombo and all the profits go back into the institution which was really positive to hear.

My favourite project so far is one of the Special Needs Centres, which I spoke a little about in my previous post. We spend time on each of the wards, which requires a varied range of activities. On one visit to the acute wards I spent time with a lady who was severely handicapped and couldn't speak. She was fascinated by my bracelets and I simply spent about twenty minutes showing her, guiding her hand to feel them and then taking hers on and off her wrists as she seemed to like the sensation. The lady opposite loved balloons so we just volleyed them to each other on her bed, practicing my Sinhala numbers! Some of the ladies just love it if you bring them music or give them a hand massage, as it is giving them stimulation rather than just lying in a bed unable to move or sense anything. At first I found it really sad to see the conditions they were in; I suppose I haven't got anything to compare it to though as I've never been anywhere like that in England either. I often speak to a lady who doesn't like to do most of the other activities, so I just go to have a conversation with her. I have shown them my photo albums from home and they have taught me some Sinhala so I have to practice for each time that I go! Most of the other ladies don't speak much English, but always invite you to go sit on their beds for company. A lot of the more-abled patients sew pillow case designs, knit clothes or make greeting cards, which are also sold at the market. One of the ladies in a wheelchair even competes in disabled racing which is amazing! I always really look forward to this project and interacting with the people living there as I know they fully appreciate our time with them.

At the Mental Health Hospital I have worked on a variety of wards - Women's Forensic, Occupational Therapy, Men's Intermediate, Learning Disabilities and Men's Forensic Rehabilitation. In the latter ward I was excited to be part of the first ever drama therapy workshop in the institute. There were about 100 men, either awaiting a court trial or diagnosis following a crime. The atmosphere was surprisingly calm though and they all seemed to really enjoy the session! It encouraged them to engage, interact with the staff and other patients, be creative and be more open in  private sessions and discussions. They are now planning on running it weekly, so it would be great to hear how it has benefited the patients in a few months time. In all the wards the main aim is social interaction, stimulation and improving their well-being. This supports the Holistic approach to psychology and treatment of the whole person rather than solely focusing on their mental health needs. Therefore through therapeutic engagement our activities aim to build social skills, emotional awareness and creativity in a variety of ways. Of course with this type of approach the results are often not immediately obvious, which can be quite demotivating, but it is important to keep in mind the long term goal and development of the projects here in Sri Lanka.

So that's it for now, I will be writing about my adventures exploring Sri Lanka next time!

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