It was a very chilled weekend; I simply enjoyed wandering around
the little shops, delicious milkshakes and curd, catching up on wi-fi and finally trying to get over my Adam's Peak illness with a couple of other sufferers!
Well we thought we had to do something a bit more active, so on Sunday we set off at 5am to see the sunrise at Mini Adam's Peak. We managed to make it to the top this time! The walk was only small and gentle in comparison, but we cursed the steps as they arose! The view from the top was certainly worth it though. There was a great scene of Ella Rock with mist and winding roads covering the surrounding mountains. The walk back was pleasant through the tea plantations and endless greenery - postcard perfect!
Nevertheless this is Sri Lanka and there couldn't be a weekend without a bit of a nightmare. When we were waiting for the bus to Colombo and all smiling and saying how smoothly the weekend had gone for once, we realised that we were waiting in completely the wrong town. We had to scramble on the next bus, along with the other thirty local fighting their way on, with all the seats and standing room already taken. The prospect of six hours standing amongst sweaty body as the bus swayed down the hills was horrendous, plus Ieva and I were already feeling pretty nauseous. Instead we spent the majority of the journey scrunched up on the dirty floor, squished between a tangle of legs, probably getting in the way but just closing our eyes wishing for it to be over! I have never been so happy to see the streets of Maharagama, all part of the experience though I suppose!
I'm not ashamed to say I spent my remaining weekends on the coast.
Project life can be so draining and I knew I had months of it still to
come! So what better way than to appreciate the beauty of Sri Lanka
whilst relaxing on a beach :) I stopped off in Hikkaduwa again and then
fell in love with Mirissa on the south of the island. It has everything
you could possibly want... fresh seafood, great prices, Ayuverdic
massages, whale watching, cooking classes, beautiful beach, rabbit
warrens, snorkelling, beach parties, cheap accommodation, and most
importantly... The Rotti Shop. I'm pretty sure their speciality Banoffee
Rotti is the best thing I have ever tasted in my life, like heaven in
my mouth! It was so amazing that it brought me back to Mirissa four
times!
For our final weekend altogether we spent one night celebrating in Hikkaduwa, partying in our apartment then on the beach then in the club, with maybe a tad too much arrack... But it was the best night out and I had so much fun with all the other volunteers one last time! When I felt alive again the next day a couple of us headed to Mirissa yet again, why not spend our last hours in our favourite place!
All too suddenly it was our twelth week of projects and time to start saying goodbye. I had a great lesson planned for my youth teaching class, with games and prizes and all sorts! I wanted to treat them for their efforts and say thank you, whilst continuing to build their confidence speaking in English. So when I arrived to an empty classroom I was devestated - we hadn't been told they had an assessment workshop that day! My temple youth teaching class made up for it though, with our little kids party! We played Pass the Parcel with English questions and chocolates, Pin the Tail on the Elephant, Hangman and Shop Roleplay - they loved it! Saying our goodbyes at the Special Needs Home was the most sad - I have met some charming and inspirational ladies in there and each ward has those particular few that always make me smile. I know I will have gained a lot from my experiences at the projects and hopefully those skills will shine in my future placements.
For my final week in Sri Lanka I was lucky to be able to stay once again with my wonderful Sri Lankan family, this time with a few special visitors! My mum, stepdad and godparents were there to spend it with me :) We celebrated two birthdays, ate too many delicious curries, and I resisted stealing the cute baby living next door! I had to visit Mirissa one last time with Alys, spending it purely at the Rotti Shop and on the beach, perfect place with perfect company :)
So there it is, the end of that chapter. Let the next adventure begin!
..x
