Life as Coordinator in Ambalangoda

Day 32 - Tuesday 12th July 5.01pm

Not sure if it's the monsoon rain, messages from home, or the sudden craving for chocolate after all these weeks, but today has left me feeling a bit lost. Drained of all energy and motivation, I'm definitely starting to miss home at the moment. I guess it's been pretty good going so far, nearly five weeks of intense work and feeling content, the bubble had to deflate at some point!

 

So now I've been back in Ambalangoda a couple of weeks and it's definitely been a contrast to the travelling with my Leeds group. Of course it's not always fun and games in paradise!

When we arrived back in Ambalangoda, I was straight into it with my first orientation weekend. This includes a full brief on the project, volunteer houses and expectations, followed by a visit to the moonstone mine (a gemstone only found not found anywhere else in the world) and a local temple with the longest resting Buddha statue in South Asia and a introduction to Buddhism. It's surprising how much you know when someone clueless quizzes you on it!

My daily routine has now begun, doing rounds of all the volunteer houses with my personal tuk tuk, answering questions and making sure all the volunteers are clued up on the essentials.

My first weekend here was mental, making sure the new volunteer arrivals and all the departures were running smoothly, which is quite hard to do when you're working to Sri Lankan time!

Another orientation, feeling a bit more ready, but trying to ignore the ants all over my feet whilst speaking to sea of 50 faces staring back at me. It was a long day of bobbing jet lagged heads and the start of the 24/7 service of Emma question time... Can I switch my answer machine on please?

For the next week each day has just merged into one blur. It's a good thing I enjoy being uber organised! I've tried to take my office outside for a couple of hours when possible, otherwise my life has been spent with rice and curry in one hand and my diary or work phone in the other, with my evenings spent between the houses answering questions and sorting things out for the volunteers, collapsing in my bed around midnight before another early start for the daily transport booking mayhem. I certainly enjoyed being a tour guide for the first part!

At the following weekend nearly all the volunteers were away on various weekend trips - Yala safari, Maldives or exploring the island; which meant I had Sunday free to join my Real Experience group in Hikkaduwa for a perfect day of fresh vanilla milkshakes and snoozing on a sunbed by the sea.

And then the working week repeats - getting used to working by Sri Lankan time, in intense heat, with Western expectations to meet. Trust me it is not always fun and games in paradise! But I have got a fantastic family and local support around me to make me feel at home :) By next weekend, it'll even be half way through my time here, how's that happened?!

Day 39 - Tuesday 19th July 1.21pm

Well the last week has definitely passed in a flash!

Wednesday night was our chance to go to Hikkaduwa with all the staff and volunteers to unwind, which was a lot of fun with the local coordinators and tuk tuk drivers! On Thursday Ashika held a beach bbq for the Leeds group and I joined them for their final dinner in Sri Lanka on Friday - starting the weekend of goodbyes and new volunteer arrivals. I'm very sad they've all gone! Callie is involved in a school trip programme so I haven't been able to see her much, I'm going to miss having this group to come and chat to!

Every other day at work has varied completely so far, but recently there's been an increase of trips to the doctors and hospitals that seems to be creeping into my schedule. Please no more wounds, infections or broken bones!

Day 55 - Thursday 4th August 11.46pm

Callie's back!

After weeks of helping the school trip and leading another Real Experience group, I get to see Callie's face again snoring across from me when I wake up. Hopefully it will take a strain off my manic workload too!

Last week I wasn't in a particularly good mindset; I was constantly busy 24/7 and every situation became stressful and there was just generally a lot going on. This made me miss home quite a bit, without the support of Callie I was definitely struggling. I just need to keep positive and focused and things will get better!

Last week was a bit of a rollercoaster, starting with my first solo orientation with our first ever Chinese volunteers, then a bad day feeling ill exhausted and fed up, then an awesome day checking out the turtle conservation project. One day I joined the volunteers at the girls orphanage to raise awareness of the Global Goals for International Youth Day and the next day I was assisting a volunteer admitted to hospital for dengue fever.

The most tragic news though was the sudden loss of our elderly elephant, Manike, who collapsed on the way back from the river with her mahout on Wednesday afternoon. After everyone's best efforts to save her, unfortunately she passed away a few hours later. It's hard to explain how emotional it was to witness, with doctors trying to help save her and as word spread the locals swarmed around to see the unusual sight of a huge fascinating creature laying helplessly on the road. The rippling effects of this have been really hard for the whole team, especially Ashika, which has thrown us all into sideways shock and overtime. In a close knit community like this, any part of your work or life is a massive part of your everyday world.

So today Callie and I have been catching up over samosas and wadi, trying to lift spirits and prepare ourselves for the unknown weeks ahead

Day 61 - Wednesday 10th August 12.42pm

Currently sitting in the sweaty crowded Visa & Immigration Department, on a very uncomfortable hard plastic chair, very much craving some chocolate. We have been here for roughly three hours so far, after a 6am start and a two hour rickety bus journey to Colombo, which was just as squished and sweaty, as I dozed and bobbed, wedged between two locals. I was extremely excited when my number finally got called to the collection counter a short while ago, picturing the blue sky and breeze of the outside world awaiting me, to be swiftly told I still have to wait for a receipt stating '0 rupees' even though my extension is free of charge and it should be complete. Of course. Why would it be so simple?

1.46pm

Feel like I'm playing the longest game of Bingo known to man, rewound into ultra-slowmo. I think I've got as much chance of my number being called up soon as I have winning the lottery.

6pm

An exact 5 hours of waiting in that stuffy room and 5 hours on a bus later... I am back in Ambalangoda with a shiny new visa glistening in my passport. Never been so glad to be home and a Milo (chocolate milkshake) has never tasted so deserving!

The Real Sri Lanka Experience

Day 18 - Tuesday 28th June 12.18pm

It's time to visit one of my favourite places in Sri Lanka - Mirissa! We are currently on our way along the south coast from Yala, where we spent the past two nights. I'm excited about beach, seafood and Dewmini's Banoffee Rotti!

After visiting Polonnaruwa last week, we explored the oldest Kingdom of Anurhadapura and caves that monks have used as a meditation centre for centuries. The oldest Buddhist temple in Sri Lanka is still standing and remains sacred to them, as well as the Bhodi tree under which Lord Buddha reached enlightenment, which is recorded as the oldest living tree in the world, around 2600 years old. Pretty cool eh?

We travelled back on the windy roads for a night of chips and card games in Kandy, with a quick stop at Dambulla for the huge golden statue of Lord Buddha.

The next morning we had free time to explore the Kandy markets, where I treated myself to a traditional South Asian dress called a Salwar. You can call me a local now.

Ashika took me to a small temple to meet a local monk and receive a Pirith Nula, where the monk chants a blessing whilst tying a white string around your right hand for protection and prosperity. I made sure I learnt the polite etiquette for respecting and thanking a monk beforehand, with hands together and bowing the head for respect. I was still pretty nervous!

Our next stop was Nuwara Eliya, aka Little England, with a lunch stop on top of the valley overlooking waterfalls and endless greenery, it was amazing! We got a tour around Mackwoods tea plantation, to see how they grow, dry and roll the leaves for different grades of tea, with a very enjoyable complimentary cup at the end. I might even be converted to a tea drinker now?

When we arrived in Nuwara Eliya I understood why it's called Little England - it's bloody freezing! The plants and scenery completely change, the hotels look like ski lodges and the paddy fields are swapped for vegetable patches. It was very bizarre thinking we were in Sri Lanka, especially when a duvet still didn't keep us warm enough!

The next morning we visited the Botanical Gardens, which was opened by the British in the 1800's. A few of the girls hired a golf buggy to take them round, which I took full advantage of! The guide let them drive around when the park rangers were out of sight, which got a tad scary on the uphill hairpin bends on the edge of a mini cliff...

The drive to Ella continued to be stunning, this country is just infinitely lush green. Ella is a very small quiet town that attracts backpackers and honeymoon couples, the perfect place to chill out and enjoy the beautiful scenery, the reason it is one of my favourites. After another amazing selection of Sri Lankan curries with an incredible valley view, it was time to explore Ella. Sitting on a minibus for hours on end hadn't been kind to my back, so I went straight to the local Ayuverdic clinic for a head and full body massage, complete with a complimentary facial!

On Sunday morning we enjoyed the sunshine and headed to Mini Adams Peak for a small trek up to the most beautiful view of the hills and valleys, the perfect photo opportunity. Then a stop at Ella waterfall, which was a great refreshment from the piercing heat.

Our next stop was Katharagama, the most famous Hindu temple in the South of Sri Lanka. Thousands of people from across the country visit this site, from the Sinhala Buddhists to the Tamil Hindus to the Vedda. We received a hindu blessing, differing from the Buddhist Pirith Nula as the string is colourful and a chant is sung as they loop it around your wrist, ending with the mark of good luck smudged on the centre of your forehead. We offered a huge tray of tropical fruit to the Hindu gods, which was blessed then passed around to eat and share the fortune. It's very interesting how Buddhist and Hindu cultures intertwine, as there are nearly always elements of both at their respective temples. Hinduism involves more rituals though, my favourite of which is smashing a coconut into a pit after a prayer, and if it cracks it will come true or bring you good luck. I've never been religious and RE wasn't top of many peoples subjects at my school, but I have found experiencing people's beliefs and worship to be really fascinating. I'm not sure I'll ever quite understand the Hindu culture but it's been great to witness it first hand!

After a chilled morning between a pool and an iguana, we set off on an adventure to another of my favourites - Yala National Park. For our safari we got fancy jeeps with actual seats, rather than the standing-on-a-bench type that gives your legs bruises for weeks! The common wildlife in Yala are elephants, peacocks, green bee-eater birds, crocodiles, water buffalo, monkeys, spotted deer, and some crazy wild chickens...

After a couple of hours of cruising through the dusty terrain, we set up our picnic by the beach, feeling gutted we didn't spot any of the rare sloth bears or leopards. As the national park borders the sea, this are was affected by the tsunami in 2014. There's a monument to remember those who lost their lives, however on that day most of the animals had survived, taking flight before the waves hit. Those around the area recalled how bizarre it was the animals all moved inland suddenly and simultaneously, whilst us humans were oblivious to the devastation that was to follow.

This was my second time at Yala, so I was really determined to spot a leopard curled up on a high branch or camouflaged in the trees. But as our safari came to an end, we still hadn't seen any sign of the rare creatures anywhere.

Until...

On the last stretch of dusty road to the exit, a leopard was just chilling in a clearing near by to the track! She seemed unphased by the jeep, but we all tried hard to contain our excitement and stay silent. She was absolutely beautiful to watch, I was over the moon! She padded through the bushes so that we had to reverse back to watch her, but we got a really great view. They are so rare and spotted so little, I felt extremely lucky to see one up close with a great view. My face was beaming for the rest of the day!

Day 20 - Thursday 30th June 1.27pm

And my time on the Real Experience trip sadly comes to an end. I've really enjoyed the last few days though, Mirissa has been a pleasure as always! Drinking fresh coconuts, white sand between your toes, blue skies up ahead. And of course Banoffee rotti's. Oh how I've missed you! A delicate blend of caramel, biscuit, banana and chocolate warmed in a Rotti with a generous dollop of ice cream and toffee sauce. It was great to reunite with some old friends that I had met previously in Mirissa too; even after two years it can feel like no time has passed at all!

We spent our last evening travelling together celebrating with cocktails on the beach, reminiscing on our favourite places so far and excited about the next experience back in Ambalangoda. For me it has been the best start to my role this summer, I've been very grateful for this opportunity to travel and share what I know about Sri Lanka. I've been very lucky so far, now the hard work begins!

Finding my Feet

Day 11 - Tuesday 21st June 2.05pm

Bobbing away on the minibus, behind an open backed truck full of vegetable sacks and two men casually sitting on top, through the endless lush greenery and constant horn bibbing. Life in Sri Lanka just seems so normal and homely to me now!

How have I only been away for ten days? I am now in full swing of coordinator role, leading a group of Leeds Uni students on our Real Sri Lanka Experience trip with Ashika (project coordinator), and are just approaching Sigiriya, Lions Rock Palace - don't want to know how many steps we are about to climb in this heat!

For the rest of last week, it mostly consisted of settling in, learning about the projects and discussing our roles this summer. On Wednesday I got the chance to visit the volunteers at the Elephant project - giving Manike a good scrub in the river with coconut shells! It's an amazing opportunity to get up close to these beautfil animals and the project acts as a spa retreat from their working lives, with necessary medication and rest.

I also spent an afternoon at the Tsunami School teaching project, where about 40 children of varying ages and abilities come for additional English lessons. I sat with three little cuties, trying to teach me Sinhala as I helped them with their English alphabet.

And finally, after many days wilting in the heat, I had a spare two hour break to head to the beach! Callie and I got a tuk tuk to Hikkaduwa and lapped up the sun and sea, knowing we wouldn't have another break until the Summer madness dimmed - full steam ahead now until August!

On our first Friday night was the big boss's party for Philip, starring cocktail makers, volunteers, Ashika's bankers and our local policemen! The hall was set up like a wedding party, complete with a Sri Lankan buffet, cheesy music and a decorated photo shoot set. It was so much fun! Everyone had a great time dancing and celebrating, for some volunteers it was their last evening too. For Ashika and I it was the start of a veryyyy long night, as we had to travel straight to the airport at midnight for our twelve hour queue of pickups. I'm not sure who was more exhausted, us or the arrivals after a 12 hour flight!

And that's where the Real Experience trip begins...

This morning we visited a spice and herb plantation, learning about how particular plants, fruits and flowers are grown and their uses - food, medicine, beauty and all sorts. From coffee and pepper to cocoa and aloe, the plants are used in so many different ways to extract flavours, oils and natural goodness. Then the best part... A free facial, head back and shoulder massage, what more could you want?

So far on the Real Experience we have visited Pinnawela elephant orphanage - watching them roam eat and bathe in the river; Kandy - the capital of the last ruling Kingdom, with the famous Kandian dance show, the Temple of the Tooth with Lord Buddha's sacred tooth relic (kept in a gold casket), a lesson on Buddhism and life as a monk at Bahirawa Kanda hilltop temple under the giant meditating Buddha statue, and most bizarrely of all; eating spicey chicken spaghetti bolognese, with a live pianist, in Pizza Hut. Welcome to Asia.

7.02pm

On our way to our next destination Polonnaruwa in the dark, casually passing a wild elephant walking towards us on the road! That's the first time I've seen them wild not being close to the safari parks, it is very surreal!

Feeling elated now after our climb up Sigiriya, 200ft high and 1,200 steps, through the Kings palace... Sorry we've just passed another young male elephant! This is so exciting...

So anyway, a very sweaty hike past the Summer Palace, gardens and fountains, the eighth wonder of the world, up the steep narrow steps of the rock, following the 1,600 year old Mirror Wall and passing ancient cave paintings of the Kings 500 concubines. Then through the Lions Rock mouth straight up to the Winter Palace ruins, imagining the King seated on his stone thrown watching his dancers. For miles and miles around all you could see up to the mountains in the horizon was jungle, broken by small lakes and a white Buddhist statue standing proud in the distance. It was most definitely worth the workout! I think today has been my favourite so far :)

Day 12 - Wednesday 22nd June 8:36pm

I think this afternoon has topped yesterday.

We started off today with a cycle tour of Polonnaruwa, the second ancient kingdom of Sri Lanka. I thoroughly enjoyed cycling between the ruins (not sure if everyone would agree with me...); learning about the kingdom, visiting the 93-million-brick dagoba and sweating my bodyweight in water in the intense heat. So lunch with a pool was a highly welcomed luxury!

Then the rest of our day was the icing and cherry and chocolate sauce of it all - the sunset jeep safari. This started originally as just a trip to a huge local lake, where the sunset view is really beautiful. On the way the roads are through a traditional jungle village, so we could get a snapshot of real life in rural Sri Lanka. It seemed to be bathing time for most families - all retreating to the river with their clothes and bar of soap for the community bath! They were all very happy to laugh and wave as we passed, I think we'd be a tad more embarrassed back at home! We had some balloons, sweets and pencils ready for anyone who wanted to come say hi, so there were lots of ecstatic kids running towards us with arms flailing. They offered us to try the local fruits too - wood apple and jackfruit, and showed us how they grow peanuts as we passed the fields (did you know they grow underground?). Standing in the jeep, taking in the sights sounds and smells of Real Sri Lanka, and then relaxing as the sun disappeared behind the lake has been my favourite experience so far.