Today was an opportunity for the Grade 10 student to meet, interact and learn something about the lives of their counterparts at the local Kithulgala School. Around 50 students from the village showed up on a weekend, in order to share a day with the ACS students.
The day started with an introduction by each individual student, and each ACS student had a Sri Lankan buddy for the day. The girls bonded straight away and an improvisational dance workshop emerged, with the ACS girls teaching the Kithulgala girls the Macarena and the local girls teaching ACS some traditional dance.
The main service element of the day was to help clear the school's main playing field which has become overgrown, as jungle environs are prone to do if not cared for. This playing field is also the volleyball pitch, which is played with enormous fervor and seriousness at the school, by both male and female students.
Despite the searing heat the students did an amazing job, clearing a large patch of thorny brush and high grass. Leaving a substantial area now clear for other ball games away from the volleyball pitch.
Just before lunch the kids were treated to a performance of a traditional Sri Lankan dance by some of the female students.
For lunch a very traditional meal - a rice and curry lunch packet, and the ACS students embraced the Sri Lankan way of eating with one's hands.
After a bit of monkeying around the afternoon session included a ceremony where the kids handed over books which had been purchased for the English room through fund raising efforts directly by ACS students. The English master at the school is working hard to try and teach as many kids English as possible in a school where English is not valued as a way of self improvement. His dedication to bettering the education of these children is very inspirational. Th books were really appreciated and will go to very good use.
Following on from this the students from both schools were divided into group where they had to come up with a skit, song, dance which was of cultural significance to one culture of the other, or both! Given the language barriers and a certain shyness from the Sri Lankans, every group produced something unique and to be proud of.
Finally there was only way to finish the day and that was to use the newly cleared playground and play some volleyball! The Sri Lankan team I have to admit beat the Lebanese Team in straight sets!
I am sure that for many today will be a lasting highlight of their time in Sri Lanka - after the initial buzz of the canyoning, abseiling and rafting fades, it will be the memories of their time spent with children whose lives are so vastly different to theirs, but with who a connection was made for those brief few hours, which will resonate for years to come.
No comments:
Post a Comment