The first time we met the Vice Chancellor of Ruhuna University, he enthusiastically stipulated his desire for us to partake in a Cultural Show – a hybrid of the best of English and Sri Lankan culture. Yesterday we stepped up to the task.
We have been squeezing in rehearsals in between our otherwise manic schedule, and those who had to learn huge chunks of Shakespeare and Wilde after an exhausting day teaching had no easy task. There were numerous dance and music rehearsals – joining with the Sri Lankan students as well as amongst ourselves. It was a real group effort!

It was our last day in the university and we ran round finishing off last minute tasks and much-needed final run-throughs. In the early afternoon, the ladies from the International Office came over to dress us all up in our saris which everyone wore with grace and style! The boys scrubbed up very well indeed in their ties as well! It was lovely to see everyone looking so smart after 6 weeks of wearing the same old clothes! We headed over to the auditorium where the VC, all the deans, heads of departments and about 300 students were waiting…a very intimidating sight! The programme started with the official lighting of the oil lamp which Caroline was called upon to help light it along with other teachers.

A welcome dance was performed by some Ruhuna students in their spectacular national costumes. This was followed by a traditional Sri Lankan dance by a mixture Ruhuna and Durham students which was beautifully done and really appreciated by the audience. All Durham students then took the stage to sing two songs: ‘The Rhythm of Life’ and a short medley. It was performed with great gusto!

There was then a presentation of football kit to Ruhuna students in anticipation of starting a female football team and a presentation of the work we have compiled to be used by the English Language Teaching Unit to the VC. He followed this presentation with a very moving speech expressing his gratitude to us all. He made us feel that our presence and work in Ruhuna has been very much valued and we hope that we have set the precedent for a long and productive link between Durham and Ruhuna. Caroline continued by thanking everyone for making us feel so incredibly welcome in the university … which she very impressively completed in Sinhala! More dancing and acting followed, including extracts from The Importance of Being Earnest’ and ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Several of our group had learnt a traditional Sri Lankan ‘Pot Dance’ and some Sri Lankan students tried a spot of English drama.

The result of our combined efforts was a three hour fusion of English/Sri Lankan entertainment. Everyone who partook felt extremely proud of the finished result. The gratitude sown to us in the wake of the show indicates just how valuable our presence in the University has been. Our willingness to ‘have a go’ at undertaking traditional aspects of Sri Lankan culture was vastly appreciated. During our stay here we have encouraged students and academics to speak English and developed an English teaching resource programme in addition to contributing too many different areas outside the lecture room. A Ruhuna SCA has been set up and we have contributed weekly to the university’s career guidance programme. Most importantly we have started to integrate with the other students, bridging cross-cultural boundaries with enthusiasm and building strong friendships. We hope that we have made a positive and lasting impression on life in Ruhuna and are confident that next group Durham students will be able to continue to do the same next August.