It is only when dressed in my sari, listening to the beat of Kandyan drumming, waiting to perform a Sinhala dance that I realise how immersed I have become in Sri Lankan culture over these past 2 months and what a truly magical moment it is! The group dance was one of many performances at the Moraketiara/Durham Cultural Show – the product of several weeks of hard work undertaken by both pupils and teachers during their school vacation. Having attended drama, dance and singing workshops twice weekly to prepare for the show it was a pleasure to discover that even the shyest children were eager to perform the new songs they had learnt for an audience of Rotarians, teachers, parents and children. With performances ranging Shakespeare to Disney the show proved to be a diverse affair incorporating all age groups and abilities – whilst the younger children tackled the “Rainbow Song,” the older children recited T. S. Elliot’s “Macavity” and we grappled with “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” I am not yet sure if the audience has recovered from the sight of Mark (Thisbe) in a dress or indeed if the children have stopped laughing! Moreover, the show moved from the quintessentially English (we even managed a Beatles song) to the typically Sri Lankan with the children of the Rotary Club performing a song and drama. It is in this respect that the showcase provided a fitting end for our time at Moraketiara, as it embodied not only the project’s aim of English language tuition but that of cultural exchange and integration, an aim that I feel we have truly fulfilled… even if my attempt at Sinhala dancing indicates I am not quite Sri Lankan yet!