As the rain poured down and we huddled into Lally’s van, we were sadly reminded that this would be one of our final days at school. In the meantime, other members of the group were busy baking in preparation for our English tea party that evening. It was a particularly important day as Becki would be boarding a plane to England the following day. We were determined to make it one of the best yet and we all arrived in high spirits. Our morning with the preschool was one of the most memorable yet, as the children stamped their hand prints on the school wall, marking the completion of our painting. It was great that the kids could have an involvement in something that will remain for years to come.

At lunchtime, we made our way to an ‘arms giving’ gathering; we had never seen so many monks under one roof! We were told that this is an annual Buddhist tradition whereby important meats and gifts are exchanged. It seemed that the whole village was under one roof; how they fed everyone I will never know, but the Sri Lankans are full of surprises! As we ate our lunch facing our ‘audience’ we were asked to sing a rather reluctant version of ‘yellow submarine’.

As the rain continued and the playground became swamped, afternoon club was restricted to in the classroom. As the children rehearsed for the cultural show, we were again overwhelmed by the talent and enthusiasm of the kids. As we hurried back to moon bridge for our tea party, we were astounded by the sheer amount of cakes that Ashera, Rebecca and Georgina had produced! As the table was arranged in true English style, our guests (the teachers, families, Salvodaya members) soon arrived from all three Durham villages. We were more than happy to be hosts for the evening, given the generosity of everyone that attended. We took advantage of this role and fed up our guests to maximum levels on Victoria sponge cake, tea and biscuits. We then all ventured down to the beach for songs, dancing and groups photos. It was definitely a moment that we won’t forget and it was also a great send off for Becki, I think it is beginning to hit us all that there is little time left and to really make the most of it.