This week Dhanya, Vivian and I have been working in the villages of previous years projects. Today was mine and Viv’s first visit to Rassandenyia, though Dhanya had been here before. I was really impressed with the child-friendly set up of the school when I arrived. It was lovely to see a large picture of the 2007 team that funded the building hanging from the rafters and to know that they haven’t been forgotten by the people of Rassandenyia.
We were greeted by the assistant teacher, Krishanthi as the usual teacher was absent. Many of the children were also away due to a fever that seems to be present in the village at the moment. The day began with prayers in front of the small statue of the Buddha in the school. It was good to see that the children’s spiritual well-being was being catered for in the school as well as their educational needs. The program was very structured and the children began with an art activity before we were given the opportunity to teach some English. Having a teacher who speaks some English to translate some of the things the children did not understand meant that the lesson was significantly more successful than in some of the other villages where very little English is spoken. The children were more interested because they understood properly and made a lot of progress with learning the words to songs such as ‘the Wheels on the Bus’ and ‘Alice the Camel’.

After a simple, but delicious lunch of dahl and rice which was eaten in the local temple, we returned to the school for a traditional dance class which Krishanthi runs for the villagers. Being a somewhat awkward dancer, participating in the class took me well out of my comfort zone. Sri Lankan dancing is very elegant and flowing and requires a great deal of coordination and rhythm. It quickly became clear to the teacher that I have neither. She spent a long time working with me on a one to one basis, helping me to master some of the moves. I am not sure I had made much progress by the end of the lesson, but I really enjoyed myself and was glad that I pushed myself to try something that I was very uncomfortable doing. I feel that I made a real connection with Krishanthi and am looking forward to the chance to return to Rassandenyia for a second go at learning ‘the Peacock Dance’!