This week, we all agreed that we would decide who goes to which preschool on a day to day basis, seeing as it’s the last official week of programme! Can’t believe how fast the last 8 weeks have gone, it’s going to be sad to go home. On Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday I was at Vikumgama and on Friday I went to Gandarawatte with Hannah and Jianan for the first time this summer.

The week began at Vikumgama where the plan was to continue with the painting. Last week my little project was the rainbow on the inside wall, and so Monday I continued with it whilst Jianan and Radhika took preschool. However, after I finished Indigo I had to go home to Moon Bridge because I wasn’t feeling well.
Tuesday, Hannah and I took preschool and afterschool at Vikumgama whilst Jianan and Radhika continued with the painting on the exterior walls. Teaching was really good on Tuesday. After being here for 3 weeks of the summer, I feel like we’ve really gotten to know the children. You’ve got Pabasera and Gawesh who are both quite cheeky. Then there’s Teshan, the one who is most likely to run for president in the future, such a bright child. And then there’s Imashi who has the biggest eye’s you’ll ever see. There’s 12 children all together, all of which are amazing. After school went well, played volleyball with them. They love volleyball and ask for it every time – It’s their national sport.

Wednesday Me and Hannah taught preschool again which was great. When we arrived, the teachers’ daughter and her friends were practicing their dance to the song “Chammack Challo” for the closing ceremony on Wednesday. After watching them, we all decided it would be really nice if some of us girls danced it with them and so in between preschool and afterschool the girls taught me, Hannah and Radhika the dance. At the beginning of the day, for preschool, we got them all in a circle and did “Ring a Ring a Roses” and “The Hokey Cokey.” Afterwards, we sat the children down on a mat in front of the incomplete rainbow and gave them playdough to make numbers with. After we had gone through numbers 1 to 10, we revised colours with them using the rainbow. For breakfast at 10:30, the teacher brought us string hoppers and dhal which was incredible. Nothing like a morning curry! For lunch we walked up the hill to one of the villagers’ houses where we all sat round the fan drinking out king coconuts. The food was good as always.

Thursday was my last official day at Vikumgama and was also our chance for us to finish off all of the painting whilst Omari and Bharkavi took preschool and afterschool. I finished off the rainbow, and I have to say I’m quite proud of it! Radhika and Jianan also finished off the outside painting. After finishing all the painting, we continued to practice the Chammack Challo dance with the Sri Lankan girls. Can’t wait to perform it! At the end of the day, we all decided it was time to put our mark on the building by adding our handprints under the PSL logo in paint. We also thought it would be really nice if the teacher Sryani put her handprint on too, in the middle, seeing as it’s now her school. We also got her to write her name in Sinhala on the boat painted on the next wall.

Friday was the last day of the official programme and Me Hannah and Jianan went to Gandarawatte for the first time. The school is located up a hill just down the road from Rassandeniya, behind the Monks house. We took preschool where we taught them the numbers 1 to 10 using pipecleaners, and animals. For lunch we went to the Monks house, where we were welcomed with a cup of tea. The food was amazing, and as we left he blessed us and tied a piece of string around our wrists.

This week was a good final week and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Although, it’s now sinking in that we are leaving next week. I think I speak on behalf of the whole team when I say this place is going to be missed!