Having missed the opening ceremony, I was extra enthusiastic about the closing ceremony. We all woke up early, did our hair and makeup (for the girls) and took the bus to Vikumgama for one last time. Upon arriving, all the women crowded around to help us into our saris. A pin here, a pin there and some skillful fabric folding there. We were all chatting about random things throughout the process. The villager that was with me, gently tugged my hair away when draping the sari around my neck and gave me a friendly pat on the back when we were done. It felt like how my mum used to dress me as a child. It is weird that I have only been here two weeks and I already feel that I belong to the community. When we went out of the changing area, I looked around; It is usually easy for us to spot each other when we were teaching in our school, but today, with our saris on, chatting away comfortably with friends that we have all bonded to. I find myself thinking: Is that my teammate or a villager?

The closing ceremony was a great event. The speeches were touching, the routines the children did were fun to watch and we all thoroughly enjoyed doing our own performances. It was so sad to say goodbye. After the ceremony, we were told in a meeting about the plans for the future of the school. I was so inspired by how committed the village is to work together for a better future. I hope I will get a chance to come back to Sri Lanka again and see the fruits of success of their hard work.