Friday 8th November 2024
We were in school very early this morning, where we both co-taught for a while, then we went back to the apartment, where we were picked up at 11:00 by Ahoka, who drove us from Kurunegala up to Nuwara Eliya, and I do mean 'up' in the sense that it is a huge climb up into the beautiful Hill Country, although we had a break just as we started climbing, as we visited Tea Leaf Centre Pussellawa on the way, which was the first of the five Tea Leaf Centres that we will be visiting.
Tea Leaf Centre Pussellawa is the newest of Tea Leaf's Centres, and I was there for the opening ceremony in January. Ms. Subithra Loganathan is the Principal there, and she and her staff and students gave Valerie and me a wonderful welcome. It was a fabulous reminder for me of why I love the work that Tea Leaf Trust does within this community, as I spent a little time chatting with the students about their ambitions and their hopes and dreams for the future.
Our visit to Tea Leaf Centre Pussellawa was all too short, but we did leave behind a pack of motivational cards that I have brought for each of the Tea Leaf Centres, and Subithra had already started giving them out before we even left! We then climbed up to Nuwara Eliya, disappointingly in pouring rain, so there was no chance of seeing the beautiful views of the Hill Country that you would see on a normal day, and we arrived at Sky Heaven in pouring rain.
Even in pouring rain, the views from Sky Heaven are, indeed, quite heavenly, and we have a lovely room with a wonderful view. Krishan, who runs the place was so welcoming. I got to know him earlier this year, and he is very grateful for the connection that Tea Leaf has formed with the guest house. We had a cup of tea, unpacked, then went to The Grand Hotel for a drink, where we met my good friends Kamal Raj and Sajeevan, before dining at The Grand Indian Restaurant.
Today's photographs are completely focused on our lovely time at Tea Leaf Centre Pussellawa, as that was such a highlight of the day for both of us.
Great to see Valerie with you at a TLV school! You both look happy...
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