Thursday 21st November 2024

It was more of the same back in school today, where end of term exams have meant that we can no longer work with staff or students directly, and we have been set tasks such as checking lesson plans, which could easily be emailed to us when we are back in the UK and done remotely there. The great work that I started with Ravi on Tuesday has also been stalled, as he was in Colombo yesterday, and again today, so maybe we will get back to that in our final week next week.

This week has been a reminder for me of what it was like when I was a Headteacher, where much of it was spent doing paperwork, and I longed for the 'fun' bits that involved being in the classroom with staff and students. I have no regrets though, as I very much enjoyed the impact that I was able to have as a Headteacher, and I have also enjoyed the impact that I have had with Tea Leaf, and here with the Royal International School - just not so much this particular week!

It came as a relief when Sandra appeared and told us that she was going to take us out late this afternoon to visit her coconut plantation, which is located somewhere off the Puttalam road. Liyanage, her regular driver, picked us up and we had a very pleasant drive out there. It was a cloudy day, and it was getting towards dusk when we arrived there, so the photographs we took don't really do our visit justice, as it was such a beautiful, tranquil part of the forest.

We took tea with Sandra's uncle and aunt, who were over for a few weeks from Australia (via a short stop in London), and Sandra took us to her old ancestral home that she is currently renovating, partly because the local Buddhist monk urged her to do so. It is over 300 years old, and it used to be a huge building in times gone by, but it will still make a wonderful place to get away for a quiet retreat, and I can't wait to visit it once the renovations have been completed.

Today's photos, poor as they are, give you just a small glimpse of the house we visited on the coconut plantation this evening, with just one shot of the house that Sandra is renovating (I would even term it 'bringing it back to life' after many years of being left unattended).







Comments

  1. AnonymousNovember 22, 2024 at 4:56 AM

    Wonder full journey sir enjoy your journey

    ReplyDelete
  2. CharlesNovember 23, 2024 at 12:35 AM

    You certainly are enjoying some varied experiences!

    ReplyDelete

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