Friday 9th January 2026

I woke up feeling like a different person today! I think I slept for so many hours over the past two days that my body managed to fully recover, and I had more energy today than I've had all week. This was just as well, as I had my final session with the Trainee Teachers today, where I delivered a session on how to use a whiteboard effectively (not an interactive one!), as Mr. Nagendiran felt that they needed skilling up in this area, and it was a fun session to deliver.

I came back to Sky Heaven and got changed before venturing into town to The Grand Hotel - my first, and probably only, visit there this time. It no longer has the allure that it once did during my first stay in Nuwara Eliya in 2019, as the prices are now astronomical, so I'm not inclined to even have a drink there anymore, never mind eating there. I mainly went to see my friends Kamal Raj and Sajeevan, which I did, so it was mission accomplished.

This is the first time for a long time (probably since my last trip to Sri Lanka) that I have got up at 06:30 every morning for a whole week and gone into work, so I was feeling it a bit by late afternoon, and I just relaxed this evening doing my blog and my diary. I also spent some time catching up on the UK and world news, but I find that such a depressing thing to do these days. I want to stay informed, but at the same time I cannot bear to see what is happening around the world.

Thank you to everyone who is reading my blog - and for all your kind comments. I am keeping it short again today, as that seems to go down better (I get higher numbers reading it). My blog entry on Tuesday 12th January was was very long, and fewer people have read it than any other day, but if you have a spare moment, I would encourage you to read it, as Ladushan's story is a powerful one and representative of so many young people's lives out here.

Today's photos show my final session with the Trainee Teachers today, plus one photo of me with Kamal Raj at The Grand Hotel (Sajeevan had finished his shift and left before I could get one of him).







Comments

  1. CharlesJanuary 9, 2026 at 11:59 PM

    Your students seem to be so diligent, Keith. They must lap up your words of wisdom! Sorry to hear the prices at the The Grand Hotel have rocketed - another instance of you living through a significant period of hill country history, I guess. (No problem with the length of the Ladushan story - I have just had my eye off the ball these last few days in the run-up to a week in Devon - partly with the Twitchetts, and partly another set of friends from your old stomping ground in Weston, Bath)

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