St Marks Sri Lanka 2015

S T. M A R K ’ S S R I L A N K A S C R A P B O OK U N F O R G E T TA B L E M O M E N T S

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IN AUGUST OF 2015, A GROUP OF STUDENTS FROM ST. MARK’S SCHOOL TRAVELED TO SRI LANKA TO INITIATE A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE EDUCATE LANKA FOUNDATION. THIS MEMORY BOOK ILLUSTRATES THE WONDERFUL LEARNING THAT TOOK PLACE FOR THE PARTICIPANTS IT CONTAINS A SAMPLING OF THE MANY UNFORGETTABLE MOMENTS OF PERSONAL DISCOVERY, CULTURAL EXCHANGE, AND FUN.

F I R S T D AY I N C O L O M B O

HI CLARE AND THOMAS (AND ETHAN AND MOLLIE)! I A M H AV I N G S O M U C H F U N I N S R I L A N K A ! M Y PA N T S L O O K G R E AT A N D T H E Y A R E S O C O M F O R TA B L E . I LOV E YO U S O M U C H !

- ABBY

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M E E T I N G W I T H E D U C AT E L A N K A S T U D E N T S IT’S 2.30 PM AND WE ARE MEETING WITH STUDENTS F R O M E D U C AT E L A N K A . T H E V I S I T T O T H E E M B A S S Y WA S V E RY I N T E R E ST I N G , T H E Y W E R E W E LCO M I N G AND

WE

HAD

THE

OPPORTUNITY

OF

MEETING

S R I L A N K A S T U D E N T S T H AT H A D W O N A W R I T I N G N AT I O N A L P R I C E A S W E L L A S B E T T E R U N D E R S TA N D T H E R O L E O F U S A I D I N T H E C O U N T R Y.

T H E AV E M A R I A S C H O O L P R E PA R E D A W O N D E R F U L W E L C O M E . O N O U R B E H A L F, A B I G A L I A N D P R O F E S S O R R O H A N G AV E A N I N T R O D U C TO RY S P E E C H .

E D U C AT E L A N K A L E D A N A C T I V I T Y T H AT FA C I L I TAT E D THE

I NTER ACTION

BETWEEN

STUDENTS

LOCAL

STUDENTS AND ST MARKS STUDENTS. WE ARE STILL WORKING

ON

THE

ACTIVITI ES

AND

WILL

SHARE

R E F L E C T I O N S L AT E R O N T H E D AY.

- ENVOYS

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E X P E C TAT I O N S F O R T O D AY !

I H A V E T O S A Y , I D O N ’ T R E A L LY H A V E A N Y . I ’ V E

I AM EXCITED TO M EET A N EW G ROU P OF STU D ENTS

F O U N D T H AT G O I N G I N T O T H E D AY W I T H A N O P E N

AN D DO N ’T KN OW WH ETH ER TO E XPEC T A VERY

M I N D A N D J U S T E N J O Y I N G W H AT C O M E S M Y W AY I S

SIMILAR

T H E B E S T W AY T O D O T H I N G S H E R E .

S T U D E N T S O R I F I T W I L L B E D I FFE R E N T. I C A N ’ T WA I T - GABE

TO

I NTER ACTION

SEE

THE

TEA

AS

THE

LAST

P L A N TAT I O N

GROUP

AND

OF

LEARN

MORE ABOUT WHERE SRI LANKAN TEA (SO GOOD) COMES FROM. - E M I LY

I E X P E C T T O D AY T O B E A S E Y E O P E N I N G A S T H E PREVIOUS

D AY S .

I

AM

LOOKI N G

FO RWA R D

TO

I NTER ACTI NG WITH TH E STU DENTS AN D I HOPE WE A L L H AV E A G R E AT T I M E .

- DAPHNE

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L O N G D AY I N T H E C O U N T R Y S I D E

I T ’ S 1 1 P M A N D W E A R E AT T H E H O T E L R E S T I N G AFTER

A

LON G

D AY

IN

THE

TEA

P L A N TAT I O N S

R E G I O N C A L L E D H AT T O N .

WE ARE WORKI NG ON OU R BOOKLETS TO MAKE S U R E W E P R O C E S S T H E VA R I O U S E X P E R I E N C E S A N D FEELINGS

WE

HAD

T O D AY

WHILE

P L AY I N G

AND

I NTER ACTI NG WITH TH E SRI LAN K A STU DENTS.

W E W I L L L E T Y O U K N O W M O R E A B O U T O U R D AY T O M O R R O W A F T E R A G O O D E I G H T H O U R S L E E P.

- N ATA L I A

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S O M E M O R N I N G R E F L E C T I O N S O N Y E S T E R D AY

I T ’ S 8 . 5 0 A M A N D W E J U S T F I N I S H E D O U R B R E A K FA S T. WE

WA N T E D

TO

SHARE

SOME

THOUGHTS

ON

Y E S T E R D AY ’ S A C T I V I T I E S .

Y E S T E R D AY

WE

MET

STUDENTS

FROM

NORWOOD

SCHOOL . WE GOT TO SEE TH E I NTERVI EW PROCESS A N D P L AY G A M E S . S E E I N G T H E I N T E R V I E W P R O C E S S WA S

R E A L LY

INTERESTING

AND

HELPED

ME

U N D E R S T A N D E X A C T LY W H A T K I N D O F S T U D E N T S E D U C AT E L A N K A I S L O O K I N G F O R . I T WA S A L S O I N T E R E S T I N G T O S E E T H E C U LT U R A L D I F F E R E N C E B E T W E E N T H I S S C H O O L I N T H E M O U N TA I N S A N D THE FIRST SCHOOL WE VISITED IN NEGAMBO. ONE T H I N G T H A T R E A L LY S T U C K O U T T O M E W A S H O W W E W E R E T R E AT E D A S V I S I T I N G A M E R I C A N S . H E A R I N G O N E S T U D E N T S AY, “ J U S T M E E T I N G T H E M I S L U C K Y ” R E A L LY

SURPRISED

ME.

I

AM

VERY

EXCITED

TO

V I S I T T H E T W O S C H O O L S T O D AY A N D H O W T H E Y C O M PA R E T O Y E S T E R D AY ’ S E X P E R I E N C E .

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- ABBY

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LAST TRIP REFLECTIONS IT’S

9. 30

PM

TRADITIONAL

AND

WE

ARE

R E S TA U R A N T.

AS

IN

CO LO M BO,

THE

AT

D E PA R T U R E

THE TIME

A R R I V E S W E WA N T E D T O S H A R E W I T H YO U O U R T H O U G H T S A N D R E F L E C T I O N S O F T H E T R I P.

I W O U L D S AY T H I S T R I P WA S A B S O L U T E LY A M A Z I N G , B U T W O R D S D O N ’ T R E A L LY J U S T I F Y T H E E X P E R I E N C E I ’ V E H A D T H E S E PA S T T E N D AY S . T H E V I E W S A R E A M A Z I N G , T H E F O O D H A S B E E N I N C R E D I B L E , A N D T H E P E O P L E H AV E B E E N I N C R E D I B LY H O S P I TA B L E . E V E N W I T H T H E L A N G U A G E B A R R I E R S A N D C U LT U R A L D I F F E R E N C E S , I H A D A G R E AT TIME WITH THE STUDENTS. THIS TRIP HAS ALSO GIVEN ME A C H A N C E T O R E F L E C T. I ’ V E B E E N S O L U C K Y A N D P R I V I L E G E D T O E V E N H AV E T H I S O P P O R T U N I T Y I N T H E F I R S T P L A C E .

N O W, I T ’ S A Q U E S T I O N O F L O O K I N G F O R WA R D . H O W C A N W E TA K E B A C K W H AT W E ’ V E L E A R N E D A N D B R I N G O U R E X P E R I E N C E T O T H E S T. M A R K ’ S C O M M U N I T Y ? I T ’ S A L O T O F W O R K T O D O , B U T I C A N ’ T WA I T T O G E T S TA R T E D .

- GABE

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N O T E O F T H E D AY

I A M S O T H A N K F U L TO H AV E B E E N A B L E TO C O M E O N T H I S T R I P S O H U G E T H A N K S TO E V E RYO N E W H O H E L P E D C O O R D I N AT E I T. F R O M G E T T I N G T O H A N G OUT WITH MANJU LA AN D DAN U AN D TH E REST OF TH EI R TEAM , TO SPEN D I N G A LOT OF TI M E WITH OUR GROUP LEADERS AND ST MARKS STUDENTS, I

H AV E

GAINED

SO

MUCH

FROM

NOT

O N LY

THE

EXPERI ENCES BUT TH E PEOPLE, TOO. AN D NOT TO M E N T I O N A L L O F T H E E D U C AT E L A N K A S T U D E N T S W H O W E H AV E H A D T H E O P P O R T U N I T Y TO M E E T. A S M U C H A S T H E Y W E R E G R AT E F U L T O M E E T U S , I T H I N K I H AV E L E A R N E D J U S T A S M U C H F R O M T H E M , I F N OT M O R E . I LO O K FO RWA R D TO S H A R I N G T H I S EXPERIENCE AND ALSO CONSIDERING HOW THESE E XPERI EN CES C AN I N FLU EN CE H OW I LIVE MY OWN LI FE .

- E M I LY

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LAST REFLECTION

I A M W R I T I N G T H I S R E V I E W AT T H E A I R P O R T A S

A N D T H E F O O D ! D H A N U A N D M A N J U L A A LW AY S H A D

W E WA I T TO B OA R D O U R 3A M FL I G H T TO D U BA I .

THE

THIS HAS BEEN AN AMAZING TRIP FOR ALL OF US

PA R T

A N D L E A V I N G I S R E A L LY H A R D . I A M G O I N G T O M I S S

D AY O V E R A D E L I C I O U S S R I L A N K A B U F F E T . I A M

OUR WHOLE GROUP AND ALL OF THE STUDENTS WE

A L R E A D Y V E R Y N O S T A L G I C F O R T H I S T R I P. I R E A L LY

M E T . I R E A L LY F E E L L I K E I W A S A B L E T O C O N N E C T

CO N N EC T E D W I T H S R I L A N K A A N D E V E RYO N E I M E T

WITH TH E STU D ENTS AN D A LOT OF TH E PEOPLE

T H E R E . I K N O W T H AT I W I L L K E E P A L L O F T H E S E

W E M E T. T H E T I M E W E S P E N T I N T E R AC T I N G W I T H

CON N ECTIONS AN D GO BACK TO SRI L AN K A AS

T H E S T U D E N T S WA S S O VA L UA B L E A N D U N I Q U E TO

SOON AS I CAN.

BEST WA S

R E S E R VAT I O N S REFLECTING

FOR AND

US.

MY

FAVO R I T E

DISCUSSING

THE

T H I S T R I P. W I T H O U T O U R A M A Z I N G L O C A L G U I D E S AN D CON N ECTIONS TO TH ESE SCHOOLS WE COU LD N E V E R H AV E H A D T H E E X P E R I E N C E S W E H A D . F O R EX AM PLE, WE WERE ABLE TO GO SEE TH E REAL TEMPLE

AND

RELIC TEMPLE.

M E D I TAT I O N

S PAC E

OF

THE

TOOTH

-ABI GAI L

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