Our last day at the projects

Yesterday was our last day at the school in Attydia, and so we had a party for the children. In spite of the rain, a large number of the children were at the school when we arrived, and to begin with, they could choose from playing games, taking part in music and dance, or having their nails painted. I helped with the nail painting, as I like do this a fair amount in my spare time. Steve “uncle” kindly watched the door so that only a few eager girls could come and have their nails painted at any one time. Myself, Fi, Eliza and Lesley each had our own station from which we could beautify the girls nails, and they were very pleased with the results! Dinushka, a sweet boy from grade 5 had his thumb nails painted too. Red proved to be the most popular colour, but I was never without a cue for my gold laquer!  I’ve only ever painted my own nails, and so I was pleased to be able to share this skill.
Following this, we packed up and went downstairs to join the disco which had already begun. Loud music was skilfully provided by placing a microphone by the i-Pod speakers, and everyone looked like they’d been having a good time dancing. Myself and Eliza joined in, when one boy started playing his drum, to which different people started dancing to the beats he created. At one point, Steve D-C started a round of “head, shoulders, knees & toes”, which sounded interesting with the drumming accompaniment. The children loved the dancing, and were very pleased to have so many photographs taken of them. I later heard how the boys in charge of the music accidentally broke a fan, but then fixed it after half an hour’s fiddling with sticks and other devices. Before saying goodbye to the children, we handed out cake and chocolate milk drinks, with no child going home empty handed. Mrs. Silva the head teacher said a very heartfelt goodbye to us all in her office, and presented us with gifts and refreshments.
In the afternoon we boarded tuktuks for our last visit to Attydia, to watch the children’s performance, and were at the beginning each given one beautiful pink flower. Sister guided the children during their acts, and the whole performance went seamlessly, despite some minor technical issues. The children performed to a high standard, with lots of confidence, and despite the heat they were brilliant entertainment. I was very pleased to see that the children had the opportunity to dress up in their best clothes and show off their talents. Steve “inspirational leader of Asha” gave an interesting story about an old lady with a leaky pot (but I cannot remember the message  ). We then sung our version of “Sing A Song” by the Carpenters, and helped the children to sing along with us too. The performance was closed by a recital of the Sri Lankan national anthem.
I was sad to say goodbye to the children at the school and centre, but will be looking forward to hearing about how they are getting on in the future. I will certainly never forget the wonderful experiences I have had on this trip to Sri Lanka.
Rivka