Hambantota, Sri Lanka Travel Blogs

Fruit salad
Jun 20, 2007 (1 photos)

... the mad afternoon of games, games and more games! Today the games "duck duck goose" and "fruit salad" were introduced to Sri Lanka. They could have played them for hours.  When you have 35 kids running about, 15minutes is quite enough per games. Also ...

The wheels on the bus
Jun 28, 2007

Today I started to teach the preschoolers "The wheels on the bus". It's amazing how quickly the younger ones pick things up - I've been here 6weeks and can just about count to 5 and say about 10 words which are mostly food! If you compare that with them, ...

A full house
Oct 17, 2007

Yesterday the preschoolers spent most of the morning in the new classroom practicing for the opening. This involved doing the Hokey Pokey at least 5times and practicing their sinhala song.  By next week they should be experts! Today they had a short ...

Roadtrip to Kataragama
Jul 21, 2007 (11 photos)

Last night we all loaded up a van and headed to a festival in Kataragama (about 40kims outside Hambantota). There aout 9\10 of us altogether with 3 children, what seemed like 50litres of water and enough food to feed the whole of Hambantota twice ...

Shrek3!!
Jun 26, 2007

Ronalli came down this morning and is staying til tomorow afternoon. it's always good to have another person around. Tomorrow afternoon she is meeting with a lady from USA who is a child pschologist. She is very interested in training the teachers on how ...

The day the snake came to for breakfast
May 30, 2007

... this will be given the go ahead. renalli had now headed back home to columbo so it's just gordon and i ready to take on sri lanka! it as good having her around. on the plis side she'll be down every frw weeks. tomorrow the school is closed as it's a ...

100 days
Aug 29, 2007

... on the seats and others standing on kitchen chairs with the table nearly collapsing still makes me chuckle!  The best thing about Sri Lanka in general is the people. I've yet to meet an unfriendly Sri Lankan or anyone who wouldn't bend over backwards ...

Wildlife
Sep 30, 2007

... house and was comteplating booking my flight back to Belfast! I liked it when I was indenial and believed that there are no rodents in Sri Lanka, but now i've seen one (albeit dead), that means there has to be at least one more about. I set on the edge of ...

Stig of the dump
Jun 16, 2007 (2 photos)

So how do you spend a Saturday afternoon in Hambantota? You go to the local rubbish dump! No we haven't gone insane, the wild elephants come to feed from the dump, so we thought we would see if we could catch a glimpse of them. We managed to see 2. Now on ...

Let the music begin!
Jul 3, 2007

My purpose here has nearly been fulfilled because today, while singing "the wheels on the bus" with the preschool children, there was a definite Belfast twang when they said "horn"! That's what I call success! A new boy started today as well - always good ...

Stay away from the contagious one!
Oct 11, 2007 (6 photos)

Yesterday the band was practicing, but this time only for 30mins. After that it was time to play. In the morning, a few girls come and learn to use a sewing machine as they don't go to school. This usually means now that we spend some of the morning ...

Happy Children's day!
Oct 1, 2007 (10 photos)

... place overlooking the sea. After an initial rainstorm, they all got out and ran about. Most surreal moment for me was me dancing Sri Lankan style, with Namil, on top of a hill, to ringtones on my phone!  You couldn't write the script! Also they all ...

Full moon
May 31, 2007 (4 photos)

... planning permission is granted. the also need to get a survey done first so they can establish exactly where the boundaries are. hopefully there will be time on saturday to head out somehere and see a bit more of sri lanka. that's really all for today!

Candyfloss, cows and cobras
Jun 3, 2007 (3 photos)

... and when i asked them what they were going to do with it, they said release it. i personally would have gone for the other option of a hammar to the head! so that's just another sunday in sri lanka. i can't see anything else happening today......i hope!

It's not as easy as ABC
Sep 6, 2007

    Yesterday the afterschoolers had to draw a happy memory. There were some very good drawings-better than any I could have attempted. The older Preschool children continued with their workbooks. The book has a range of exercises from ...

Expensive bananas and elephants
Sep 8, 2007 (5 photos)

Yesterday at Preschool, the older ones were learning to write in sinhala, while the younger ones were drawing with colouring pencils. As I an equally useless at both these things (although I do sharpen a good point on a pencil) I decided to try and learn ...

Insects, insects everywhere
Sep 3, 2007 (8 photos)

... dinosaur, as it had a horn for its nose. Then in my bathroom tonight, climbing the wall, was a spider the size of Hambantota. I've never seen one like it before but was able to steer it out of the window with a broom. Finally, thinking I ...

A first
Jun 27, 2007 (1 photos)

... 40/45 children that attend, only around 12 were in the class as the other children come from mainly Buddhist backgrounds. In Sri Lanka, the only religion taught in schools is Buddhism. So this really is a breakthrough, especially as it could be the only ...

Lots and lots of butterflies!
Jul 24, 2007

Yesterday after church I bought my very first, and possibly last, Sari! I can now call myself a true Sri Lankan! The school is having a sports day type event at the start of August so the teachers wanted me to wear one to it! All I'm missing is the top for ...

Mr Patrick
Aug 28, 2007

... Wednesday - all we need now are children!   In the middle of the cleaning we had a visit from a Pastor who had worked in Hambantota in the 80's. It was only when he left that I was told his name is Patrick!! Never did I expect to meet a Sri Lankan ...

Manic with a capital MANIC!
Sep 21, 2007 (3 photos)

Today I woke up and it was like any other Thursday-the sun was shining, the birds were singing, the sky was blue. Ronali, Rodrick and Summit the faithful driver had come down yesterday and stayed until tonight. Everything was rosy in the garden. The only ...

A tuneful night
Sep 23, 2007

Last night, the builders were in fine form. They must have decided that they would have a little sing a long complete with a drum and tambourine. Don't have a clue where these appeared from, but they were singing their hearts out until 1030 outside my ...

Kataragama take 2
Jul 25, 2007

Yesterday at Preschool I took Chandima's class as she wasn't in until lunchtime. She takes the younger preschoolers during their learning time. So they started off playing with Lego and bricks and then did some colouring in. the afterschool class ...

13th of June already!!
Jun 13, 2007

When I think of Wednesday's, it now makes me think of a birthday party! Again in the afterschool club, I was in charge of the younger class on their "creative day" which is basically playing party games. I started the afternoon with about 15, but by 4pm, ...

5 days worth....
Aug 14, 2007 (9 photos)

... and dismay when browsing through some CD's though. I have to ask the question, how on earth has Daniel O'Donnell made it to Sri Lanka?!   After a lunch at a very nice cricket club and a puncture later, it was time to set off back down to Hambantota ...

Holiday mode
Aug 17, 2007

... speed as well.   Yesterday we visited a home for the blind. Ronali used to take services there when she lived in Hambantota. It's surroundings are beautiful. It's by a lake where the residents bath and wash. It's so peaceful and relaxing. We met ...

On your marks, get set, go.........
Aug 9, 2007 (12 photos)

... , well for people to dress me! I wasn't the only one in a skirt; Mark also decided to wear one. We were true Sri Lankans for the day; however you didn't see many locals wearing sunglasses with their sarongs and saris!   Overall I think the day was a ...

Head and shoulders, knees and toes
Jun 1, 2007 (1 photos)

Friday has been and gone-it's scary how quickly this week has gone! At preschool their main activity was drawing a house with flowers, a coconut tree and a person. artistic abilities range but there was one girl in particular who i think did an amazing ...

Tick tock...
Oct 7, 2007

... truly ticking down, we have effectively just spent our last weekend as we know it! Next weekend we are in Colombo to see England play Sri Lanka at cricket, then the following weekend the team is over and after that we'll be on a plane! I have to say we ...

Cricket here we come
Oct 12, 2007

... , before the team arrives. It's a surprise as to what to expect so we'll just have to wait and see! After that it's off to the big  smoke ie Colombo to watch England play Sri Lanka in cricket, or if it bores me to tears, a weekend of shopping!