Friday, October 22, 2010

Tangalle, Sri Lanka: Dmac's Update

Everyday is more interesting than the last and yesterday was no exception. We worked in the morning and then prepared for the festivities that were planned to recognize our contributions to Sri Lanka in the PM. After lunch we donned our Sarongs (men) and Saree (women) for a group photo, after which we proceeded to the Tangalle Public School. When we arrived we were overwhelmed by the welcome we received, the children were in their ceremonial uniforms I was asked to wear a beautiful bouquet of flowers around my neck. It seemed fit for royalty. They greeted us with music and dance and the Grade 2 class even did the Hokey Pokey. Nick cut the ribbon for the computer lab. Rhett gave an introductory speech and thanked the School for their warm welcome. It was the perfect combination of Sri Lankan traditional song, costumes and dance combined with the exuberance of children.

Then we were off to Katakelawatta the small village of 24 homes that Tripp Canada built with Softchoice's support. Nick and the Team were there 5 years ago participating in the build. The village consists of 24 modest homes, a community center two shops and a praying center. The residents were granted these homes because they would have lost a family member to the Tsunami. They are hard working, proud people who have very little means. It was a great delight for them to have indoor plumbing in their new homes. We were greeted at the village with flowers and were asked to take our seats in the Community Center. After a warm welcome from the English coach, we were dazzled with a wonderful dance recital. They went from very traditional to Break dancing and even a short version of Cinderella complete with costume changes. It was an exceptional show revealing the Village's pride and diligence. We were touched and honored with the performance. There was a lot of proud parents there, many of which we worked with at the sites. Although their English is sparse their proud smiles said" thank you, we are using your contribution to grow our children". It makes all of our hard work and time seem very worthwhile. We then headed to dinner together as a group to count our blessings and reward ourselves for a successful first week in Sri Lanka.

Dmac (Softchoice President)
DWC Participant
Sri Lanka 2010

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