What a week!

Wow! What a week.  On Sunday after the Tamil church service, we had our western fix with a visit to the Green Grass Hotel.  We swam and had lunch.  Overcooked chips where fantastic as was the Lions beer and Necto soft drink.

Great beer and fantastic food

1st day at school, and yes, that is a dinosaur in the background

Monday was pupil free, prayer more than preparation.  Andrew did a presentation about why we came.  We shared a curry lunch the support staff had been cooking under our window since early morning. Tuesday was Emma’s first day of school.  Sarah and Emma look gorgeous in their new school uniform.  They wear their hair in plaits with red ribbons, like the Sri Lankan students.  With their white skin and light hair they both stand out in the sea of faces on assembly.  They have nice teachers. 

Guess which one is Emma?

 Both girls enjoyed their first day.  Emma drew a picture and Sarah likes Art.  The school day is divided into 9X40 min lessons with 30mins for lunch.  Emma finishes at 12.30 and Sarah at 2.45.  The 20 min assembly to start each day is a mini sermon encouraging students to work hard. The students are fantastic.  They leave assemble starting from the front, row by row in single file walking with one hand behind their backs.  The high school students continue walking in single file to the back of the huge hall, down the steps and along a corridor to their classroom.  It is all monitored by prefects and the teachers leave by different exits.  Staff have 20 minutes devotion before this from 7.30 am.  The students stay in the same room all day and teachers come to them.  Senior class sizes are small with primary quite large.  Primary seems to be about up to 30 ut 40+ seem to be acceptable and Senior only about 5.  The student are very impressive, they are polite, considerate, talented, intelligent and hard working.  The hardships they have faced have made them even more determined to succeed.  Of course there are some students who are not doing their best.  The classrooms are very resource poor.  They have chairs and desks and an old blackboard.  The rooms seem poorly lit and when the power cuts out are almost in the dark.  Andrew sent a few emails and is getting a box of resources and posters to brighten the science rooms.

I think the whole school knows Emma.  Lots of students say hello to her and I hear a chorus of Emma’s as we walk to class.  She seems to be the centre of a game when I pick her up.  Sarah has her nose in a book as much as she can.  She has found a series of Enid Blyton books at the local food store for about $2 each.  She is learning written Tamil and Sinhalam (Sinhalese) and is doing extra work to catch up. The last lesson every day for year 3-12 is activity lesson, which is a free lesson, or sport, or debating etc.

Andrew has small classes of lovely students.  The classes seem to be split across a few teachers without much communication of what they are teaching. We are a bit in the dark of how things work as it’s just assumed everyone knows.  The language is interesting.  English must be spoken at school but it’s still challenging with a Sri Lankan and an Australian accent.  Andrew has slowed down his speech but the girls all need to consistently speak slower.

The building was certainly "open"

Thursday saw us as guests at the opening of Angel International Primary School, Jaffna.  The building was not complete by western standards but the school opened anyway.  Andrew gave a speech that was translated into Tamil. They responded in the appropriate spots but I wonder what the translator was really saying?

He said WHAT???

There were songs and dance performances, speeches and cake. 

 Lots of people wanted their or their childrens’ photo taken with the Australians.  The children are gorgeous, and the ladies in their saris beautiful. 

Opening of a new school is seen as a symbol of hope that positive development is happening.

Emma and Sarah played with a group of girls after school.  They were waiting for their parents in a meeting.  They had so much fun with chasing and ball games. 

Take care everyone and please keep in touch

love from the Garty's