In the morning, we started with a refreshing breakfast, which was comprised of guava, papaya and watermelon. This was an excellent experience trying a new variation of tropical fruits. Our post activity was traveling to a local catholic church called Our Lady of Sorrows, where we participated in Sinhalese Mass, which consisted of various hymns and readings such as the Nicene Creed. We were openly welcome by everyone surrounding us in the building, there was a pleasant atmosphere, which enhanced the overall service, and it made for a wonderful Sunday morning. Then we followed it through by talking to the local priest and he informed us of Sri Lankan history, possibly linking to our own ancestry.
After engaging in Sunday mass, we returned to the Janoda Foundation to prepare for a dance practice with a combination of students and teachers from the partnering school, Tzu Chi School which means ‘Strong Blooded’ to represent their great compassion. We learnt a beautiful and intricate routine, which will later be performed by the majority of volunteers and a couple of the foreign students dressed in Saris and Sarongs, the traditional clothing for men and women. This will represent our new relationship and will convey the unity of the two schools.
Two hours of dance practice was followed up by a fulfilling lunch of rice and spicy potatoes, which was massively nourishing and prepared us for our next activity, Pottery. We all watched the professionals as they displayed their work through a demonstration with an authentic wheel that was powered by the strength of a person rather than a machine. Then we were given a hands-on opportunity by creating our own pots with care and supervision. This lifestyle and project is undoubtedly sustainable as the materials used are all-natural and close to the potters homes. For example, the mud/clay is collected from fields and places like reservoirs where the necessary requirements were found in a compact layer nestling between small rocks and fine grains of sand close by. The fire used to harden the clay to ensure that is fit for use is from coconuts that have been dried out for two days. This enjoyable occasion exceeded expectations as well as provided us with an outlook on a more simplistic lifestyle.
Hardworking and tired, we took a relaxing trip to a nearby pool where we had a chance to jump into the pool and let loose after a busy time of delving further into the Sri Lankan culture. To sum it up we were taught how to make coconut bread back at the Janova Foundation, which rounded off an amazing day.