The rain was pouring down on the runway when we landed in Sri Lanka last night. We had seen the dark monsoon clouds over the island as we approached, a sure sign that we were no longer in Oman. The air was warm and heavy with humidity when the bus dropped us off at our guesthouse in Negombo. For the next twelve days, home sweet home.
The guesthouse is a simple affair on the main road through town. If the students were taken aback by its spartan décor, most didn’t show it (though to be honest, the sheer exhaustion of the travel day limited everyone’s expressive capacities). After dinner at a place called King Coconut–thumbs up to the sweet and sour prawns; not so much for the sticky tables—we collectively crashed in our beds.
We spent this morning exploring Negombo. It’s a beach town with shops and guesthouses running along a street dominated by tuk-tuks and motor bikes. The smells of spicy food and petrol oil hang in the air. [The photo you see above is Bryan getting close and personal with a monkey. we met his handler on the beach.] In contrast to last night, the weather was largely sunny. Our local coordinator, Francis, tells us to expect this: warm, muggy and sunny by day and downpours at night.
This afternoon, after a brief welcome and orientation from Francis, we traveled to the village where we’ll be working during the days. It’s really more like a sub-section of Negombo, a short drive from our guesthouse. There we got our first hint of how special an experience this just might be.
We were greeted by many local families with flower garlands, food, traditional dances, speeches and an all-around genuineness that was very touching. Everywhere I turned there were smiles, many on the faces of ABIS students. We met the families who we’ll be directly helping, but there were many more there as well. The atmosphere was one of closeness and teamwork.
Tomorrow the work begins!
Anna Clara talks with the village children
Marieke receives a garland from one of the village children