After 3.5 hours flight from Tianjin to
Kunming, 22 hours transit and 4.5 hours flight again, I finally arrived in
Sri Lanka, a country which attracted me the moment I got off the airplane. While
walking out of the airport, I was surrounded by the beautiful smiles of local
people, leaving a deep impression on me. Then I found Piumi, my EP manager, who
came to pick me up. She was so cute and friendly that I soon adjusted myself to
the new atmosphere without feeling homesick at all!
I spent my first two nights in Piumi's
house. Her families are very nice and hospitable, talking with me about my
country and offering me tasty food of Sri Lanka. On the third day, I moved to
the EP house. At first I was a little bit unaccomodated, because there were
"visitors" from time to time, cockroaches and spiders. However, this
scared feeling toward insects quickly disappeared with more and more EPs coming
and further importantly, with the help of Piumi.
In the next few days, I took a short trip
accompanied by some Chinese friends and a French girl. We went to Kandy, seeing
the temple of tooth. And then went to Nuwara Eliya which impressed me a lot for
its cool weather, almost 10 degrees lower than Colombo. After settled, we went
to Victoria park, relaxing ourselves in the pure and fresh air. The next day we
set off to Horton plains. It was really an unforgettable experience. We hiked
for more than 8 kilometers, in which we saw the world's end, mini world's end
and baker's fall. The only pity is that due to the cloudy day, we were unable
to see clearly the view by the stiff. But two hours later, it turned sunny. It
seems that the shiny sun, the blue sky, the flowers which can be seen
everywhere were all welcoming me as a new guest to Srilanka.
The following week I went to the nursery.
Teachers there knew English. They showed their hospitality through passionate
greetings and funny selfies. Kids were all adorable, singing songs every
morning, praying before meals, even kowtowing and touching my feet after class.
At the beginning I was shocked and didn't know how I should react to this
behavior, since in China it is considered a supreme manner. Fortunately with
the explanation of the teachers, I understood eventually and got used to this.
I taught them from alphabet to simple words, with the method of classification
given by the teachers. They were so intelligent and eager to learn new
knowledge, therefore, I could finish my task easily everyday. Then I played
with them in the yard and sometimes
introduced them interesting games of China. They were very expert at them so we
really enjoyed ourselves and had a great time.
The next two weeks besides going to nursery
on the weekdays, I travelled to Negombo, Galle and Mirissa, having a bunch of
first-time experiences with my dear friends. We tried delicious seafood,
watched breathtaking sunset, dived and saw colorful carols and shells and
surfed under the instructions of professional guys, all becoming my lifetime
memories with no doubt.
The weekend before I leave, I went to Galle
again with the kids of the nursery, as well as their parents and teachers.
During this one- day trip, we had the opportunity to have a look at the sea
turtles and the exterior of the army ship. At the end, we didn't even want to
say goodbye to each other.
Time flies! I felt four weeks was just a
blink. The night before I leave, Piumi and her families took me and the other
three EPs to a fancy five-star hotel, another first-time experience! It really
is a great feast with various kinds of foods, vegetables and fruits. But this
is not the end. They secretly prepared a surprise! After finishing eating, a
chocolate cake was presented in front of me. Then they gave me a big gift, with
a frame full of the pictures we took together. Later, Piumi passed me a
goodlooking bag with a tender scarf. I was so moved that I was nearly
speechless. What a night! The next day I left, unwilling to say goodbye...
Now I'm in China. Those 30 incredibly
amazing days seems like a dream to me, in which I met 7 nice Chinese guys and
one French girl, many nice Sri Lankan people and naturally beautiful landscapes.
I will keep this memory forever in the bottom of my heart and hope to come back
to Sri Lanka in the future, seeing all of you there again, like a family.
Mu Hui (Haley)
Project Hodiya - AIESEC Colombo South
