Thursday, August 25

30 Incredibly Amazing Days in Sri Lanka - by Mu Hui from China


    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


    

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