Term 1 and Monkey Business

Hey!

A game of job themed Splat! Jenny and I joined in once
 and absolutely demolished the competition

There is currently what I can only describe as a monkey clan war going on right outside my house, and it's making blog writing a little tricky. Monkeys make quite a horrible sound when they're fighting so apologies if this blog seems a little less coherent.

We have had a hectic last month and a bit, coming down with what feels like every sort of illness and getting our head around how to teach properly. I can proudly say that we have just about completed term one of three without any disasters, a huge achievement for us amateurs. The teaching has genuinely been a bag of surprises but I feel very lucky to get to teach some absolute gems who make me laugh every day - whether that be because of their funny questions, or our lengthy arguments over why toes aren't called 'leg fingers'.

The result of 'make your monster'
game to teach parts of the body and adjectives.
At UMV their monster was called Coconut Donkey.
At Thithagalle, he was called John.

Of course it isn't all brilliant and easy, far from it, but by keeping our expectations realistic and our enthusiasm high we can't do any damage. A recent highlight from teaching was when Jenny and I were teaching adjectives to one of our Grade 5 classes, and when we introduced the word 'fatter' the students began debating the age old question: who's fatter, Miss Hannah or Miss Jenny? The whole class was full of the giggles, including us, and I'm not ashamed to say some stickers were given out for good behaviour. Jenny and I are quickly getting more confident managing a classroom, and can deliver good lessons without needing any other support or hours and hours of prep beforehand. On Friday we begin our December holiday travels, first stop Colombo, and I honestly will miss teaching our classes. I'm especially sad about saying goodbye to our Grade 5s who move up a grade and out of                                                                       our teaching bracket. Very sad :(

We have done a bit of travelling on our weekends since my last blog. Sri Lanka celebrates Full Moon days known as 'Poya' days like a stricter version of a bank holiday in the UK, which means school isn't on, alcohol can't be bought or sold, and shops are shut. Luckily for us there was a Poya Friday this month which meant Carolyn (our first point of contact in Sri Lanka and good friend), the lanky girls, and I travelled up to Yala National Park for a weekend safari. We were all pretty lost for words getting so close to elephants in their natural habitat, as cliché as that sounds, and I was pretty excited channelling my inner Steve Irwin at the sight of a few big crocs. Life is pretty bizarre when you find yourself sick of the sight of peacocks everywhere. Our travel guide also enlightened us to the fact that the national animal of Sri Lanka isn't an Indian elephant, a leopard, a sea turtle, or even a purple-faced langur monkey like the ones living on our roof. It's a chicken. Couldn't tell you why. We also stopped off in Hikkaduwa last month for a weekend to celebrate mine and Jenny's 18th birthdays.

The view from one of the buses we get to and from school

Dengue Fever quickly became a bit of an issue this month as more local people fell ill from it. We are all fine though, and our accommodation has been mosquito-proofed as well as it can be. The lack of glass or anything else covering our windows had been a bit of a concern. Jenny caught a mild form but fought it off like a trooper, so fingers crossed that's the end of that. I had to resort to using crutches after an accident learning to surf, but it really wasn't as dramatic as it sounds, and was actually quite embarrassing. We're a pretty tough bunch out here, so we'll be fine.

Traditional rice and curry - a lot healthier than back home, and tastier too

Megan, Natalie and Chathurika cutting some shapes

We're still getting Sri Lankan dance lessons from one of our friends on a Saturday night, although I can't say I'm getting any better and half the time is just spent taking selfie's on Imasha's laptop. At home we cook entirely for ourselves, and the vast majority of the time we stick to Sri Lankan dishes because it's cheaper, and with practice can be done pretty quickly. My carrot sambol is getting pretty good if I do say so myself, and nothing beats dal and pol roti after a long day.  Life here is settling down comfortably, although I think we are all looking forward to a change of scenery throughout December.

Meeting up with friends. Mo and Dhyan from back home met up with us and made sure we were well fed and took us to where they were staying for a relaxing evening. They also came and sat in on some lessons! Was lovely to see them.

Thank you to everyone who has been getting in touch and supporting me these past months, it means a lot!

Term 1 = done.

Bye for now,

Hannah