Nolan in Sri Lanka - Farewell

St. Francis Boys' Home Farewell

On Thursday and Friday, I spent my last two days at St. Francis Boys’ Home. I gave the children balloons, bubbles and name cards so that they could label their personal belongings. I also showed them pictures of my family and of me as a child. Furthermore, I gave some of the children my contact information to pass around if they ever need to speak with me.

Looking back on my last three weeks at the boys’ orphanage, I have thoroughly enjoyed myself. The boys are so much like the people I remember growing up with back in South Carolina. They absolutely love sports, games, creating things and learning new things about another country. The younger boys are always full of energy while the teenage boys stayed relaxed and helped look after the younger children. I found it hilarious that just like teenagers in America, the Sri Lankan boys at the orphanage cared so much about having the perfect hair. All of the teenage boys kept their hair extremely stylish. I hope that the staff at the boys’ orphanage continue to plan creative things to keep the boys interested. I was also impressed by the children’s dedication to Christianity. I wish them the best in life and plan to stay in touch with the boys there.

First Friends Preschool FarewellOn Friday, I spent my last day at First Friends Preschool. It was a day filled with fun, surprises and sadness. The teachers gave us a going away party with cake and presents. I also left the children with gifts that I brought from the states. Thank you to the teachers and children at First Friends Preschool.

This summer I spent three weeks of my life at a great learning institution where I was able to touch the lives of the children and teachers. I had an awesome experience and met some extraordinary people. I am so thankful that I was able to travel to Sri Lanka and I learned that just like in America, education at a young age is very important in Sri Lanka. I hope that I had somewhat of an impact on the children’s learning in my three weeks at the preschool. The teachers at First Friends Preschool taught me new teaching techniques, songs and dance moves. I hope to someday visit Sri Lanka again. Thank you to Principal Tovini for allowing me to be a part of First Friends. I would also like to thank teachers Dulanjalie, Muthu, Shanthi, Thamasha, Niveen, Irfa and Dilrupa for their great hospitality and warm welcomes. I will stay in touch with these amazing people! I am so blessed to have met each and every one of you. 

Nolan in Sri Lanka - Week 4

Week 4

Olympics in Sri LankaAs my time in Sri Lanka is coming quickly to an end, I spent one afternoon with two new friends, Chris Weatherby of England and Darcy Sutton of Australia. So what would three guys do on an afternoon in Sri Lanka? Well, each of us is fairly athletic and enjoys competing. Therefore, with a tennis court, ping pong and pool table easily accessible, we decided to have a miniature Olympics in Sri Lanka. I must note that the tennis court was awful but after a couple of games I got adjusted to the clay, mud and rocks mixed together. Unfortunately the outcome was not as I hoped but I had a fun time. Congrats to Chris on his great playing.

First Friends Preschool

With my third and final week at the preschool, the staff and I were pleased to welcome two new volunteers, Kieron Robinson and Georgena Jennings who are both from England. Throughout the week they did a fantastic job working with the children. This week the children worked with numbers, colors, letters, dances, music and paintings. On Tuesday, the teacher had a doctor’s appointment and was unable to make it to school. This left Georgena, Kieron and I to lead class on that day. In my opinion, everything went great and according to plan. Kieron and I lead the class with teaching numbers while Georgena taught reading during “English Time.” I’m picking up a lot of great teaching techniques like tracing numbers and alphabets by hand before the children write independently.  Later in the week a great musician came to First Friends Preschool and sung songs with the children. He did an amazing job and the children really enjoyed his music. This week I also spent time working with the lower kindergarten class which was very exciting. We also celebrated the birthday of one of the upper kindergarten children. Happy 5th birthday Senal! 

Nolan in Sri Lanka - Week 3

Week 3

This week, about twenty-five new volunteers came to Sri Lanka through the IVHQ program. Their countries range from Australia, the United States, Germany, China, England and Singapore. It seems like it was just yesterday when I first came to Sri Lanka and did not know anything about the country. Now after two weeks of experience, I am showing and telling the new volunteers about my adventures so far. I am really happy that I am meeting so many great people.

First Friend PreschoolStarting my second week at First Friend Preschool, I am quickly gaining more responsibilities. On Wednesday, I taught the entire student body how to properly brush their teeth. I am also starting to actually help lead classroom instructions and I am noticing more and more the children that need extra help. Some children are struggling to properly identify the alphabets and its pronunciations. In all honesty, I get a little frustrated sometimes but then I remember to take a step back and take another approach. I also keep in mind that I am not the brightest student myself at school and relay on some great professors to take the time to offer extra help. I also rely on the amazing teachers at First Friends Preschool to give me advice on the different approaches to take with the students. The children are getting used to seeing my face and usually ask me to help them with their lunches and getting their book bags. They are also becoming more playful around me as well. I look forward to spending more time with the children and teachers at First Friends Preschool. I am really humble to have this amazing opportunity. Originally, I had plans on volunteering at this project for two weeks before moving on to another project, but I will continue working at the preschool for another week.

St. Francis Boys’ HomeI am gradually learning most of the boys at the orphanage. Every day I see a new face that I have not seen before. On Wednesday, another volunteer and I participated in evening worship with the boys. I was completely blown away by the passion and maturity the boys showed during worship. I am use to seeing the boys playing and joking, so I was absolutely amazed to see them take something serious. The boys participated in the service by singing, reading scriptures and serving as ushers. They did not simple go through the motion but it seemed that they enjoy their time in fellowship with one another. This was a truly amazing experience. Furthermore, on the first time on Thursday, I visited the Boys’ orphanage and it did not rain. As a result of the dry weather conditions, I was able to engage them in more physical activities. We ran around, played on the monkey bars and did a couple of pull-ups. On one occasion, I fell from one of the monkey bars and slightly scraped my right knee. After I stood back up, the children kept asking me am I okay or do I need a Band-Aid. However I was totally fine and did not need any medical treatment. I am really enjoying my time at St. Francis Boys Home.

Nolan in Sri Lanka - Snorkeling

Weekend Fun - Snorkeling in Sri Lanka
This past weekend, a couple of volunteers and I spent time in Trincomalee, a beautiful city on the West coast of Sri Lanka. We enjoyed the amazing scenery and the great weather there. We also traveled to Pigeon Island where we snorkeled in the ocean. We saw schools of fish, the coral reef, sea turtles and a couple of medium sized sharks. We also saw cows on the beach! Unfortunately, I did not see any mermaids but I had loads of fun. 

Nolan in Sri Lanka - Week 2

Week 2 - Day 1

Today was my first day of teaching. I arrived at First Friends Preschool around 8:30 am. I saw parents bringing their children to school and then walking them to the front gate. At that point, a teacher would greet the parents and open the gate for the children. The environment at the Preschool was similar to schools in the United States.  There was playground equipment, colorful drawings on the wall, children crying because they did not want to go to school and parents mingling after dropping their children off. Most of the children wore their school’s uniform.  I was first introduced to the principal of First Friends Preschool; she informed me that the school has seven teachers and fifty-two students. All of the teachers were women who also wore uniforms. The children began their mornings at First Friends Preschool with a worship session. At this worship session, children are free to practice their own religion. Afterwards, the children sang songs and did morning stretching.. Today the children sung “I’m a little tea cup” and the Barney song, “I love you.” The children are then dismissed to their classes. They are classified as play school, kindergarten and upper-kindergarten. For the next three weeks, I will be working with upper-kindergarten children.

Today I mainly observed the teachers and assisted students whenever they needed help. I was very impressed with the school itself. The teachers and parents seem to work well with together to ensure excellence for their children. All of the teachers are highly qualified and I am learning a lot from them as well. 

Week 2 - Day 3

I am quickly grasping my new role at First Friends Preschool. I usually lead the children in their morning stretching exercises and teach fine arts, in addition to helping children in the classroom. The entire program curriculum is taught in English. Throughout the week they have learned numbers, letters, addition and reading. I help the children with their handwriting and pronunciation of English words.

Week 2 - Day 5
 In the afternoons, I continue my volunteering experience at a boys’ orphanage in Matale, Sri Lanka. Below is some background about the school. 

     In the year of 1952 the Franciscan Missionary Brothers with the motive of uplifting poor children decided to put up a small hurt with 15 boys and it was named St. Francis Boys’ Home, Matale. This home brought much relief to the thousands who lived here.  Today this Boys’ home caters to 80 boys, age 5 to 18 years. Among them some are sent by the Department of probation & Child Care Services and also Juvenile Court for reformation and rest from broken families. Our concept is rehabilitating them through the school system and teaching them a vocational skill in keeping their aptitude and ultimately relating this to employment opportunities.

     Our boys’ home provides them with the basic needs in this regard. They are also taught good manners. They are provided with recreational facilities. They are also encouraged to do home gardening and animal husbandry. Since they come from broken families we pay more attention to their morale and spiritual development.

     The children who are admitted to our home will leave the same as able-bodied youngsters who will face any problem in their lives boldly with courage and strength. It should be appreciated that the service of this boys’ home, which are based on Christian principles, will nurture these children physically, mentally, and educationally. So that they will lead prosperous and joyful lives in the future. There is no doubt what so ever that the blessing of the Almighty God will come upon the brothers and others for their selfless and dedicated services rendered to this home in order to bring prosperity and happiness to the destitute children.  Brothers also extending their services towards people, Tea estate sectors to develop their morale and spiritual life.

Nolan in Sri Lanka - Weekend Adventures

Week 2 - Weekend Adventures

A couple of my new friends from Hong Kong and I had an awesome time on Saturday. Altogether we visited four sites:


Oak – Ray Isiwara Ayurvedic Village, The Spice Garden – here we learned about many different natural herbs and spices that are used in cosmetics, medicines and other products. We saw all kinds of different plants and trees as well. I invested in two bottles of natural hair removing cream. According to the directions, if I use the cream for three months, I will never have to shave again! Imagine the joy of not having to shave for another Saturday Morning Inspection! We were finally indulged with another massage.  



 
Elephant Ride – I have been very keen in wanting to ride an elephant since I arrived in Sri Lanka. Unfortunately, once I saw the elephant I felt extremely guilty. The elephant seemed very unhappy and tired. Nevertheless, the elephant ride itself was great!
 
 
 

Sigiriya, the Lion Rock – Sigiriya is a unique landscape city, created in the 5^th century by King Kashyapa embracing a 200 meter rock out crop and its surrounding with nature driven architecture composed of building, pathways, terraces, ponds, paintings and sculpture. There are more than 1000 hand written poems on the mirror wall written by visitors to Sigiriya from the 7^th – 14^th century. The UNESCO declared this a World Heritage site in 1982. I believe the total steps to the top were 1,321.

Dambulla Rock Caves – here we saw another scared temple located outside the city of Kandy. There we saw the Golden Temple and the Rock Temple.