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S T. M A R K ’ S S R I L A N K AS C R A P B O O K

U N F O R G E T T A B L E M O M E N T S

IN AUGUST OF 2015, A GROUP OF STUDENTS FROM ST. MARK’S SCHOOL TRAVELED TO SRI LANKA TO INITIATE A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE EDUCATE LANKA FOUNDATION.

THIS MEMORY BOOK ILLUSTRATES THE WONDERFUL LEARNING THAT TOOK PLACE FOR THE PARTICIPANTS IT CONTAINS A SAMPLING OF THE MANY UNFORGETTABLE MOMENTS OF PERSONAL DISCOVERY, CULTURAL EXCHANGE, AND FUN.

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H I C L A R E A N D T H O M A S ( A N D E T H A N A N D M O L L I E ) ! I

A M H AV I N G S O M U C H F U N I N S R I L A N K A ! M Y PA N T S

L O O K G R E AT A N D T H E Y A R E S O C O M F O R TA B L E . I

L O V E YO U S O M U C H !

F I R S T D AY I N C O L O M B O

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I T ’ S 2 . 3 0 P M A N D W E A R E M E E T I N G W I T H S T U D E N T S

F R O M E D U C AT E L A N K A . T H E V I S I T T O T H E E M B A S S Y

WA S V E R Y I N T E R E S T I N G , T H E Y W E R E W E L C O M I N G

A N D W E H A D T H E O P P O R T U N I T Y O F M E E T I N G

S R I L A N K A S T U D E N T S T H AT H A D W O N A W R I T I N G

N AT I O N A L P R I C E A S W E L L A S B E T T E R U N D E R S TA N D

T H E R O L E O F U S A I D I N T H E C O U N T R Y.

T H E AV E M A R I A S C H O O L P R E PA R E D A W O N D E R F U L

W E L C O M E . O N O U R B E H A L F, A B I G A L I A N D P R O F E S S O R

R O H A N G AV E A N I N T R O D U C T O R Y S P E E C H .

E D U C AT E L A N K A L E D A N A C T I V I T Y T H AT FA C I L I TAT E D

T H E I N T E R A C T I O N B E T W E E N S T U D E N T S L O C A L

S T U D E N T S A N D S T M A R K S S T U D E N T S . W E A R E S T I L L

W O R K I N G O N T H E A C T I V I T I E S A N D W I L L S H A R E

R E F L E C T I O N S L AT E R O N T H E D AY.

M E E T I N G W I T H E D U C AT E L A N K A S T U D E N T S

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I H AV E T O S AY, I D O N ’ T R E A L LY H AV E A N Y. I ’ V E

F O U N D T H AT G O I N G I N T O T H E D AY W I T H A N O P E N

M I N D A N D J U S T E N J O Y I N G W H AT C O M E S M Y WAY I S

T H E B E S T WAY T O D O T H I N G S H E R E .

I A M E X C I T E D T O M E E T A N E W G R O U P O F S T U D E N T S

A N D D O N ’ T K N O W W H E T H E R T O E X P E C T A V E R Y

S I M I L A R I N T E R A C T I O N A S T H E L A S T G R O U P O F

S T U D E N T S O R I F I T W I L L B E D I F F E R E N T . I C A N ’ T

WA I T T O S E E T H E T E A P L A N TAT I O N A N D L E A R N

M O R E A B O U T W H E R E S R I L A N K A N T E A ( S O G O O D )

C O M E S F R O M .

I E X P E C T T O D AY T O B E A S E Y E O P E N I N G A S T H E

P R E V I O U S D AY S . I A M L O O K I N G F O R WA R D T O

I N T E R A C T I N G W I T H T H E S T U D E N T S A N D I H O P E W E

A L L H AV E A G R E AT T I M E .

E X P E C TAT I O N S F O R T O D AY !

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I T ’ S 1 1 P M A N D W E A R E AT T H E H O T E L R E S T I N G

A F T E R A L O N G D AY I N T H E T E A P L A N TAT I O N S

R E G I O N C A L L E D H AT T O N .

W E A R E W O R K I N G O N O U R B O O K L E T S T O M A K E

S U R E W E P R O C E S S T H E VA R I O U S E X P E R I E N C E S A N D

F E E L I N G S W E H A D T O D AY W H I L E P L AY I N G A N D

I N T E R A C T I N G W I T H T H E S R I L A N K A S T U D E N T S .

W E W I L L L E T YO U K N O W M O R E A B O U T O U R D AY

T O M O R R O W A F T E R A G O O D E I G H T H O U R S L E E P.

L O N G D AY I N T H E C O U N T R Y S I D E

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I T ’ S 8 . 5 0 A M A N D W E J U S T F I N I S H E D O U R B R E A K FA S T .

W E WA N T E D T O S H A R E S O M E T H O U G H T S O N

Y E S T E R D AY ’ S A C T I V I T I E S .

Y E S T E R D AY W E M E T S T U D E N T S F R O M N O R W O O D

S C H O O L . W E G O T T O S E E T H E I N T E R V I E W P R O C E S S

A N D P L AY G A M E S . S E E I N G T H E I N T E R V I E W P R O C E S S

WA S R E A L LY I N T E R E S T I N G A N D H E L P E D M E

U N D E R S TA N D E X A C T LY W H AT K I N D O F S T U D E N T S

E D U C AT E L A N K A I S L O O K I N G F O R . I T WA S A L S O

I N T E R E S T I N G T O S E E T H E C U LT U R A L D I F F E R E N C E

B E T W E E N T H I S S C H O O L I N T H E M O U N TA I N S A N D

T H E F I R S T S C H O O L W E V I S I T E D I N N E G A M B O . O N E

T H I N G T H AT R E A L LY S T U C K O U T T O M E WA S H O W W E

W E R E T R E AT E D A S V I S I T I N G A M E R I C A N S . H E A R I N G

O N E S T U D E N T S AY, “ J U S T M E E T I N G T H E M I S L U C K Y ”

R E A L LY S U R P R I S E D M E . I A M V E R Y E X C I T E D T O

V I S I T T H E T W O S C H O O L S T O D AY A N D H O W T H E Y

C O M PA R E T O Y E S T E R D AY ’ S E X P E R I E N C E .

S O M E M O R N I N G R E F L E C T I O N S O N Y E S T E R D AY

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I T ’ S 9. 30 PM AN D WE ARE I N CO LO M BO, AT TH E

TR AD IT I O NAL RESTAU R ANT. A S TH E D EPARTU RE T I M E

ARR IVES WE WANTED TO S HARE W ITH YO U O U R TH O U G HTS

AN D REFLEC T I O N S O F TH E TR I P.

I WO U LD SAY TH I S TR I P WA S ABSO LUTELY AMA Z I N G ,

B UT WO RDS D O N ’T RE ALLY J UST I F Y TH E E XPER I EN C E I ’ VE

H AD TH ES E PA ST TEN DAYS . TH E V I E WS ARE AMA Z I N G ,

TH E FO O D HA S B EEN I N C RED I B LE , AN D TH E PEO PLE HAVE

B EEN I N C RED I B LY H OS P ITAB LE . E VEN WITH TH E L AN G UAG E

BARR I ERS AN D CU LTU R AL D I FFEREN C ES , I HAD A G RE AT

T I M E W ITH TH E STU D ENTS . TH I S TR I P HA S AL SO G IVEN M E A

C HAN C E TO REFLEC T. I ’ VE B EEN SO LU C K Y AN D PR IV I LEG ED

TO E VEN H AVE TH I S O PPO RTU N IT Y I N TH E F I RST PL AC E .

N OW, I T ’ S A Q U EST I O N O F LO O K I N G FO RWARD. H OW C AN

WE TAK E BAC K WHAT WE ’ VE LE ARN ED AN D B R I N G O U R

E XPER I EN C E TO TH E ST. MARK ’S CO M M U N IT Y ? I T ’ S A LOT

O F WO RK TO D O, B UT I C AN ’T WA IT TO G ET STARTED.

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L A S T T R I P R E F L E C T I O N S

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I A M S O T H A N K F U L T O H AV E B E E N A B L E T O C O M E

O N T H I S T R I P S O H U G E T H A N K S T O E V E R YO N E W H O

H E L P E D C O O R D I N AT E I T . F R O M G E T T I N G T O H A N G

O U T W I T H M A N J U L A A N D D A N U A N D T H E R E S T O F

T H E I R T E A M , T O S P E N D I N G A L O T O F T I M E W I T H

O U R G R O U P L E A D E R S A N D S T M A R K S S T U D E N T S ,

I H AV E G A I N E D S O M U C H F R O M N O T O N LY T H E

E X P E R I E N C E S B U T T H E P E O P L E , T O O . A N D N O T T O

M E N T I O N A L L O F T H E E D U C AT E L A N K A S T U D E N T S

W H O W E H AV E H A D T H E O P P O R T U N I T Y T O M E E T .

A S M U C H A S T H E Y W E R E G R AT E F U L T O M E E T U S , I

T H I N K I H AV E L E A R N E D J U S T A S M U C H F R O M T H E M ,

I F N O T M O R E . I L O O K F O R WA R D T O S H A R I N G T H I S

E X P E R I E N C E A N D A L S O C O N S I D E R I N G H O W T H E S E

EXPER I EN CES CAN I N FLU EN CE H OW I L IVE MY OWN L I FE .

N O T E O F T H E D AY

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I A M W R I T I N G T H I S R E V I E W AT T H E A I R P O R T A S

W E WA I T T O B O A R D O U R 3 A M F L I G H T T O D U B A I .

T H I S H A S B E E N A N A M A Z I N G T R I P F O R A L L O F U S

A N D L E AV I N G I S R E A L LY H A R D . I A M G O I N G T O M I S S

O U R W H O L E G R O U P A N D A L L O F T H E S T U D E N T S W E

M E T . I R E A L LY F E E L L I K E I WA S A B L E T O C O N N E C T

W I T H T H E S T U D E N T S A N D A L O T O F T H E P E O P L E

W E M E T . T H E T I M E W E S P E N T I N T E R A C T I N G W I T H

T H E S T U D E N T S WA S S O VA L U A B L E A N D U N I Q U E T O

T H I S T R I P. W I T H O U T O U R A M A Z I N G L O C A L G U I D E S

A N D C O N N E C T I O N S T O T H E S E S C H O O L S W E C O U L D

N E V E R H AV E H A D T H E E X P E R I E N C E S W E H A D . F O R

E X A M P L E , W E W E R E A B L E T O G O S E E T H E R E A L

T E M P L E A N D M E D I TAT I O N S PA C E O F T H E T O O T H

R E L I C T E M P L E .

L A S T R E F L E C T I O N

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A N D T H E F O O D ! D H A N U A N D M A N J U L A A LWAY S H A D

T H E B E S T R E S E R VAT I O N S F O R U S . M Y FAV O R I T E

PA R T WA S R E F L E C T I N G A N D D I S C U S S I N G T H E

D AY O V E R A D E L I C I O U S S R I L A N K A B U F F E T . I A M

A L R E A D Y V E R Y N O S TA L G I C F O R T H I S T R I P. I R E A L LY

C O N N E C T E D W I T H S R I L A N K A A N D E V E R YO N E I M E T

T H E R E . I K N O W T H AT I W I L L K E E P A L L O F T H E S E

C O N N E C T I O N S A N D G O B A C K T O S R I L A N K A A S

S O O N A S I C A N .

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