Wendy's visit to Pulliyadimunai

Thursday Our last day in Batti, and what a day it turned out to be! I was really looking forward to visiting Pulliyadimunai school again after my visit last year. The school had organised a Sports4kids day, inviting 8 other Junior schools to take part in this event. When we arrived the teams were lined up outside the school waiting our arrival with anticipation, there were reporters, teaching staff, and other dignitaries already there. We walked along the lines of welcoming students, and into the area where the sports were to be take place. Each team had an allotted place in the playground where there were chairs for them and once everyone was in the outside playground area students came along and quickly laid out the course. Virtually everything they used was something recycled – water bottles filled will coloured water to use as marking out cones, larger water containers were filled with sand to hold poles upright, which were decorated with balloons and flags. After some speeches the proceedings began. There were different activities for each team to have a go at and at the end of a set time the whistle was blown and students moved on to the next challenge, their scores having been taken by a steward. Mr T was asked to do a warm up to Gangnam style music, and he says he made it up as he went along – but everyone got up to dance anyway. There was a welcome break during the morning when tasty noodles were served. The day was extremely hot, but students and staff alike kept dancing to the music played while the students participated in the activities. While the student teams were waiting to take part in their activity many of them were dancing with our students so all this contributed to the party and festival mood during the day. As the final whistle blew and scores were added and then began the prize giving. Certificates, cups, medals and plaques were issued to all the participating students and CPS came in third with Pulliyadimunai school the winners. The cost of the certificates, cups, medals etc was paid for out of the money raised by the Calthorpe Park School students in their fund raising efforts for OST. The whole morning had run late by this time so we had a very quick lunch at the school before returning to the hotel for a welcome shower and change of clothes. We returned to the school for a talent show in which students at Pulliyadimunai performed many songs, dances and drama pieces. Our students sang a couple of songs together, three of the girls sang together, three of the boys sang and Amy performed an amazing gymnastic routine in sand, which made it difficult for her to keep her footing. At the end of a wonderful and amazing day it was time to say goodbye to the students, which made us all very emotional. We had dinner at the school before returning to the hotel. Everyone agreed that the day had been outstanding and that having to say goodbye to the students had been very emotional making our students realise what an impact their visit had had on the school and the local community. If we had not visited the school, the sports event would not have been organised, the other schools would not have been invited to participate, we would not have met them …………. Time for everyone to have a final evening in Batti and pack before heading back to Colombo tomorrow.

Wendy's visit to Kannakudah

Visiting Kannakudah Wednesday Today we went to Kannakudah nursery travelling in a tuk tuk with our resources piled behind our heads and rolling on to our shoulders. ('How did you get that concussion madam?' 'A box of Milo hit my head'). The road was very bumpy. Because it was a terrorist area the government hasn't mended the roads. Some of the pot-holes were as big as the tuk tuk. On the way we stopped at a petrol station with one pump and many jugs and funnels – to fill with small amounts of petrol. The driver came back with a litre bottle full. While we were waiting three cows crossed the very very busy road in amongst hordes of cyclists making their way to school and work. We got to the school before 8 – some children were there but others arrived at half past – when it opened. So we took photos of photos while we were waiting. The teachers opened with prayers and morning exercises. They were brilliant, better than us. We followed with a series of games, some of which worked. The kids could count to ten in English and knew the English alphabet, and quickly learnt an alphabet song from us. They enjoyed the hokey cokey as usual. We read the Gruffalo and named the parts of the body. One of the little three year olds was very good at sticking out her tongue, which she tried out later as well! After reading the Gruffalo we put out masks and crayons for them to paint/decorate their masks. Standards were high. Some very good mask painters and decorators. We did some games in lines – relay races with bean bags which kind of half possibly worked. The we tried keepie uppie. Once they realised they didnt have to stay in four regimental lines while doing this it was very successful, even though we worried about the one and only lightbulb. We finished this up with a few minutes of bubbles, and squeaks from the children, and gave out teddies and lollipops. The lunch was superb – particularly the hot leafy fennel-like sauce which was amazing – best dish so far! Judy and Wendy

Amali's visit to Shining Stars

Today I visited 'shining stars' nursery which was built over the summer by the Edinburgh Global Partnerships team. After seeing all the work that was put into fundraising for this project it was brilliant to see the building in use. The ceiling was decked with rainbow fishies and masks. When I arrived the children were sitting round tables writing up animal words in tamil. The Gruffalo made another timely appearance which led to an array of animal related games. The best were drama games where the children acted out the animals that the gruffalo meets on his journey through the 'deep dark wood'. This evening we visited the school where the Calthorpe Park students have spent the past few days and were entertained with dancing, singing and drama. I'm looking forward to the teacher training tomorrow and seeing all the teachers again

Theresa's Blog 31.10.13

Today I had to leave at 6.30am because the nursery I was going to was a long way away. When I got there the pre-school was very pleasent, there were two teachers and in the classroom there was even a fan. Each child had thier own table and chair. The children were keen to participate in all events and they were desperate to please all the adults working with them. They loved The gruffalo story and thoroughly enjoyed making a picture using paint on the stamps of the animals. They also particularly enjoyed making masks and taking part of the animals in the story. This afternoon we enjoyed the performance of dance and music put on by secondary school in Batticaloa. The Calthorpe Park students did really well to sing and perform at short notice.

Tegan's visit to Kallikulam

As tired as we all are, five of us made it up for 5.30 and headed to the beach to watch the sunrise and a paddle in the water. The landscape was beautiful oranges, it was most defietly worth the early wake up time. I (Tegan)headed to my last pre school of the trip, in a Tuc Tuc to the village of Kallikulam. Mixed emotions about my last session as the end of the trip is class, I was dripping with flowers petals. They all managed to say 'Good Morning' to me in English. The children started their day with prayers led by one of the older students (who was only 5 years old!!!) and then did some exercises counting in English as they went along,they really impressed me when they managed to count backwards in English too. We read the Gruffalo, which they all seemed to enjoy, they loved colouring in thier masks and the colour purple was definely in high demand. The high light of my morning was probably getting them all hyped up by playing keepy uppy with the balloon, and the joy and excitment when we brought out the bubbles. Before lunch with the teachers, my translater Diana, helper Kritika and one of the teachers from the nursery headed to the temple of Ganesh (the hindu elephant God, he symbolises wisdom) We washed our feet with water from a well before they showed me around and talked me through some of the many Hindu Gods. I really enjoys how colourful Sri Lankas culture is. This afternoon we are off to a culture show at a local school which I am looking forward to very much.

DAY 5 LITTLE STARS AND PARRY PLAYGROUPS WENDY AND DILANEE

VISIT TO LITTLE STARS AND PARRY – TUESDAY

Dilanee and I set off in the van around 7am to visit the Little Stars and Parry Nurseries which were combining at the Little Stars building.

The road trip was long with rutted roads which were very difficult for the driver.  The landscape was .  very barren with only small farm houses along the way, and just farming as a means of earning money.  The children were waiting excitedly for us to arrive. 

We began with circle time which Dilanee ran, together with Cuddles, the bear from Heatherside Infants school.  The children were very shy at first even with the bear.  Dilanee asked them all to pass a smile around the circle and slowly they began to become less nervous.  We then did the Hockey Koakey which was enjoyed by everyone. 

After that we read the Gruffalo book and asked the students questions.  They did not seem to be frightened by the Gruffalo and were able to answer the questions we put to them about body parts and colours.  Following that we got out the Gruffalo masks and colouring pencils and crayons, together with the glue sticks and some sequins.  At first the children were not quite sure what to do with everything, but after being shown what to do they enjoyed decorating the masks.  At the end of the decorating we put sticks behind each mask so that the children could hold them.

For break time we gave them each a Milo drink and a sugar bun, and by this time it was nearing the end of the preschool time.  We took the children outside for a run around then gave them each a small ball which they could take home with them.  We had to show them what to do with the balls, then we got out the bubbles which they loved. 

Just to finish with we put on some music and let the children dance to it, holding their Gruffalo masks.  At home time each child went out with a lollipop, teadybear, Gruffalo mask and a small ball. 

The Parry playgroup had all arrived in two tuk tuks – about 15 children plus a teacher in each tuk tuk – what a sight to see!!! 

The mummies of the playgroup provided us with a lovely lunch and then we visited one family with one child at Little Stars playgroup.  After that we got back into the van for our long drive back to the hotel.

The children were amazing, and really enjoyed their dancing around to music holding their masks at the end of the session. 

DAY 5 MANDOOR 2 TEGAN AND THERESA

Mandoor Blog

Today was our earliest wake up time so far! Breakfast at 6,15 and on the road for 7 to the Village of Mandoor, where Theresa and I entertained 12 young children most of which were around 3 years old. We were greeted with flower necklaces and happy faces. We started the session by introducing ourselves and the introducing Theresa's shy little friend, The Gruffalo (puppet) the children all said he felt beautiful. We read them half of the story and then got them to pretend to be some of the characters from the story, which they all seemed to enjoy. Then we moved onto some crafts and we recreated the wood scene with some extra glitter, we all love a bit glitter and stuck on some of the characters from the Gruffalo. The children were all very proud when we stuck there pictures up on the wall. We then moved onto making Gruffalo masks which again they loved and were very excitable when we told them they could take them home. Next we sang them some songs, Hokey Cokey definitely seemed to be the most popular of the lot. They then sung us some English songs they knew. We finished the day off with musical chairs and ball games outside. The children appeared to have a fun day and it was lovely to hear them giggle and compare the colour of their lolly pops. I personally had an amazing time with them and feel my confidence is growing with each session.


Tegan

Day Four

After a very hot and exhausting (yet totally wonderful) day at the Vellaimanal project near Trincomalee some of us went for a refreshing dip in the beautifully clear water just around China Bay. The others caught up on some much needed sleep and we regrouped for dinner. We went to a lovely ‘authentic’ (read: slightly shabby but incredibly delicious) vegetarian restaurant. We were provided with a range of curries and an array off dosai (a thin pancake-like bread). We ate well and it was great for the drivers to sit and eat with us, and we were all stunned when the bill came to 300 rupees or £1.50 per head.

We had another very civilised morning, leaving the hotel at 9am to start the drive to Batticaloa; team headquarters for the next 4 days. We stopped on our way out of Trincomalee to see the Thrikkuswaran Kovil, a Hindu temple with a long and fascinating history. We received blessing and a sacred thread tied around the rest by a holy man and complete with ash markings on our foreheads we jumped into the vans and back on the road. After a hassle free 3 hour drive down the beautiful coastal road we made it to Hotel Bridge View (no bridges in sight) and were joined shortly after by the Calthorpe Park team.

We had a huge meeting of 60 people (both teams, translators, helpers and teachers and students from the Sri Lankan school) and it was fantastic to see the children from both sides of the link start to form friendships so quickly. Everybody is very excited for the few days ahead and anxious to see how things will work out. It’s going to be hard for me to leave tomorrow night with so much going on but I look forward to being on the other side of these blogs for the first time in five years!

It’s a blessing to see the hard work of the team on the ground in Batticaloa come to fruition, and I have no doubt that it will be a powerful and moving experience for all involved.

Love

Matt

Day Four

After a very hot and exhausting (yet totally wonderful) day at the Vellaimanal project near Trincomalee some of us went for a refreshing dip in the beautifully clear water just around China Bay. The others caught up on some much needed sleep and we regrouped for dinner. We went to a lovely ‘authentic’ (read: slightly shabby but incredibly delicious) vegetarian restaurant. We were provided with a range of curries and an array off dosai (a thin pancake-like bread). We ate well and it was great for the drivers to sit and eat with us, and we were all stunned when the bill came to 300 rupees or £1.50 per head.

We had another very civilised morning, leaving the hotel at 9am to start the drive to Batticaloa; team headquarters for the next 4 days. We stopped on our way out of Trincomalee to see the Thrikkuswaran Kovil, a Hindu temple with a long and fascinating history. We received blessing and a sacred thread tied around the rest by a holy man and complete with ash markings on our foreheads we jumped into the vans and back on the road. After a hassle free 3 hour drive down the beautiful coastal road we made it to Hotel Bridge View (no bridges in sight) and were joined shortly after by the Calthorpe Park team.

We had a huge meeting of 60 people (both teams, translators, helpers and teachers and students from the Sri Lankan school) and it was fantastic to see the children from both sides of the link start to form friendships so quickly. Everybody is very excited for the few days ahead and anxious to see how things will work out. It’s going to be hard for me to leave tomorrow night with so much going on but I look forward to being on the other side of these blogs for the first time in five years!

It’s a blessing to see the hard work of the team on the ground in Batticaloa come to fruition, and I have no doubt that it will be a powerful and moving experience for all involved.

Love

Matt

Day Four

After a very hot and exhausting (yet totally wonderful) day at the Vellaimanal project near Trincomalee some of us went for a refreshing dip in the beautifully clear water just around China Bay. The others caught up on some much needed sleep and we regrouped for dinner. We went to a lovely ‘authentic’ (read: slightly shabby but incredibly delicious) vegetarian restaurant. We were provided with a range of curries and an array off dosai (a thin pancake-like bread). We ate well and it was great for the drivers to sit and eat with us, and we were all stunned when the bill came to 300 rupees or £1.50 per head.

We had another very civilised morning, leaving the hotel at 9am to start the drive to Batticaloa; team headquarters for the next 4 days. We stopped on our way out of Trincomalee to see the Thrikkuswaran Kovil, a Hindu temple with a long and fascinating history. We received blessing and a sacred thread tied around the rest by a holy man and complete with ash markings on our foreheads we jumped into the vans and back on the road. After a hassle free 3 hour drive down the beautiful coastal road we made it to Hotel Bridge View (no bridges in sight) and were joined shortly after by the Calthorpe Park team.

We had a huge meeting of 60 people (both teams, translators, helpers and teachers and students from the Sri Lankan school) and it was fantastic to see the children from both sides of the link start to form friendships so quickly. Everybody is very excited for the few days ahead and anxious to see how things will work out. It’s going to be hard for me to leave tomorrow night with so much going on but I look forward to being on the other side of these blogs for the first time in five years!

It’s a blessing to see the hard work of the team on the ground in Batticaloa come to fruition, and I have no doubt that it will be a powerful and moving experience for all involved.

Love

Matt

Day 2 at Grace Children's Home

We spent today at grace childrens home in vavuniya, which has been supported by ocean stars since the very beginning. Tegan began by lading a wide array of drama games such as grandmothers footsteps, zip zap boinggggg and wink murder which quickly broke the ice.

It’s great to see how the boys at this home have matured into young gentlemen and to see how they look after their younger brothers. Both groups there today were able to feel at ease in each others company, a testament to the strong relationship between the home and ocean stars.  we were able to see their talents emerging through sports games, keyboard playing and gruffalo painting.

It’s just a shame the day went by so quickly.

Amali

Day 3 in Trincomalee

Today was an action packed day! Dilanee, Andy and Theresa arrived very late last night, it was lovely for the whole team to be together for the first time this morning. After a quick catch up over breakfast we headed to Vellaimanal Village preschool (which means white sand). Vellaimanal Village was wiped out during the Tsunami and have had to rebuild their lives  a mile in land as the government has claimed their land on the beach.
When we arrived at the pre school over 50 children lines up to give us a very regal welcome, decked out with a welcome sign, necklaces made out of shells, songs and a percussion performance with instruments Ocean Stars had donated last Christmas.  
We then split into groups and played games with the children and read The Gruffalo with the younger ones. After a drink and snack break some of the mothers of the children brought in embroidered items they had made for us to purchase, so now you know what you will all be getting for Christmas. 
We then went into the village to meet some of the families sponsored by people in the UK through Ocean stars. Some of the homes had pictures up of their sponsor family in the UK, which was very sweet. They each very proudly presented us with a table full of snacks including some mangoes from their gardens, pine apples and home made cakes. 
We then went to Janabdeen's house to find an amazing lunch his wife had prepared for us. There was fresh crab, prawns, muscles, plantain and plenty more varieties of curried dishes.
After an amazing lunch we presented two fishing boats to families, which will help them generate an income. 
Then Janabadeen took us to the beach where the Tsunmai hit and wiped out the village. As the government has now claimed the land we had to get special permission to go on the beach. It was very emotional especially for Janabdeen who family owned a lot of the land.
Then it was back to the hotel to grab our swimwear and out to a beach for a swim. 

Tegan
Xxx

FUND RAISING QUIZ PM

OCEAN STARS QUIZ

Just over a hundred people gathered @ All Saints Church Hall, Fleet, at 7.30 pm for the annual Ocean Stars Quiz Evening. A wonderful evening filled with laughter and fun, as well as lots of brain-searching, was had by all. There were 12 teams in all and 8 rounds of questions. After the first four rounds there was a cheese and bread supper as well as a raffle with sixteen prizes. Then came the next four rounds. A big thank to our Quiz Master Mike who kept us entertained with jokes all evening. An amazing £900 was raised for the work of Ocean Stars Trust.

 

 

 FUND RAISING BARN DANCE

What a night to hold a Barn dance! Lashing rain , gusty gale force wind and competition from Comic relief on the TV! However, after a slow start (why is it no one wants to be the first to arrive?) we had a really good time . The band "Saxon Drain" were first rate and the "caller" gave such clear instructions everyone felt able to join in (the youngest was 8yrs and the oldest was 86yrs!)

With pizzas and pop (or something a bit stronger for those who wanted ) and lovely chocs to keep our energy levels topped up we skipped, promenaded and dozy doed our way through the evening. Many thanks to all who came and helped to make it a successful fundraising event. 

FUND RAISING

 

OST London to Brighton Report

 

On Sunday 16th June, a group of 18 cycling-enthusiasts ventured to Clapham Common for the 2013 London-Brighton bike ride. The day began with a pre-5:00 am wake-up call and the majority of riders congregated at Calthorpe Park School to load the bikes into the hired van and to get onto the minibus to Clapham for our scheduled 7:30am start

By the time the team had arrived in Clapham and were set up to begin it was just after 8:00 am, this was still however over an hour earlier than last year, with the hope to leave Brighton before dark this year!

 

cyclists attempting to compete with London traffic, but also the sheer amount of cyclists participating, estimated at 28,500, undoubtedly meant initial slow progress. This was naturally a little frustrating, but perhaps it’s a good way to ease the cyclists into the challenges ahead!

 

Part of the attraction of the ride is all the numerous rest stops along the route, which transcend through quaint villages in rural areas to larger towns, yet for this special day the locals come out in force to cheer the cyclists and offer a wide variety of refreshments, which the majority gladly consume. It is this sense of a community atmosphere that marks the London to Brighton bike ride out and is surely a reason why it regularly has such a high number of participants.

 

The OST riders all went off at differing paces, but the challenge of the infamous Ditchling Beacon remained an inevitability, with some managing to cycle the 1 mile-long assent but it is certainly no mean feat to walk up the hill (known as the Sussex Everest), which is arguably more strenuous for the body!

 

After Ditchling begins the 7 miles descent into Brighton, which for the earlier riders was managed relatively quickly, however a few notable crashes from other riders, considerably delayed some OST riders by up to an hour and a half.

 

However all of the OST cyclists arrived safe and sound, if a little achey, with a united sense of achievement and relief. The earliest OST riders arrived at 14:00 with the last arriving at 17:30, so a very commendable effort from the whole team.

 

We were so fortunate to have minimal rain despite the gloomy forecast and were lucky to arrive in Brighton to the sight of bright blue skies with the Sun’s glare off the sea, which only added to feelings of euphoria for completing the bike ride.

 

The OST team has successfully raised over the target of £1500 and should therefore be very proud not just of completing the ride but for the fact that the money raised will go along way to supporting the communities in the North and East of Sri Lanka.

 

Many of this years cyclists will be going to Sri Lanka this October to participate in the work of Ocean Stars Trust so I’m sure the amount of money raised will be put into context when they visit the various projects during their trip.Once again the London-Brighton bike ride has been a great success for OST in fundraising and a huge level of thanks has to go to all the cyclists involved. Who’s in for next year...? 

TEAM MEMBERS

Welcome to Ocean Stars

 

 

 

 

PRE TRIP REFLECTIONS FROM  OCEAN STARS TEAM 2013

TEAM MEMBER JUDY REFLECTS.........

I am very aware, being at a distance from the Fleet HQ and so submerged in university work that I have not prepared physically or mentally for this trip much yet, but I realise today that perhaps subconsciously I am preparing since yesterday I volunteered to help out at a children's meditation course in January - something I have always avoided doing before - perhaps the anticipation of running sessions for 60 three year olds (or is it 30 six year olds) in Sri Lanka is having an effect. 

I also had the privilege of teaching a week on a second year university module in Intro to Children's Literature. The topic: Picture Books. The books: many, including one of Julia Donaldson's and a mention of The Gruffaloe! So I may be more prepared than I know. 

One thing is for sure however - it will be a strong experience, in one way or another. May we all be able to contribute and benefit from this trip. And thanks to Dil and family for organising it all

TEAM MEMBER TEGAN REFLECTS.....

I am very excited about OST trip. I have no idea what to expect as I have never been anywhere like Sri Lanka before. I have my Immodium and mosquito spray at the ready and very much looking forward to embracing a new culture!

TEAM MEMBER WENDY REFLECTS...

 

 

Well I cannot believe that we only have 7 more sleeps until we fly to Sri Lanka again.  In January this year I was unsure whether I would be able to be part of the trip, but the months have flown by and here I am with my bags half packed (well sort of!). 

 

I am really looking forward to seeing people I met last year and in particular visiting the school in Puliyadimunai. I have such lovely memories of the students and staff at the school who were so kind and made us feel so welcome.  I did not visit the pre-schools last year so that will be a new challenge for me and I feel a bit nervous and anxious about how these sessions will go. But with my friendly Gruffalo in my bag what can go wrong!

 

Let’s hope we don’t have a cyclone again this year, but get a bit more sun to enjoy.

TEAM MEMBER ANDY REFLECTS

 

 

 

Looking forward to the trip now that our teaching resources have been packed into the large suitcases - the hand luggage will have to accommodate my personal items! It's been very helpful to hear from others who've been on Dilannee's visits in previous years - the main message seems to be 'go with the flow when you're there and be prepared to be overwhelmed by the offers of food, especially cake'. Must make sure I download plenty of music and a good audiobook onto my phone for the long flights - don't expect there'll be much time for relaxation when we're in Sri Lanka.