| Volunteering in Sri Lanka I shall never forget my first day at Gampola convent. Having arrived late the previous evening when all was quiet, I opened my door the next morning to be met by a sea of beautiful, smiling faces waiting to greet their new ‘Auntie’. As it was school holidays and many of the older girls were visiting family, I spent a lot of time with the younger children. The daily routine has many highlights for all volunteers, including the twice daily bathing and dressing of the small children, teeth cleaning and feeding the babies. The rest of the time was free for activities which were always fun. The children love to have classes, do drawing and colouring, play outside and sing nursery rhymes. Unfortunately my poor knowledge of English nursery rhymes was soon evident and I have to admit to having learned a few new ones from the children. A particular favourite time for me was Sunday mornings when Sister Pushpa gives each of the children a balloon. The aftermath is a frenzy of laughter and joy until, one by one, they start to burst ! Two days stick in my mind from the first visit. Christmas day was very special. I had been away for the weekend and returned early to find all the small children dressed in beautiful outfits ready to go to Mass. I still can’t believe how perfectly still and well behaved they were in church, given how young they were. Afterwards, we had so much fun as the children chose new toys and played with them. The other special day was our outing to Pinnewalla elephant orphanage with the small children. Again, dressed so beautifully and all wearing hats, it soon became apparent that the tourists had stopped watching the elephants and were captivated by our little party. I also really enjoyed teaching English while at Gampola. The older girls are a lovely group – really well balanced, always friendly and keen to learn. It was also really interesting to teach the Aspirants, Novices and Sisters as this gave a fantastic insight into convent life. And what of the Sisters ? Like most other volunteers, I admit to having had preconceived ideas of what staying in a convent and what nuns would be like – these were quickly shattered. While their dedication to their vocation is always evident, the Sisters did everything with an enormous sense of fun and so much energy. With the children, they always seemed to balance the need for discipline with love and concern. I have just made a second visit to Gampola. Life was more settled this time as the major building works have been finished – replacement of showers and toilets plus painting of dormitories caused a lot of disruption but it all looks good now. The highlight for me was seeing how well all the children had progressed in the last 6 months. The small children had grown so much and were much more talkative, even to the point of trying to teach me Sinhala, and the Montessori children had clearly benefited from their first two terms at school. So having returned to London, I really miss the happy atmosphere at Gampola. I decided to volunteer during a two year break from work as, after 15 years of working in an environment where money dominated everything, I wanted to give something back. I hope that I have been able to be of some help at Gampola during my two visits. However, I have received so much more in return and I can honestly say that my experiences in Gampola have changed my life. So as I prepare to resume my working life in London, I find that I am already looking into when I can go back again. Valerie Lee September 2006
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