WWW: Day 4 - The Big One

Thursday was our last day Biking in the East coast, the next day we simply departed back to Colombo and overall it was an uneventful journey.

Stopping for a quick rest after biking half way, I'm on the left
(Photo credits: Mr. Shipley) 

On Thursday we were to bike over 60 Kilometers to a Hindu temple located near the outskirts of the Yala national park. Prior to the trip to the east coast, a group was made consisting who were in charge of cooking food for the entire WWW group on day 4 of our trip. So, on Thursday morning, they cooked us an entire lunch to take with us to the temple. After we arrived to the temple and after being hungry for hours, we were finally able to eat the delicious food they had cooked for. After that, some of us had the choice of either biking back the 60 Kilometers or going back on the bus, I decided to go back on the bus because I was feeling really worn out after the initial ride. 

Taking a quick picture before going over to Yala
(Photo credits: Mr. Shipley)

The bike ride on that day really was the most tiring and most exhilarating one of all the days. On the other days, we would always stop for a rest after about 10 kilometers from where we started, however on day 4 we stopped for our first rest after biking for 25 kilometers, this may have been the hardest part of the journey because we were still trying to break in to our bikes since the day before. A few of us stopped after 10 km but I decided to keep going because I really wanted to challenge myself and try to push myself to achieve something that I have never done before. The road was flat and  barely had any bumps or turns, until we reached Yala.

A small technical trail that tested our ability to take
quick decisions
(Photo credits: Mr. Shipley)

The trail in Yala consisted completely of mud, dirt, rocks and a whole lot of bumps and holes. We had to maneuver our bikes so as not to fall in to these holes and always stay clear of sand trails because it is almost impossible to bike straight on one of these. This went on for rest of the journey to the temple. 

I feel that day 4 of the trip really helped me in improving my biking skills but not only that, it also helped me to take quick decisions when necessary- which would be very useful to me in the future- and also to find the best decision; this is really important because although one trail might look easy, it doesn't mean that you should just speed through it without another thought, you should plan your action and then go at the appropriate speed. 

The trip to the East coast of Sri lanka was the best trip I went to and I'm really glad that I went with an amazing group of people. Throughout the trip, I have shown great deals of perseverance and commitment to biking, as well as worked collaboratively with others, which include my OSC friends and also the kids at the local school we visited.   

WWW: Day 2 & 3 - The School

Me (dark blue shirt) teaching the students
about exothermic and endothermic reactions
(source: http://oscwww.blogspot.com)

On both days 2 and 3, we taught the students at the school everything we prepared for them. The work was divided in to two days simply because of the number of students that are in just the 9th grade is over 50. About 10 students per hour were sent to each group; science, bike repair and sports. As a group we were able to successfully plan and initiate activities during our visit to the school. It was very hard for my friends and I to communicate with

the students since they couldn't speak English or Sinhala, only Tamil. There were three teachers from that school present at all times to translate and help us teach the students. This was a new experience for me, not just teaching kids who speak different languages but teaching itself. This definitely increased my awareness of strengths and areas for growth. I was nervous at first and I did make a few mistakes while teaching the theory, but by the end of the first group, I became completely comfortable with teaching the students and even the fact that they spoke different languages soon didn't bother me. Also, the fact that I had to repeat what I taught to the next group and next-was a sort of practice for me, so this enabled me to improve on my delivery and be more fluent with the theory that I was teaching. So by the end of it, I would say that I had developed new skills, in the area of teaching and communication in general.

On day three, after we all (science, sports and bike repair) had finished teaching the last group of students, we were told to go down to the canteen area where we were served some refreshments. When it was finally time for us to leave, the students of the school lined up to place hand-made flower necklaces around our heads (this is a tradition in Sri lanka), after that, the principal of the school gave his thank you to all of us and told us how much it meant for him that we took our time to come their school and teach the students-as well as give to them donations. This made me realize the importance of our trip to the east coast of Sri lanka and helped me to consider the ethical issues; we have strengthened the relationship between us and the children at the local school we visited and hopefully, they have changed there views of us in a better way. I hope to visit more schools in an area such as Arugam bay and to interact with them as well.

The WWW science on two wheels group with the principal of the
school (in blue shirt and black trousers)
(Photo credits: Yo Kubota)

Week Without Walls: Day 1 - The arrival

The amazing view of the beach in batticaloa
(Source: http://oscwww.blogspot.com)

On the 27th of January, we left Colombo from the main train station at Fort (Colombo 1) to Batticaloa. To be honest, I was both excited and a little scared because that was the first time that I have ever traveled in an overnight train in Sri lanka. However after a few minutes upon leaving the station, my worries were completely gone and I was able to have fun with my friends despite the train having a few technical difficulties half way through (the engine broke down and we had to wait for a new one). After 11 hours on the train and another 4 hours on the bus ride to Arugam bay, we finally reached the hotel where we would be staying at; 'Stardust beach hotel and restaurant'. This was truly an amazing and very peaceful hotel, and I think everyone  including me was pleased with the service there as well.

A 'Cabana', a small hut-like room accommodated
with 4 beds (I stayed in this type of room)
(source: http://oscwww.blogspot.com)

Since it had been a long journey, we were given the chance to just chill out and play some sports for about an hour before we headed out to the Komari school and to ride our bikes. We played some softball, Frisbee and Rugby. It was a good way to warm up for our 25 km bike ride. I also took the time to prep for the journey, including packing a full water bottle and getting my gloves ready.

Students and there teacher who greeted us when we
visited their classroom
(source: http://oscwww.blogspot.com)

After lunch, we went by bus to the Komari School; where we would be teaching the ninth graders Science, Sports and how to repair bikes the following day and the day after. This was our chance to engage with an issue of global importance, since most of the kids in this school are very under privileged, and just being able to interact with them and exposing them to our lifestyle, enables them to broaden their perspective of this world. I was in the Science group and so while we were there, we setup all the equipment we were going to need for the days to come as well as plan who is going to do what during the teaching hours, We already planned what we were going to teach them when we were still in our school so this part of the process did not take too long (Sid and I were going to teach the kids Chemistry). This was definitely an opportunity for me to start taking part in an active service role for an audience that I'm not familiar with, the kids could not speak much English or Sinhala so it really was hard trying to explain to them the concepts of what we were doing. After all the prep work, some of the seniors in the school gave us a tour around their school campus. They did not have many teaching material in their class rooms or in the IT and science labs and yet, despite the lack of equipment, the students were happy and keen on learning with whatever they do have. This made me feel both sad and proud for these kids.

We said good bye to the kids until the next day and we headed back to hotel. While there, we played some more sports and chilled out for another couple of hours, then, Peter-our bikes guide- came to the hotel with all our bikes and helmets. We were all very excited to finally go on the bikes; we got our things ready, warmed up a little and we headed on out of the hotel to Kumana national park.

Stopping for a quick rest
(source: http://oscwww.blogspot.com)

It was a challenging journey, no doubt; we went through some very rough terrain at times, then over lose sandy trails which really threw us of with our momentum and also over some large puddles here and there. I am fairly good at riding a bike so I did not have any casualties, however a few people in the group wasn't so lucky, fortunately they only got a few minor cuts and bruises when they fell but nothing too severe. Despite the injuries, we all rode on as a single unit helping each other where ever we could. I decided to go ahead of some of the weaker riders and give them a heads up in case there is a difficult obstacle coming up or so. We went through some beautiful areas with amazing scenery, it was a really good ride and we had lots of fun. I felt that was able to successfully apply the skills that I already knew, as well as learn some more on my own as well.

Tennis

On Saturday the 19th of January, I had my 2nd tennis session since new year. Our coach had decided to extend the lesson time by 15 minutes so that all of the warm up drills are done in 15 minutes or less which would leave us with 2 hours to play matches. During the warm up session, we went through a new set of drills, these include; the half court volley, the return lob shot and the cross court drill. This was my opportunity to undertake new challenges and hopefully do well in them as well.

The half court volley is fairly difficult as you have to hit the ball before it touches the ground with enough power and a good angle as well. I noticed that I need to a lot of improvement in this shot (as do I need for the Volley shot as well). For the return lob shot, all you have to do is run right to the back of the court and return the ball which is travelling at a very high angle and as long as you are able to run fast enough, this shot is quite easy to play. Also, Most of us were already familiar with this shot so we were able master this drill in a very short time. The cross court shot is similar to the lob shot, except during this drill, we must run from one side of the court to the other to hit the ball. This shot would be more effective if we are able to slide and play the shot, so this is something I should try to improve upon. However, by the end of the new drills, I would say I did develop new skills since I am now able to play three new shots/techniques that I had not been able to do before.

After the drills as per usual, we paired up and played doubles matches. We switched around partners to see who would be the best pairs. The scores for the matches I played were 2-2, 2-2, 3-1, 3-1.

What I learnt:

• There is still space for improvement, half the matches I played were ties so I'm going to want to try and get a 3-1 score for every match next. This is important for me because I'm going to be playing in a proper tournament later this year and increasing my winning average will definitely help me to do well in the tournament.      

WWW: Week Without Walls goals

We are going to the east coast on mid January for a weeks stay where we will be riding bikes and helping out a unprivileged school situated around that area. The Goals I would like to achieve during this trip are:

• Undertake new challenges and give my best in each of them, such as establishing good communication with the children; this should be particularly hard because I am not very good at talking to children below my age group and also because most of the kids there speak Tamil while I can only speak English and Sinhala fluently. 
• Plan and initiate academic activities to do with the children while we are at that school. Plan these activities in a way they are both fun and would also help them later on during their lives. After the plans, undertake these activities with complete focus and dedication so that it would be as productive as possible. 
• Work collaboratively with my group to help make a difference to the kids at the school, provide them with what they need to make their lives better i.e education and equipment.  
• Since I ride my bike everyday, I usually only ride for 1-2 hours. However during the trip, I would try to ride for much longer thereby not really undertaking a new challenge but rather develop the skills I already have. A new challenge however, would be riding my bike at an unfamiliar area and possibly, at a different terrain. 

Tennis: The matches

Me playing a backhand shot during the warm up session
(Photo credits: Inuri Liyanage)

Today in tennis, we first started off with a regular warm up session where our coach made us play forehand shots (this is the shot played while your front faces the ball), then backhand shots (this shot is played with your back towards the ball and is usually played with both hands holding the racket) and finally volleys (shots played very close to the net before the ball bounces). We then followed by playing rallies (this is consecutively hitting the ball back and forth each other without actually trying make the other person miss the ball), I paired up with an assistant coach and played for about 20 minutes. The rest of the 1 and a half hours were spent doing something much more fun and challenging; matches!

We first started out by playing doubles matches (this is two people per side). This was my opportunity to work collaboratively with other. I paired up with Ali; who is a decent player and is great at volleys, I am usually bad at returning the ball using a volley so I thought he was the ideal teammate. This soon turned out to be true.

Me during the singles match playing a forehand shot
(Photo credits: Inuri Liyanage)

Of the three matches we played, we won two and tied the last one. Each match consisted of 4 games (this is scoring in the form 15, 30, 40 and game, if both teams have 40-40 also known as a deuce; a team must obtain two more consecutive points in the form advantage and game). Ali and I won the first game 3-1, the second 4-0 and finally the third 2-2. We had the best scores of the day and so because of that, Our coach let us play a singles match with each other. This was a tough challenge and it was the best match I played the whole day. I am usually strong with my forehand and I have good placement when playing this shot, so I decided to try and play like this as much as can and since Ali was particularly good with his volleys, he tried to play as much of those shots as he can. Finally, I was able to win with a score of 3-1, I lost the second game but I was able to easily win the other three. In my opinion, I definitely showed a lot of perseverance and commitment to the match, and also I was able to increase my awareness of strengths and areas for growth and improvement.  

Tennis: lessons start!

I finally started going back to tennis practice at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo. My coach's name in Chandaka and there are also two more instructors called Thilan and Sarath. The SSC consists of only clay courts and so this means that should it rain on any day; the courts are unusable, therefore our coach will hold the lessons at the Taj Samudra Hotel in Colombo which consists of two hard courts.

So first day back and I'll be honest, I was really scared. I hadn't played tennis in over 8 months because I had stopped going to practice for my IGCSE exams and mock exams that spanned from April to May, then followed by the summer vacation. I thought for sure that I will not be able to play a single shot over the net because it felt almost unreal holding my tennis racket after such a long time. But, I was mistaken. Well sure, the first few shots went all over the place but soon I got a rhythm going and it felt like I never stopped playing at all! Most of my shots made it over the net and many of them were pretty good strokes.

After we warmed up with some knocks, we played a match. There are three more people in the class and so were were able to play a doubles match. We were tied at 3-3 but unfortunately I wasn't able to finish the match because another student came and I decided to step out and let him play the remainder of the game (he was younger than me and less experienced). I went to rally with Thilan for rest of the session.

Overall, it was a good day especially when I realized that I didn't have to go back to the basics and learn everything fresh! This now gave me the opportunity to undertake new challenges in the lessons to follow. I was able to apply the skills that I knew to this lesson without having much trouble. However, this was mainly due to the fact that I really showed great deals of perseverance and commitment, in order to make sure played the basic shots properly. I'm really glad that I did finally go back to practice because I really did miss the game and the thrill :)