Unwinding on Jaffna’s Shores – Week Without Walls – Northern Narratives

This trip was by far one of the most interesting and adventurous trips I have been on in my time in OSC. First off I had many of my close friends joining me on this trip who definitely made it much for enjoyable for me. Our trip was based up north in Jaffna, I picked this as my first choice because Jaffna is somewhere I’d probably never end up going to in the future considering its long draining journey. Therefore, the trip allowed me to spend time with my friends while traveling and experiencing things together. The locations we went to were certainly once-in-a-lifetime experiences, notably Point Pedro, which was the farthest point of Sri Lanka from where we could see an outline of India. Additionally, we took a boat to Delft Island, which was a large, dry area with intense heat, although I was curious as to why there was hardly anybody living there. 

 

Picture – Mr. Lockwood                                  Picture – Ms. Gayani/Ms. Lockwood

We had an early start, so the bus trip was exhausting at first. However, halfway through, we stopped at a little restaurant by the side of the road and had a huge meal that included a variety of Sri Lankan dishes that really put my tolerance for spice to the test. We stopped in Anuradhapura, where we saw the site of a king’s throne. It was a really peaceful area with an enormous lake and ancient buildings. While writing postcards to be sent later, we sat there and enjoyed the scenery and the peace of the area. When we did get to Jaffna, we sent postcards to our parents, I don’t think mine ever made it home, we also strolled around the beach where we encountered some goats. 

 

Picture – Mr. Lockwood                                                            Picture – Ms. Melinda

The locations we visited were unique, however, the Jaffna Fort intrigued my interest the most. It was an enjoyable experience as we explored the fort in groups, climbing walls and learning about its history, that is, until the rain suddenly started to fall and we were all soaked. Later on that day, one of our group members found a popular ice cream shop in the area. Everyone rushed to the counter to place their orders and enjoy a little break from the day’s events. We had also visited Point Pedro this same day, it was quite an eventful day. It was a little disappointing when we first crossed Adam’s bridge as I expected something a little more historic whereas this looked very modern and man-made, but afterward I raced with the others to get to the end point first. We then found a Buoy ball which we took and played rugby with while the sunset in the background. Witnessing the sun set over India and feeling the cold, refreshing air and strong wind was also quite amazing. We had also gone to the grave site of Adam and Eve earlier that day, but I wasn’t sure how accurate it was since I didn’t understand why something so important in history would wash up in a place that is almost unknown to most of the world. 

 

Picture – Mr. Lockwood                                     Picture – Mr. Lockwood

The Donkey Clinic was a small, humble farm with many of donkeys, and visiting it was a great way to learn about how the company operated while also getting to feed the animals. The most memorable part of the entire trip was definitely seeing Sigiriya since it was a unique experience to sleep in a treehouse compared to the standard hotel rooms we had previously been in. Despite my low expectations, the room very much exceeded my expectations, what stood out were the two beds, the balcony, the fridge, and the wood-furnished interior. We also had a swing out front where my friends and I would relax and talk while reflecting back on the day. The shower’s warm water was also a relief because we were in a somewhat colder region than the previous sites we visited. We also had a great time on the night walks, when we would team up to discover new species or creatures that we had never seen before. Luckily enough this trip was more relaxing than the others which was good, the foods we ate along the way on our trip were amazing too as we had a lot of Indian foods surprisingly as well as fried rice and fried chicken at most places. Climbing the Pidurangala rock in Sigiriya was undoubtedly the highlight of the trip, the early morning hike was well worth it to witness the morning sun rising, we also had plenty of opportunities to snap pictures of each other and the scenery.

 

Picture – Vicky (Grade 11)                                                Picture – Vicky (Grade 11)

Overall this trip was undoubtedly the most fun and exciting Week Without Walls trip I have gone on, the people, teachers, and places were what truly made this trip the most memorable for me. Since this is my final Week Without Walls trip, I’m happy that I chose a quiet, distinctive location that crosses a destination off my list of Sri Lankan locations. Since our accommodations were significantly better than those we had been at on previous trips, I was very grateful for them, along with the foods we ate, this trip was a lot more relaxed and enjoyable than the other options we had as well as my prior trips in OSC.