“A friend is what an IB student needs all the time.”
– Rashmi Bopitiya
On the 7th of December 2018, the Kambala School from Australia visited Sri Lanka and spent their first day with us, the DP 1s from OSC. That Friday was spent getting to know other students doing the IB diploma and learning about their experiences and making memories with them as well.
It was a great opportunity to bond and connect with those who knew about the DP syllabus better than us given how we just got into it and we did many activities aimed at strengthening our bonds such as doing group activities.
TOK Activities PC: Will DuncanOur first activity was indoors, where we taught the Kambala students how to wear the traditional Sri Lankan sarongs which was a fun and engaging way of breaking the ice between us. The next activity was based on ToK, specifically the Areas of Knowledge. We were mixed and put into small groups and we went around brainstorming ideas and sharing our thoughts on the various key terms written on papers on different tables.
Next, we spent time cooking and making a traditional lunch with the help of our parents who led us through the different dishes. Our group oversaw the preparation of the mutton curry, led by my father and it turned out great (kudos to you, dad!)
Yum! PC: Will Duncan
It was a very rewarding experience and the coconut pancakes laid out for dessert made the three hours of strenuous work worth it!
After a filling lunch, we did some outdoor team sports, cricket and volleyball though the latter was in the gym, and it was great that the lessons learnt in PHE in my MYP years came out useful. Cricket in the hot sun really wasn’t my cup of tea but hey, at least the company made it bearable.
Thankfully, volleyball was done in the gym where our students took turns to play on court. To be honest, it wasn’t really an intense or competitive game because half of our students and most of theirs didn’t know how to play the sport, so we just rallied and screamed in joy every time the ball went over the next as if it was the greatest achievement of all time.
Overall, the day was eventful, tiring but greatly rewarding and I am happy to say I have made some lifelong connections and hope to see them again!
