Day Two Summary:

Day Two was easily the most action-packed day of the whole trip. We woke up at an early 6:15 and started our day with a comprehensive bird watch, accompanied by tea and biscuits. Straight after breakfast, we set off to Sithulpawwa. When we arrived at the parking lot we were greeted with boars, an elephant and a sambar deer, all of which seemed comfortable around humans, and were searching for food. We hiked up to the temple which faced a large portion of the untouched Yala national park. We continued exploring caves that contained statues of the Buddha, and bats. We had to hike up to visit the second temple. It was not easy as it was mainly on rough terrane, and rock sides. We saw several birds on the way down, including a crested serpent eagle. 

After visiting the temple, we made our way to Bundala national park, mainly known for its birdlife. We saw hundreds of birds, and some endemic, endangered and rare birds. Here is a list of some of the most memorable birds:

• Blue-tailed bee-eater

  

• Crested Serpent eagles
• Painted storks
• Whistling ducks
• Osprays
• Water Cocks
• Egrets
• Yello waddled lapwings
• Spoon Bills
• Open Bills
• Great thick-knees
• Water Hen
• Black Headed Ibis

At 6:00 when the park closed we headed back home, arriving in time for dinner. After some downtime we did another night walk, this time going even further. We stopped to gaze at the stars and the sounds of nature. 

 

IB learner Outcomes:

I demonstrated that challenges were undertaken and that I developed new skills. Hiking up to the second temple at Sithulpawwa, was very exhausting, as it was a steep climb, and in mid-day dry Sri Lankan heat.  I learned new skills in photography, being out in a national park in a jeep, allowed me to experiment with different techniques and allowed me to improve my photo-taking skills.

Photos I took at Sithuupala and Bundala:

 

Summary of Day One:
Part of the OSC experience is WWW, Week Without Walls, where we take learning beyond the classroom. I participated in the “Down South” trip. Where we explored the south of Sri Lanka, in two different locations, Back and Be

yond in, Kahandamodara, and Rainforest Ecolodge. We departed for Kahandamodara at a reasonable 9:00, significantly later than some of the other WWW groups. We arrived at Kahandamodara just in time for their infamous rice and curry. After some downtime, we ventured over to an estuary. On the way, we passed plenty of birdlife, including whistling ducks and ducklings.

We were not allowed to go swimming into the estuary, because of strong currents and the possible threat of saltwater crocodiles. However, that did not stop us from having fun playing in the sand, dipping our toes into the warm water and admiring the vibrant sunset. We also spotted several birds of prey soaring over us, and some smaller birds foraging for insects in the sand.

After dinner, we went on a night walk. We searched for whatever amphibians and insects were lurking in the night. We learned several tips and tricks on how to take good night photos, by changing lighting, exposure time, and angle. We tested our newfound skills in photography on some lizards, and spiders we spotted.

 

IB Learning Outcomes:

The main IB Learner outcome that was targeted on our first day of WWW, was #1: “Identify your own strengths and develop areas for personal growth”. On the first day, I was able to identify my strengths with photography. The day posed different opportunities for me to identify my strengths in photography, such as seeing those whistling ducks. I was also able to identify some areas I wanted to focus on. After taking some close up photos of insects during the night walk, I wanted to improve my abilities to do so.

Another learner outcome that was targeted was “demonstrate the skills and recognize the benefits of working collaboratively”. During the night walk, there was a lot of collaborative work, such as spotting insects, providing lighting, and giving advice on camera angles. The collaborative work allowed us to take more and higher quality photos of the animals we spotted.