Last Night In Chalet 36

It was 7.30 in the evening when the sessions finally ended.

I was damn tired. The only thing was working in my mind “I need to go to chalet!”

On the way, putting my head quietly on the seat, I was looking through the window of our transport. It was dark already and that place was quieter than ever! I had already started counting the chalet as my home, and my room-mates as my family members! It was strange how I wanted to go back to the place and to those people when I was on the brink of collapsing due to tiredness.

I Have Ended Up Where I Needed To Go

This trip to Sri Lanka meant something very special to me. As I already told you, it was my first ever visit to abroad, leaving behind all my beloved ones, came here alone to make friends who even did not belong to anywhere near to me! 

With those lonely Islands, we had to make a choice. I felt this connected with my own journey. Here, I was uncertain every moment, what to choose; what not to chose; what to do; what not to do; Every time following my own instinct, trying to make bonds with the fellows who used to live thousands of miles away from me just a day ago. Sometimes a blank space was there like I am in a black-hole and everything around me was blending up in it. 

Mysterious Islands : New Concept Of Sessions

“Sharing stories and experiences of our Social Action Projects”: we did not call it a session, rather than it was a sharing part. Some Active Citizens volunteered and shared their exclusive stories that really helped us to know that in every corner of this world youth are doing such tremendous works to make a change, to bring a change! It was really very inspiring.

The team Bangladesh also took part in sharing. I told them about my SAP, which was “Active Citizens” Promised to Community Health-Care”, a health-camp in short. It was a successful event for our Active Citizens batch 13. Sazzat also contributed with his story about his SAP which was “Preventing Early Marriage”.

Country Presentation: Bangladesh, Our Pride

It was time for getting prepared. So...preparing for what?  
     

My Lovely Stall of Bangladesh

The most important part you may say.

The Country Presentation!

We ran towards the training room as we had only one hour for settling everything up.  We brought many traditional things with us that could represent the culture and the tradition of Bangladesh. I had brought some hand-made accessories and Nakshi Kantha (Designed hand-stitched wrapper) and some materials related to my country. And my co-partner Sazzat Hossain shopped on the night before our flight so I had no idea what he had got with him. But I insisted him consistently to shop from Aarong, which we called our most traditional shopping center and I also insisted him to take some Bangladeshi sweets so that we could welcome people in our stall by offering sweets.

Sharing and Collaboration: That's how we learn better

My Team!

Well, learning was enough now it was time to play something really like a game-game and there we came forward to play the “name-game”! That was quite simple. You divide two teams each containing equal participants. You put a barrier between two teams and have to select one member from each team who will be participating in this game. The task is simple. Two of them will sit in front of each other though they will have a barrier of paper or curtain between them so that no one could know who might be the person sitting next. On the count of three the curtain will be dropped and the person who could tell the name of the person sitting in front of him first would win. This includes some elimination and cheating and every sort of element which is necessary to be in a game!! LOL

Sessions and Learning: Starting in Full Gear

12th January, 2014

Alarm started ringing about one and half hour ago but we were too tired or too lazy to leave the bed. It was 8 in the morning when Maya and I both had to wake up anyway. Observing the pin drop silence around all over the chalet we reckoned, either everyone had left for breakfast or no one had woken up yet. It turned out, not very surprisingly, that the second one was the correct assumption. We had to rush because today we got loads of stuffs to do. From 8.45am, the sessions were going to start plus we had our country representation after the lunch. I wore a Salwar Kameez. It occurred to me that it would be a thoughtful decision to wear a traditional dress for country representation.

Breakfast went as usual. 

ISV: The Road to Adam's Peak

The opening ceremony contained loads of excitement to taste and to venture whatever was new to me!  

We stood roundly and one by one, we introduced ourselves by answering 5 questions about our name, country,how long we were involved into Active Citizens, how long it took us to reach Colombo, and the meaning of our name. Well, when it came for my turn, I told them that my name had actually two meanings: in Bengali, it meant "soul", and in Carl Jung's analytical psychological term, it meant "the unconscious masculine part in a female". and all of a sudden everyone had a meaning of my name. "In Latin, Anima means enthusiastic!", said James. "Oh, and in Sinhali it means CraZzY!!" discovered Ajanthan. Dan specifically said what my name meant in Greek, unfortunately I do not remember it. I cried out "I don't want to know another meaning of my name!!" and I looked at everyone and there was smile in everyone's face, just like i was surrounded with a bunch of friends pulling my leg; friends, whom I knew for a long time.

First Sunrise in Lanka

January 11th, 2014

• Good Morning!

It was a call from my parents that woke me. Their daughter was not only away from home but also from the country. They had a solid reason to worry about. I woke up completely. The first morning in Sri Lanka! We did not have any schedule today because all the participants were still coming. On this evening with the opening ceremony and welcome dinner our ISV was planned to begin officially. So we got a free day ahead. We got ready for breakfast and our car was there to pick us.

First morning in front of our Chalet, in Sri Lanka

Home Is The Place Where To Keep; Some Hopes & Dreams, Some Peaceful Sleep

MIMT Building

• First Dine, Amazing Foods & Meeting A Platter Full Of New People

At dinner time we met Thushara and she was very lovely. Thushara was one of the hosts of Sri Lanka ISV and worked with British Council Society team on the Active Citizens Programme. I heard that she had eight years’ experience in organizing, planning, delivering and facilitating workshops and training programmes and what not! 

Landing in Paradise

• First Experience With Sri Lankan Cuisine

The flight was for 3 hours or so and there I got the very first chance to taste Sri Lankan Cuisine. Not offending anyone but it was a very bad experience for me. I had Chicken fried rice, fruits, juice and chocolate for lunch and I could not eat at all, not even the chocolate. And I got some kind of headache as well. That was the only side-effect I had by traveling on a plane. The view from the window was worth remembering; there were clouds after clouds. It was like I was in heaven. They were creamy; they were white. They were like ice bergs with various shapes and sizes and the ground, well it could hardly be seen. I could not see clouds for a very long time as I fell asleep and woke up when I heard the announcement of landing. I eventually came to know that they would announce about the landing around half an hour before they actually would land. I woke up and looked from the window and I would have regretted if I did not because at that time I had one of the most wonderful experiences of my life!

Beginning of A New Dawn

January 10th, 2014

• When Police Is More Concerned About Security Than A Lonely Girl Traveling Abroad For The First Time

I was in the car; many things were jammed in my head. First flight; first ever visit to abroad, without parents, without any friend or relative, leaving everything behind. I was scared, excited, nervous, happy and sad and these multi-complex emotions made me feel almost dizzy. Yes, I was going to Sri Lanka, for almost 10 days, for my ISV that stands for International Study Visit, arranged by British Council and my mother organization, Centre for Communication Development(CCD), Bangladesh.