INSIDE
A SCHOOL
SRI LANKA
On my way back to the hotel, I was distracted by a big blue and white sign. ‘All Saints College Primary Section’. Something told me to step inside. Before I realise where I was, I got greeted with a big smile. I heard a welcoming voice, and I turned around. ‘Hello’ she said. I guess my big shinny camera had made it clear enough I was a curious tourist.
‘May I help you?’ she continued. Her voice was soft and welcoming. At first, I felt like an intruder. For a second, I thought to politely greet her, turn around and go. But her warm big smile convinced me for the opposite.
‘What’s this place?’ I asked. It’s a school she answered. And now it all made sense. I could see hanging signs. Grade 4A, Grade 3C and so on. Then I got distracted by the really strong smell of wall paint. I guess she read my mind. ‘We are making some order’ she said. ‘You know we just finished painting some of the classrooms. Indeed, everything looked extremely blue, that Sri Lankan blue.
Who is ‘we’? I wondered. Again, she read my thoughts. ‘You know, we look after this place so our kids can go to school’. I finally got it. ‘Come in, come…we just finished painting…hopefully everything will be ready and dry by tomorrow’.
It was clear that they were in the middle of something. I didn’t want to interrupt but I could not resist. I always thought that stepping into a classroom is like stepping right into the heart of a culture, of the youth and in this case, of Sri Lanka’s tomorrow. I had to satisfy my curiosity. I had to really explore Galle and the rest of the country. And that was one of the best ways to do it.
A few black and white boards on the walls, a few colourful drawings, some posters, and something written on the white board. I could not understand anything. The only thing I could identify was the drawing of a heart. Yes, it was a red heart. It made me smile.
Yes…no matter which side of the planet you come from; you can clearly recognize a heart. Indeed. I could not understand much. But that heart, that drawing on that white board, made me smile. Not only because did it represent the universal language of love but because it made me realise how kind and warm Sri Lankan people are.
As I exited All Saints College, I realized that somewhere among parents, freshly painted walls, and honest conversations in broken English, I had also learned my own lesson. Kindness and a warm big smile always win…something impossible to forget in Sri Lanka.