March - May

Due to my injury playing football I was unable to participate in any activity concerning action. I did regularly attend the CAS program I was involved with, but apart from that April went by without having anything significant to blog about.I am now on the road to full recovery and hopefully i will be participating in more activities.

Looking back at this year however i feel i have fully achieved my objectives.

• I have undertaken new challenges 
• Worked in a team, as a leader and collaborator
• Been creative
• developed new skills (this one could use some work)
• Played a lot of football!
• HAD FUN !!! (as much as the IB allows you)

Action

12th of March 2011Fun Fair 

Our grade set up the soccer goalie stall. The objective was to score at least 2 goals against a goalkeeper standing between the posts. I volunteered to keep goal for the first hour. In fact I had so much fun I ended up standing between the sticks for 2 ½ hours. The money we raised from the stall went to helping victims of the earthquake in Japan. I felt proud of indirectly helping 

quake victims by playing Goalkeeper.

British School Tournament

In February I heard of an upcoming football tournament at the British School of Colombo. I asked our Sports co-coordinator Mr. Shipley if we could participate. Initially we were not allowed to participate because many of our players were in the track and field team which would be leaving for Delhi in the coming month. However after continuous pestering he finally entered our name for the tournament. I felt proud because I had initiated our participation in an out-of school event.  I was the captain of the team and was looking to improve my leadership skills. We did not have our full team but we managed to get a few extra players who were playing football for the first time. We did surprisingly well in the tournament. We drew our first match 0:0. We convincingly won our next match 3:0 in which I scored. We then won our next match by a fantastic 5:0 score line. However sadly for me, half time spelt the end of the tournament and football for the next 5 months for me because I tore a quad muscle after a heavy collision with another player. We lost our next 2 matches but we were pretty pleased with our performance. It wasn’t my happiest time since I was now on crutches but at least I got a brief chance to work and improve my football skills.

Community Service:

I joined the community service program called “The Cleft lip and palette” group. The group helps raise money for children with the cleft lip disease. Cleft palate is a condition in which the two plates of the skull that form the roof of the mouth are not completely joined. This causes serious discomfort not only because of the condition but also due to difficulties in speech. I heard about the group from my friend who is also in it. I was deeply moved by the extent of damage this disease causes. When I heard that I can actually help in curing some children with this disease I joined the service. Children with the disease have to be operated within the first 2-3 months for maximum effect. Of course they can be treated at an older age but the process just becomes harder. Each operation here in Sri Lanka costs Rs. 15,000.

The objective for our service for this semester was to organize a party to raise money for the operations. We chose a venue, which was to be the Taj Samudra hotel. We then had to make advertisement posters. I was responsible for designing the posters which we then hung around the place. We also arranged a DJ. The theme of our party was to be Hawaiian. At the night of the party we were present at the venue with different tasks. My task was to sell the tickets at the door and make sure everyone donated for our cause. The party was a good idea as a reasonable amount of people showed up, however due to events out of our control the turnout was very low. Firstly the weekend we chose for our party happened to be a weekend where many students were studying for different upcoming exams. We also had an extended holiday weekend which meant that many families’ also left the city.

Since the semester is coming to an end and due logistical difficulties we were unable to book a bus to go visit a hospital where we could meet up with treated patients. However we have chalked out a plan for next semester where we will have regular visits to patients and various activities such as bake sales and charity dinners to raise money for operations. The Service program has helped me in fulfilling one of my aims of this year which was to Interact and help the community. Also I had to be creative to create the advertisement posters. It also happened to be the first time I had designed posters for a party.

February

SAISA SOCCER DHAKA

the time finally arrived for the season we had all been looking forward to. i had set my aims for this season as follows: i wanted to collaborate with others so we could win something as a team, improve on my current skills and have fun in something that is my passion. i was chosen as the captain of my team. as a team we made sure that the morale and comaradry in the team was high and that we all constantly supported each other, i made sure that we were constantly helping one another out. the flight for dhaka left on an early wednesday morning. our team was down to 12 men as some players were not allowed to travel. however we had high belief this year that we could achieve a high position.
we arrived in dhaka as the underdogs. on the first day of SAISA we showed the teams what we were capable of. we won both our matches against bombay and muree christian school. i scored 1 goal in the game. Throughout this tournament i screamed my lungs out motivating players on the pitch and keeping the communication lines between players. no wonder that by the end of the first day i had an extremely sore throat.

we started the 2nd day top of our group. we were to play the team that was hot favourites for the tournament AES. we took the lead 2 minutes in the game when i scored from a free kick. however the equalized soon after. after the halftime break we were hit by tragedy. Rasmus got knocked out and had to be taken to the hospital with a neck injury. We were down to 11, hence no substitutes. After 2 hours of wait the match continued and we really took the game to AES. It ended 1:1, but we almost beat them.

 Unfortunately luck was not to be with us. The fatigue was taking its toll on us, only 1 hour later we played the home team dhaka in an all or nothing match, the winner would go through, the loser could end up 8th. and we almost made it, upto 6 minutes till the end we led by 3:2, but the home support and use of substitutes just gave them the extra energy to defeat us. We were virtually knocked out now. The fatigue of 2 days of football without rest had its toll on us as we lost both matches on the next day. However we all did ourselves proud by performing at the highest level possible to us. We can only imagine what would have been with a full squad but personally i feel i have achieved my goals of collaboration and personal excellency.

Play

i am playing the main male character in Saba's play Confusions. we have been practicing lines on random days and we will be performing at the end of the month. this has really gives me the oppurtunity to take part in something i really enjoy doing and is creative.

Badminton

i have also been chosen to represent my school in the badminton tournament that will take place in March. we have started training Tuesday's, Friday's and Saturday's. i feel really proud at having made the team since it is a sport i am relatively new in. i am also proud because i perceviered and continued to practice to bring myslef upto the level that i could play for the school team.

January 2011

Acting
I took up the lead male role in a short play that was performed afterschool. It was Saba's IP for her drama class. We practiced for 2 weeks and on the Thursday of the 24th we performed on stage. We had a relatively big crowd that came too watch. The play was a success even though some of the others forgot their lines due to which there was a long akward pause!!! But we had fun and i enjoyed doing something creative and new. some pictures to follow....

Saisa boys football 
the year has started slowly in terms of CAS. my only real involvement this month is Saisa boys soccer. We have a really short season this year therefore we have to work our socks off. we train every tuesday, wednesday, friday and saturday. unfortunately due to bad luck, forgetfulness and the general enthusiasm about football more than the pictures, hardly any evidence is present of us TRAINING !!!
and we had a pretty rigorous course as well, Mr. Shipley and Mr Campbell made us sprint, pass, shoot jog, anything they could have possibly done to get fit. we played 4 matches against Colombo international school all of which we won by margins greater than 5 goals apart from one.
i was meanwhile nominated as team captain. It was a great honor for me and i was proud to be representing my school at an international event. This season has really helped me in developing skills i already have and pursuing one of the things that is really my passion.

WWW
this was my last week without walls at OSC.our class went to hambantoa, a city located in the south of Sri Lanka. we stayed at the peacock beach hotel. We were basically divided into 2 groups both which would visit two different schools. My school was an hours drive away from the hotel. The aims i had set myself for this WWW were:

• to take part in helping the community
• interacting closely with local children
• integrating better with my own friends
• having fun
• doing something new

I was also getting invloved in an issue of global importance since we were helping schools affected by the tsunami of 2005. The first day we were warmly greeted by the children and teachers of the school. they showed us their appreciation by giving us flowers and singing traditional songs with us. we then played a game of musical chairs with them, which apart from one (who eventually won!) noone really understood. Then we got straight down to work. we had split down into even smaller groups and my group was working on painting the equipment outside. We first scraped off the old paint so we could coat them with layers of new paint. Then we started painting with different color combinations of blue, green, red and yellow. The slick paint didn't just leave a mark on the swings, some off us even got it onto our hands and clothes, in my case hair ! for 4-5 hours we worked tirelessly and by the end of the day when we looked at the swings we could see our hard works labor had payed off. the swings were glistening with coatings off paint we had applied, only finishing touches which we would apply the next day were missing. The tiring days work probably attributed to everyone falling asleep on the way back to the hotel!

The next day we woke up again early in the morning to go to the same schools. Today we were going to apply the finishing touches to the school and also we had planned a small performance for them I had written the script for this "ultra cliched" play in which a young prince rescues a a beautiful princess from a bunch of danger men. we had translated the play in Sinhalese so that the little kids would understand. same as the previous day, we worked our socks off and had the outside playground finished within an hour, apparently noone had finished painting a school as fast as our grade did this year.

 I also worked on the main walls of the school building for a bit. Then it was time for the concert.

Our play was much appreciated by the little kids although i doubt they really paid attention ! the kids also performed for us and then our group was invited for tea by a local monk who had been really kind and helpful the past 2 days. Afterwards we received the monks blessing. I felt really happy that i had accomplished my goals. I had interacted with the kids and really worked to improve the environment in which they were to study. 

Back at the hotel we went for a jog on the beach. I was sweating by the end of this strenuous workout. That evening our class held its own little concert in which some kids performed on the guitar. Even i had set myself a goal of doing something new and i took guitar lessons from bharat. i had done a bit of guitar before at school but bharat taught me how to play the opening tune of a specific song i wished to play. 

Next morning we set off to the Yala national park 4 oclock in the morning !!! we watched out for animals throughout the day in the scorching sun, appreciating the wildlife and nature at its purest!!

we saw a leapord, elephants, jackals, various birds, bulls, deer and peackocks. it was great. i feel i have accomplished my goals for the trip, i had fun while helping others, getting invloved with the nature and enjoying with friends.

Nuwara Eliya and Kandy

While on holiday i was able to visit the tea plantations up north in Nuwara Eliya. It was really cold there during the Christmas period compared to Colombo but i really enjoyed the change in weather. i was able to get a closer look at how tea is made when i took a tour of the Mackwood tea factory on the way to Nuwara Eliya.




 i learnt how the tea is first plucked naturally, usually an average tea leaf has 2-3 leafs and the bud is used for a special tea that cures illnesses and has no flavour. then the second process is withering in which the leaves are dried. then is the rolling in which the leaf is twisted so that the flavours come to the surface.then is the fermentation. an essential process for the oxidization and flavours of the tea to come out.finally there is the drying and then the tea is graded according to quality and then packed.

lastly i went to Kandy where i visited the Museum that is apparently one of the trinity of sites in Sri Lanka worth seeing. the museum itself was not that impressive but afterwards i watched a performance of the Kandyan dance. this exposure to Sri Lankan culture has opened up a new dimension in me looking at the people here.

15th november - 15th December

This period was not an extremely busy one but one in which me, bharat and Rasmus were involved in training the girls Saisa soccer team for the tournament we were hosting. It was an interesting experience because i observed what training does to teams.

 i was also able to work collaboratively with others. i also stayed committed to training the team as i stayed on after school to train the team all the way to the tournament. also i signed up for the event crew. i was responsible for updating the scores on the official website i had created http://saisagirlssoccer2010.blogspot.com/p/results.html

 i even had to stay up almost all night one night because severe rain had put the whole tournament in jeopardy and i was given the task of plotting out a fixture list that could be feasible for every team with limited time and only one ground to play on. luckily some matches were played with AES winning the final in a severely patchy field. our team did us proud however and i with all the people who helped along felt very proud at their accomplishments.

furthermore, i have continued my artistic endeavors. i started working with oil pastels and even though my art is not of such a high level, i feel happy to have achieved some level of skill and feel proud at what i have created.i am also happy because i have strengthened a skill i have and i will continue to pursue this.

Also i have been involved in after school badminton for some while. I was very rusty when i began because i have only played badminton 4 times before, so it was something i was fairly New in and thus it was a challenge for me. i remember when i started i used to get thrashed by terunaga. but then the other day he only beat me by 6 points 21:15. i was really proud of myself and i hope to continue this when i return after the winter break.

I also wrapped up this semesters recycling. it was a great learning experience because i enjoyed helping to recycle in the school. i have even started recycling at home and get annoyed whenever someone i see litters. We had a party on the last day where we got Pizza, yeaah !!.