Lucy & the Orphans

Yesterday we went out with the girls from the orphanage; we took them to Leisureworld which is Sri Lanka’s first theme park and is rather like a very dated version of an English theme park. I was looking forward to this and I was excited to be taking them out since the money from my first ever fundraising for FODAD went towards taking them out for a day. The girls only leave the orphanage when Della and Don come to Sri Lanka (i.e. a couple of times a year) which explains how excited they were when we were approaching the bus! 

The first thing I saw was about a hundred smiling faces followed by screams of ‘Hello how are you?’ I was amazed at the crowded conditions of the bus which involved girls sitting practically on top of each other at the back. The whole way there was filled with the girls singing and dancing whilst we sat at the front looking on in awe (this was not the case on the return journey though, when I dared to sit at the back of the bus....). When we arrived we went on various rides which the girls thoroughly enjoyed; they found watching their teachers go on the rides especially amusing. 

After lunch we sat down and the girls did some singing and dancing; we also did some games which somehow resulted in Don and I dancing in front of everyone as a prize for winning! It was amazing to see the spirit among the girls and the sense of community that they have. After this we were presented with presents and one girl gave a very touching speech in English, expressing their gratitude towards all of us. At one point she thanked me and my friends for all the fundraising that we have done and how they really appreciated going on these days out; it was very moving and really made me aware of how worthwhile all of our fundraising is. The rest of the afternoon was spent on pedal boats and taking numerous photos. 

For me, one of the most enjoyable parts of the day was sitting with the girls at the back of the bus on the way home. It’s difficult to put into words the relentless joy and spirit of the girls; this was really clear when they did not stop dancing for the whole of the return journey. When I say dancing, I mean proper Sri Lankan dancing; however it was being done in a square metre of floor on the bus, with the occasional sudden jolt resulting in a pile up on the floor. 

I was extremely sad to leave the girls who I had become so friendly with over the course of the day. All in all it was an extremely enjoyable day which I will remember forever and I would love to come back and see the girls again.