I was in my room. Half-awake, half asleep. My lightly closed eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness hanging silently in this room. The only light source in the room was the dim light from the street lamp near my window. I had only read Chapter 1 of “Running in the Family” by Michael Ondaatje but I already dreamt of Sri Lanka, of luxuriant verdant tea plantations, of dark yellow king coconuts. The hopeless look on the faces of little children in a photo of the tsunami in Sri Lanka haunted me even in the most vibrant dream. That was when I decided that I would go to Sri Lanka. Four weeks later, I found myself standing at the airport with a suitcase of summer clothes and sun block enough for two months of volunteering.

The following weeks were the incessant struggles. Outside was the scorching heat that can make even the most patient person grumpy after five minutes of walking. Inside were thirty overly excited students who paid no attention to me-their English teacher. I took a quick look. There was no lamp but the sunlight from a hole on the roof. The classroom had a few stained desks and some drawings stuck sloppily on the pale yellow wall. The smell of mouldy wooden desk mingled with the smell of urine. I stood in front of the black board and looked at the kids helplessly. They were supposed to hear the story of Natasha’s noisy aeroplane and learn the letter “N” correctly instead of roaming wildly around the classroom. Five minutes had passed and I decided not to call their Sinhalese teacher. Instead, I challenged myself to handle these lively children on my own- like a real teacher.
- Hey class, let’s sing a song!
As I started singing and dancing “If you’re happy and you know it”, the hectic class became quiet. Some of them tried to follow my movements: Nod your head! Clap your hand! I kept on singing until the whole class joined in. Once I got their attention, it was easier to start my lesson.

I had eight periods like this twice a week. At the end of each day, I would lose my voice and feel absolutely exhausted yet happy and stimulated. I learned to encourage my students even when they didn’t follow instructions. Most of them don’t even have a proper notebook, only a stack of paper. They struggle to go to school and I just want to give them a fun time learning English.