Where things stand
Beyond the construction site, the project was also made up of encounters, exchanges and cultural discoveries with the community of Pihimbuwa.
What happened
As early as the first week, a new part of the project got underway: at the request of the village’s head monk, the team started giving English and Spanish classes to residents, with very mixed levels, ranging from near-beginner to more advanced. One of the monks present had taught himself English two years earlier by listening to podcasts and videos — and this first evening of classes was only the second time in his life he had been able to practice the language with native speakers. A plan was agreed with the head monk: three levels of English (beginner, intermediate, advanced) and one basic level of Spanish would be offered every afternoon around 5pm.
Evening class given to the village residents
Life with the community was also marked by more informal moments and traditional ceremonies, whether in the village itself or during trips to other temples in the region.
A traditional ceremony and a shared moment with the residents
The high point of this cultural immersion: an early-morning trip to Kandy, the country’s second-largest city, to visit one of Sri Lanka’s most important temples, the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic (Sri Dalada Maligawa). There, the family accompanying the team performed several traditional blessings, wishing them good health, professional success, and success in life.
Group photo during the visit to Kandy, with the monk and the host family
Highlight
One of the monks who had taught himself English through podcasts, and for whom the team’s classes offered a rare and precious opportunity to practice with native speakers — a lovely example of the exchange that went both ways between the team and the community.
