Greetings from Sri Lanka!

Yes, I am still alive and survived the long flights, although being upgraded on the first flight, which was 12 hours, did help! I had a wee pod to myself, and the food was delicious, I was even offered champagne! On the second flight, I wasn't upgraded but it was only a four hours flight and the film being shown was subtitled, so it was still sweet! And finally I arrived at 4.45am, I was a bit tired and nervous. I was the 'foreigner'. Which was weird. After getting the visa sorted and getting my bag, I met the man who was bringing me to the first homestay, his name was Neil and he was lovely. The two first things I found *wow* about Sri Lanka were the heat and the roads, the drivings, the tuktuks! There were lanes, but none of the drivers were following them; they just move into wherever the space is, cutting other drivers off. But it was beautiful at the same time, to witness their culture, their lifestyle.
After an hour drive, I arrived at the homestay, it was really lovely, basic but lovely and cosy. The housemother welcomed me, and showed me the room. I was sharing with two other Deaf girls, Lien and Jenny. Jenny is from England and Lien is from Belgium. They were sleeping when I arrived, and I was tired as well, so I just went to sleep. And it was a 'free' day as well, for us to rest and recover from the flights.
When I woke up, I had a shower, which was cold but just what I needed in the humid weather. Lien, Jenny and I all got on really well, sharing our excitement and fears about the adventures ahead. We went into the town, just exploring the area really. The people there just stop and stare at us, because we are white AND Deaf. Which was weird at the first, but we got used to it. Whilst exploring the area, we did see some homes that were tiny and basic, but the people were just so happy, waving at us, helping us with directions. As for the rest of the day, we just rested and talked, getting know each other better. We also met the co-managers, Sophie and Duffy, they gave us the info pack and briefly explained what to expect for the week ahead. Discussed trainings, the jungle weekend, our schools. Then I was starting to really nod off, but the Deaf culture meant we kept talking regardless! Eventually, we went to bed, all excited for the day two!!