Some more final words...

The biggest thing that has struck me since getting back to England is the enthusiasm with which people listen to my stories. Although it is sometimes difficult to talk about the things we saw and experienced during our time in Sri Lanka, people are so keen to hear, and more often than not they are very quick to grasp the concept of what Ocean Stars does. People are so impressed with the personal touch Ocean Stars maintains with each project and each individual, it feels as if our trip helps people relate more directly to the concept of giving. Although it is unrealistic to think that all the people I speak to will feel compelled to donate to Ocean Stars, I feel that it will encourage them to look more for avenues of charity that share the same principles.
Despite these positives, it is still very hard to get back in to my English life with the same passion I found in Sri Lanka – I feel that a lot of this drive will be put to use in organise my 6-8 week trip which looks as though it will almost certainly be happening around March/April. This only gives me a very short time to get the details sorted, so it looks like I might be making phone calls to Ranga very soon.

Matt

It’s been a week now since our return from Sri Lanka. A week of what constitutes normality for us. For me it has been a time of reflection. I’ve tried and am still trying to come to terms with all that I have seen and experienced with OST ’09. As I returned to teach in school my thoughts constantly ran to the children in the pre-schools in Batti. As my children here in Fleet played with toys, painted pictures, rode bicycles and read umpteen books I thought about those dusty floors, the plastic chairs, the empty cupboards. As I walked around my own home I remembered the family of six we visited last Thursday who live together in one room the size of my garage and who sleep on a concrete floor. They appear to have so little and yet they have so much. So much warmth, so much kindness and real courage. They humble me completely. I feel truly grateful for the experience they have shared with me. I’m challenged and encouraged to do all I can to support them and to fight the injustice of their situation. In all it has been a privilege. A privilege to have lived and worked with Dame Dilanee and each member of the team and a privilege to have had time with some very special people. The memories live on…

Maureen