“So
this is your itinerary for the day.
Gayan will tour you around the city of Colombo, probably visit other
places, and of course, he will also bring you to Mcdonald’s.” Dr. Deshapriya Wijetunge reminding me and
Gayan (a member of the Sri Lanka United Nations Friendship Organization or
SUNFO) about the places we’re about the visit that day in Sri Lanka. It was my
second day then and I was so excited to visit these places, as they are recommended
by the good Director General.
I
was a College student then when I received an Invitation from Dr. Deshapriya
Wijetunge. Since I will be going to India to attend an International Youth
Conference, he also asked me if I can visit the Sri Lanka United Nations
Friendship Organization in Sri Lanka to which he is the Director General.
Since, I was an International Relations student then, I said to myself, “Why
not?” since the visit will be of great help to me too as a student and at the
same time as a future diplomat.
After
the tour with my new found friend Gayan, Dr. Wijetunge asked me to wear
something formal for I will be visiting an International School in their place.
He actually asked me to prepare a short speech for the students of Day Bright International
School. I was fetched by a white car and was brought directly to the very nice
school. I was shocked to see a lot of students in queue waiting for me to
alight from the car. I alighted the car and was greeted by sweet smiles of the
students. They handed me garlands of flowers as a sign of respect and warm
welcome to their school.
I
was again surprised with the students of Day Bright as I witnessed them
listening to me very politely and attentively. The teachers and the staff of
the school at the same time were also polite during my tour to their school.
After the program, the teachers let me visit some of the classes and the other
facilities of the school. They also let me try some authentic Sri Lankan
cuisine which I found very sweet for teachers to do.
I
bid farewell to the students, teachers and staffs of the school with a promise
that I will be back to experience their hospitality again.
I
was so thankful to the good Director General for letting me experience such
warm people. The half a day tour with my friend Gayan was a very brilliant one
already and ending it with an experience of a lifetime with the students and
educators in Sri Lanka is something far more better. I thought the experience
already ended since I was scheduled to leave Sri Lanka the next day, but I was
wrong. SUNFO officers and members prepared
a humble yet very nice and very heartwarming Sri Lankan dinner for me. There I
met a lot of people too. They have shared a lot of their experiences with me.
They told me how they work with United Nations, how they play and enjoy while
serving their nation and the world. I have witnessed their strong spirit of
camaraderie and brotherhood. I have seen the guidance that their officers and
mentors have given them that had helped them to become the person of who they
are now – respectful, humble, intelligent, promoter of service to others, and
humane.
The
next day, I left Sri Lanka with a hard heart. I am thankful because SUNFO gave
me the chance to know Sri Lanka by experiencing the country. I have learned how
the country treats its visitors.
I
have to agree with this saying, “Experience is the best teacher.” Before
visiting Sri Lanka, I must admit, I know very little about this country. But after the trip, I have learned so much.
For just a three day visit to the country, I have to say, I have known Sri
Lanka, I have met the people, and I have experienced the culture.
I am
inviting you, the one reading this, to experience Sri Lanka through the SUNFO,
I’m sure it will be an experience of a lifetime for you. I have never
experienced such warm welcome from a foreign country. I have never been so at
home in a foreign land. I want you to experience this too.
The
best way to teach a person about the cultures of the world is to experience it.
Just merely reading about a particular country’s ways and people will not
guarantee you a strong foundation of a development. It may of course at first
help the person to be knowledgeable about a particular country, but of course
