Day 1 – Colombo

Day one has been much anticipated through weeks of planning, preparations and training, followed by 2 days (35ish hours) of travel via 4 flights (Ottawa-Toronto-Dubai-Colombo. After all of that, Day 1 did not disappoint!

When I arrived at my first hotel (I’ll stay here for a few days while I complete my orientation and then move onto my longer-term accommodations near where I’ll be working) around 2am this morning, the concierge welcomed me and let me know my colleague Nina had arrived earlier in the night. This was a pleasant surprise for me – primarily because I didn’t know I had a colleague named Nina! As it turns out Nina is also here in Colombo volunteering with WUSC (one of the two Uniterra partners). Though she will have a different mandate than mine and won’t be working with my partner organization, it was wonderful to have someone to spend Day 1 exploring the city with.

I arrived very jet-lagged and ready for bed early this morning and only managed a few hours of sleep before waking very disoriented and groggy but also wide-awake at 7am local time. At breakfast Nina and I decided our best approach to getting over our jet-lag was to get out, see the sights, and hope for a great sleep tonight. So that’s what we did!

We spent a very full day walking and taking tuk tuks around the city – exploring street markets, sampling street food, and visiting the famous Jami Ul-Afar Mosque. We then took a brief afternoon break to re-charge at our hotel rooftop pool (the cool water and gentle breeze were amazing after walking around the city in the 31C humid heat) and then ventured back out to visit Galle Face Green for a dinner of street food and a beautiful sunset.

What a terrific first day in a fascinating city that has so much going on, so many cultures complementing each other, and so far truly wonderful, friendly people!

Here’s to a good night’s sleep and an equally exciting Day 2 for my in-country orientation!