Orphanage project - July 2017

This is my second adventure with PMGY and I can honestly say I've had another fantastic summer, and would definitely travel again with PMGY!
In the weeks leading up to my departure everything I needed to know was covered in the volunteer handbook. This included information about the project, the accommodation, the weekend trips and Sri Lanka itself.
Alongside this, the U.K. Office were also very helpful with answering further questions and giving advice on the journey. Extra bookings and payments that needed to be made were easy (but safe) to make via the links sent by email.
When embarking on the journey itself, after a long and tiring flight, I was greeted with friendly faces from which we started our drive to the accommodation which was The River house.
The River house is surrounded by beautiful views and interesting wildlife such as crocs, monkeys and Komodo dragons. It has a large common which is a great place to play games and watch movies on an evening, along with relaxing after a long day at project. Generally its full of laughter and good vibes created both by the volunteers and the local staff. It also includes a pool, western toilets, showers and wifi which is bought for a few hundred rupees (few pounds). All the coordinators are always extremely helpful and a lot of fun to have around which makes the experience a lot better.
The project I was involved in was the government orphanage which ran in the afternoon; a normal day at the orphanage would include about an hour of basic teaching followed by playing games outside, including sports and singing songs etc. The children are lovely to teach and every day you'll return to the house feeling like you've accomplished something- most days you'll return having learnt something from them too!!
There are also opportunities to do a day at the turtle or elephant conservation project if they have extra passes, however these are first come first serve so you have to be quick about it.
Although there's plenty of time to independently travel, I would 100% recommend the weekend trips. They're honestly a great way to make lasting memories, new friends and are a good value for money.
I felt a bit aprehensive about the Dubai stopover as its more independent, however Teena, our main point of contact over there couldn't have been more helpful and welcoming, any questions we had were answered.
PMGY are a great company to travel with, what makes it great is the staff and co-ordinators who are always willing to go the extra mile to ensure they have the best time possible.
Also big shout out to Josh and Colby who were excellent in helping me with my flight problem, and putting a few minds to ease. ;)
General tips:
-Plenty of sun cream and mosquito repellent.
- Make sure you have clothes to cover shoulders, knees and in my case tattoos.
-Baby wipes are your friend
Orphanage tips:
- the children are very tactile, and like to be involved in games and songs.
-Preparation is key; pens, Paper, worksheets.
-Ideally cover tattoos or hide necklaces, rings etc.
Although they're harmless the kids will get distracted but these things.
Sri Lanka is a beautiful place full of beautiful people filled with amazing experiences and opportunities. Once again thank you PMGY!