Dressing up as a Sri Lankan Bride and More
February 15, 2020
The Green Lion
By Melissa from the Netherlands
I have booked 5 weeks programme with Green Lion. I started with an introduction week in Kandy. That week, I learned a lot about the country, the culture and the local habits. For me, it was a great experience because you see and do other things than you will do on a regular holiday. It feels so nice to be a part of the local lifestyle in Sri Lanka. In that week, we did a lot of different things like visiting the temple of the tooth, batik painting workshop, cooking lesson and watched a cultural dancing show.
Since I was a kid, I had a dream to be dressed up like a traditional Sri Lankan lady. I spoke to the Green Lion staff about my dream and they arranged for me a real traditional wedding workshop. I was so happy and surprised! I asked if I could be the model and they made it happen. They dressed me up like a real Sri Lankan bride with makeup, hair and all kinds of jewellery. It was a total makeover and I couldn’t recognize myself in the mirror.
I was so happy and looked so beautiful. My dream came true!
After the introduction week, I travelled to Ambalangoda by train. Ambalangoda is a small village on the South-West coast of Sri Lanka. I arrived very early in the morning at my new accommodation.
The Green Lion team made me feel very welcome and it felt like home to me. Three weeks I worked with turtles. The animals are amazing, each with a different character, but all very cute. It feels good for me to do something good for those animals. After and between the working hours I have a lot of free time and I spent it going to the beach. The beach and the turtle project is about 200m from the hostel. It was a great place to stay and the people here are amazing.
From the turtle project in Ambalangoda, I travelled back to Kandy. In Kandy, I did the body and Mind week. It was a good choice to finish those weeks with a relaxing programme. During this week, I did yoga classes, meditation lessons and I got traditional ayurvedic massages. I felt very relaxed after this week.
I thank the Green Lion team for all the things they arranged for me. I had a wonderful time in Sri Lanka and I will never forget this amazing adventure!
Sthuthi! (Thank you)
The Green Lion
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