How I spent my school vacation
How I spent my school vacation??? First of all, I have to say I hate the word spent. It is like I wasted my time, like I used up my vacation. Everyone LOVES their summer vacation. Who doesn’t? Because after a longggg time of coming to school every day, doing homework and facing terrible tests, we all need a break. After a long time of studying for my end of term semester exams, I was in desperate need of a good, long break. So when our holidays came around, I was so excited and relived. Holidays generally mean, waking up late, playing with friends and relatives, going places, eating lots of food and watching a lot of cartoons on TV. That was the way it was for me… but in addition to that we went a on a trip too. My father had his vacation that same month and our whole family was over-joyed. We decided to spend the month in Kandy at one of our relatives’ house. It was the most AWESOME Vacation we ever had. Their house was soooo beautiful and their garden, like a paradise. The house was small, but that was another reason why it was fun, because I had to share rooms with the son at that house who was the same age as me. We were so mischievous and were up to all kinds of fun. At nights after our parents had told us to go to sleep, we would secretly play video games or fighting games, or pillow fights, or act like we are camping until the late hours. His name was Mustafa. Anyways together Mustafa and I went on bike rides and helped his mother in the garden. He loved gardening and he taught me how to plant a seed and how to ensure it has the right conditions for growth. I used to think gardening was just a tiresome task, but when I did it at Kandy I discovered it was some type of meditation. There is something beautiful about working in the fresh air in the silence. Mustafa gave me a rose cutting and taught me how to plant it. It was also fun when it got messy. Together we used to throw mud on his elder sister and run away, leaving her really fired up and blasting. When our parents got a free time, we visited all the famous places in Kandy and around. We first visited the majestic Dalanda maligawa. It was unbelievably beautiful. Surprisingly Mustafa, my brother, his sister and I weren’t playing around that day, because we were all struck by the awe of the place. We took a lot of photos, especially his sister. I don’t know what is up with girls and cameras. We also visited Peradeniya and Pinawela and then went for a road trip through nuwara eliya, taking in the sights. Peradeniya was awesome and fun, our whole family, parents as well played games like hide and seeks, tag and etc. At Pinawela, we watched the elephants and lucky for us was able to take photos and pet a baby elephant as well. I have never seen a baby elephant before and found them to be incredibly cute with yellow hair. My baby brother found himself addicted to those elephants. He wouldn’t stop talking about them for days. My brother found the road trip to be his favorite though, and though I don’t like heights much, I loved it as well. Mustafa’s parents rented a van and we all traveled up the highway through Nuwara eliya, around mountains all the way to the top, where we stopped for lunch at a restaurant. The sights were to die for… waterfalls next to the road, greenery beyond imagination, and flowers at bloom everywhere. Nuwara eliya must have been created when God was in a good mood. It is the definition of Sri Lanka’s captivating beauty. A few down-points were when Ahmed’s akka got car sick and where I felt extremely scared of the heights, because the van had to go up the mountain, but it was all good, and adrenaline-pumping. It was like a slow roller coaster ride, we were all screaming and laughing and having fun. The climate at Kandy was misty and cool. Not cool enough for a thick jacket, but enough to need a long sleeve thick shirt. It was beautiful and I missed it loads when I had to leave to come back to school again. Like all good things, my vacation had to end. And I did miss school. Not the studying part, he he he, just kidding but mostly my friends and the fun we have here. So a few days before school started, we came back to Wattala. The hot climate, endless traffic and unbelievably noisy roads signified that we were in Wattala again and we all were not in a happy mood, even though we missed our grandfather a lot. I will never forget my lovely vacation. And still till now, the red rose plant given to me by Mustafa, grows in my garden to remind me of the beautiful memories I have and how lucky I am to be born in a country as Beautiful as Sri Lanka.