At the beginning of the RI Year 2022-23, we received multiple requests to conduct a physical workshop for En Vogue 1.0, which we newly initiated in 2022. In response, we organized En Vogue 2.0 Phase one,  a three-day Beeralu-making workshop collaborating with Nifty Looms held at National Craft Council premises from 21st to 23rd December as a physical event.

In this phase, our focus was to facilitate young designers with on-hand experiences with ancient crafts in Sri Lanka, as learning these crafts on their own is a real challenge with time and cost. Therefore, as the first technique, we chose Beeralu Weaving because that is a technique that needs more time for practice and skill development.

Beeralu is the art of making handmade lace work with threads and a Beeralu pillow, and it was introduced to Sri Lankans by the Portuguese and the Dutch people during the time they were ruling our country. Over the decades, Sri Lanka has created many crafts, and now we have our designs and techniques passed down from generation to generation. Beeralu art is most popular in the Southern area of Sri Lanka.

Considering our Beeralu Making workshop of ours, the main objective of this workshop was to teach ancient Beeralu craft to the younger generation of the country to preserve it for the future generation. Moreover, it provided the current undergraduates interested in learning the skill the opportunity to learn new fabric-making techniques for an affordable price.

Our instructor was Mrs.Stella Edirisinghe, a well-known instructor in the field. Her institution, “Nifty Looms” partnered with us in this great cause. With her invaluable support, we could deliver a better experience for the participants while creating great memories for them as future designers.

A PR campaign was held to raise awareness of the workshop by us, which was done by members, and from that, we could reach out to 4 main institutions where fashion undergraduates learn, and 8 enthusiastic participants participated in the whole 3 day workshop series. Participants were provided with all the raw materials that are needed and the Beeralu machines to use during the workshops. During the workshop, the participants were given knowledge about Beeralu making practices in the past and the main basic practical lessons they want to master further.

We could successfully conclude the Beeralu workshop with positive feedback from our participants and a new request to develop another advanced workshop in the future. In addition, we were lucky enough to connect and create partnerships with 4 other different institutions and participants from various cities and districts in Sri Lanka.

Our effort towards preserving ancient valuable craft practices will benefit many designers. Especially as the ancient techniques gradually fade away with these fast-forwarding developments, it is very vital to preserve those techniques and bring them up with modern trends. It is a great pleasure to help pave the way to someone’s dream of being their own fashionista while volunteering and making new bonds with learning experiences. We will strive to come up with many more valuable and creative projects in the days to come.

Back in the start of 2017 my question for “What is Rotaract?” was mostly answered with;

“Simply, it is a platform you can join to engage in community service like helping people”.

Walking five years forward I would say “It is a platform where you can build yourself and find your strong points as a confident youth while you follow your passion in any direction.”

Being a Rotaractor is not simply bound to its title, it is a place where one can learn teamwork, collaboration, leadership and if you want to develop or find your hidden talents its a place for that too.

My entrance to Rotaract journey was merely a combination of passion for community service and a finding of a hidden passion for writing during my university days. Within the 2.5 years of serving as a writer and an editor for Rotaract Club of University of Moratuwa there, I have met souls who were deeply driven by the service for others. There is no doubt that organizing projects, collaborating with your peer Rotaractors to showdown massive events in the university calendar and most of all helping out children who require various supports through number of projects that were executed during the time truly added some excitement to my university days.Seeing and engaging with dynamic teams who would give it all for the benefit of others and ones who come with different creativity levels to assist these initiatives were one of the greatest inspirations that I had to stay connected to this wonderful fraternity even after the university days.

All in all, in 2019 while I was able to start my journey as a Rotaractor at the Rotaract Club of Alumni of University of Moratuwa. Joining as a general member who again served as writer for the PR team of the club, I was part of this new yet a familiar family.

It is no secret that the years 2020-2021 are recorded as a blackhole in many of our timelines because of the global pandemic which held back most of our plans and restrained ourselves to our homes. Yet, I would say 2020 was a great year that opened doors for me to identify a set of young adults from all around the world and from different professional levels but had only one mission which is to give something good to their communities.

Stepping on to the role of Secretary for the year 2021-2022 during the last year was another feet forward and yet again a milestone in my Rotaract Journey.  They say “Teamwork makes the dream work”. Well last year was truly an evidence to that statement. A team with graduates, fresh graduates, final year students from all over the country all coming together to make brilliant plans to address issues that they see during their journey and ones that our communities encounter is a remarkable factor. Supporting their brilliant ideas so they see the light of the day and elevating them was truly something that I myself along with the team enjoyed during the last year. Not to say Rotaract was definitely a positive distraction to that every day routine we all had.

Looking back at the past year, it was a long journey that fell short because of all the hands we had together as a team. All the senior members including past presidents and secretaries were the guiding light to me and the whole team. From teaching histories to making us realize how we could take the next turn, they were the backbone to this wonderful family. The lead behind all these initiatives,  Rtr. Kavinda Senarathne, our Mr. President for the year 2021-22  was truly the best humble human being that a team could ask for as a leader and yet again a good friend who would keep all of the team together. The support given by all the fellow Rotaractors, Interactors and Rotarians and all the partners that held our hand last year was truly generous.

If I would say last year in just three words; it would be “Impactful, teamwork and fun”. After all life simply turns, but doing what you love with all your heart and yet again building yourself through it will keep you going in life. Rotaract is definitely a place where you could give that a try. Here’s to many more wonderful years! Viva la Rotaract!

~Rtr. Sithmi Lawanga

Starting off with one of the favorite quotes in my life.

“Chasing dreams”, are not just two words, but a result of a struggle of many efforts and sacrifices. The depth of the sacrifice is known by only the person who does it. All thanks to Rotaract, I was fortunate enough to gain the courage and confidence to chase after my dreams no matter what.

Commencing my Rotaract journey back in 2016, I used to be that silent character who always wanted to be alone and free of responsibilities. That is how my story began, just like another story of an introverted person but with an unexpected change in mine.

I still wonder how that introverted child in me came to become the President of a Rotaract Club which was not an easy task. It was an interesting and challenging journey with many memories. Rtr. Hasitha Prashan is one of the main people who influenced my Rotaract journey as he is the individual who introduced Rotaract movement to me in 2016 making me join as a committee member for the project “Hand in Hand” organized by Rotaract Club of University of Moratuwa. I consider that as the beginning of stepping out of my comfort zone and entering a growth zone which made me find the passion to do more things within the movement.

I joined Rotaract Alumni Mora in 2019 as a Co-Director for Community Service and had incredible memories that built the motivation to do more in this movement with a bigger picture. According to Jay Shetty, “Failures are failures when we do not learn from them, when we learn from them they become lessons. Lessons become accomplishments someday if we keep our values consistent.” Finally, that is the actual beginning of mine with Rotaract Alumni Mora, where I chaired a project for the first time in Rotaract called “Kindred Kidneys” which also led to being one of the most significant projects focusing on Chronic Kidney Disease patients in Sri Lanka.

As a passionate Rotaractor, it is not just a set of projects but the beginning of a remarkable journey. That passion led me to fit the title of President of the Rotaract Alumni Mora making me realize my true potential. Accepting the presidency was also combined with a memorable story as it relates to my weekly social media usage. Even though I had to sacrifice more time for the movement by allocating half of the social media usage for Rotaract it was all worth it in the end. That is how time management comes into play when managing both a job and Rotaract.

Starting the RI year 2021-22 with a theme of “Empowering change to enrich lives”, I mainly wanted to build a positive impact in everyone’s life by making them perform beyond their comfort zone. So, I always gave my board members the freedom to live with Rotaract and enjoy the time in the movement without limiting it to another set of responsibilities they should be accountable for. That is how the passion in them grew which made it possible to face challenges by COVID, the economic crisis and many more to do wonders in the club. If at any point someone asks these questions as to “What’s the point of doing Rotaract?”, “Are you getting paid by doing Rotaract?” and “How do you perform in your job while doing Rotaract?”, the answers are always visible.

The main factor I focused on during my tenure was building the skillset of my members as we can both give and gain from Rotaract. The services being provided and gaining new skills are among the best entities we should focus on because it builds consistency in every Rotaractor. As a leader, I believe that a leader should be capable of taking action to perform in any stressful situation by maintaining the bond between team members. As a result of that, I expanded my skill set by learning event streaming, Photoshop, Lightroom, InDesign, Canva, blogging, video editing and also the skill of being present in 5 meetings simultaneously.

In this adventurous journey, I admire and extend my heartfelt gratitude to all the members who became a teacher to me and the other members in the Rotaract journey. It can be considered as an investment to boost our career paths and make a passive income by freelancing to achieve personal development. 

The Board of members played a significant role by being exemplary leaders in the club. They helped each other in every avenue by not limiting their focus only to theirs. I am really happy to see members voluntarily engage without any internal agendas to achieve the goals of the club. Those are the values we can grab from a passionate Rotaractor becoming a great asset for the movement and for the community to make a great impact.

According to the Rotaract Motto “Fellowship Through Service” where fellowship occurs to be the other main reason to be in the movement. That is also the reason which made an introverted character like me step out to join life changing ventures. Joint General meetings and Joint projects are one of the best ways to develop fellowship with other clubs and their members as those would allow us to learn and have numerous experiences from others as well. Learning curves and experiences are independent of age, religion, or nationality as they are results of great humanity. Rotaract provides that opportunity to learn from others, respect other opinions and be inspired by others.

I am always grateful to my loving parents for allowing me to build the best version of myself by becoming a supportive hand in each aspect of my life. Their continuous support helps me work twenty-two hours per day sometimes even without feeling drained. Moreover, my humble gratitude goes to all my friends who helped me in numerous ways.

In this journey of Rotaract I met some amazing humble individuals. Among them, the individual who introduced me to Rotaract 6 years ago, Rtr. Hasitha Prashan is an important person who became an inspiring personality even from Grade 6. I should also mention Rtr. Anju Cheran, who helped me not only as an Immediate Past President, and a friend but also as a brother from another mother. Moreover the humble genius, Rtr. Himantha Alahakoon Ayya deserves my gratitude for being a great mentor for the past year and willing to share his knowledge anytime and anywhere possible and encouraging me in any situation to create a positive impact every time. Madam Secretary Rtr. Sithmi Lavanga, I could not ask for a better secretary and humble human being and I should thank you for all the support in planning and decision making you have done on behalf of me. I have huge respect for these important individuals who have made my Rotaract career more productive and enjoyable. Finally, I have to mention the Board of Officials and the general members of Rotaract Alumni Mora for all their immense support to make this journey successful with such a great bond and team spirit.

Finally, I could say that Rotaract is a combination of everything that would also come up with a better learning platform. It nurtures us to face any barrier in life and paves the path to becoming great human beings on Earth.

Viva La Rotaract!

Kindred Kidney’s donation phase was targeted at facilitating of essential needs of CKD patients. This included financial support rendered to Sri Lanka KIdney Patients’ Association (SLKPA) to get medicinal drugs and conduct medical tests for Kidney patients. The project was conducted upon a request by SLKPA to support the medication of CKD and support Dialysis treatment of Kidney patients during these economically unstable situations in the country.

As per the information given by SLKPA weekly cost for dialysis which is born up through the Hemodialysis project which supports the dialysis treatments of CKD patients amounts to LKR 82,376.00 per 20 patients and the annual cost was estimated to be LKR 3 954,048.00. These costs were essentially covered by SLKPA through the fundraising campaigns conducted by the organisation.However, with the COVID -19 pandemic breakdown and the existing economic concerns the funding for these treatments and patients’ supportive activities faced challenges.

The increasing number of death tolls due to CKD  was also reported to increase with the hardships that these families faced with fewer stocks in medical drugs and increased prices of drugs which made  time a more crucial factor in this challenging situation. Thus as per the requirements gathered by the SLKPA the Kindred Kidneys Donation Phase was conducted to provide funds for these requirements. Thus fundraising activities were planned via an effective public awareness campaign conducted via official social media pages including Facebook and Instagram and via Go Fund Me fundraisers which were initiated by members of Rotaract Club of ALumni of University of Moratuwa. The total contribution to the funds of SLKPA from the KIndred Kidneys Donation Phase was 233,732.00.

This was acknowledged by the SLKPA for the support rendered throughout the year for assisting CKD  patients in Sri Lanka.

Penned By: Rtr. Kavinda Senarathne

The war in Ukraine had a devastating impact on the country’s people. People have been forced to move out of their homes and even out of their country to find aid as refugees in neighboring countries. Romania being a country sharing the southern border of Ukraine has had thousands of such refugees coming in each day during the past few months.

In addition to this there are Ukrainian who are unable to leave Ukraine as refugees due to regulations that have been set. Considering the unfortunate situation faced by Ukrainians due to this war we as Rotaractors of Rotaract club of Alumni of University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka (RID 3220) together with Rotaract club of T.E.A.M Baia Mare, Romania
(RID 2241) brings “Stronger Together”, a fundraising campaign to send materials such as blankets and disposable tableware that are required help support the refugees in Romania.

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Happy reading!

Penned By: Rtr. Vinu Madduamage

This project was to give an opportunity for the club members to do to enhance their public speaking skills by doing speeches or presentations on specific topics during monthly meetings. This was also conducted during joint meetings and in all the proceedings, this was followed a a first item on the agenda. The audience on Zoom ranged from 30 to 50.participants online.

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As many as 12 speakers had the opportunity to be a speaker during the session as this was held in the monthly meetings. Speakers spoke for a range of 5 to 15 minutes on topics that are personal to them in their Rotaract journey or other educational topics such as leadership, climate action, covid prevention, etc. As this was happening on a cycle, members had an idea to speak up on diverse topics and therefore, were able to make it an educational session for the other participants while also giving the chance to the speaker to express their ideas in a way of improving their public speaking. Additionally, a summarised post on tips to improve public speaking was shared on Facebook, in the month of May. Overall, the project was successful in building confidence in speakers to continue this project which a new speaker every week and creating a friendly environment to speak up on what they are passionate about.

Happy reading!

Penned By: Rtr. Akhila Senevirathne

𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐜 is an initiative by Rotaract Club of Alumni of University of Moratuwa highlight some quantitative data of various countries related to the pandemic in reminiscence of the journey that we have gone through together during the pandemic.

COVID 19, first identified in Wuhan, China, and the World Health Organization declared it a pandemic on the 11th of March 2020. It has been more than 2 years since then and a lot has happened. With more than 500 millions COVID-19 cases and 6 million plus deaths reported throughout the world, people have struggled to carry on their lives while adjusting to a new norm.

With countless awareness sessions, social distancing, moving to virtual platforms, a number of COVID-19 waves, on and off lockdowns, a variety of variants of the virus, economic downturns, discovery of vaccines and the process of immunization, people have come a long way to where they are right now.

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Happy reading!

Penned By: Rtr. Geethika Sandamali

DIYer is a novel initiative by Rotaract CLub of Alumni of University of Moratuwa in the avenue of professional development which was aimed to address skills development which is essential on an individual level going by the concept Do It Yourself (DIY). Going beyond a skill development program the project focussed to improve awareness on basic handyman skills  and develop skills and share knowhow on areas which benefit even the entrepreneurial venture development. The areas covered under this project ranged from skills that will help you at home in fixing, and tweaking household activities to tips and tricks to plan your dream wedding to skills that will lead to entrepreneurial ventures by your own self. The project was carried out under three sub-projects over a period of three months via online platforms. The audience covered youth seeking entrepreneurial opportunities, the general public especially youth who showed interest in developing much-needed basic skills for day to day fixes and youth interested in getting the know-how on event planning and event management.

1. DIYPlumber – Say no to water leaks 

DIYPlumber was a session which focussed on sharing knowledge on basic plumbing skills with practical demonstrations. The event was held on the 14th of March 2022 from 6.00p.m onwards via the Zoom platform and Facebook live. The session was conducted by Mr. Sarath Vithanage, a trainer from National Apprentice and Industrial Training Authority (NAITA) based on a course Basic Plumbing offered by the organisation. The session comprised a practical demonstration conducted live on the session which enabled the audience to get a clear understanding of the steps followed. The session covered areas such as how to manage a water leak, and the selection of necessary tools and materials which fixes for different types of applications. Since the session covered one of the basic skills required by any individual the audience comprised many youths who showed interest in the subject

2. En Vogue – Be your own Fashionista

This project is about awareness sessions on fabric making techniques. The project included four sessions which were conducted over Zoom platform as below. 

1. 11 th of May – Session on skills related to Crochet conducted by Mrs.Ganga Rathnayaka from National Crafts Council, 12 th of May – Session on skills related to Beeralu Lace conducted by Mrs. Stella Edirisinghe from  National Crafts Council
2. 19 th of May – Session on skills related to Patch Work conducted by Mrs. Fathima Zhaeema, an instructor at School of Hobby Craft  
3. 20 th of May –  Session on skills related to Paper Piecing conducted by Mrs. Fathima Zhaeema, an instructor at School of Hobby Craft  

Attendees comprised undergraduates from the Department of Textile and Clothing Engineering, University of Moratuwa and audience also comprised non-Rotaracters who were interested in fashion. Sessions were started by 7.00 pm via zoom and Facebook live was broadcasted. Sessions were around 45-60 min time duration. The sessions were conducted by three resource persons from the National Crafts Council (NCC) and School of Hobby Craft  established by a proficient in the field Ms. Daisy Wittachchi. The sessions comprised two sections where the resource persons demonstrate the technique featured in each session and the Q&A session which allowed any participant to clarify any doubt that existed with the subject matter. After each session, who these techniques can be used as a method of income and what are the institutions that give further training were mentioned. This enabled the participants who were in the field of fashion designing to get an understanding of how these techniques could be brought on to a commercial level and what organisations’ assistance could be obtained in the process. 

3. Wedding Bells

Wedding Bells, the final showdown of the series of projects under DIYer was a session on wedding planning and event management aspects organised by Rotaract Club of Alumni of University of Moratuwa with the partnership with The Bottom Line Events & Wedding Planners as the knowledge partner fo the session. The session was held on 27th May 2022 via Zoom from 6.30 p.m onwards with the participation of many Rotaractors and non ROtaractors. The session covered many areas which are of value when organising a wedding for the youth such as;

• Event planning 
• Financial management 
• Emergency situation handling 
• Florists & designers selection  
• Venue selection

The session was conducted by Ms. Yolande Gunawijeya, Managing Director of The Bottom Line Events & Wedding Planners.

Happy Reading and Watching !

Penned by : Rtr. Moksha Thisarani

If a Rotaractor is to travel the world, he or she is bound to meet a Rotaract friend in any corner of the world, especially when the “Rotaract Couch” Facebook group is making millions of Rotaract connections. So, when myself and my partner Rtr. Himantha decided to visit Paris, we too posted in ‘Rotaract Couch’. We got several welcoming replies and some Rotaractors were even willing to help with accommodation.

One of the cheering replies were from Rtr. PP Sakshi Anand (Rotaract Club of Delhi Akash) who is studying in Paris. Much to our surprise, and hers, Rtr. Himantha and Rtr. Sakshi had a letterhead exchanged between our clubs when Rtr. Himantha visited India for Rotasia 2020. Rtr. Sakshi suggested her colleague Rtr. Dolphy Chawla who was also made an acquaintance then would like to meet us.  So, we were all excited to meet again in a different land, flourishing the old friendships even more.

Due to the tight schedule we had, we were limited to spending a short but memorable evening on the 10^th of April with our Rotaract friends. Initially, we planned to meet at the Eiffel tower, but due to time constraints we decided to take the Paris ‘Big Bus Tour’ from Notre dame cathedral to ‘Arc de Triomphe’. Two of us had quite a trouble stepping onto the bus because we couldn’t find the correct big bus stop and Google maps made us take rounds for nearly an hour. When we were almost thinking of giving up and turning back, luckily, we caught the much-awaited ‘big bus’ ride.

Finally, we met at Arc de Triomphe, the great monument in Paris dedicated to fallen soldiers. It says that beneath the Arc there is a Tomb of an Unknown Soldier from World War I. We watched the daily 6.30 PM rekindling ritual of the eternal flame torched in remembrance of those who defended France.

Along with Rtr. Sakshi and Rtr. Dolphy, it was a pleasure to meet Dean Simons, the beloved brother of Rtr. Craig Leon, the lovely moderator of Rotaract Couch. We didn’t miss the chance to take photographs in the middle of the street posing with the iconic monument. ‘Arc de Triomphe’ was just as glorious as we heard it to be, colored by the golden dusk by the evening sun.

After the warm greetings and introductions, we strolled down the elite street of Champs-Élysées. In French, Champs-Élysées’ means the mythical Greek paradise, the Elysian Fields.  Today it is renowned as the third most expensive street in the world with high-end shops and cafes. It is also famous as the site of the Tour de France’s final stage and holds the annual Bastille Day military parade.

Our hosts of the evening suggested that we taste the best of Falafel in town at LA’s. Falafel is a Middle Eastern cuisine with deep-fried ball shaped made from chickpeas. It is commonly served in a pita or wrapped in a flatbread. There are many flavours and ingredients, which you can select upon your liking.  We took Metro Line 1 from George V metro station in Champs-Élysées to reach Saint-Paul metro station. We then walked for about 5 minutes to reach LA’s.

At first, we were wondering why this specific shop, but when we reached there, we realized why it is. Though there were other Falafel shops on the street, this shop had a very long queue and we had to wait around half an hour to grab ours. One member from the staff came to us in the queue and collected our order, while enabling us to make the payment as well. Then once we reached the front of the queue, we were able to customize the Falafel by adding different ingredients & flavors.  After staying in the queue for almost one hour, we tasted a scrumptious Falafel treated by our new friend Dean. We tried the vege spicy flavour and it was one of the best Falafels we ever had.

The clock ticked very fast as we chattered endlessly about our interests, countries, culture and how Rotaract connects people together. It was indeed a very lively and memorable evening and with promises to meet another time we bid farewell.

Happy reading!

Penned By: Rtr. Prabodha Chamarie

When the initial plan for the visit to Switzerland was set, Lucerne was identified as a central city where multiple attractions are based in the vicinity. As a result, multiple days were allocated to explore the area, hence an additional time to bond with any Rotaract clubs based in Lucerne. When the list of available clubs in Switzerland was scrutinized, we found RAC Luzern, which is a community-based club located in Lucerne. The next step was to get in touch with them. A simple message to the Facebook page of RAC Luzern was warmly greeted by the President-Elect Rtr. Milena Aregger. Rather than being limited to a typical meetup, she invited us to visit her home in Lucerne for a traditional Swiss Dinner!

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On the eve of the dinner, we managed to have a glimpse of the city of Lucerne. Lucerne is a city mixed with both modern and medieval architecture. Bordered by the picturesque Lake Lucerne, this city’s attractiveness is heightened by the Mount Pilatus, which stands tall in the outskirts, which is being proudly spoken by the locals. Lion’s Memorial has been built to commemorate the Swiss guards that were killed during the French revolution.

Museggmauer or the City walls is another historical attraction situated within the city. There are 9 watch towers within Museggmauer, which provide a panoramic view of the city. It is fair to say that the Kapellbrücke or the Chapel bridge situated in Lucerne city center is the most popular attraction out of all. A covered wooden footbridge spanning across River Reuss add a sense of antiqueness to the city architecture and is the oldest of its kind in Europe. 

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Around 6.15 pm in the evening on 19th April, we were picked up from the Lucerne Railway Station by the Director – Program, Rtr. Monica Odermatt. After driving through the streets in the city, we moved to a highway. Rtr. Monica explained how the highways in Switzerland work. Apart from the normal speed lanes, there is a fast lane on the highway as well. An annual toll sticker has to be purchased for passenger cars, trucks and pasted on the windshields. If you break the speed limits or highway rules, the fine will be sent to your home through an email. One unlucky passenger car provided us a live demonstration on how automated speed cameras capture over-speeding on the highway. After a half an hour drive through the outskirts of Lucerne, we reached Milena’s home.

Rtr. Milena gave us a warm welcome and accompanied us to the dinner table. We were joined by Rtr. Sarah, the Director of IT & Finance of RAC Luzern. The table was coloured with Raclette Cheese, Pizza ingredients, vegetables and Easter bunnies. We were provided with a detailed introduction of each food item and ingredient on the table by Rtr. Milena. A variety of Raclette Cheese such as peppered, smoked, paprika, garlic were available on the table. Boiled potatoes, cornichons & pineapple were also available to be consumed with Raclette Cheese. Rivella, the famous Swiss juice was available as a beverage. Monika & Sarah helped us in preparing our dinner and demonstrated how to melt Raclette Cheese in the specially made grill.  

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During the dinner, we discussed about the service rendered by the two clubs, along with the administrative structure. Being a club focusing primarily on fellowship, Rtr. Milena explained about the club service activities of RAC Luzern. Similarity, we emphasized on the community service activities and other avenue project that are being organized by RAC Alumni Mora.

After conversing about club activities, the discussion moved into personal lives. Milena is a nurse at a hospital in Lucerne by profession, Monica is a caretaker of senior citizens at an elders’ home and Sarah is a dancing instructor. It was nice to get a glimpse of their lifestyle in Switzerland as it was totally different to the ones of us Asians. Rtr. Milena elaborated about her visit to Sri Lanka in last November. She has stayed two weeks at a resort in Weligama and has enjoyed surfing during her stay. We were glad to hear that she knows about Mangroves and their importance in preventing coastal erosion.

After a sumptuous dinner, Rtr. Milena accompanied us to her home garden. She introduced the vegetables, flowers, herbs and fruit plants in the garden and even prompted us to check the fragrance. The kind of plants found in her garden was quite unique to us as we do not see those varieties in our locals. She explained about the crop season and how well her mother maintains the home garden. Rtr. Milena then picked a few leaves from the peppermint plant and prepared peppermint flavoured tea for us. Hands down, that was one of the best flavoured teas that we have ever tasted.

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Gifts, tokens and letterheads were exchanged between the two clubs. RAC Luzern had prepared a set of valuable gifts which we are very thankful for. As the dusk turned into the dark, we bid adieu to the lovely Rotaractors from Lucerne.  Rtr. Monika was very kind enough to drop us back to Lucerne Railway Station after we bid farewell to Rtr Milena.

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It was one of the best hospitalities we have ever experienced during a Rotaract International visit.

Happy reading!

Penned By: Rtr. Himantha Alahakoon