Canva Crashed, So Did We – Bye!

Canva Crashed, So Did We – Bye!

(Chamo)

Hello, hello! Now that indeed has been one hell of a year!

Starting the year, making loads of captions and trying to find translators, I wonder if both of us stopped for a moment and thought about the day when we will have to say our final goodbyes. Now, that did come out as very dramatic but honestly though, it feels as if time just flew by. The Editorial has been a real home to both of us – and this is no exaggeration, ‘cause for my dearest Co-Editor and me, the Editorial was a safe haven through which we formed lasting friendships and bonds, while making creative expression our mode of connection. The lessons we learnt, the artistry we admired while keeping up with the never-ending demands for captions and translations, I believe, have truly become a part of our own selves. 

(Jana)

It’s strange how full-circle moments tend to sneak up on you. One day, you’re scrambling to co-write your very first article, wondering how you’ll ever get your tone right—and before you know it, you’re typing out your last one. (Have we improved at co-writing along the way? Well, we’ll let you be the judge of that.) But before I get too sentimental (not really my kind of word, to be honest—I don’t usually do sentimental, but let’s roll with it for now), let me backtrack a little to give some context—because maybe you just stumbled on this article and are wondering what exactly is going on here. 

Back in 2023, when I first joined Rotaract, I wasn’t entirely sure what I was looking for. But eventually, I found my groove in the Editorial team—because I do love writing, and perhaps also because the introvert in me felt right at home there.

Fast forward a year, and I found myself stepping into the role of Co-Editor alongside Chamodi—a friendship that goes all the way back to our A/L Lit class days. And honestly, I couldn’t have asked for a better partner. She’s always had that spark of creativity and whimsicality that I sometimes felt I lacked. Plus, she had everything on Canva covered (which was a lifesaver, because designing is definitely not my thing). 

Canva aside, I honestly had a lot of fun with the blog. From writing to captions, translations, and finally hitting “publish” on each article—it was a process I enjoyed. Of course, there were the slightly harder bits too—like racing against deadlines or having to shuffle things around at the last minute. But all in all, I’m really glad I took this opportunity up.

(Chamo)

I’m back! 

Like Janani, most of my early Rotaract experiences were with the Editorial. Whenever I came up with a poem, my mind naturally went  ‘ooh, should send this to the Editors!’. And to be honest, even after Janani and I were assigned our roles as the editors, I still continued to write for the blog. I’m writing this part with a little smirk playing on my lips ‘cause I was able to leave traces of my obsessions in the blog– I’ll leave the guessing to you who’s reading this. 

Since these are my final words as the Co-Editor (definitely not the last for the blog, ‘cause oh yes, I will still be here writing poems and sneaking in my obsessions), I want to express my love and gratitude towards my dearest companion, Janani who was always keen on getting things done in time. I cannot ask for a better partner than her, as she has been such a help in getting things done in an orderly manner. And thank you, Janani, for always commenting positively on my Canva skills. I’ve definitely improved myself over the past year!

(Chamo & Jana)

So now that we are ready to pass the baton to our dearest successors, there are some thank yous and whatnots to be done.

To Kusali Akki and Sajani Akki – thank you for always being just a message away, whether it was a blog meltdown or something as completely unrelated (but somehow urgent) as picking course modules. Your patience was legendary. We genuinely hope we’ve done some kind of justice to what you handed over to us – fingers crossed you’re not reading this and cringing.

To Vibhath Aiya – we really appreciate your encouragement, and your comments and compliments made our day!

To Vibhavee – thank you for always being there when we needed support, and for giving us that extra nudge to keep going whenever things got overwhelming. You truly were a quiet strength behind so much of what we did.

To Barani – our bundle of joy! Always cheerful, always ready to help, and always showing up with the kind of energy that made even the most tiring days feel lighter.

To Mobeetha – the one who always had our backs. Captions, translations, finding people to write for the blog. You did it all like it was no big deal (but it very much was).

To Inura – once again proving to be a rock. Whether it was captions, translations, or entire articles, you showed up every single time. We owe you big time.

To Arunan – ever-ready, always dependable. Thank you for jumping in with captions whenever we were short on time or energy. You made the load feel just that bit easier.

To Sarah – thank you for stepping in with Tamil translations when we were just starting out and didn’t know many people to turn to. You truly helped set things in motion.

To Praveena – our Sinhala wordsmith. Whenever we found ourselves stuck trying to piece the right words together, you somehow made everything sound just perfect.

To Nethmi – for always contributing to the blog, and for stepping in with captions and all sorts of articles whenever needed. Your consistency and creativity didn’t go unnoticed – thank you!

And of course, to Suhaina and Vihangi – thank you for being there to help with captions and translations. Your contribution meant more than you know.

And to everyone else who helped with the blog, captions, and the never-ending translations – THANK YOU. Thank you for being a part of the chaos, the creativity, and the fun – and none of this would’ve worked without you.

And now, it’s time to say our goodbyes. We’re so excited to hand things over to Inura and Arunan! You two have already been such a big part of this team, and we know the Editorial is in safe (and very capable) hands. We cheer you on in this newly appointed duty with a full heart!

Signing off – Rtr. Janani Kumarasiri & Rtr. Chamodi Peduruarachchi, Co-Editors for the RI Year 2024-2025

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