I have always thought that my life is just a continuation of second options… When I passed the grade five scholarship exam, I never got into the school of my choice - well,my parents’ choice to be exact, for my kid self had no idea what was going on, I never got intothe school my friend and I hope to enroll together after O/Ls. For me, it has always been thesecond option, never the first. So, when I did not get selected for the university that I had alwaysdreamt of enrolling in, it was just another “oh” kind of situation. Nothing to do about that, justthink of what you got not what you lost. It didn’t affect me much and…
Tag: Memories
Balancing Act: A Look into My Journey with Rotaract
My journey with the Rotaract Club at the University of Colombo, Faculty of Arts, began in 2022 when I joined as a member. Since then, I've participated in every project, gaining valuable experience and skills. One of my early milestones was working as a co-chair with Jehan, the current president, for the O'Santa Christmas Party. This role taught me many lessons and developed my leadership skills, which helped me become Vice President in 2023. I'd like to take a moment to express my special thanks to Jehan and Gethmi for believing in me. Their support has been a great motivation. As Vice President, I took on many responsibilities, further enhancing my knowledge and leadership skills. My co-vice president, Induwara, has…
Stepping Up: A Year of Fun, Challenges, and Impact
The clearest memory I have of my first days as an undergraduate was signing up for Rotaract and joining the online orientation program of the club. With online learning taking control, apart from attending the university on the day of the placement test, I had no need to step into the university. It was Rotaract that gave me the reason to come to university during the first semester of my first year. Therefore, it's right to say that my university life would not have been the same if not for Rotaract. . My first year as a Rotaractor enabled me to experience days of endless fun, happiness, and whatnot. We were on a journey, making memories with friends who felt…
The Universe of the University of Colombo
University of Colombo was a fever dream. Stepping through those gates knowing anyone but myself was a challenge I quietly yet gradually overcame with time. The first two weeks were the hardest, I am not your typical extrovert who would strike up a conversation with a passers-by, (I’m not, Uvinya. You can sit down) it took me time to settle into the routine, and understand the lectures and meet my clique, I guess. To add to that, I was miles away from home, staying in a random place and the homesickness that takes you over in the first few days, with no homemade meals and just you in a small room you rented is not just lonely, sometimes a little…
365 Days at the University!
පිනි පොද වැස්සක් බිම තෙමන හවස් වෙලාවක ඒ හැගීම විදගෙන පොතක් කියවන එක හරිම වෙනස් හැගීමක්. අද හවස මං හිතුවා ඒ වැස්ස දිහා බලගෙන මේ වචන ලියන්න. අනධ්‍යන වැඩවර්ජනය නිසා කැම්පස් එක වහලා ගෙදරටම කොටුවුණු 49 වෙනි දවස අද. සහ වැදගත්ම දේ මේ මාසේ වෙද්දී මං කැම්පස් ඇවිත් හරියටම අවුරුද්දක්! සමහර වෙලාවට නිවාඩු තියෙන එක හොදයි කියලා හිතුණත්, මේ මගහැරෙන්නේ කැම්පස් එකේ ලස්සනම දවස් කියන එකත් හිතෙන්නෙ නැතුවම නෙමෙයි. කොහොමහරි මගේ කැම්පස් ජීවිතයේ මෙතෙක් ගත වුණු ලස්සන දවස්, නරක දවස් මේ වචන අස්සේ ගොනු කරන්න තමයි මං මේ හදන්නේ. කැම්පස් යනවා කියලා මං ඉස්සෙල්ලම හිතාගත්තෙත් 9 වසරේ අගෝස්තු වගේ කාලෙක. ඒ පේරාදෙණිය කැම්පස් එකෙන් කරපු තරගෙකින් දිනලා ඒකෙ සහතික ගන්න ගියපු දවසේ. එදා මං පේරදෙණිය කැම්පස් එක දැකපු විදිහ දැණුනු…
Daydreams and Detours
When the UNI Verse project launched its second phase, I wasn’t too interested in writing anything,thinking who would be interested in a narration of my routine university experience so far. Yet, I had nochoice but to write. Interestingly, an Instagram post shared by a friend flicked something in my scatteredmind to streamline memories from my first year at university, and I began to realize that university life isquite the rollercoaster. Before delving into reflections, I’ll backtrack a bit. Securing a spot at the University of Colombo waspretty much what I always desired, mainly for wanting to continue to take comfort in the city that hasalways been home. That Instagram post, though - it struck a chord. The post shared by…
Beyond Goodbyes: Reflecting on Our Journey Together as Club Service Directors
Have you ever wondered what it takes to turn a group of strangers into a family? For me, the answer lies in my journey as the Co-Club Service Director of Rotaract Club of University of Colombo, Faculty of Arts. Leading as the Co-Club Service Director of the club felt like navigating a ship through tranquil and turbulent waters alike. Every event, project, meeting, and act of service was a wave that pushed us onward, imparting lessons in resilience, leadership, and unity. Our Rotaract journey set sail in mid-September 2023 with our inaugural challenge being to bring to life the dazzling Installation ceremony of the club, an event that marked the official kickoff for our club. Being new to this agenda,…
Farewell and Gratitude: Reflecting on Our Community Service Journey
Community Service Reflection: Rtr. Manthini Attygalle, Co-Director During my first year, I was curious about Rotaract. Seeing my friends from other faculties and universities as active members influenced me to join the club. While I was a member, I found myself particularly drawn to community service projects, which resonated with my lifelong passion for helping society. My first physical project was “Supipena Kekulu," which we did with a children's home. I was amazed by how our former Community Service Director, Rtr. Buddhimali Parindya, managed the workload so well, even during exams. Watching her juggle all the responsibilities with such grace and dedication was truly inspiring. She showed me what it means to be passionate and committed, even when times are…
Crafting Connections: The Tale of the PR Duo
Want to hear about a boring yet memorable story about two girls who found themselves selected as co-directors of an avenue that they had no clue on how to operate? This might sound extremely uneventful of a read but for us, this story is an important plot twist in our lives that ends with special memories and lessons to treasure for years to come. From not knowing even the basics of editing a photo to getting to handle a Public Relations Avenue for an entire term, we both have come a long way in our journey along the Rotatact memory lane as the two PR directors of the Rotaract Club at Faculty of Arts, University of Colombo. We believe that…
Month in Review: March
Hey everyone! Aaaaah the madness that was March! Remember how we thought February was crazy? Well, March took things to a whole new level with those never-ending assignments (seriously, they just kept coming!). As always, a huge shoutout goes to our amazing group of writers who wrote these updates, juggling so much work! We truly appreciate it. Since exams are nearing (yikes!), this month’s update will be in English only. Even though the Sinhala and Tamil New Year coincide with our study leave, we hope that you all will be able to recharge and celebrate new beginnings! Here’s to conquering those exams! Wishing you all the best of luck, The co-editors The Editorial In March, we successfully completed the Cinematic…