We were surprised to get a Christmas card from Sameela’s Mother.  We had covered the costs of the boarding school for the girl from 2005 to 2007, when she graduated from high school.  Her grades were brilliant and she got herself a scholarship for the university. 

 We had heard from the mother over the last five years several times but the news written in the Christmas card was very special:  Sameela had finished her studies and was awaiting an assignment for her first teaching job.  She will teach Math as a main subject and Physics and Chemistry as minor subjects.  She did not know yet where her first assignment would take her.  Studying at a government university means that you have to take a job for two years wherever they appoint you, especially doctors and teachers.  This system would solve quite a lot of problems in our homeland! 

Sameela’s Mother was cleaning the entrance of her house when we arrived and curiously looked at the unknown car.  She almost fainted as I got out of the vehicle and it was a very happy reunion.  She had kept us informed all these years and never came up with additional requests.  Sameela was also home but she did not recognize me at first.  When I reminded her of my visit at the school in Kandy, she looked quite puzzled and told me, that she had pictured me much fatter in her memory!  Like all Sri Lankan’s, she used the word “fat” and I told her that “big” would be much politer – even if I was about the same back then.  Michel showed the pictures from 2006 that he had in his iPhone!  It was a very nice visit.