Aba's 2016

Well, I began the year with the excitement of living alone. Back then I was a bit anxious without any close friends in Mora but by the end of the year, I had the BEST friends I could ever ask for! Had fun acting in dramas like Roopana & fighting with Praga & Kaveesha in Goda Uda for promotion!

VIETNAM: Undoubtedly, this was the highlight of the year. Spending the six best weeks in my life in Vietnam, I taught schoolchildren to wear condoms and on LGBT rights, adventured in unbelievably beautiful locations, found amazing friends for life: Chloé, Tam Dan, Quân, Jeta Jojo, Johnny, Cristin, Thanh & Linh. Plus I married Jeta Jojo in a restaurant, ate a crocodile, above all, I lived as the “real me”, unbound by the social restrictions of Sri Lanka. Also, it was there in Vietnam, an extremely pretty girl: Trang told me she has a crush on me, which was bliss beyond words!

I travelled a lot in Sri Lanka too. 3 day Knuckles workshop, hiked in Hanthana (batch trip), trekked in Kanneliya (Dept trip) and had a survey trip to a beautiful village in Monaragala. I had an amazing time in Batticaloa, thanks to my Muslim friends Muqsith, Amal, Nibraz. I tasted the best beef there, bathed in Eravur and Pasikkuda beaches and had the unforgettable experience of travelling for 10 hours in a crowded bus, standing. :-)

With good results in the first sem exams, I had the dilemma of choosing between Mechanical and Electronics. Insaf ayya, Chinthana and some others convinced me to choose ENTC and have a wonderful time here, I’m grateful I made that decision.

Of course, the best thing about the year was magically clicking with these buggers: Ashwin, Sandalika, Sachini & Praga. We have no idea how it happened, but it looks like we are made for each other! I have never felt at ease at being myself until I found these fellas. We are having the best time, trip to Jaffna, late-night drives, birthday parties, personal moments… I dunno if I’ll survive this academic pressure if not for u guys. Thanks to them, I had the best birthday ever, this time! <3 <3

Doing the first-ever project in ENTC was a hell of an experience. The alarm clock project, which made me sleepless for a week, and working with Matheesha, Samith & Ampatishan taught me a lot. The smart lock project, which I’m passionate about, also went very well, thanks to the team.

Plus, I found a new lovely family in mora: Gavel with Rochelle & Piyumi akki, Kasun and all. I also attended AIESEC NLDS conference in Chilaw & got acquainted with Sapumal, Vimukthini, Shehan & Haaziq.

On the side of personal development, I had a great time coordinating the Islandwide Mora Tamil Exams in Kandy district with Jarsigan, Vinu, Akmal & Uzama. I also learnt a lot from Denithra and team, being the part of the OC that did the largest recruitment in AIESEC SL’s history. Currently working for the Switch Off 4.0 project, I’m learning a lot, while bonding with the amazing OC of Supun, Madhavi, Bhanuka & Arshak and having great moments together.

So, thanks to all my friends, family and my amazing boarding owners, for making it the best year so far! Well, each year has been the best year so far for me. I love the fact that I’m a far better individual than I was at the beginning of the year. Hope I would change to a better person by the end of next year too!

Wish you all a wonderful new year!

First posted on Facebook: facebook.com/abarajithan11/posts/10210032584602660