Eydhafushi Day 2

We started our day off bright and early and ready to go for breakfast. We expected to visit the school for breakfast as we usually do, but instead we walked past the school and across the island. Somebody’s house perhaps? Nope! We suddenly stopped and went inside a restaurant called White by Eight that was decorated like a tropical themed bar and looked beautiful. Definitely not what we’ve got used to! We were led past coconut trees growing through the floors onto the upstairs terrace and seated at a long table with some of the Guide leaders. A buffet breakfast treat awaited us! Cereal and bread mingled alongside the traditional fish and coconut dishes and the roshi we were used to seeing. Sophie nearly wept as she spotted a toaster, while Lyndsay and Lottie took full advantage of being served fresh espresso coffee. A wonderful way to start our day.

We then went back to the school and the delightfully cool training room where we ran last night’s leader session to spend an hour with the island’s Stars. As there was a much smaller group than we had had previously, we were able to get the parachute out after singing some songs and play some games with all of them at the same time. They were very taken with Cat and Mouse and trying to shake the beach balls off it resulted in the usual hilarity from the girls. During the parachute games, the group’s newest recruit, a tiny girl of five, took a shine to Lottie and her camera, climbing on her knee and mimicked holding the camera to her eye, waiting for the click of the shutter, then critically analysing the resulting photograph on the screen. Utterly adorable!

After the Stars session, we hastily ate some snacks (some of us took snacks and tea to eat and drink on the way!) before we were whisked back to the apartment to change into our swimming gear and raced to the jetty on the back of some mopeds so we could catch a launch out into the UNESCO Biosphere which surrounded this part of the atoll. Time to try and spot some manta rays! We stopped in the middle of the ocean and one of our tour guides dived from the boat to swim out to try and find the rays. The sun beating down and the rocking of the boat meant that we were soon feeling queasy, so we were allowed off the boat to snorkel nearby and refresh ourselves in the water. Most of the group had never used large fins for swimming before, which certainly took some getting used to.

 Sadly, no rays were to be found in the area, so we climbed back onto the boat with some difficulty, slipping and sliding on the step up. Poor Alyson cut her toe as she slipped which at first looked much worse than it actually was. We moved areas to a much deeper reef to try and find some turtles, with varying levels of success! Some of the group saw one turtle, some of the group didn’t see any, but Alyson was extra lucky and saw two! After swimming for a little while, we saw a pod of dolphins in the distance and shortly after we were waved over to start swimming to the shore of a nearby island. Although it looked close, it felt like it took an age to finally wash up on the beach. At first glance we thought it was another uninhabited island, but as we walked through the trees, a village appeared, and we met our boat at the jetty at the other side of the island. A short boat ride and a quick lift in a pick-up truck later, we arrived at the house where we ate a delicious lunch – a huge spread of traditional Maldivian foods, all home-made. Even the school’s principal turned up to meet us for lunch! Dripping wet as we were, it didn’t seem possible that we would have time to shower and get ready for our Little Maids session. But we were taken back to the apartment and raced to get ready nonetheless.

Disaster struck about halfway through our time to get ready! All the power in the building went off, and we couldn’t switch it back on, meaning the showers wouldn’t work so Lyndsay was still covered in shampoo and poor Adeola hadn’t got into the shower at all! A call for help later and we found that all the power in the block of houses had gone off and there was nothing to be done! Happily, they both managed to get clean and ready for our next session. The group we had was bigger than any we had had so far, so we decided that for the girls to get the most out of the session we would divide them into two groups after Teapot Tag. One group did This Is Me – a creative activity where they drew around their hand, cut it out and wrote their favourite things about themselves on it, while the other group played games and sang songs. The groups then swapped over, and Lottie found a way to play a very boisterous game of Me Too after the swap. We rounded off the session with the Compliment Relay, which always ends up a little giddy.

We were herded quickly out of the session to yet another surprise – another boat ride! We needed to get our wet swimming gear back on – not a pleasant task – and be out as quickly as possible again! Getting onto a barge this time, we were taken to a nearby uninhabited island with all of the leaders. Lyndsay found a hermit crab on the beach and presented it to a squealing Adeola. One of the Guide leaders suggested that to persuae it to come out of its shell, you should make a silly wubbly noise at it! So they did, and it did sort of come out of its shell. Meanwhile, Alyson, Sophie and Lottie had a quick bit of snorkelling before we were all invited onto the beach for short eats consisting of fruit and dips, all spread

out on some giant leaves. First things first, a photograph of course! We all lay on the leaves around the food for a picture before all the leaders joined us. We didn’t have long to take the second photograph before to sea swept right up the beach and underneath those closest to the shore, resulting in much shrieking and laughter! The leaders then had us playing games with balloons and racing to fill up a couple with flour by tipping it over our heads in a line! So very messy!

Dusk fell with dark clouds gathering on the horizon – a storm on its way in perhaps? We hadn’t seen any rain since we’d arrived, but we knew it had sometimes rained during the night. As it started to get dark, we climbed back onto the barge and sailed back to Eydhafushi for yet another shower before the mystery Cultural Night later on. We had a few hours to ourselves to rest and get ready before someone came to do our hair and make up. Lottie decided to put her own make up on before anyone arrived, making us all coo with how different she looked! Rachael, on the other hand, decided not to put any on in anticipation of what pampering might await her later on. We put our dresses on and were soon collected to be made ready at the school, where parents and teachers were waiting with traditional veils and brooches. Satisfied, we were led over to the main hall where just a few hours earlier we had run our Little Maids session. It had been transformed into a giant picnic and small palm trees and woven panels decorated the stage. Around 400 people all in traditional dress were waiting for us – all 350 girls at the school, teachers and parents – seated in giant circles around the huge traditional lacquered pots saved for these events and a selection of other dishes. We at first took our places in the circle closest to the stage for some photographs before splitting up and sitting in one circle each. At this point, Alyson was asked to do an impromptu speech to the crowd! She handled it beautifully, as though unexpected speeches were just becoming the norm for her. As the guests of honour in each group, we untied the feili covering the giant pot and unveiled the contents of hard boiled eggs, bananas and rice.

We ate a chatted to the people in each group before being taken to front row seats to watch the show on stage. First a group of parents performed a traditional maafathi neshun dance, then a group of the Guides showed off the different traditional dresses of the Maldives, before the final group of parents and teachers performed a bandiyaa jehun dance with metal water pots. During this dance we were brought on stage unexpectedly to join in! The crowd watching us whooped and cheered and we soon picked up the movements and had an absolute blast, giggling and smiling the whole way through. After this, we were presented with some gifts on stage, shaking the hands of the principal and the lead teachers who had looked after us during our stay. A manta ray shaped pen and holder, where the tail pulls out to become the pen, and a beautiful feili were mounted onto a golden box for each of us. Once we had returned to our seats, the first group of parents came out to perform their dance again, but this time we stood up from where were seated and danced with them in front of the stage, to the joy and amusement of the parents and teachers around us! No doubt those videos have appeared online somewhere already...

We had such an amazing night, which ended after each year group had had a photograph with us, and we went home tired, but extremely happy, feeling like part of the incredible community on Eydhaushi. We are so grateful for the warmth and welcome you have showed us while we have been here! Shukuriyaa!