The 2nd Year A'level Sociology students at St.Patrick's Highschool do not know anything! I have to do the entire course with them from scratch. In 4 months. There's just 4 of them. All girl. That makes things less complicated because women just generally tend to study harder when they're in a tough spot. The 1st years will manage fine for the AS Level. They know enough to survive for now.

It's odd sitting in the same room, with technicaly a similar status, as a bunch of old-ish people who were all your teachers. Half the people in that Staff Room remember me at least by face. Sunanda was the first I encountered and she picked me out as being Ekmini's batch as soon as I told her I'd been at Pats. Ekmini's her younger daughter. Caji remembers me by face. As do Mohan and Stanley. Mrs. Nomani insists that she knows my face though she never taught me. Dhanapala remembers me well enough and quizzed me on where I'd been and what I was planning on doing.

Finally, ADL Calistes and Gregory Silva walk in. They meet me like any teacher would meet a much-loved former student. Silva's still himself. He just got back from 'Lanka. Cali looks a bit older, just a bit more white in the beard. Otherwise he's also the same. He's already taking jibes at me.

Most of the time, you'd walk into that room to a quick Sinhalese banter. Dhanapala, Jayanathan, Cooray, Silva, Stanley Wijesinghe and Rayer are all Sinhalese I think. Not sure but I think so. I love the way they just carry on in their native tongue. I'm thinking I'll spend the next year learning that language from them. Should be fun.

More later.