Ever since we joined the Gavel Club and got close with almost every one of the members, it has always been a dream to go on a trip with all of them. Everyone was busy with their own thing as it was in typical academic life. But as soon as the announcement for the joint meeting appeared in the group, everyone got excited. They had decided to have a Joint Gavel Educational Meeting with the University of Peradeniya, where we will get to visit their university.
The date was fixed, and the thread was shared with the role players. It was pretty unfortunate that I was a bit late picking up the roles that were assigned to our university. The very last night before the big day, a message appeared in the group saying that we will have the chance to play all the roles, and to my surprise, the role of the Round Robin Master which is my personal favorite was available. I took it up with much enthusiasm even though there was limited time available.
Then came the day of the Joint Educational Meeting. We were asked to come at 6.30 am and the extra enthusiastic gaveliers were there at the university from 5.45 am itself. Everyone was seen chatting filled with a lot of happiness and excitement about how the day was gonna be. We got settled on the bus and it took off at 7 am. The entire journey was us enjoying some of our favorite songs along with some dance moves as well. We reached the Faculty of Engineering, University of Peradeniya by 10 am.
The meeting was started by the President of the Gavel Club of the University of Peradeniya, gavelier Vithushan. It was an introduction to what Gavel is about in which he shared his experiences at Gavel. The flow of the meeting was very different from ours as they had many informal meetings. It was a new experience for us and not before long, we got adapted to their ways as well.
The role players were introduced and then it was my turn to conduct the Round Robin session. I was nervous at the beginning but the vibe of the place helped me settle down as soon as I started. The theme of the meeting, ‘Bucket lists’ was revealed. Everyone started sharing the most exciting things on their bucket lists. It was travel, food, and sleep for many while for some it was the changes in attitude in life making simplicity a priority.
It was a session where people who haven’t had a bucket list, picked one up for themselves. My personal favorite was the one that was shared by gavelier Thareesha akki. It was tasting all the flavors of Creamio ice cream which in turn inspired me to find a friend gang who could join me for ice cream.
Then came the Table Topic session that was conducted by gavelier Sathmi. The topics were very unique and in a way that everyone wanted to come forward to deliver a speech. The meeting was concluded by the finest of Table Topic evaluations given by gavelier Mineli akki followed by a heartfelt ending given by our Madam President gavelier Loshini akki. After the meeting, there was a fun-filled informal session where we had the acting game. No one ever had a clue that our acts would eventually turn out to be WhatsApp stickers and GIFs.
Afterward, we had lunch at the Open Canteen and then we were taken on an exciting tour around the university to have a look at the ‘Seven Wonders’. Those were the most delightful moments as we posed for pictures all around the university. Of course, there was the endless streak of Loshini akki’s mandatory selfies all day.
It was around 4 pm. We had to bid goodbye to our fellow gaveliers of Peradeniya. They had been with us the entire day, helping us to make memories that would be treasured forever. We enjoyed snacks, songs and even had an informal round-robin session on the way back home. The enthusiasm, getting to hear a lot of untold secrets of our own friends, was high. It was really sad to see people getting off the bus on the way back to the university as It was my wish that the journey could’ve continued on for a little bit more. We finally reached the university premises at around 8 pm.
This has been one of the most memorable days I’ve had since being a member of the Gavel Club. It calls for a heartfelt thank you to our dearest seniors for organizing such a wonderful event.