Maldives Meanders

Maldives Meanders

Our trip to the Maldives in the end of January was nothing like we had imagined it would be. With 1,200 coral islands surrounded by reefs, we were sure we would make good use of our masks and snorkels. but alas we did not put one toe into the beautiful turquoise water.

Island Harbor

Coral Island

We flew into the airport island and took a ferry (dhoni) to Male the Capitol, which is 1km x2km and totally covered in streets and buildings. 

Rows and Rows of Motor Cycles

Our first impression was the multitude of motorcycles that lined every street and came zooming at you from all directions. There must be at least two for every person, and unlike Sri Lanka, where 3 or 4 ride on a single cycle, only one or two ride, with not a helmet to be seen.

Male is very contemporary with high rise buildings and coffee shops in abundance. We took full advantage of the latte and croissant  offerings every morning we were there.

Male

After many arrangements and rearrangements, we boarded a plane to a southern island where we stayed with a family while we did teacher training. This island unlike Male was very quiet with hardly a soul on the the wide streets.

Preschool

Our four island tour where we did class observations, workshops and consulting was a whirlwind of travel via planes, speed boat, ferries and fishing boats. Fortunately neither of us got sea sick even though several others on the boats did.

Jenise Working with Teachers

The teachers and principals were all so kind and rolled out the red carpet, feeding us five or six times a day. The fish was wonderful! Fishing and resorts are the main industries. We only visited the inhabited islands where the locals live and only saw the uninhabited or resort islands as we passed them in the boats.

Teachers seeing us off at the ferry

Island Street

The islands we visited were teeny tiny, taking about three minutes to walk from one side to the other. But they managed to keep us busy with workshops for teachers from preschool to 12th grade everyday starting with assembly at 7:45 am and ending at 10:30 pm. to accommodate the prayer schedule.

A Walk on the Beach with the Teachers

One of our favorite memories is being taken on a tour of her island by an 11 year old with nearly perfect English and seeing her hold a pet rooster. And the other was going for a round with the teachers at 11 pm after the workshop was done - which meant walking around the island (no alcohol in this Muslim county).

Our 11 Year Old Guide

Our final visit was at the English Access Center in Male, a USA funded program where we had 75 students eager to talk to us. We introduced a video game designed to teach English and the kids loved it. They were great fun and it was a highlight of the trip.

Access Center Kids in Male