Did you speak a language other than your native tongue while you were away?
I tried to soak in as much of the language as I could. Natives love to teach you their words and help with your pronunciation and enunciation. (Note: The major languages spoken in Sri Lanka are Sinhalese, Tamil and Sri Lankan Creole Malay.)
Who did you stay with?
I stayed in two hotels while in the country.
What were you expecting before you actually got there?
I was expecting the country to look a lot like India. In many ways they are very similar. However, Sri Lanka still has its own culture.
I was not expecting the abundance of Toque Macaque and Gray Langur monkeys. I’m used to seeing stray dogs abroad, but this country seemed to have a bit more. I will always remember the hilarious scuffles between the monkeys and dogs. Man’s best friend is not the best rumbling opponent for the rambunctious primates.
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At what university did you study?
For this particular trip we were functioning as consultants. I worked with my home University, USAID, and IESC.
What was it like to attend classes?
Instead of taking classes, I had daily meetings with clients. One of my clients was a pretty established national dairy farm, the other was a fast-growing furniture store. Depending on the task at hand, we would do a number of things: meet with one in the morning, the other in the evening; or consecutive whole-day working meetings if we were on the cusp of a deliverable deadline. My partner and I never split time between the two clients. We stayed together as a team the entire time.
Did you establish any lasting relationships?
Yes. Social media has given us the ability to track friends stateside, but I think the biggest benefit is the ability to connect with individuals all around the world. Using Facebook and Instagram, I have the ability to nurture the relationships I developed in the country.
I keep in contact with the son of the dairy farm owners; he even extended me an invitation to his wedding this past summer. However, the manager of the furniture store and I speak more regularly. We are both motorbike enthusiasts, and are waiting for the opportune time to meet somewhere in the world and partake in a race or two.
What was your biggest misconception about the people and/or the country?
I hadn’t heard many stereotypes about the Sri Lankan people, so I didn’t have any cultural misconceptions.
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