AS SOME of you may have read, I have decided to step outside my comfort zone and move to Sri Lanka, to travel and work on an internship. I want to share with you what really surprised me after moving here – and also something that really didn’t.
1. The capital city is very well-developed
Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka, is a relatively large city, with approximately 600,000 people living here, and another 100,000 commuting in for work daily. Besides the beautiful beaches and parks I expected, I came across beautiful architecture as well. Most remarkable are the new multi-storey buildings, which give the impression of European capitals. These are mainly financial centres, as well as hotels and shopping malls.
2. Pizza hut, Domino’s, Burger King…
If there is something that I didn’t expect, it was to see all the famous fast-food franchises in one place – and to my luck, right underneath my apartment! I was especially surprised to find Domino’s pizza, which is not even in my home country of Slovakia. Although, I am rather enjoying visiting local restaurants instead: their food has a very authentic taste and always looks great.
3. Cabs are very cheap, but very different
If you live in a big city, you know the important role of taxicabs in everyday life. There are many upsides to traveling with cabs rather than your own car, and because I am only a guest in this country, I’m using them all the time. Here, though, rather that cars they use tuk-tuks: little three wheeled buggies that are great at shifting through traffic. Rates are very cheap too – for less than $5, you can travel more than 1 hour.
4. Animals everywhere!
Monkeys, dogs, cats, cows… Anything you can think of; I see it here every day. The most surprising encounters for me are those with cows. Imagine walking down the street and, out of nowhere, a cow comes around corner. I asked someone on the street “What is the cow doing here?” and they replied, “She is going home”. I have to get used to this…
5. People are good English speakers
Another one of those “wow” moments was when I encountered a 70-year-old lady on the street and had a fluent conversation with her. She was very nice and said that she is very happy that people like me are coming to her country. She told me that here, people understand the need to be able to communicate with people from other parts of world, that’s why they are all learning English. I must agree!
6. Food is very spicy
If you ever had a chance to try a curry with rice, you know what I am talking about. Spices in Sri Lanka are very different to those in Europe. For the majority of my life, I enjoyed spicy food. Little did I know that our definition of spicy, is very different from the one here. Whether it is curry, kottu, roti or any rolls you get here, it will put your mouth through hell. But it’s so delicious, you can’t resist!
7. I became a tourist attraction
Just so you understand, I am very pale with blonde hair – a Swedish type. And because I am mostly visiting places where tourists don’t go, I instantly become the tourist attraction. Not only do people ask me tons of questions, they approach me and ask me if they can take a “selfie” with me. That is something that has never happened to me before, but it feels amazing!
And the thing that isn’t surprising?
The people are amazing. If you are fortunate enough to have visited any Asian country, you know that people are very generous and helpful. Any time I get into trouble or need help, somebody comes and helps me. Even if they are in a rush, they are willing to give a helping hand.
I’m beginning to understand that people here are always looking only at the positive side of things, even when times are hard. This is something I am taking back to Europe with me!
If you'd like to read more about Michael's travels, check out his other articles here.
