Been here for 4 and half months now. My observations continue:1.Money 'spenders' rather than money 'savers'. Very loan friendly.
2.Banks provide incentives for saving.
3.Strong family values.
4.An image conscious nation – may spend more on their car than on their house.
5.Typically, very friendly, respectful ever smiling and eager to help.
6.View India as the irritating big brother. Many seem to be in awe of India.
7.Like to ape the west, much like Indians did till a while ago.
8.Non-violence lovers.
9.Boys and girls expected to find their own spouse like in the west. However, arranged marriages also occur.
10.Suckers for emotional drama, much like Indians.
11.Many photography enthusiasts – not surprising with the vibrant flora and fauna their country provides them.
12.A piece of meat is considered mandatory in every meal even amongst the poor.
13.Mostly alien to the concept of vegetarian food.
14.Natural good taste in music.
15.Party lovers – turn on the Baila!
16.Unlike in India, the lottery is not reserved for the middle class or the poor. You may find just about anybody with a lottery ticket in his/her wallet.
17.Women are empowered and seen as an equal in this country. I was told that in certain villages, women are expected to retain their maiden sir name after marriage.
18.Equally happy to have a girl child as they are to have a boy child.
19.Big on baking and making desserts.
20.Food is typically very spicy. Their cuisine is nearly identical to goan and kerala cuisine.
21.Hope for the terror situation to be resolved but many seem to be fatalistic about it.
22.The media seems to lack complete freedom - criticism/discussions about the governanment and it's actions are rare.
23.Strong in literature, art, architecture and theatre.
24.Weak film and production industry.
25.Close to no newspaper readership- this leads to low print ad spends – leads to high cost per newspaper(up to INR 20) – leads to low readership – A vicious cycle.
26.Big on radio – boasts of giving birth to the oldest radio station in Asia, Radio Ceylon.
27.Prefer milk powder to milk. Mostly.
Biggest learning: You can’t learn much about Sri Lankans if you don’t follow the local language – am currently working on that. :)
Please feel free to correct me if I am wrong about any of my deductions.
PS: the picture is of a Sri Lankan girl saying "ayubovan" which is what Srilankan's say to greet each other. It means 'may you live long'
