0
Holidays & Destinations My Stories

Dreaming of Sri Lanka

September 30, 2016

Many people are extremely surprised when I tell them that I’m half Sri Lankan. My mother was born there and immigrated to Australia when she was just six years old. Being fair skinned and blue eyed, she’s not what you expect for a Sri Lankan. That’s because she’s Sri Lankan Burgher, a group that date back to the 1500’s when the Dutch and Portuguese sailed to the tear drop that is Sri Lanka in the Indian Ocean) to trade spices. I grew-up in Melbourne’s Sri Lankan community, eating my grandmother’s curries and sniffing their friends’ cheeks when they visited. Yes, sniffing cheeks! Sri Lankans don’t air kiss we sniff cheeks, just like Italians kiss both cheeks. It’s a beautiful custom and my kids greet my Sri Lankan grandmother this way.

Sri Lanka was the first country that I ever visited outside of my birth country Australia. I distinctly recall being a seven year old boarding the Air Lanka (now Sri Lankan Airlines) flight, including the flight attendants’ warm smiles and the pattern on the traditional sari uniform. I think this was the moment my desire to be a flight attendant started.

To read more visit http://blog.expedia.com.au/follow-your-roots-dreaming-of-sri-lanka/

No Comments

    Leave a Reply