April 7, 2005
A word about students, colleagues, Sri Lankans and the Fulbright Award;
I have great admiration for the students of Sri Lanka. In the average they come from middle class families and were brought up in rather traditional households, meaning the father works and the mother take care of the family. The women are rather timid and reserved. It took me a while until some bonding could take place. Once they warmed up, they also participated in class discussions and frequently surpassed the men.
Both gender of students were very interested in the United States. I allowed in each class period of 2 hours a 10-minute session for questions. Their questions ranged from student life in the US, in comparison with their own life, to politics, especially during the time period of the US elections. They like Americans, but they don't like the actions of our government in Iraq.
For most of the students at the University of Kelaniya, to learn English alone is not quite enough, since they all study English for different reasons. To give you an example, the students in the Commerce and Business Management Department need to learn English to function in an English speaking professional business environment.
No matter what professions college and university students aspire to pursue, a certain level of English proficiency is required and almost taken for granted to obtain any good job. The job offers in the news papers reflect this explicitly. Whether people like it or not, English has become the number one language of international communication in the world; it is the lingua franca of the 20th and 21st centuries!
However, it must be observed that 95% of the population of Sri Lanka does not speak English. It is incomprehensible to me, why the Appellate Courts and the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka only publish their opinions in English and have done so since 1948, while the language at the trial courts is Sinhalese or translations into Tamil. So, you try a case in one language that the common man understands and the review is issued in another language that the common man does not understand, but the elite of the country does! This, de facto, precludes 95% of the population from ever knowing directly what their Appeals Courts and their Supreme Court decided the law of the land is! If ignorance of the law is no excuse as our legal concepts hold, is deliberate exclusion from the knowledge of the law by the legal system of 95% of population an excuse? The occupants of the jails in Sri Lanka can attest to it that it is not!
My fellow colleagues were most kind and friendly. My questions were always answered, and my curiosity was never left unsatisfied. I really was able to interact and get know them. I had the privilege to have numerous conversations, tea and lunches with them. I was able to get inside information on their lives and life in general in Sri Lanka.
My professional relationship with the dean of humanities, Dr. Sarath Amunugama was very positive. As a matter of fact he asked the department head of English and TEFL already early on whether I could stay beyond the 6 months of my assignment.
The Department Head of English and TEFL, Dr. Manique Gunasekera has been very supportive and appreciative in everything I have been doing. She has included me in workshops and presentations not only at Kelaniya University but also at other universities. As already mentioned before she included me in her birthday party at her home. That great opportunity opened the door for me to meet and befriend other Sri Lankans. She also invited us for Christmas dinner, as the only non-family members. That invitation perhaps saved our lives. We had originally planned to spend Christmas at one of the beach resorts hit by the Tsunami. The resort was destroyed in less than two minutes on Sunday morning, on December 26, 2004! Somebody up there must like us!
Members of the Sri Lankan Fulbright Commission were most helpful and kind. The executive director Tissa Jayatilaka was always there when I needed him.
I also met other dignitaries, including the sister of the President of Sri Lanka in a social setting. At an opening ceremony of the "American Corner" at the Public Library in Kandy I met the mayor of Kandy and two former distinguished Sri Lankan Fulbright Scholars to the US.
I also met the American Ambassador to Sri Lanka and a host of other movers and shakers. Through an invitation by the US Embassy, I was able to meet the two former presidents, Clinton and Bush at the same time.
Sri Lankans, in general are a very optimistic people. They seem to see the glass half full. My impression I received upon arrival about their friendliness and trying to make you feel at home has not changed. Besides my colleagues and students at the university I was in contact on a daily with Sri Lankans of all walks of life. You do not want to drive in Sri Lanka if you can possibly avoid it. We hired a car with driver! The roads are in poor condition and the traffic is bizarre. A trip of a mere 60 miles can easily take three hours! I also met every day other tenants of the condominium building we stayed in, as well as shopkeepers and the staff in restaurants and hotels.
The Fulbright Scholar Award played a transformative role in my life, both professionally and personally. For starters, I feel that I am much more aware of differences and similarities between our countries, and much more sensitive to an international perspective on global issues. I take much less for granted these days. I strive to understand more about the historical and cultural circumstances impacting outcomes in countries. I will forever have a special place in my heart and mind for Sri Lanka and Sri Lankans.
One event especially, which will be in my memory forever, was the "the fare well tea party" my colleagues at the university gave me. It was a sad and joyous moment at the same time. Their smiling faces and good wishes will be in my heart forever.
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