By DeNae Thomas
Assistant Lifestyles Editor
Some people have never heard of Sri Lanka (pronounced “shree laanka”). Those who do know of the small country may not remember its exact location. However, after talking to sophomore Udyami Peiris, you can learn anything you need to know about the island 45 minutes southeast of India.
Peiris transferred to Pepperdine from the American College of Higher Education in Sri Lanka after completing 60 units.
“I wanted to be independent and socialized and have exposure to other cultures,” Peiris said. “If I stayed in Sri Lanka, I would only know Sri Lanka and I wouldn’t know very much about anywhere else.
Sri Lanka is not a bad place to know, however.
Peiris said natives to Sri Lanka are proud of the beauty and history of their country, which is often referred to as “the pearl of the Indian Ocean.”
It makes sense that Peiris chose to attend school in Malibu when considering her hometown. She is from Colombo, the business capital of Sri Lanka, which is a coastal city with an average temperature of 80 degrees with mild seasons.
“I like hot weather,” Peiris said. “I am from a tropical country, so when I decided to come to school in the United States, I chose to come to California because it is one of the most beautiful places in the U.S.A.”
Peiris wouldn’t be at Pepperdine today if it were not for her boyfriend, Dinesh Chrysoston, who introduced her to the idea of coming.
“Dinesh was the one who knew about Pepperdine and he had been accepted last fall, but he stayed back to wait for me to come with him this spring,” Peiris explained.
Her parents agreed to the transfer when they found out Pepperdine was a religious school.
“It’s my first time away from home so they wanted to make sure that I was OK,” Peiris said. “They liked the fact that it was Christian university with strict rules and regulations.”
The 24-hour flight was terrible, Peiris said, but it was worth it.
“I really like California and Malibu and Pepperdine,” she said. “Of course I miss my family, friends and home, but so far it has been a good experience.”
What do you miss about Sri Lanka?
Of course my family and friends, but if I have to choose one thing it would be food. I like spicy food and it is just not spicy here. Also, I miss my mangos. And in Sri Lanka there are so many varieties of bananas — green, red, yellow, big and small bananas. Food there is wonderful.
What is your favorite thing about California?
The weather. And people here are nicer than what I have heard about people on the East Coast. People here are helpful and laid back.
What are the main differences between the United States and Sri Lanka?
The culture here is very different. It is much more conservative in Sri Lanka. They don’t go to extremes with clothing. Yes, girls wear short skirts, but they don’t wear tiny tank tops and really really mini-skirts. The way of thinking is also different. No one kisses in public. Also, since Colombo is a smaller city everyone knows everyone. Most parents are strict and don’t want their daughters and sons going out with other people. The older generations can be narrow-minded.
What did you do over the three-day weekend?
I had a great weekend. I went to Disneyland in Anaheim with Dinesh and his parents. We went on all the rides, two parades and the fireworks. The fireworks were gorgeous. We took a lot of pictures and got some good souvenirs.
What do you do in Colombo for a good time?
If you want to have fun you go down south, where all the tourists go. There are really nice hotels and beaches and restaurants. It takes about 45 minutes to get there from Colombo. Most people do a lot of water sports — water skiing, paragliding and volleyball are all popular. It is very humid in Sri Lanka so being at the beach helps.
Do you want to surf?
No. It’s one of my phobias. I can’t swim and I am totally scared of the ocean.
What stands out about Sri Lanka?
We are a big tea drinking and tea making country. We have mountains full of tea bushes. It’s gorgeous. We make Lipton tea and really good Ceylon tea. Also, we have the eighth wonder of the world. It is this massive rock fortress, called Sigiriya, with a palace on top. There are gardens and even a sprinkling system at the entrance to the fortress, even though it is more than 15 centuries old.
What was school like?
Since Sri Lanka is a British colony, schooling is under the British system. Grades one to 13 are all in one school. I went to an all-girls school in Colombo and we had about 4,000 students there. We had to wear uniforms. After 11th grade I joined the American College of Higher Education and started my degree there for 1 and a half years. I met my boyfriend Dinesh there, and then we came here together.
What are you plans for the future?
I want to go back to Sri Lanka after school. I don’t think I’ll change my mind about that. I am a business administration major so I want to get a general view of business and the see what happens.
Do you have any dreams, hopes or wishes?
Basically, whatever I do with my life, I just want to be happy at the end of the day and be content with what I have. I don’t know what I’ll do, but at the end I want to look back and be happy about what I did.
January 23, 2003