Intercultural communication | Group 4 | Sri Lanka Presentation

Hi everyone, everyone. My name is Suhari Tanju. And now, I'm at the scene. Hello. Everyone, where are you? I'm at day 3. Well, I'm also in day 3. Where are you? We're here. Oh, it's pretty hot there. Oh, oh, oh. Hurry up, hurry up. And how was your flight? Yes, Sri Lanka is an island country in South Asia. It is also considered a black pearl of the Indian Ocean. It's separated from India by the coast. Oh, dream. So, can you guess the number of people in Sri Lanka? Yes, so Sri Lanka has around 2 million people. And they have many ethnic groups as well. So, the Sinhala and Tamil are two official languages in Sri Lanka. And Buddhism is the state religion in Sri Lanka. Okay, so Sri Lanka has a tropical monsoon climate, 28 to 30 degrees Celsius. Because of this, it is well known for producing and exporting products of coffee, rubber and coconut. Sri Lanka has a lot of natural resources such as limestone. It's very valuable. Sri Lanka also has beautiful beaches, forests and diverse landscapes together with its rich cultural heritage. It's a perfect tourist attraction. Come on, sister. Oh, sorry. We're home now. Welcome home. I miss you so much. Nice to see you. Who are you? This is my fiancée from Vietnam. How are you? Good to see you. Good. And I will tell you about the culture in Sri Lanka. Because understanding the culture means understanding the people. Okay. First, a question. Okay. In Sri Lanka, women traditionally wear sari, jewelry, particularly in style like me. Oh. And while men wear formal but very practical. Usually, the married and elderly women follow the younger architecture and landmark. So, tell me, have you ever watched Vipada? Is that a very famous mountain? Yeah, it's a sacred mountain as well as the important pilgrimage site in our country. That represents our Asian spiritual side of this country. Okay. But in Colombo, we have Lotus Tower. We're symbolizing the progress and development. So, you see, in just one country, we have two different faces, Asian and modern. Now, we also have a very special tea that's rich in antioxidants. Okay. Hey, daughter. Can you bring the tea for me? So kind. Here, this is for you. Taste it. Yeah. So delicious. Delicious, right? And very, it has a unique flavor. So, after we all have a good shift here, let's watch a dance together. Here. You see? Weakness is not just a small fear. It's our strong national identity. Now, let's change the channel for a moment. As you see, this is those musicians playing drums and those dancers. This is our Kenyan drawing, the spiritual performance. Okay. So, this art form shows deeply, deeply the culture and belief. Okay. It's 8 o'clock right now. Are you hungry? Yeah. So, I have a special surprise for you. So, today we have two main dishes, Idiyakam and Kothuruti. So, but since the time is limited, my dog Idiyakam from Myanmar. So, we just have Kothuruti together. Hey, my darling. Hello? Okay. Are you hungry? Yes. Are you hungry, everyone? Yes. You would have to know Kothuruti. See that? Easy. And coconut milk. Okay. Just a little bit. Just two spoons. Okay. So, put it in a plate. What about the chicken? Topping, chicken. Okay. Yeah. We have 20 kilometers. Yeah. Do you think it's delicious? Okay. Just make yourself comfortable and eat it. Okay. While you eat, immediate level of culture. Yeah. We have many symbols. But even the symbol carries a meaningful meaning. Okay. This is the Shaolin arrow root. It represents the strength and resilience. While the blue water lily signifies the purity and enlightenment in Buddhism. Finally, this is our famous blue sphere. This is representing the clarity and also our spiritual life. Yeah. Do you think the national flag can tell a story? Yes. In Sri Lanka, it can. Yeah. Okay. As you can see, the lion in Sri Lanka is called Chihabura. It's holding a custom horn on its right paw. This represents the Shihala race, which is the largest ethnic group in our country. It traced back to 152 BCE, when the Shihala king defeated the invading Tamil king. You see, we have two shrines, one in green and one in saffron. They represent the Muslim and Tamil communities. That means our nation has a wide range of ethnic groups and they coexist harmoniously. Okay. Finally, this is four gold leaves here. Okay. In Buddhism, that stands for kindness, compassion, joy, and also balance. Balance in our life. Okay. So, after you hear over 50% of our culture, do you still feel ready to marry into the family, appreciate such a strong and rich, beautiful culture? I think I do. So, to make sure that you will be confident to be the husband with my daughter, you will hear the remaining 50% from your daddy. Okay. Here. Let's go. Hello. Stand up, please. Are you a poor one? Okay. Say hello in Sri Lanka. And beside that, we have another. We also say, okay, sit down. I'm going to tell you more about the culture in Sri Lanka. Okay. First, let's take a look. When it comes to giving another one a gift in my country, there are some rules for you. First, you should avoid giving flower or alcohol. You know why? Because flower in Sri Lanka is just given in the funeral or morgue. Okay. And you shouldn't give alcohol to another one if you aren't sure that they drink alcohol or not. So, do you like that? I have to say that I could drink alcohol for you all day. Oh. So, I have to do it for you. Oh. In fact, in our country, the left hand is considered unclean. You know, right? So, when you give another one a gift, give by both hands to show your respect. Do it again. So, here you go. Yeah. It's better now. Thank you. Okay. And when you give the pizza a gift, you should avoid some gift made from leaving. Okay. What's next? We move to the table manner. Yeah. When you come to another house to have your dish or to have your meal, there is something you need to remember. First, you have to wait for the host to show where you sit. This is the first and foremost thing you should do to show your respect. What do you move all the time to eat? To eat? The left or right or right or left hand? The right. You don't want to eat anything else? I will eat a small amount of food. Oh, we understand. You should eat a small amount of food from your plate so that you don't eat anymore. If you eat all, the host will think that you didn't serve enough. Oh, okay. Okay. We have to move to a deeper level. Something that you cannot see with your eyes, but you have to feel by yourself. In Sri Lanka, you know that they have a great influence of Buddhists because people place a great importance of performing a good deed and helping others. Do you believe in horoscopes? In Sri Lanka, we believe in horoscopes and there is a horoscope map that follows you until you die. It influences the choice of goals, especially the direction of your death. When you take away two people and if they are evil, see your horoscope map. What is your date of birth? I was born on the 3rd. The 3rd, December 1999. I see that you have a good health, but you see financial fluctuations. Really? If you treat my daughter well, nothing will happen. Nothing will go wrong. Okay, thank you very much. We need to tell you something. Sri Lankans have a lot of collectivism. It means that they always tie the group or the society. They have a large power distance too. Sri Lanka is highly theoretical. They have a high power distance, centralization, and inequality. But they have no uncertainty. They embrace innovation and value harmony. They avoid conflict through collaboration and communication. They have a large commitment and they will avoid being fooled too. We go around, go outside, and people hit the streets. There is something very surprising. I have to tell you. On the street, there are some special people here. Oh, what is it then? Samsung Galaxy. What is that? Look at that. We have a very traditional festival. It is a ceremony, a very special ceremony in Sri Lanka. We call it the Ruwa Ceremony. Sri Lankan wedding. It instructs Samsung to honor the generation of both sides. Their pinky fingers are tied together. Water is poured over them to stabilize an unbreakable union. Get it? Enjoy. Oh, what is that? Samsung Galaxy. Oh, look at that. What do you see? Fire. So we want that. Working together. We need to shoot it up. In our country, they dance with fire. And they represent a faith overcome fear. Our spiritual strength. I get it. I know you get it. It's fire working in the dark. Me and my daughter are art men. Take care of her for me. Okay, I will call her. Your sister will take care of you. Yeah, she cares. Believe in me. Okay, have a good time. Introduce yourself and about your hometown in Sri Lanka. Yeah, so my name is Hasini Silva. So currently I live in Darwin. So I did my studies in Sri Lanka. So for my masters, I came to Darwin. Sri Lanka has a lot of festivals and public conferences. Are there any special or important festivals that you want to introduce to foreigners like us, for example? Yeah, so I can say Sri Lanka has many colorful and meaningful festivals. So one of the main festivals we have is Singhala and Traditional New Year. So usually that's celebrated in this month, April, marking the traditional New Year. So usually during this festival time, people clean their home, wear new clothes, and they prepare special food like milk rice. So in Singhala, we call that Kiriban. And we usually take part in special New Year games and do some rituals at auspicious time. And apart from that, there is another festival called Vesak. So it's the most important Buddhist festival. We celebrate it in the month of May. So Buddhist people celebrate the birth and enlightenment and death of Lord Buddha. So during this period, they decorate the street with lanterns and beautiful candles. And people give free food for Sri Lankan people. So that is another festival celebrated by Buddhist people. And I think Hindu people also, they have some special festivals like Deepavali and Thai Pongal. So during this festival, they celebrate it with oil lamps and they prepare sweets and do family gatherings. What are the other public holidays we have? So we have another special public holiday in June, which we call as Poson. So it marks the arrival of Buddhism in Sri Lanka. So it's another important and significant festival in Sri Lanka. So I believe these all festivals emphasize family bonding and religious devotion and sharing. You mentioned that there is a very certain festival dedicated to Buddhism, right? So I wonder that maybe Sri Lanka has a lot of religions, right? Yeah, of course. It's not only Buddhism. There are a lot of people living in Sri Lanka these days. So people celebrate, like Islam people celebrate Eid, Ramazan. And Catholic people, we celebrate Christmas during December. So we have a lot of public and special festivals in Sri Lanka. Are there any challenges or something like maybe misunderstandings between those differences in terms of religions? No, I personally believe like we don't have that kind of misunderstanding. Like during the festival season, like when it comes to Sinhala and Tamil Nadu, we always share like sweets and other food with our Muslim people, Christian people. So when it comes to Christmas, Christian people, they like during my childhood, I remember like we have a neighbor who lives near to our home. So during Christmas, they always send a plate full of sweet to us. So we all always have this sharing and bonding thing in Sri Lanka. So I don't think we have any misunderstanding or any differences. Like we always sharing and caring. I found that there's some piece of information about horoscope in Sri Lankan culture. So I wonder that, do you guys like pay attention to that closely? And is it similar to Western horoscope as well? So I think horoscope is more common among older generation, but many young people still follow that. So I believe like our generation, our younger generation, they don't like depend on the horoscope. But when it comes to my mother's generation, like they believe that. So I can tell that astrology plays a significant role in Sri Lankan culture. So when it comes to our culture, I can say like many people, they usually like consult horoscope like when it comes to marriage compatibility and when they start a new business or important event or naming children, that kind of event, like we usually like believe like horoscope. So for me, like it's kind of science related with stars, everything. So some people, they believe like, but it was very significant probably with my parents' generation. Is it more like something they think about, like security before they do something so important? Yeah, it's kind of like blessing. So when it comes to marriage, like in our culture, like always they try to match two horoscopes, like there are some, something need to match. I think if the horoscope match more than 50%, they are telling like it's a perfect match. So kind of that. And when it comes to important events, like when you start a new business, so people like check horoscope to check time and naming children also, like people always check horoscope. So that's the thing, like people believe like it's kind of blessing. So I wonder, is it similar to Western horoscope, like they have the signs or something like that? Yeah, in our culture also we have like signs. So each people have like, so my sign is Leo. We have signs. Similar to, I believe, Indian horoscope also. I believe all Asian horoscopes have similarities. There might be have like minor changes, but in terms of other things, I think it's similar. Regarding the greetings and communication, so how do people in Sri Lanka usually greet each other in daily life? Okay, like when it comes to greetings, like we say Ayubowan. It's the like traditional greeting. We like often say with hands pressed together. And also handshake are also common, especially in formal meeting. And other than that, we usually like to eat people like Mr., Mrs., Miss, like that. Another thing I want to add is like, we usually avoid calling elders by their first name. So we usually, it's kind of, we want to show the respect to them. That's why we don't call our elders by their first name. In your country, are there any like specific gestures, our body language, that foreigners, other travelers should be aware of? Kind of like side to side head wobble like this, like this. It means like agreement, acknowledgement, like this, which we do to prove acknowledgement. And other than like, as I mentioned before, like hands pressed together and with a slight bow, it shows respect. And other than that, usually calm and gentle body language is preferred. And if it is like loud, aggressive gestures, we consider as like rude communication. So yeah, those are the, I believe, communication gestures we have in Sri Lanka. Okay, let me show you about Sri Lanka. So Sri Lanka is a modest country. So you need conservative country. And you don't wear clothes revealing. It is considered inappropriate in Sri Lanka. So when you dress up appropriately, it's not like show standing to different cultures. Additionally, avoid wearing clothes with images of the Buddha or Hindu gods. And if you have a visible tattoo, it may be a denied entry to the country. So avoid wearing sleeveless, low cut. And one more thing, very important. You need to remove your shoes and hat when you enter the temples of someone's home to show your respect as well. Okay, get it? If you want to see all the Sri Lankan love nature. Oh, the weather is so good. Public displays of affection in Sri Lanka are considered to be private. Men and women, we don't necessarily touch. But having affection between parents and children are allowed. So avoid shaking hands unless the person you greet offers first. Please control yourself. Okay, let's go to the zoo. It's nice here. So in Sri Lanka, we take the pictures of any objects or people if you don't ask them before. So please show your respect. And when people give you a permission, you can take a photo with them. But can I buy a watch? No. Why? Because Sri Lankans have a strict law. Sri Lankans have a strict law to protect this nature. Both for flora and fauna. You need to respect the wildlife species. And if you see the wildlife like the elephants, you just observe them from a distance. Don't touch them. And when you want, please avoid buying natural souvenirs. Yes, because we don't buy the wildlife products to protect them. Sri Lanka also has a rich nature of coral reefs and also flora. So you don't touch the corals. Because they are very easily damaged. Okay, I see. So where can we go next? So you already see the elephants, right? So I think we need to go to the temple. The famous temple. Oh, are you bored? Are you bored? So that's why Sri Lankans go to this temple. Because the land is considered dirty. So always use your right hand. Louder, please. Right hand. And even when you eat, when you breathe, when you touch, you give or receive anything, right hand. Please remember the right hand rule in Sri Lanka. Oh, so I see. So we are going to the temple. Can you lead us the way there? We all need to go to the temple. The temple is so large. Look, there is a statue. No. Thank God. Always show respect when entering a temple. First, see the Buddha statue, the small bowl. And always keep your head lower than the Buddha statue, as well as monks and nuns. Yes, always show your respect and be quiet, respectful. And when you greet the Buddha statue, like I say, you need to keep your hands together like this and give a small bowl. Yes, that's the correct way to greet the statue. And you don't hold it with your index finger. Like this. Yes. And never hold your back facing the Buddha statue. If you want to leave, you need to step back while facing the statue. And so when you enter the temple, you join the leader and enter the temple. Do it again to show your respect. Yes. Keep your hands together and give a small bow. Oh. Oh, oh, oh. Where is Mr. Lin? Oh, the monk is here. The monk. That's my wife. Oh, my God. Lai-yan, and so what? So the monk is highly respectful. So if you see a wife, yes, it is a result of monk to show their respect to the statue. And when you greet the monk, use the respectful gesture like I told you before, yes? Place your hands together and give a bow. And if you see the monk on the bus or any public places, yes, you need to set aside to let them go first and do not prevent the way, the route of the monk. So please always observe the local people and follow them. You need to observe. And one more thing, we always sit at the lower stage of the monk to show the respect. Yes. Yes, good job. Now Amitabha Buddha. When we travel to another country, is a sense of peace for you guys to get a good presence and avoid any misunderstanding. So today I will show you some simple tips for you guys so you can fully prepare for the trip to Sri Lanka if you have a chance in the future. The first thing first, seeing people of respect is part of personal distance, personal space. So you cannot stand too close to a spirit like a monk, a nun or a teacher, as it can be seen as a sign of disrespect. So the general distance people keep from one another is roughly about that. And secondly, Sri Lankan people prefer not to touch each other when it can be avoided. And especially women cannot touch monks directly. So if they want to give offerings to the monks, they will have to put their offerings to a temple or the monks will pull out a cloth, a white cloth, to put the offerings on it. And Sri Lankan people often hold direct eye contact with people of the same age or status. In contrast, holding intense eye contact with people with higher status can be seen as disrespect. And like I mentioned before, people often avoid touching the left hand, and so to check for gifts and objects, you should use the right hand to do it. And even when you want to point directions, use your whole hand to point, do not use your index finger. And so when you want to call people to come over, you should wave your hand like this, with your palm downward. It's not a problem because it's a sign for calling manually. Next, for Sri Lankans, hands are the most important part of the body, so we should never touch other people's hands, especially children, without permission. And in Sri Lanka, we will often see the locals wave their hands like this to both sides to communicate agreements or understanding. And along with the left hand, the feet is considered the most important part of the body, so please do not touch or point directions with your feet. However, in Sri Lanka today, a special act is called the Wailanang Act. Young people will kneel down or bend down to touch their feet, and then touch their forehead to receive blessings. This is my style. I think that's enough for the simple tips for you guys. I hope you will have a peaceful trip in the future. Thank you for listening. Can I just ask you two languages that are used to say thank you to the others? Thank you very much. How was your first day in Sri Lanka? It was really insightful. There's a lot for me to learn. Do you have any idea about the island time? The island time? I think it is a way of living that embraces the nation's connection and simplicity, right? Yes. And in terms of the food, I think it's really delicious, but also kind of spicy, so it may take a lot of time to get used to it. And I want to acknowledge that the food is the rice having a coconut milk, right? Yes. So, now the religions. I think that Sri Lanka is a very religious country, so there's a lot of religious characteristics that I think that it takes a lot of time for you to learn how to behave well. So, do you want to hear that? Yes, darling. So, in the final stage, in the first stage, when I arrive, I think that I will start learning basic language first. Maybe it's the dialect that I will be learning, and maybe I will observe the people, you know, in terms of the dialect, and try to build a meaningful relationship with them. And next, I will try to join the local groups to get practical advice on something I prefer. And then, I may find out my habit of eating with my parents at local restaurants and trying to enjoy myself at any minor events. And when I finally get used to the culture, I may engage in the local community events, maybe volunteering, and join a sports club to actually build a more meaningful relationship with them. And in the entry and exit stage, when I have to go back to Vietnam, I think that I may miss this time very much. So, I may find meaningful things and try to keep the local community events with me to actually ease my longing for this place. So, I think that's it for Vietnam. That sounds like a good plan. I know you can do it. Keep going. Thank you. So, are we home next? Oh, no. We're home. Okay, now let's go to the wedding. It's the big wedding. What? Happy wedding. Cheers.