Third Culture Kid Interview: Levi in Sri Lanka

A third culture kid (TCK) is someone who is from one country, but who lives in another one most of the time. And often they blend these two cultures into their own third culture.

We've been talking with TCKs who are learning to navigate two cultures—the one their families are from and the one where their families live.

This month a TCK will share what it's like to live in Sri Lanka where 70% of people are Buddhist.

Sri Lanka is an island country off the coast of India. Sri Lanka is packed with a diversity of animals (such as elephants, crocodiles, elephants, and monkeys) and the biggest producer of cinnamon in the world! Getting around Sri Lanka is a breeze, hop on a bus or train to get where you need.

Let's dive into our TCK interview to learn more about this picturesque country.

Name: 
Levi

Age: 
10

Country: 
Sri Lanka

How Long I’ve Lived Here: 
5 years

Main Religion Where I Live: 
Buddhism

What My Local Friends Believe: 

They believe in Buddha and Allah. I’m the only Christian boy in the class.

Language My Local Friends Speak: 

English (I go to an international school). A lot of them use English at home. Most of them also speak Sinhala. Some speak Tamil in their homes. 

How Well I Speak the Local Language: (1 = not at all, 10=fluent: can easily speak, read, and write it)

3

Favorite Local Dish: 

Rice and curry of course! Chicken curry is my favorite. 

What My School Is Like Here: 

• People wear uniforms. 
• Our hair has to be cut a certain way. 
• They teach Sinhala as a subject, along with Kandyan dancing is taught. 
• They don’t have a cafeteria, we eat in our classroom, and they have a canteen for snacks. 
• At a certain age you're not allowed to go to the playground anymore. 
• My school has all the grades from preschool up to O-levels (high school). 
• In PE if the teacher is absent, then you get to play. For the other subjects, if the teacher is absent, you can just draw pictures or read books in that period. 

My Best Local Friend Is: 

Damian. He is a Russian boy. His mother is Russian, and his father is Sri Lankan. Before he came here, he lived in Australia. 

His skin color is the same as me, and he has curly gold hair. He is very funny. We have lots of things in common. We both like going to karate class. Sometimes we get to have playdates.

Favorite Toy: 
Tigy, my stuffed animal Tigger, and my Pokemon cards. I also love my Pokemon toys. Squirtle is my favorite.

What I Do For Fun: 

Playdates with my best friend, Damian, school friends, church friends, and cousin, Josh. I like to play with my toys and Nintendo Switch. I love going to our hotel pool where we have a membership.

Favorite Part of Living Here: 

I love going to the beach and playing with my friends. It also doesn’t get the freezing winter here. I like the snow, but why does it have to be freezing cold?! 

One Way To Pray for My Local Friends: 

I tell my friends stories from the Bible and they like it and want to join in the Christianity class, but their parents don’t let them. Please pray their parents will let them join the Christianity class. Pray also that when they grow up they will remember Jesus.

I hope you enjoyed hearing from Levi and reading about Sri Lanka. But let's keep learning more about this island country! 

Here are some research questions for you to dive into about this South Asian country:

1) What is the capital of Sri Lanka?

2) What are the two official languages spoken in Sri Lanka?

3) The Sri Lankan flag is one of the oldest flags in the world, dating back to 486 BC! Draw a picture of the "Lion Flag."

4) Sri Lanka is famous for its handpicked tea. Make a pot of Ceylon tea and munch on some tea biscuits.

5) What's the most popular sport in Sri Lanka?

6) What is the currency (or money) used in Sri Lanka called? 

Be sure to swing by next month to catch our next TCK interview!