“Thank you for being more than just a place to live, you have been a place where families like mine can grow.” Nimantha Baranasuriya from Sri Lanka reflects on moving to Singapore on an NUS scholarship and expresses gratitude for the city’s family-focused environment.
00:00Hi everyone, my name is Nimantha Baranasuri and my name is Nimantha Baranasuri and my name is Nimantha Baranasuri.
00:28Hi everyone, I'm Nimantha Baranasuri. I'm 39 years of age. I was born in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka is a tropical island, just like Singapore. Growing up there was a lot of fun. There was a lot of warmth and tradition in the country. I grew up in a very big family. I had lots of aunts and uncles and countless cousins to play with when I was growing up. So family gatherings were always a thing for us.
00:52In Sri Lanka, I studied computer science and engineering. Then I wanted to pursue further studies. I applied to a few universities and the National Institute of Singapore extended a full scholarship for me to move and study in Singapore.
01:08And that is why I moved to Singapore together with my wife back in 2011.
01:15So coming into Singapore was like the moment I stepped out of Shanghia, I was instantly mesmerized. The country was out of like a space, a science fiction novel for me.
01:26I remember taking a trip on the purple MRT line and I love trains and I was trying to find the engine room and there wasn't for us and later on I realized it's a driverless train.
01:36So those kind of things really mesmerized me about Singapore. And the university had many programs that they organized for our foreign students to immerse us in the Singaporean culture.
01:47So that really helped us settle down in Singapore quite fast as well.
01:51There were certain culture shock moments for us when we moved to Singapore. I remember crossing streets, something very simple but in Sri Lanka pedestrians don't have a lot of right of way.
02:01I was waiting at a crossing to cross and then the driver approached me and stopped and he was waiting for me to cross.
02:07I was waiting for him to just drive by and both of us were having like a staring contest.
02:12And then finally the driver just gestured at me, you know, to cross and I realized, you know, that happens every day.
02:19So those kind of things, like little things, but I have lots of memories like that when settling down in Singapore.
02:25So as I mentioned in the beginning, we felt that the family values are like cornerstone in society and in how people, you know, raise families here.
02:36And there are so many support mechanisms, government policies around building up families because it's considered as a very important thing in Singaporean society.
02:46So we felt that, you know, having two daughters, ten and six years of age right now.
02:52So we see that we are definitely confident that we made the right decision because our kids are growing up in a wonderful environment, in a safe environment.
03:00And we couldn't be any any more proud of them. Right.
03:03So life for me these days, it's like building my startup.
03:08So it's I'm running a very new startup to help manufacturing plants like textile or F&B manufacturers reduce their full consumption by optimizing their heating operations.
03:19And at the end of the day, we help build a greener planet for everybody.
03:23And apart from that, we are raising two daughters with my wife.
03:28So they're in primary school going through the education system.
03:32So in the evenings when I'm back, there's a lot of homework that I need to help them with.
03:36Apart from that, I play tennis a lot.
03:39I find that it helps me cope with my stress a lot.
03:43And I have another group of friends that I train handstands with as well.
03:48So what's interesting these days is that I've started learning Chinese.
03:52So basically these are all types of CCA.
03:55This is Wu Dao Tuan.
03:57Wu Dao Tuan.
03:59Yeah, it's like dancing.
04:00It's just He Chang Tuan.
04:02He Chang Tuan.
04:04It's like choir.
04:06Tade mei zhe jiao xiao hong.
04:09Tade mei zhe jiao...
04:11Sorry, again.
04:12Tade mei zhe jiao xiao hong.
04:15Tade mei zhe jiao xiao hong.
04:18Because my daughters are learning Chinese as their mother tongue in school.
04:23So I thought of, you know, helping them with their Chinese studies.
04:26So I went and got myself enrolled in a Chinese class.
04:29And on the first day itself, the teacher asked me, like, why are you studying Chinese?
04:33And I told the teacher, actually, I want to help my daughters.
04:36And the teacher smiled and said, you know what?
04:38That's not going to happen.
04:39The daughters will be teaching you.
04:41Because they would be learning much faster than you would be able to learn it.
04:44But give it your best shot.
04:46So, yeah.
04:47So here I am learning Chinese with the help of my daughters.
04:50And I'm truly enjoying the process.
04:55So talking about my favorite places in Singapore, they are all family-related places.
05:00Because whenever we have time on the weekends or whenever we are free,
05:04my wife and I take the kids down for walks or for play at neighborhood parks or other places of interest.
05:10So we usually live very close to West Coast Park.
05:13So that used to be our go-to place almost every Sunday, where we go and fly kites.
05:19And the kids ride their bicycles and climb.
05:22There's a huge climbing pyramid that our girls really enjoy.
05:27And after that, we end the evening at McDonald's with some ice cream.
05:33Of course, my daughters were born here in Singapore,
05:35but I wanted them to be connected with the Sri Lankan roots.
05:40So we expose her to different kinds of Sri Lankan activities that we can find in Singapore.
05:47For example, there's a small Sri Lankan community in Singapore.
05:51So we try to get them exposed to other families that are living in Singapore that's just like us.
05:58Every year, we travel back to Sri Lanka so that our daughters can meet the extended families,
06:03their cousins that are still based in Sri Lanka.
06:06So that is like on our annual holiday calendar, no matter what happens.
06:10And at home, we do expose them to different kinds of Sri Lankan dishes that we make at home for them.
06:16Of course, it's not their favorite because growing up in Singapore,
06:18they like a lot of the Singaporean food that they're exposed to.
06:21But at home, we try to get them exposed to as many Sri Lankan dishes as possible
06:25so that when they grow up, they would be firmly rooted in their cultural upbringing from Sri Lanka
06:31but at the same time be global citizens growing up in Singapore.
06:37To me, being Singaporean is living out the spirit of the pledge in its fullest
06:43because I wasn't born here, but I'm here together with so many other people
06:47who speak different languages, who come from different religions,
06:50who come from different races, but we are all here as one united society
06:56building towards the progress and the prosperity of the country.
07:00That to me is super powerful and that's something that I truly resonate with.
07:04So my daughters in school, they're learning Chinese.
07:08So I thought that would be a very interesting way for her to sort of get exposed to another cultural aspect
07:14or a cultural segment of Singapore that they have not been exposed to.
07:18And I myself, I've started to learn Chinese as well.
07:22And it's something that I think really makes life interesting for all of us.
07:27But to me, yeah, so to being Singaporean is all about living in harmony
07:31with lots of different kinds of people, but working together towards one common goal
07:36which is the progress of not just myself, but the community as well.
07:40I'm looking forward to deepening my roots in Singapore, meeting more people,
07:44building more friendships and contributing to the society as much as I can.
07:49Another goal is to be the way in the world
07:54Which instance would have done so far in Sri Lanka is a kind that you are in this life
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09:07Thank you so much for joining us today, and we will see you in the next episode of M. Janatava Haekbeemata Idak Sadadimapilibandava Mamoubata Sthootyvantavim.
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