Daiva Vedeikyte
Life is all about meeting vibrant and interesting people and today we meet an interesting personality from Lithuania, who is now living in Sri Lanka. She confesses her penchant for curries and affirms that she is strongly getting accustomed to our ways. What is it about Sri Lanka that catches the eye of foreigners who decide to make their home here?
Let’s meet Daiva and find out..
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· Full name : Daiva Vedeikyte
· Nickname : Diva (just because people struggle to spell my name!)
· Age : 23
· Skin colour : White
· Eye colour : Hazel
· Hair colour : Brown
· Education in brief : Finished school back in Lithuania, gained a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management in London
· Professional training : I am a manager of Colombo City Hostel at the moment. In the past, when I was living and studying in London, I was a bartender and waitress.
· Life’s motto : Enjoy your life and stay positive
· Born and lived : Was born in Lithuania and lived there for 19 years. After school, when I was 19, I moved to London and stayed there for four years as I was attending university and working at the same time. Sri Lanka was my next destination straight after graduating from university.
Tell us about yourself?
I was born in Lithuania and spent 18 years of my childhood in a beautiful city by the Baltic sea, called Klaipeda. I studied and lived with my mum, dad, younger brother and sister. After I finished school, even though I got into the university I really wanted back in my country, I felt a need for change, so I just moved to London. Obviously, the only reason my parents allowed me to move was because I was going to attend university there. Although, I was always very stubborn, so they knew I will do what I wanted to anyway, they had no choice.
However, when I moved to London I fell in love with the city and obviously the feeling of freedom and independence, so instead of going to university I decided to work for one year, have fun and save some money for university next year. After that year of fun and hard work, I applied for university in London, for a degree in Business Management. I never took money from my parents while I was in London, as I believe that they gave me more than enough and I was more than capable of being responsible for myself, so this meant that I needed to work while studying. I had quite an intense three years of university and work; however I believe that I learned a lot about myself and this experience made me stronger. A few years ago I had a brain stroke as well - which made me paralysed for a few days and left me stuck with a daily dose of colourful tablets that I have to take for the rest of my life. This experience made me realise how much I should actually appreciate my life and what I have. Life is so short and goes so fast, it is so important to stay positive whatever happens. I believe that positivity attracts good things and makes life more beautiful. A week after my graduation, I arrived in Sri Lanka to have a new adventure and who knows what will happen next!
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How did you end up in SL?
To be honest, I did not plan to come to Sri Lanka, it just happened. After I graduated I was open for options, I didn't have a particular place where I wanted to go, butI did think it would be better to go to a bigger, more developed country. However, one day I received an e-mail from my boss and he offered me this opportunity in Sri Lanka. It was very unexpected, it did not take me long to make a decision. In the end I thought to myself –“I wanted an adventure, I wanted something very different from the busy London city, so why not the beautiful tropical island of Sri Lanka?” I had nothing to lose.
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About your experience here?
As a manger of a hostel, every day, I meet travellers from all around the world, who come to visit this beautiful island and have no clue on how to travel, what to see, and have millions of questions. So I believe that my role as a resident of this country is to represent it and give them advice and share my experiences with my guests, in order for them to have the best experience of this country. I believe that in order to give good advice, you have to have the experience yourself, which means I do need to travel, however it’s not just work related, I enjoy traveling a lot and I still have many places to explore in Sri Lanka.
Your country, Lithuania - what do the people there think of Sri Lanka?
When I broke the news that I am moving to Sri Lanka, my mum had many comments…
· You’re going where?
· Sri Lanka? What is that? Let me check on google..
· Nooo way - are you joking? There was a war recently and a tsunami!
· It’s dangerous, no way are you going there.!
So in other words, they don’t know much about this island, not even my parents. So as you see I didn't really listen to their advice.
Are you a religious person?
I was born in a Christian/Catholic family, though my family is not really religious. I guess in my family at least, it is more like a tradition to baptise your children when they are born, however it doesn’t mean you have to go to church or pray, unless it’s a big holiday like Christmas or Easter, and your grandparents make you. So I wouldn't say I am a religious person, however I do respect everyone’s choices and beliefs.
Your thoughts on SL people?
I will be very honest when answering this question. I believe that Sri Lankan people are very helpful and nice, however their problem is that they do not know how to say ‘NO’ or ‘I DO NOT KNOW’, which makes it really confusing sometimes, when I get lost. Even though people have no clue where I need to go they direct me in random directions and this means I stay lost! But I guess this is my inner tourist speaking. In general it is amazing how many things people of this country have gone through and the island itself is so diverse, with different religions and languages. It is impressive that the majority of the people speak English here. My country is part of the European Union and I do not think that people have that good an English knowledge there!
Interview & pics by Jayantha Fernando
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0 Comments
Priya says:
Nov 27, 2013 at 12:00 amKeep up the good work Jayantha! I love your photography!
Priyantha Perera Mahahewage says:
Nov 27, 2013 at 12:00 amThe trick is you should always double check before commting.
vérité says:
Nov 28, 2013 at 12:00 amLucky young lady, to get her first appointment after graduation in Sri Lanka. It sounds like a dream come true to end up in a tropical paradise. Have an enjoyable stay in our country .
Dinelle says:
Nov 28, 2013 at 12:00 amThanks for doing such interviews. Great work. Inspiration for all young ladies.