Mandy - The German
“Thank god for Germans!” is a sentence I’ve said a few times in situations where having German punctuality, planning ability and organized manner really saved the day and made things so much easier. Still, for Mandy I might have never said it.
She has had to bear with my stupid culturally insensitive – no… culturally unacceptable – jokes maybe more than anyone else. But I hope that at the end of the day she understands I really respect her as who she is: a great friend with a very unique personality. What I admire most in Mandy is that she never hides her feelings: If she’s pissed off she let’s others understand it. If she’s happy she shares her joy with everyone. If she needs things to get done, she damn sure makes things happen. If she’s sad she cries. If she’s hurt, she talks.
With Mandy you don’t have to put on any kind of act but just be yourself. Together we have acted foolishly, graved for cheese & salami, broken a couple of Gizmos, partied the whole night, savored Salmiakki in both liquid and solid forms, and of course – it’s all coming back to me – started the Pink Panther fan club!
Mandy also has a true passion to her work: She doesn’t speak about work much but she acts more than she speaks. It’s not uncommon for her to work home till late night, have breakfast with a laptop and after that spend a long day at the office, coming back home only eight or nine in the evening. But this doesn’t mean she would be a workaholic. No, she can also let her hair down and enjoy life.
Mandy, you might not always the easiest person to deal with. But you are you! Don’t ever change. Stay true!
Your klingelden frosch.
Shek - Roomie
Having Shek as a roommate was a gift. He was the kind of guy who you'd instantly feel comfortable with. He was the person who was the first one to ask if I'd like to go on a weekend trip in Sigiriya when I had just arrived and didn't feel as part of the community yet. He was the kind of guy who I could share anything and everything with from deep feelings to random thoughts. I managed to shock him more than once with my gross stories and behavior but no matter how disgusting I was he stayed as my friend. I really appreciate the fact that he'd directly tell to my face whenever I was an ass, and believe me it was more often than once.
What I most admire of him is his determination, guts and ambition. He is much more mature than many of his age. He has dreams that he is not afraid to go after. He came to Sri Lanka to work in advertising, though he had never been exposed to the field before. In actuality, due to others' expectations he did a degree in engineering in India. Once roads and transportation didn't really do the trick he ventured out to advertising where he could better use his creativity, ideas and high working morale. It was so interesting to listen to his stories of successes and failures at work because whatever the story was it was always told with unquestionable over-riding passion.
One day we will both be entrepreneurs and he's just the kind of business partner anyone would love to have. Hopefully our paths cross again and we can make miracles happen together. And if that happens I promise not to leave used cotton buds in your room anymore. Thanks mate for the added value you brought to my life! I miss our early morning tuk-tuk rides.
Katty – Big sister
When I started writing this I had a weird feeling that I’ve already done it. But no, I haven’t posted on Katty yet. Maybe the feeling came from the fact that I’ve already mentioned her so many times before or because I still think of her so often, though she’s already back in Croatia. She was – no she is – like a big sister for me, though there’s no age difference. In the beginning when I had the mindset that Sri Lanka can be a dangerous place I was shit-scared of even fire-crackers, not to mention thunder that made me shiver alone in my room. I’d go to Katty and she’d comfort me, being an ex-Yugoslavian and knowing exactly what sounds of war are like. First connecting factor with Katty was her extensive AIESEC experience. It didn’t take long for us to realize that we share many common acquaintances and one very good friend (one particular Macedonian called Petak). With Petak I had already felt brotherhood and thought maybe there’s a bloodline in my family that originates from Balkans. With Katty that feeling just strengthened.We would share our frustrations, our moments of happiness, our dreams and hopes. There was nothing we couldn’t talk about. That led to a number of situations where we were the only ones still up when all the rest had already gone to bed. In a way, she was also my shrink: being interested in psychology and having genuine willingness to listen she’d guide me through the darkest valleys of my time in Sri Lanka.
Previously I had one brother and one sister that have always been there for me and that I love so much. Now I have one more sister. Thanks Katty for being there for me! I’ll keep my promise and we’ll meet again.
