Cultural differences

Key differences between Sri Lanka and UK

The UK is colder, drivers are more careful, we don't have as many roadside markets, we queue, we are not as laid back, we don't have Poya days, shops open normally 9-5.30, we don't eat as much spicy food, we normally eat with cutlery, we are not as obsessed with cricket or voting, we are not quite so patriachial or class-based and don't have a caste system, we are mainly Christian rather than Buddhist but do have buddhist and hindu temples, with our weather we are not much good at growing tea, we have one official language, English, apart from a second language in Wales, Welsh, we don't have tsunamis or monsoons, we don't have wild elephants or game parks, we don't have hunter gatherers like the Veddhas, we use the roman alphabet, we are sometimes more reluctant to discuss religion and politics, we are not so hot tempered, we are more urban, men drink in pubs rather than tea or coffee shops, homes usually have plumbed baths and washing machines, there are few arranged marriages,  vicars can be spoken to uninvited and we wear shoes in church and even hats but they don't visit homes to bless or chant and churchgoers' clothes can be any colour, unmarried women are less concerned with modesty, life is faster, we don't use astrology for planning, we usually celebrate birthdays with cakes and presents, girls are not confined in their periods, weddings do not use a poruwa or involve chanting or exchanging present although the couple may feed each other cakes but there is no coconut involved, the extended family do not usually live together, in fact families often put the elders in care homes, the genders do not split the domestic roles as sharply, the greeting is shaking hands, invitations to dinner are about 7pm, workers don't get such generous christmas bonuses, we don't normally have cockroaches or mosquitos creeping into kitchens but we do have flies, our furniture tends to be more luxurious,  we have a national ambulance service free as part of the NHS and emergency services are called on 999, herbal medicine is not so widespread, cinema is largely Hollywood-based, public transport is more expensive, road surfaces tend to be better and we don't have so many animals blocking roads, hire cars are more reliable, it is rare to see more than one person riding the same bicycle, we are not as often vegetarian, although we don't have perheras we do have carnivals and we have fewer public holidays, kissing and shaking hands is done more freely between the sexes, workers are not so scared of getting things wrong, we don't have short leave at work, appointments are more the norm, bills are usually paid by direct debit, post boxes are more reliably emptied.

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That is our summary. What would you add?