If you are now wondering where exactly Colombo is, I can assure you that you are not alone. I first had to ask Google where exactly our new colleague is from. After a few minutes of research, I came to the conclusion that perhaps we should think about a new holiday destination. But back to the topic: my new colleague Ishantha. I would like to introduce him to you today. You can probably guess which of our departments has been enriched by a new member since March: Development. But I don’t want to give too much away in advance. Let’s let Ishantha have his say.
Welcome to HotelNetSolutions. The obligatory first question: Have you settled in yet?
It’s getting better day by day. The cultural difference between Colombo and Berlin is huge, of course. But it’s exactly what I wanted when I decided to take the step abroad.
How did it come about that you wanted to go to Germany of all places?
I have worked in various IT companies in Sri Lanka over the past 10 years. You know yourself that IT companies are usually very international. That’s why I have always worked with many European colleagues. We exchanged information about the different countries. At some point, I felt the desire to go to Germany.
Good for us. 😊 Why exactly did it become us?
I have to admit that people in Colombo don’t necessarily know HotelNetSolutions… 😉 I saw your ad online and found it super exciting to change profession – to still stay in IT, but to discover a whole new field for myself. I had never had any contact with the hotel industry before. Let’s put it this way: I was looking for a new challenge.
New country. New job. I’d say you’ve certainly succeeded. What exactly will you be doing with us?
In my previous job, I worked most recently as an Associate Tech Lead. Here, I will again work as a front-end developer and ensure with my colleagues that the existing products become better. At the same time, of course, we want to keep working on new features to make the products more attractive. I think it’s great that we offer so many different products and don’t focus on just one. That makes the work a lot more exciting and diverse.
I have to come back to your home country. To be honest, I didn’t know much about Sri Lanka before. Are you coming directly from Colombo? And what actually interests me a bit more: What is so special about your country
I grew up in Galle, a town two hours’ drive south of Colombo. With a population of just under 100,000, Galle is not super big, but it’s very beautiful and right by the sea – what more could you want? Nevertheless, I went to Colombo to study and graduated from the University of Colombo School of Computing in 2018.
Regarding your second question: Where should I start? Sri Lanka is the pearl of the Indian Ocean. There is no place in Asia where nature is more diverse than here. Green mountains, pristine waterfalls, beautiful beaches. My highlights by far are Nilaveli Beach in the north-east of the island, Sigiriya in the interior and the region around Ella and Adams Peak.
Ok, I get it. You have to go to Sri Lanka once in your life. 😊
But we don’t only have exceptional nature. Sri Lanka is also known for high-quality cinnamon and tea. You have certainly heard of Ceylon tea.
If you had so much nature on your doorstep, you are certainly quite active in your free time. What do you do when you want to switch off?
It’s true. I love to go hiking and be out in nature. But in fact, I love everything that has to do with coding and also deal with it in my free time. I don’t just want to stay up to date. I soak up everything that has to do with it. But I also like to do “normal” things. Watching films on Netflix, listening to music. I love picnics. But most of all, I like to get together with my friends and family. Now that I’m here in Germany, it’s of course a bit more complicated to keep in touch with old friends.
My last question to you: What is your favourite film to watch on Netflix? That often says a lot about a person.
I don’t have a particular favourite film. But they are mostly action films, thrillers or Bollywood films.
Thank you very much for the interview and the short excursion to Sri Lanka 😉
