Explore Sean’s Essays:
Globalization: Gangnam Style
What do Sri Lankan students, an American English Teaching Assistant (ETA), and a Korean rapper share in common? For one thing, we all possess a love of dance and music. Psy’s top charting song, Gangnam Style, has taken the world by storm. With its gripping lyrics and absurd...
#bikeLK
Over the past two weeks I've started biking to work every day, and I have to say its been a welcome improvement to my daily routine. Between a cold shower, cup of coffee, and twenty minute bike ride I'm energized and ready to start teaching by the time I reach work. It takes...
Sarvodaya’s Pongal a Step Towards Reconciliation
Today marks the final day of the Tamil harvest festival, Pongal. The first day of Pongal is spent worshiping the Sun; the Sun is the giver of life, and without it crops would not grow. The second day is spent paying respect to cows. They are critical to life on a farm; not only...
Go and Come
Go and come. Its an odd phrase; but it is commonly used in Sri Lankan English, and I've really grown to like it. I spent five days between Colombo and Galle last week, traveling around 850km by bus and train. It was a great couple of days. I had the best Japanese food of my...
Coloring Book Academy
I studied finance at Fordham. When I started University I was in the College of Business Administration; during my senior year we became the Gabelli School of Business, thanks to a major contribution by Mario Gabelli. During my four years there I had a lot of internship...
Pongal (பொங்கல்)
Back in November, which seems like an eternity ago, I taught my students about the American Festival of Thanksgiving. I compared Thanksgiving to the Hindu festival of Pongal, which is celebrated in January. Pongal is a festival to celebrate the harvest. Pongal (Tamil: பொங்கல்)...
Time Zones, the Metric System, & Temperature: The Importance of Standards
A part of my New Year Goals was to get more articles published. Well, here is the first one for 2013, published on Under30CEO: “Money is green. Distance is measured in miles. Twenty degrees is cold.” Depending upon where you are in the world this could be true, or it could be...
Wadi, wadi, wadi!
Anyone who has traveled through Sri Lanka will be familiar with the plethora of food vendors that sell their snacks on trains and busses. Wadi, a fried ball of chickpeas, curry leaves, and seasonings, is a staple in Sri Lanka. Sometimes your food comes in plastic bags,...
Three Months in Sri Lanka
The smell of salt water, sounds of soft jazz and sight of the setting sun overwhelm my senses. I'm sitting on the green of the Galle Face Hotel sipping on a cocktail made of arrack and Pimm's, garnished with mint, lime, and cinnamon. Today marks the completion of three months...