The Colombo City Center opened two weeks ago and that is still all I see on everyone’s Instagram story. Right before that, it was Marino Mall that took the people of Colombo by storm with all of its VR games. All that hype over a mall and gaming arcade obviously means something to Colombo. Gone are the days where you circle around MC to pass time until your next lecture. Gone are the days where you sport a nameless brand. Colombo living is developing, and it’s happening fast.
While Colombo in the near future may not be the way I envisioned it, with flying cars and whatever imagination a 10 year old could muster, it sure as hell without a doubt would mean a fully functioning lotus tower topped out at 350 m tall. (Apparently, the tallest tower in the South Asian region) And apart from that, obviously, the most talked about Colombo Port City. A separate world in Sri Lanka itself.
The rapid development in my city does not just revolve around malls and other means of entertainment. Moving away from the fun zone, The education sector, hospitality industry and the health sector have also certainly evolved with time.
Education
Most local universities are affiliated with foreign universities, where going overseas for higher education is just not big a deal as how it was back in the day. Apart from stressful streams like Business, Psychology, Law and Medicine, we have the chance to get ourselves a recognized BA or similar qualification in streams we are actually passionate about. This could be Fashion designing, Journalism or even something as simple as Photography.
Hospitality
While Shangri La stands high among the other buildings in the Galle face area, other hotel chains like Ritz Carlton, ITC Colombo One, NEXT are ongoing constructions that are yet to Spruce up Colombo. Obviously not forgetting Cinnamon Life (also currently under construction in the heart of Colombo) with its 800 room, five star hotel. Now, who wouldn’t want to holiday in such a dreamy place?
Health Care
Not only do hospitals like Nawaloka and Lanka Hospitals have a grandeur feeling to it, but these medical institutes also guarantee the most efficient health care services to those in need of it. Specially with all the latest equipment and well trained doctors and nurses, not forgetting the newer vaccinations and required medicine.
Do you see how many outlanders or as some would call it, foreigners are in and around the busy streets of Colombo? Have you ever wondered why they choose to come to Colombo instead of some place else? While a minority may be tourists, the rest of them have actual lives in the city we reside in. This would obviously be a “bright neon sign” indicating that Colombo is in fact home to expats due to facilities none of us would have thought possible. It also evidently means that the cost of living is quite reasonable despite the constant hoo-haa’s you hear about on the news and so on.
Amidst all the buildings and city lights, Colombo living also has a touch of green to recover from that busy bee work life style we all have going on. The Gangarama park, surrounded with a lake and swan boat rentals to pedal away from our weekly worries and not forgetting the Diyatha Uyana park with the 3D paintings, boardwalk and the mini aquarium.
I guess what I’m trying to say is while this city might not be the next Paris of the world, what I do aspire Colombo to be in the years to come is a greater place to live and call home.