Hello
and a very warm welcome to all the IELTS Daily fans.
Today, we have a super special video.
Because we're joined by none other
than the person who blew up our channel.
It is Saskia.
Hell-o, Saskia.
Hi, Chris. How are you?
I'm fantastic.
It is so good to have you here.
I'm so happy to be here.
and I want to just start this video by saying,
thank you very much for coming along and doing the previous videos
because you made such an impact on our channel.
I'm really sure that you've seen.
What I want to do today is talk to these guys about you
who want to learn about you.
Okay.
Put to bed some of the myths
and some of the kind of untruths that are available on the Internet
and then learn a little bit more about who Saskia is,
where Saskia is going
and maybe learn a little bit more about your like past life.
Okay.
I'll be happy to answer any of your questions.
Fantastic.
If you guys are ready, I'm ready.
Let's go.
Do you know how many views you have had on the two videos you've made for us so far?
I haven't actually looked at them very recently, so I wouldn't know.
Would it surprised you if I said there's over seven million?
Seven million views and one video alone had 114 thousand likes.
114 thousand likes.
Now that is unprecedented.
That's phenomenal.
That's a lot of likes.
and I just wanted to to to say that
I wasn't expecting this.
When we hired the students, there were six of you
Yeah.
and tell us a story about how that came about.
Well, I was here for my break
and Chris, because you work at the university
which is like you know
Is there anyone around anyone free to come help out?
And I was like "Yeah, sure. Some pocket money can never hurt."
but yeah, I did not expect that reaction
or anything
any of that at all
Neither did I and so we filmed everything on two days, right?
And
your videos just blew up.
Everybody just loved your answers.
I'm so glad that I could help.
It's really, really helpful.
And what I want to do is just talk a little bit about
some of the comments that we found on the comment section of the videos
Okay.
I'm going to hand you one now, and you're going to read it
and tell me about it because I don't know about this.
Have a look at this one.
Oh,
What's the story with can you read it for the students?
He really said: "Sasukeeee, I was so ready to scream Sassukeee Naruto."
So have you watched Naruto?
I don't know why.
but it used to be on Cartoon network.
It's an animated TV show that was really, really popular.
I think it still is.
It was really popular when I was a kid.
and a lot of my friends used to call me Sasuki in school
because it was so similar to Saskia.
And was it Sasky or Sassuki?
I'm actually not too sure.
I never really watched it.
I think they pronounce it such, like, almost like your name.
but they write it really differently.
Sasuke.
Maybe.
and all of these people on the comments suggested that I completely messed up your name.
Oh no! You know my name Chris, you know my name very well.
Good.
Thank you.
So Saskia, there's another question here or another comment, what about this one?
Read it out.
I don't want.
Oh, no.
I have to
I don't want to embarrass you, but read it.
Someone give this girl a Hollywood contract.
They love the way that you came across on the camera.
I'm so glad.
I think you're really natural.
I think that was one of the
pleasing factors of having you in front of the screen
because you just were so natural.
So it was great to have you.
Well, if somebody does want to give me a Hollywood contract
after I finished Uni.
Yes, please.
And we'll talk about your education very soon,
Okay.
but how do if somebody wants to kind of learn more about you
You've got an Instagram profile, right?
I do have an Instagram profile, my instagram is: s_skia.
but you can also find me at Precision Management.
That's my modeling agency.
Excellent.
and you're also on TikTok, is that right?
I'm getting there, yes.
I don't know what TikTok is.
I'm too old for TikTok.
So what about this comment.
Ah,
This channel is B-S,
they hire Instagram models for views and likes.
I'm sorry, no. I'm not an Instagram model.
Modelling is my career, but that's not why Chris hired me.
Chris hired me because I'm a student, and I was also free.
And let.
and that's really true because you've taken the IELTS test before, haven't you?
Yeah.
and what was your experience of the IELTS test?
It was honestly, I did my exam in 2018
the very end of 2018.
So I don't really remember the test as vividly as somebody who did it last year would.
but, it wasn't too difficult
but at the same time, I did grow up being bilingual.
So that would be, you know, just easier for me to do that exam.
That's clearly put you in good stead for your university life and education.
Let's talk a little bit about where you came from
and that comes from this comment here.
Read that comment out.
No way she just learned that speaking in school or watching movies, she probably lived in a native English speaking country and picked it up.
Is that true? Did you live or did you grow up in a native, english speaking country?
I grew up in Sri Lanka
and Sri Lanka has three popular languages: English, Sinhalese and Tamil, not in that order.
I did go to an English speaking school, but I was taught Sinhalese.
My parents made sure that I was very much in touch with my culture regardless of which school I went to.
And my home, I was always bilingual
and I grew up speaking both English and Sinhalese
because my parents always felt like that was very important for me
and made me who I am.
Is education important to your parents?
Very much so.
And it's important to me too.
Excellent, and you plan to stick out your degree?
I will be doing that, yes.
Amazing .
This is quite a controversial one, and I probably need to explain a little bit.
I might give you this one to just ponder at the moment
and I'll explain a little bit because now lots of people were asking.
Sure.
Why is pronunciation just an 8.0?
So if you remember from the video there is one word.
That one word.
Oh, I do remember that one word.
Advertisement.
You pronounce it advertisements.
I pronounced it advertisement.
No, that's not right.
See, now you've got me confused.
Advertisement.
So this word "advertisement".
I had never heard it before pronounced like that
and the comment section blew up
because it turns out that in South India and in Sri Lanka, lots of people pronounce it advertisement
and I just never heard of that before.
And so in the IELTS test, there are kind of standard ways to pronounce things
and I tried to explain it in my video
and I said that
If you go to a country which is a native english speaking country
where English is the first language for the majority of people,
you probably wouldn't find advertisement
and it just made my ears stick up
because I was like, I've never heard that before.
And one of the the, the ways of assessing is listening for those types of words
that don't normally you don't normally hear during your everyday conversation
and I learned something from that video.
Cool people in in Sri Lanka say advertisement.
It's very normal.
That's the normal pronunciation.
Standard pronunciation for advertisement.
Exactly
and so probably and I I said this
that in the test, it is really likely that you would have scored nine
I think examiners probably would have put that aside
and said "Actually that's a standard feature for for Sri Lanka"
and you would have scored a nine.
So probably a little bit too fast on you.
Well, that's fine. I'll need to learn
I owe you an apology.
No, thank you.
Let's have a look at another question now.
One thing that I learned when I watch this video is
references to popular culture
and have a look at this comment here and see if you know what it means.
So we did that.
Blue steel is a comical, modeling facial expression featured in the 2001 comedy film Zoolander.
Zoolander is a great movie.
You really really should, if you have a minute watch it.
I've never seen Zoolander.
So, can you confirm that you were referencing that?
Yes, I was.
Your big fan of Zoolander?
I've watched a couple of times when I was younger and yes, I do like it.
So can you do a blue steel smile?
Oh, I really couldn't.
Great.
Another really contentious and discussed issue in the comment section of your second video.
This one, you probably have to do a little bit explaining
and have a read of this comment.
And the thing she told about Sri Lanka is a lie. She was like, having tap water in Sri Lanka makes you sick.
But really, most of the bottle of water companies used to sell the same
tap water by bottling it out with different brand names *laughing emoji*
Anyway, her English top class.
Well I appreciate that you enjoyed my English
but I think...
So the thing is, Chris,
the water you drink
your body gets used to the water that you drink on a regular basis
and when I moved to Australia from Sri Lanka,
I couldn't drink the tap water here.
That's not to say that Australian tap water isn't drinkable.
It's just that my body wasn't used to it.
And when I go to rural areas in Sri Lanka, I can't always drink the tap water the same way when I go to India.
That's not to say that people in those areas can't drink the tap water
but obviously it was a generalization that I made during the exam
because it was neither the time nor the place
to make a very specific statement and clarify what I meant.
It was a practice exam.
That's right.
And when you're under this exam condition.
Nobody is fact checking me.
Exactly and nobody's perfect.
You can't get it all always right.
I think you also said six liters of water and you probably did.
I do not drink six liters of water.
clearly meant six pints of water which is about two point, something that is.
Yeah.
couple of glasses
six glasses
That's the normal way.
Exactly.
So under these exam conditions, I think people didn't give you the benefit of the doubt.
Oh, please give me a break.
and this is something that I think lots of people should consider when they take the test.
They don't actually have to speak.
It's not important to be right.
What's important is to be able to speak naturally and get up there and hold a conversation.
I couldn't agree more.
So all those people who were kind of flocking you now
Oh, no.
It should give you a bit of an easier time.
Oh, it's fine.
That's part and parcel of being in the spotlight.
You get used to it.
Indeed.
So that brings us to the end of the comment section.
I want to hear about you.
So you grew up in Sri Lanka.
You went to an English speaking school.
And how has that benefited you?
It definitely improved my English,
and it meant that I both got to support
in learning English at home as well as at school.
So I learned how to write my essays in English, answer questions in English
as well as conduct my education in English
which really helped when I moved to an English speaking country like Australia.
And what values did your paren'ts instill in you as a person?
100% the value of education.
They always told us that
"Anybody can take anything away from you, but they cannot take your education."
Fantastic.
That's one thing that she...
both my parents really instilled in myself and my brother.
Yeah
and you came to Australia, was it a big move like coming to a new country and culture?
I had never been to Australia before.
So when I got off that flight, I was overwhelmed.
And I was lucky that I had my parents here
because I don't really have a lot of family in Australia
no one that I'm exceptionally close to.
And yeah, I was definitely overwhelmed but I remember thinking I was in Melbourne
I remember thinking I was just like
"You know what? It doesn't matter if you don't like it here.
You're already into Uni. What are you going to do? Go home?
No, you're going to suck it up. You're going to find something to love about it."
and honestly, when I found the time to go about the city by myself
and get my bearings
I love Melbourne.
I love living here and it feels like home now.
and so do you have many relatives back in Sri Lanka?
Not too many.
I just my close family and then we have family scattered all over the world.
Yeah.
and with the current lockdown of borders,
How are you feeling about you know potentially not returning to Sri Lanka for the foreseeable future?
Is it having an impact on you?
It's been a while definitely and I'm very close to my family.
So it is difficult to me being so far away from home
but you know, we call on a regular basis.
We're very much in touch and I think we're all playing the long game.
There's so many people who are in similar or even worse situations than we are.
And I think that we're very fortunate to have technology at our fingertips
that you know, I can face down my parents at any time of day
and I'm lucky that I have parents that are able to answer and be there for me.
I genuinely don't know what I would do if I was, you know, a young person like you are.
Nineteen
twenty years old
in a foreign country with no real ability to return home
because that's the reality that you can't return home
because if you were to go home, you can't come back and continue your studies.
You are so brave, and I think it's really admirable that you've managed to take a really strong stand.
And say, general education is really important and you will see your family.
I will. I will one day.
Well done to you for for having that great mindset.
So that's...
Now, what about the future?
Where's Saskia going?
Well.
Saska is currently working as a model at precision management
but I'm also a student, so I'm currently doing my Bachelor Arts majoring in Political Science.
And I'm looking to go to law school, it's either that
or doing a masters in international relations
But I'd like to work with people.
I'd like to do something that helps people either through
a foundation or even starting my own organization
where I might be able to help people and make a difference.
Great.
So if people want to follow you, they can follow your life on Instagram and TikTok.
Learn a little bit about you
and because your english is so phenomenal,
I think it would be a great opportunity for them to learn with you on that journey.
I would love to make some sort of channel where I'm able to help out.
Yeah.
Where do you think you'll settle in in the future?
You'll be here in Australia? or do you think you will turn back to Sri Lanka?
I don't know yet.
I don't think there's any way to really tell.
But I'm happy wherever I go, I think I'll find a way to make it at home.
What a great philosophy
especially at such a young age.
It's really admirable.
So, great job to you.
And for you guys, I hope that was an interesting and worthwhile experience.
Remember if you want to learn more about Saskia,
she's going to do some more part two questions, is that right?
Yes, I will.
And those part two questions are quite difficult.
I don't know if you remember in the test,
having to speak for over two minutes,
over one minute,
fewer than two minutes is a
Good thing, I'm very chatty.
Good.
So thanks guys for watching.
Thank you for Saskia for coming along.
It's been a pleasure, and we'll see you in the future.
Definitely.
No, I don't.
I don't.
because in E-A-P we were really strict.
EAP was so strict.
Yeah and too much so probably.
Oh, I don't know.
I probably needed it but the worst part is all the all the referencing details that Louisa drilled into my head.
I went out of foundish, look, I don't know how to reference anymore.
She would be so disappointed in me.