Living in Australia, a semi-ramble
so... I don't write much about this, on my blog anyway, but a recent reading of Susan's blog post this morning got me thinking today. (America vs. Australia.) Now obviously her post is just one quick observation about some differences in our cultures (ours referring to Australian and American, because Suz and I are two Yankee Doodles as my husband likes to say.) I'd venture to say as her and her commenter before that it does have a lot to do with geography. But from my experience people here do seem ever-ready for a chat. Grocery check-out people, the police man I went to see the other day, ladies I meet on the street, folks in Lush stores. It's different. Having said that, I've lived a large part of my life in foreign countries where the language escaped me most of the time so even if someone did try to chat with me, I usually was not fast enough to respond so just choose to make gestures to indicate "I have no idea what you're saying." Well, I could understand Italians, and they are ALWAYS ready to chat. (And by chat, I mean.... tell you how great you're looking haha... another story, another day.) But compared to the U.S. anyway, I do notice a difference. Especially compared to big cities. But I think it's completely understandable; it is much easier, cognitively, to just walk around and not consider any one else around you.
Anyway, I fear that I'm coming apon "the turn." Not meno, but the turn where after living in a country for a certain amount of time you finally start to settle a bit. For me, it's been a kicking and screaming thing for the past 15 months that I've lived here, but I think I'm starting to like it. I've gotten to the point where I'm not AS self-concious of being American as I was when I first moved here. I can more or less move about my day with no one asking me "hey... where's the accent from?" And when it does happen it's not bothersome, or embarassing anymore.
(Actually, this week an ambulance accidently came to my front door after 10 pm, and through the screen door that I wouldn't unlock [lest they were rapists dressed as Ambos like in the U.S.] the paramedic goes "that's a lovely accent you have! have a nice evening!" Never hurts to hear that!) (Does this reinforce Suz's point that Americans are scared of each other? haha, maybe, but I think it's safe practice to not open your screen door to anyone at night if you're home alone and you don't have your trusty rifle with you, because you left it in Texas. kidding...)
More importantly though, I kind of like to crap-talk the U.S. It's a little hobby of mine, and over here it's quite welcome. If I moved back to the U.S. it's hard to find people willing to have the same conversations. (And I use the phrase "crap-talk" in a completely patriotic way. Crap-talk as in, question our government because I love my country, and think it can do MUCH better than it has been doing, so why don't we talk about what's going wrong, so we can make it right?) Australians don't have a problem with questioning, protesting, or "crap-talking" anything at all. They're an easy going bunch, but, on the whole if they care about something, they'll let you know, and it's not considered unpatriotic!
I don't think I'd be thrilled to live the rest of my life in Adelaide because I really want to live in Europe (if possible) for at least a few more years (by a few I mean, till I'm 60, but whatever), and probably in the U.S. just to see what it's like to live "in the real world" (aka Past College) over there, but it's not so bad here. New American advertisting/tourism slogan for Australia? It's not so bad here!
And to make a quick comment to Suzer: the only real difference I notice in Australian magazines is that in Cosmo here they usually have naked woman in them... and they don't in the U.S one. I wonder why my husband keeps buying me every months magazine? (But I don't read the yoga mags here... and I still <3 Oprah even though it can be semi-vapid in the sense that there is lots of stuff to buy, she covers great ideas and books.)
Anyway, I fear that I'm coming apon "the turn." Not meno, but the turn where after living in a country for a certain amount of time you finally start to settle a bit. For me, it's been a kicking and screaming thing for the past 15 months that I've lived here, but I think I'm starting to like it. I've gotten to the point where I'm not AS self-concious of being American as I was when I first moved here. I can more or less move about my day with no one asking me "hey... where's the accent from?" And when it does happen it's not bothersome, or embarassing anymore.
(Actually, this week an ambulance accidently came to my front door after 10 pm, and through the screen door that I wouldn't unlock [lest they were rapists dressed as Ambos like in the U.S.] the paramedic goes "that's a lovely accent you have! have a nice evening!" Never hurts to hear that!) (Does this reinforce Suz's point that Americans are scared of each other? haha, maybe, but I think it's safe practice to not open your screen door to anyone at night if you're home alone and you don't have your trusty rifle with you, because you left it in Texas. kidding...)
More importantly though, I kind of like to crap-talk the U.S. It's a little hobby of mine, and over here it's quite welcome. If I moved back to the U.S. it's hard to find people willing to have the same conversations. (And I use the phrase "crap-talk" in a completely patriotic way. Crap-talk as in, question our government because I love my country, and think it can do MUCH better than it has been doing, so why don't we talk about what's going wrong, so we can make it right?) Australians don't have a problem with questioning, protesting, or "crap-talking" anything at all. They're an easy going bunch, but, on the whole if they care about something, they'll let you know, and it's not considered unpatriotic!
I don't think I'd be thrilled to live the rest of my life in Adelaide because I really want to live in Europe (if possible) for at least a few more years (by a few I mean, till I'm 60, but whatever), and probably in the U.S. just to see what it's like to live "in the real world" (aka Past College) over there, but it's not so bad here. New American advertisting/tourism slogan for Australia? It's not so bad here!
And to make a quick comment to Suzer: the only real difference I notice in Australian magazines is that in Cosmo here they usually have naked woman in them... and they don't in the U.S one. I wonder why my husband keeps buying me every months magazine? (But I don't read the yoga mags here... and I still <3 Oprah even though it can be semi-vapid in the sense that there is lots of stuff to buy, she covers great ideas and books.)
Comments
Note on magazines...I picked up one in the airport in Hobart called Zoo or some other thing with lots of boobs and other such things, and opened it up and starting reading it next to my husband, who was reading car mags. I kept showing him bits (no pun intended) until eventually he walked away and said he wanted to look at another magazine in another section. To avoid looking like a total perv, I put the mag away and wandered off. When I came back to that shop, he was right back by the car mags. Hmmm, he talks and oogles a lot, but I guess that was just too much for him LOL!
I like to trash talk the US as well, but I get right prickly when non-Americans do so to me. I know, doesn't make sense.
I still kind of want to live in Europe as well, but I think it's untenable for us. Not if we want to have the lifestyle that we can have here. If I were five years younger and childless, I would have stayed in the UK.
Nice post all in all.