Where is home and what brought you to America?

 

Home is a city called Clontarf which is closest to Brisbane in Queensland, Australia. I came to America for school and to play tennis.

That's cool! What are you studying? Talk to me a little bit about your culture.

Well I'm studying chemistry. Being an Australian I see our culture as really laid back. We are somewhat lazy, and in result this is why we shorten so many of our words making our speech faster and easily flowing. Additionally, we do have our aboriginal culture, or the natives of the land. All throughout school we are taught about our ancestors and how they treated the land. This is also where the infamous boomerang comes from.

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​Wow, that's really interesting. What is your favorite part about home?

The weather and always being surrounded by nature. Everything in Australia is preserved.

That sounds really nice! Since moving to the Sates what has been your favorite so far?

The free refills, but also the emphasis on community events, especially sporting ones. In Australia that is something that isn't really emphasized and it's really great to experience that here.

 

Now for a tougher question, what is your least favorite part about home?

The price of everything is so expensive because we are so secluded from other countries. In addition, traveling is really hard because flying is our only option.

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Hmm interesting, I never really thought of it like that, but that makes a lot of sense and definitely seems like a really hard thing to deal with. Moving forward, what has been your least favorite thing about living in the States?

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The tax that is added at check-out! In Australia the tax is already included on the price tag so when you go to check out you know exactly how much you're going to pay.

Ah yes, the taxes do get you. What are some major assumptions people make about your culture?

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People assume that we encounter dangerous animals all the time, but in reality it is the small animals you have to look out for. In addition, people always think that we know all about how to handle animals. Growing up we were taught about animals, but it wasn't the only thing we learned. A lot of people also think we live in the outback and know how to surf which of course isn't the case. Lastly, I feel as though people think we say "g-day mate" to everyone, but this isn't true. Our usual greeting is like "hello, how are you?" but is a more lazy manner like "hey, how's it goin?"

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Yeah, I see that. I think in grade school some of those assumptions were definitely brought up whenever someone were to mention Australia. In response to that, why do you think it's important for others to invest in and want to learn about other's cultures?

I think that people should learn about different cultures to have a more in-depth perspective into others' lives. Investing in others' cultures and lifestyles allows people to experience parts of the world they haven't been to yet. Plus I feel as though this encourages people to learn more and travel as much as they can.

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Definitely, I agree. So with all that, what are you most proud of about your culture?

The fighting spirit of Australians are strong. Their heart is like no other. They don't give up and that is what being a true Aussie is all about.

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That's great, to have so much pride in one's country. Now that we know a little bit more about your culture, would you mind sharing a little bit about you?

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Being Australian I love the beach and the heat. The hotter the weather the better, I say. I love being outside as does everyone else in Australia. I personally like hiking through the forrest and climbing up mountains. I also like hosting parties and doing all sorts of puzzles like jigsaws. As an athlete, I love learning new activities that my body hasn't trained for yet, and learning the limits of which I can push myself.

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That's awesome! I definitely agree with you on the hotter the better. Thank you so much for taking the time to share with me about your culture! Looking ahead, what recipe are you going to be sharing?

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I will be making the Queenslander.