miniaussiemollie

[miniaussiemollie]

Blog #7

Day 7

Happy 4th of July!! It’s been a whole week since my travels began, and it has been an amazing trip. Sadly, I will have to venture back to reality soon. I had to ask Susie what they do here for fireworks that might scare Mollie tonight but no fear, Susie says that most Australians do celebrate the American custom of the 4th but mostly gather at the local watering hole (bars) and drink. Most restaurants actually serve American dishes like hot dogs and hamburgers vs the local cuisine. That might be a later this evening event.

For now, we are just going to sit and chat. I have not spent that much time with my cousin. I’m pretty sure Susie is happy to have a day off. It seems all she does is work and be a mom. I had to ask what it was like where she worked, how much differed from the U.S. She says it’s not that much different people go to work, do their job and come home. Most employees do get evenings and weekends off to relax.

When greeting new acquaintances, handshakes are appropriate. When communicating in business type settings, being direct is vital. If not, one may be perceived as evasive and hypocritical. Similar to social situations, Australian business has a very low power distance. Humor in Australia is always acceptable even in business situations where humor is almost expected. Managers and bosses like to be seen as “one of the boys” or more of a friend than a boss. Australians just consider the boss to have a different job and not be superior to the workers. First names are used in all situations unless it is in an academic or medical situation. (https://www.cia.gov)

Susie went on to explain when she moved to Australia and started her new job, everyone was very nice, and patient given the communication barrier but managed to catch on very quickly. They always treated her like she is part of the group. I think that’s great!

At one-point Susie’s youngest fell ill and she had to see her Dr. nothing serious, turned out to be just a bug bite. (yup, the creepy crawlies). Curious to know, I asked Susie what the Australia’s health care system is like. She told me it sits precariously between two principles: universal coverage and personal choice. Australians generally believe everybody should be able to get care, affordably. At the same time, they believe that people who can pay more should be able to get more. Medicare is a national scheme providing Australia and some of its overseas visitors with free or subsidized health services. Australians help to cover its costs through the Medicare levy. Similar to the U.S. however we don’t have Medicare levy. Maybe Australia has a plan we should consider. (https://profile.id.com.)

Questions remain about approaching death in multicultural Australia. These range from whether or not people in identifiable subcultures approach death prematurely (as we know is true of Indigenous Australians, but could, for a variety of reasons, also be true of other ethnic groups) to culturally associated variations in quality as well as modes of dying, and modes of care at the end of life. (https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2003/179/6/approaching-death-multicultural-australia)

The intercultural healthcare-related work in Australia is complex due to all the cultures. To communicate effectively, my friend should take specific cultural training programs to better understand the cultural differences that come with the many different peoples that reside in this land. (Communications between Cultures, Edition 9, pages 373 – 375).

Susie’s daughter was treated and finally recovered from her bug bite in record time. Although not very happy about it as she was enjoying her time off, she had to go back to school. This brought up another thought. How different are the schools here?

Feeling like I was grilling my cousin I hesitated, but then remembered the culture. If you have a question, it’s best to just ask so I did. She responded saying Australia has great levels of participation in early childhood programs. Most participate in early schooling for competition at as earlier timeframe in comparison with other countries. It also has well-prepared teachers and strong school leadership. The school year is divided into four semesters, beginning in January and ending in December, resulting in more term breaks. Despite more breaks, the Australian academic year is longer, around 200 days of school, compared to about 175 days in most of the U.S. states. No wonder little one didn’t want to go back yet. I had to, of course, ask her if she wanted to graduate and be like her mom when she grows up? She just laughed and ran off to play. Susie says that little over half the students graduate and carry on working. That seems like it would hurt the social economics status. The education system in Australia is similar to Great Britian. Children start school early and take few breaks throughout the twelve years of studies. Most graduate while are still young, early teens and go into the workforce either at home or abroad. Not much time to be a child!

As the day grew on and it was getting late, we decided to just stay home and not venture to the nearest watering hole. Having a back-yard BBQ was the perfect plan. Through this whole trip I was still not able to convince Mollie Mae that she is not Australian. Although a great herd puppy, I think I will just let her believe she is special, because she is. I think she had just about as much fun as I did.

[miniaussiemollie]

Day 6                                           

Blessed with another beautiful day! With a very watchful eye Mollie and I decided to go venture around the neighborhood. Of course, she must stop and smell all the new smells (I am surprised she has not worn out her sniffer yet) Strolling along avoiding anything may creep or crawl. It’s really not that dangerous but I have an irrational fear of bugs that bite, fly or crawl.

Enjoying the sun, I reflect on yesterday’s ventures in town. I did not really meet anyone that I was unable to understand when they spoke but was curious about other communications I may have missed.

As with any country there are nonverbal ques that are used and understood within that culture. Is it any different here?

Reflecting, I went back through the day to see if I had missed some. An eyebrow lift, a head nod or a little thing that was not noticed.

I find that Australia is more casual, and you will hear slang, idioms and other colloquial language frequently, but it doesn’t mean that it is disrespectful. The communication style and culture are more casual and not traditional. Good thing to know. Being English it is the other way around. More tradition and proper than anything. Slang was not accepted in our household.

I can imagine the complications or obstacles in nonverbal messages from others around me. What if I inadvertently take offence to what was not said but implied or missed it all together and possibly upset the other person.

In my eyes it’s similar to the “Text Message”, easily misunderstood as it’s hard to express tone in just written words. Using modern gestures to articulate what you are saying is common. A firm, friendly handshake is the customary greeting. Women friends may kiss and hug when greeting each other. Between men, a quick pat on the back is considered normal if they are close friends.

Very similar to the U.S. but not surprising really. Facial expressions are similar as well. I could tell just by the way people were looking at me or others they could have been upset or happy. I think that is just a given in the human race. (http://library.thinkquest.org)

That’s just my opinion. Everyone is at fault that naturally we judge each other by how we dress or how we wear our clothes but are we judged on how we talk? To me the answer is yes. It all goes back to the “class” we were raised in and the lifestyle. Whether it’s the clothes, the hair, the language or even the color of our skin, we all judge. Each culture has various different nonverbal movements to signify what they are thinking and relaying to somonis else. Like” would you look at her unkempt blue hair”?

When you live in a community or culture long enough you will pick up in the nonverbal ques and understand what they mean.

Deciding to go back to the market for some groceries, we had to take a short bus ride. It wasn’t too bad but a bit crowded for my taste. I prefer a wider personal space just for comfort. That’s just my preference. At this point I understand. It’s a bus with not much room to start with.

Being here with all these strangers I watched for nonverbal communication. Most of what I seen was just head nods and side glances to others. What that meant I have no idea. I just kept to myself and had a conversation with Mollie.

This though crept in my mind of “How do people here use and prefer their personal space.?” Are they that different than me?

Come to find out the answer is “NO.” They tend to like having a wider circle of personal space just as I do. Just as I think it’s rude to brush up against someone if there is plenty of room. Exceptions apply if you’re on a bus or a plane where the area is smaller, but manners are not implied but necessary. So once again, not so different. (http://goaustralia.about.com)

I’m coming to believe that Australia is a very informal culture. There are few economic levels of status and authority. They typically are laid back, which is a nice change from my more traditional proper upbringing. They seem to run on a polychronic time schedule and are very sociable. Australians easily start conversations and have no trouble asking questions which may be considered personal in some countries, such as job status, personal life and so on. If you have questions, it’s best to just ask and don’t beat around the bush. (no pun intended).

With all of this said I suppose it best to understand your surroundings and the culture or you may just miss something and take the chance of learning or possibly offending someone.

[miniaussiemollie]

Day 5                                                                                                        

Finally, a nice sunny day. A little windy but I suppose it’s that kind of weather for this area. Susie and I went to the market to pick up a few things and let Mollie tag along. She is fascinated by all the smells along the sidewalk, so we are not making much headway on walk to the market. It was decided that we would take advantage of the sun and have a BBQ.

In our ventures I asked Susie what languages I might encounter that I may not understand or be able to speak. I am not bilingual She told me that while English is the dominant language in Australia along with Australian English. Many people speak a language other than English within their families and communities. So again, not that much different than the U.S. or other countries.

Mandarin and Arabic are the other large numbers of languages across the country, with Vietnamese, Cantonese, and Punjabi ranking among the top languages spoken. (https://sylaba.com.au/). I guess if I run into a language barrier, I will have to wing it.

In my studies I remember being asked what “lingua Fanca” means? Double checking my memory bank I recall that it means it is the chosen common language spoken between people with different first languages.

As Susie and I both speak English we thought of a fun thing to play on our walk. She knows other languages some of what are spoken in this area, so she is going to teach me some basic words. Australian English being the choice. Hesitantly I agreed laughing out loud. My thoughts were, this would probably be the best to understand first. She told me how to say

“Hello” or “g’day” or “how ya doing?”

“Yes”- “Naw Yah” (still laughing)

“No” – “Naur” typically a slang meaning “no” none of this sounds right without the accent. Susie is beside herself with laughter. I don’t blame her.

“Please and Thank You are the next challenge.

“Ta” for please and “Please is not commonly used so the English version is substituted.

“Can you help me and “I don’t understand” are very similar to the English Language with slight variations and accent. In all not hard to pronounce but am very sure I do not sound like the rest of the people. It’s fun to try.

Thank goodness for new technology now days. I will come in handy I cannot understand what is being said. An Example “Good afternoon, where can I get some flip flops?” it would be said as “Arvo”! Thongs are at the market. “Cheers”.” Arvo” being “good afternoon”, “thongs” are not to be confused with G-strings and cheers traditionally meaning “hello and goodbye” good to know for later. (had to laugh at that one) (https://www.unilodge.com.au)

Fun fact, if you really think about it, languages influence everyone around us. One misspoken word or a facial expression with the spoken word can make a huge difference on how the receiver takes the meaning behind both combined. A cultural difference, of course, so I best be careful about what I say so it won’t be taken wrong. The idea that our language shapes our thoughts and perceptions is known as linguistic relativity. This theory suggests that people who speak different languages may experience the world in unique ways because their language influences their thoughts. Some studies have found evidence to support this idea.

Well, that’s enough for today. Mollie is tuckered out from our walk and wants a nap, and I am going to help Susie prepare the “Barbie” for some grub.

[miniaussiemollie]

Day 4                                                                         

Another dreary day, looks like it wants to rain but not sure yet. I guess this is what it is in the winter for Australia. I think Mollie has the right idea of just to curl up and take a nap. Tea in hand and no motivation for much outside, I think its time to add to my thoughts.  I go back and think of the first day I arrived. Completely fascinated by this Country/Continent. Fun fact, Australia is the only country it the world that covers an entire continent. (yes, I had to look that information up.) I digress, as I was saying, completely fascinated by Australia’s beginnings.

First discovered by the English in the 1800’s (or so believed), when the first settlers made port, they thought the continent was completely uninhabited. They were very wrong. Scientific evidence and a few archeologists have proof of the first inhabitants. In 1968 geologist Jim Bowler discovered human remains in the now dry Lake Mungo in South Western South Wales. Bowler and his colleges Bowler and his colleagues named her Mungo Lady and discovered that she had been ritually buried. Soon after they discovered another set of bones and named him Mungo man dating back to the same era.

Luminesces dating was carried out on the skeletal evidence found, has defiantly proven that indigenous Australians have occupied the country for at least 65,000 years. Luminescence dating was carried out on archaeological evidence found in Kakadu has definitively proven that Indigenous Australians have occupied the country for at least 65,000 years. Scientists also used carbon dating to determine that the Mungo Man, discovered in Mungo National Park, New South Wales, lived between 40,000 – 68,000 years ago. (visitmungo.com.au)

With no assumptions to ponder, this evidence will prove the English were not the first on the Continent.

Fun Fact, Sulawesi hunter-gatherers brought the dingo to Australia 4000 years ago, perhaps after obtaining it from neighbors in Borneo. Thus, making it the first wild dog on the continent.

Now that I have discovered how long it’s been from the first natives of Australia lets jump ahead to the second settlers. The English first arrived in 1788 and thought it a great idea to start bringing over convicts from England and surroundings areas.

Between 1788 and 1868 more than 162,000 convicts were transported to Australia. Of these, about 7,000 arrived in 1833 alone. The convicts were transported as punishment for crimes committed in Britain and Ireland. In Australia their lives were hard as they helped build the young colony. When they had served their sentences, most stayed on and some became successful settlers. (nma.gov.au/defining-moments)

My mind cannot help but shudder at the thought of being transported to that harsh and unforgiving climate. Not to mention most everything there wants to eat you or kill you.

With that being said, I should probably take Mollie outside to go potty. Let’s see what kind of new bug she can round up and herd. I am not too fond of the bug population here, so we make it a short visit outdoors.

[miniaussiemollie]

Day 3

It was a cloudy and rather dreary start to my day. Mollie is doing what she does best besides eating and taking naps. She has discovered a new crawly that I think is a stink bug and is trying to herd it across the floor. I hope she doesn’t eat it.

Susie and the kids have gone into town for a bit so that leaves me with my own thoughts and my computer. This would be a great time to enjoy some tea and continue my search for understanding what worldviews might be here. What I originally thought was more religious, more closely resemble an open society.

Australia's values are the values of an open society. It believes that freedom is best advanced when it nurtures an environment where ideas can flourish, where contending philosophies have to make their case in the marketplace of ideas and where those who govern are held accountable to the governed.

Australia's national interests are frequently asserted but rarely defined. At their core, they are timeless: to advance security and prosperity and to contribute to the shaping and running of international institutions which reinforce the rule of law and international norms of behavior.  

Imperial trade and domestic protection gave way to global markets and a more open economy. And around the same time, Australia’s strategic policy also underwent profound changes with a stronger emphasis on defense self-reliance and a greater confidence in our ability to defend Australia but within an alliance framework.

In the worldview of Australia’s religious practices, the percentages of different religions have a lot do have a lot to do with how they relate and interact to each other. Roman Catholic 20%, Protestant 18.1% (Anglican 9.8%, Uniting Church 2.6%, Presbyterian and Reformed 1.6%, Baptist 1.4%, Pentecostal 1%, another Protestant 1.7%), other Christian 3.5%, Muslim 3.2%, Hindu 2.7%, Buddhist 2.4%, Orthodox 2.3% (Eastern Orthodox 2.1%, Oriental Orthodox 0.2%), other 2.1%, none 38.4%, unspecified 7.3% (https://www.discoverwalks.com).(2021 est.)

The textbook shows a variety of religious disciplines, and each corresponds with a country and a way of life.  Some of the listed religions date back from 4000 years to 1400 years, Hinduism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam just to name a few. “Communication between Cultures”, 9th edition.  2019).

Religious traditions provide structure, discipline, and social participation in a community.” Friedman uses the image of an olive tree and its deep stable roots in the title of his book (“The Lexus and the Olive Tree”) to underscore the powerful and enduring quality of religion to a collection of people.   “Religion as a Worldview”. (Communications between Cultures, 9th edition, 2019).

Economic overview seems to be what I thought but had to look it up anyway. Australia’s economy appears to be highly developed, diversified, regionally and globally integrated economy with strong mining, (https://www.discoverwalks.com).

Manufacturing and service sectors; Australia is a net exporter driven by commodities to East Asian trade partners; “Future Made in Australia” program focuses on green energy investments. (https://www.cia.gov).  In all it really is not that much different than in the U.S. or other free countries.

Susie came home from town and Mollie presented the crawly which turns out to be a scarab beetle, non-venomous but would have tasted nasty if she had eaten it.

[miniaussiemollie]

Day 2

The first day of my travels were very interesting. So much to see and want to do, I decided it was time to get some much-needed rest. I am fortunate enough to have a cousin to stay with. As I head to her house, I am still fascinated by what I have seen. I can see how this may be a bit overstimulating at first.

My first night was rather restless. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I arrived other that maybe people covered in red clay body paint carrying rain sticks speaking a completely foreign language and wild animals running around on unkempt streets. Very stereotypical of me and I could not have been more wrong. I, however, was not wrong on one thing, there are very big and deadly insects roaming around. Susie my cousin reminded me to watch were I step and always keep shoes on. I am remined of the time I had stayed with family in Arizona. This is where I learned about scorpions. Always wear shoes and always check shoes before putting them on and do not pick anything off the ground. You never know what’s under it. I digress, we sat down for breakfast with her two children, (very polite may I add) Susie asked me what I would like. Not being in a very explorative mood I simply asked for eggs and bacon and peanut butter toast. (A more American breakfast) Mollie, of course still smelling all the new smells, had her normal kibble and carrots and Susie spoiled her with an egg. She replied we have blood sausage vegemite.

The sausage I have had before and did not care for it. I had always thought that was more of an Irish dish but that goes back to the culture of Australia, the vegemite was a different subject. This is more of an AU product. The equivalent of peanut butter to Americans. It is very much an acquired taste at best.

I decided to take the day and spend time with my cousin.

As we sat and drank our tea we chatted about family and how she was adjusting to life in Australia. Not a born native to here but to England (this is where the tea comes in) she had moved to Melbourne 18 years prior. She raised her children to what I call “English manners”.

I had so many questions about the area I was not sure how to start so I asked the obvious, is there really still aboriginal tribes livening in the bush, or the best way I knew how to phrase it without sounding like a tourist. Susie laughed and explained that yes, there are tribes but not as I had pictured it. Again, stereotypical of me. She explained that they are no different than the native American tribes of the United States. They have homes, not wood and straw huts, jobs and practice the same religions as others.

During this talk I have realized that this is no different than how most countries are. Several different religious beliefs, some langue barriers but primarily English speaking with variations and lives based on those religions. With Australian being a melting pot of ethnicities.

As Mollie rests in the other room for her post breakfast nap and Susie politely excusing herself, I thought this was a good time to do some real research to answer some of my many questions.

How do people of the region live, believe and interact with each other here? As the immigration and background of the pollution being English being 33% of them there are 11 other immigration backgrounds to consider. (https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/australia/)itis hard to tell for sure. Each have their own way of family life. There again this is religion based. With this wide variety of religions being Roman Catholic at 20% and nineteen other religions to follow.  (https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/australia/).

I believe here or anywhere there is no wrong way to raise children and uphold family values and how to care for the elderly. Each have what they believe is right for them. Followed by the law of course. That’s a government thing and a future conversation.

As far as interacting with each other it still goes back to what I think, (or many) it is not any different that the U.S., Canada or Iceland. Every country has its own diversities, language and culture, but somehow in retrospect it all comes together. We as people overcome and adapt to the unknown and make it work. After all this I’m still amazed by what surrounds me and I am fully convinced that with its history Australia is an amazing place I will defiantly explore more

[miniaussiemollie]

Blog #1  

I chose the Option 2 multi-dimensional culture because my life was impacted by two different cultures, and it remains prevalent even now. The cultures in my life are a combination of English and Midwestern.  My parents were polar opposites as my mother was English, from England and my father was raised in the Midwest, USA.  English culture is considerably stricter, had more rules and there were proper ways to always conduct yourself.  We, as children, spent more time at home with our mother so her influence was predominant.  My values are shaped by what she taught me, and I mean that in a good way.  I was raised to be polite, respectful, and considerate to others.  I was born in England but moved to a small town in Idaho as a baby and lived in close proximity to my father’s family.  I know my mother had difficulty adapting to the down-home lifestyle that my grandparents and father lived.  Midwest culture has a reputation for friendly people and a stress-free lifestyle that differs dramatically from English regions. (businessinsider.com, Midwest culture vs English culture) (Olivia Young, Oct 12, 2018)

  English culture tends to keep people an arm’s length away as they consider someone getting closer to be aggressive and a physical touch by someone not a close relative or friend is uncomfortable. (https://www.studying-in-uk.org/about-us/) My father’s family culture was one of greeting people with a hug, not a handshake and tend to treat everyone like a dear friend.  Living in a small town where most people know each other contributes to the more personal lifestyle.  My siblings and I were taught to be polite to everyone, especially our elders and address them with the respect they were due.

I believe that a combination of the two cultures contributed to my upbringing and I’m happy to have been raised this way.