After having spent almost five months
on this remote continent I have come to a conclusion. Or maybe it's
more of a reinforcing of an already known and wide-spread stereotype.
Australians are most certainly the most relaxed people I have ever
been among. Fair enough, I think people living on a tropical island
like let's say Fiji might lead a life in even higher disregard of the
concept of time, or maybe even Newzealanders, but well, I have never
been to any of those places.
Not only are Australians the most
relaxed folk I know, but also the ones who have perfected humor and
wit. It's fantastic, everyone! You should be here. I'm glad to be
here, and although my everyday routine has finally caught up with me,
I'm still loving it.
I'll give you a few examples to drive
my point home. I quite frequently have to catch buses and recently
discovered a little sign that said: "Attention fare evaders: Please
thank the paying passenger next to you. They have covered the cost of
your journey. Maybe you should offer to mow their lawn." What a
most beautiful proof that even Australian authorities don't take
things too seriously. There's another warning that I quite often see
on buses: "Bicycles, surfboards and dogs are not allowed on
buses." Now, let me set the scence for you. I live in a very
suburban area, which is nowhere near
the ocean or even the bay. Noone here would ever come up with the
stupid idea to carry a surfboard on a bus - in winter, and in an area
that's not even close to any source of water. It just made me smile.
Pre-emptively prohibiting a ridiculous event that is most
unlikely to occur, and even if there were one or multiple parallel universes,
it would not happen in any of these - that almost strikes to be
German, doesn't it.
I have
been called "German efficiency" on seperate occasions by people
that do not know each other. And that sort of made me conclude that I
must have this vibe of being ultra efficient, although I have never
been as non-efficient as I am right now. It's just that compared to
most Australians, I reckon, my German non-efficiency must still be
extra efficient in Australian terms. Let me illustrate.
After a few days at my new work I was told HOW FAST I was, when I
told everyone that that was due to my German inherent and genetically
predisposed efficiency they laughed and told me how much they loved
it. Let's face it my dear Aussies, you're slack. For real. But I love
you! The girl that is supposed to train me can't be bothered showing
me stuff unless she hasn't taken ample time to put on her make-up.
Also, no man seems to wear a tie at work. Well yes, my company does
have a pretty rigid dress code, but somehow that does not seem to
incude ties. When I asked my colleagues how much overtime I could
count with in the next couple of weeks they told me that overtime
wasn't an issue at all, because everyone always leaves the office at
five o' clock sharp. And so they do! Overtime is scheduled and you
can always refuse to stay longer. Or let's take tea! Everyone loves their bit of
tea down-time, a little chit chat in the kitchen, Lipton Darjeeling with a dash of milk, all good and no
worries. Well, it sort of makes me wonder how this economy can still
be so stable. I recently watched the news and couldn't help being
amazed at how much money the government is handing out to families and
how much tax everyone always gets back. It's stunning.
Some
of my favorite expressions that have found their way into my
vocabulary and actually demonstrate quite well how much my
personality is being transformed towards slackness are now: „I just
can't be bothered“, „I couldn't care less“ or just a simple „I
don't care“, sometimes followed by a friendly „All good. No
worries.“ Smiley face.
It's
getting winter here now, which is extremely aweful, and I can't find
words to describe how aweful it is. Yes whinging about how cold and
aweful winter can be is also very Australian. They're all spoiled,
and I confess I have pretty quickly adapted to this climate which
leaves me whinging about how terribly cold it is. By the way – it
is terribly cold. It really is.
Well anyways, I guess that's all for now. More updates to follow soon, my writing mood has
finally caught up with me.
Cheers
for now, and again my apologies to all those who are still waiting on
emails or messages from me! Let's just catch up next year...
