One of the best parts of going abroad, wherever that may be, is experiencing the culture. Even if the countries appear to be similar at first glance, there will always be something that differentiates them. The pandemic has taken away the ability to experience these differences in person, but the virtual trip to Australia still highlighted some of these differences. From class presentations and our virtual cultural visits, I learned that the differences between Australian and American culture range from the food and how it is cooked to living a more laid-back lifestyle. As we experienced in our cooking class, Australians grill everything, even breakfast! The food tends to be healthier and more organic as well. On a broader level, Australians are more laid-back and do not have the go-go-go culture we have adopted here in America. This translates into conducting business in Australia as well. Businesses tend to be less concerned with hierarchies than in the United States. As we learned from Justin Maynard, who used to work in Australia, partners at the Big Four were likely to work alongside you and not use their title in the way it is often used in the United States. Finally, despite the laid-back culture, the timeline set for projects tends to be firm. Even if you must make the timeline longer than you would in the United States, this timeline is followed.
Before this course, whenever I thought of Australia, I mainly thought of the wildlife and Great Barrier Reef. While both are vital to Australia, there is so much more to the country. The pride Australians have in their country is evident to anyone you talk to. They are not only proud of their way of life, but their background as well. The respect they have for the Aboriginals is incredible to see and highlights the unique culture. While some of my initial impressions were accurate, learning about other aspects of Australia has deepened my understanding of the country. It has only increased my desire to travel there, hopefully in the near future. While I am sad that the trip was canceled due to COVID-19, I am grateful for the experiences we were able to have virtually. Australia is a beautiful country with a beautiful culture that I look forward to experiencing in person one day. Three things I learned/takeaways I had from this experience are: you can grill anything, even your breakfast; despite the impact of COVID-19, Australians responded quickly, meaning they will be a country others look to as worldwide recovery takes place; and while a virtual experience is no substitute for a live experience, it allowed us to experience a glimpse of Australia.
Photos: Group photo from zoo visit and picture of Wren and I trying vegemite.
