"Don't worry... Be happy!"
You know how everyone always says that Aussies are the nicest and most down to earth-people there is on this planet? They couldn’t be more right! As I told you in an earlier blog post, I followed Jake to school yesterday just to get the feel of the day-to-day life of an Australian. But I got to see so much more of the real Australian culture! All the other students seemed so laid back and calm about everything, even the ones that had forgotten homework or assignments! Bobby McFerrin’s lyrics really fit in with the Australian way of living, which could easily be described as “Don’t worry, be happy”. And they’re all very polite and outgoing! Seeing as I was there as a foreigner, and one from the “exotic” (how is that possible?) country of Sweden as well, I got asked so many questions! And everyone said hello to me upon entering the classroom, I genuinely felt very welcome in a country so far away from home. Us Swedes have a tendency of ignoring people we don’t know, and the fact that we blankly refuse to talk to people on the bus or the subway feels so odd after spending quite some time here in Australia. And not to talk about riding on the bus! Jake and I went on the bus to school, and every time the bus stopped and someone got off, they shouted “thank you!” all across the bus. I started to snicker and asked Jake what was really going on, and he told me that it’s a normal custom in Australia to thank the bus driver for the ride before stepping off! I found this to be almost astounding, because it has never crossed my mind that you should do so. Maybe this is the reason why some bus drivers are so cross back home in Sweden… Hmmm….
All in all it has been a wonderful day, and I’ve enjoyed it tons! I’ve met some of Jakes friends, and hopefully we’re going out to the beach to play some volleyball this weekend!
//Alicia
