You would have to be living under a rock to have missed hearing about Oprah’s Ultimate Australian Adventure, her recent four-part television event during which she repeatedly declared her LOVE for Australia. It was an eight-day adventure that had her travelling to some of Australia’s great tourist attractions, like the Great Barrier Reef and Uluru. She held two of her shows on the forecourt of the Sydney Opera House (renamed the “Sydney Oprah House” for her visit), interviewing famous Australians like Steve Irwin’s family, Nicole Kidman, Keith Urban and Russell Crowe. And she showered her largesse and generosity on some she encountered, with many weepy made-for-Oprah moments.
Because we too are Americans who LOVE Australia in our own gushy sort of way, we sat down as a family to watch the shows. Although she certainly shared some of the magnificent and exotic beauty of this country, and she was able to touch on some of the cultural aspects that define Australia (Terry Irwin’s tearful reflection on the core value of “mateship” really spoke to me), I was disappointed to come away with an overall feeling that she didn’t capture OUR Australia. Perhaps it was the slick advertising (and too much of it!) or the inherent limitations of an eight-day excursion, but it was too much video travel brochure for me. I wanted to see our Australia there, to proclaim to all the world why we have fallen in love.
But, I suppose that our Australia can only be appreciated after setting down roots and experiencing the everyday- not an experience that many Americans will get. The first thing that struck us about Australia, and continues to strike us to this day, is the authentic hospitality and openness of the Australian people. While I am generally a reserved and quiet person who likes to keep to myself, after four years of constant exposure to people genuinely welcoming me into conversation wherever I go, from the neighbourhood to the shops, sport and school, I have developed a legitimate outgoing streak. A few weeks ago while we were travelling on a ferry on Sydney Harbour, my sister was shocked to find me engaged in animated conversation with a stranger I had just met, a Guatemalan linguistics professor who worked at a local university. Where had her shy and retiring sister gone?
Another characteristic we have come to appreciate is the egalitarian nature of the society. The belief that everyone should be given a “fair go” is a key ethos of Australian culture. Australia provides universal health care, and we have had enough encounters with the health system to be very pleased with the quality of the health professionals and the care we’ve received. Higher education is affordable because of government subsidy- we’ve never heard anyone agonize over the cost of higher education. Tipping is essentially unheard of, although restaurants often have the “tip” line on their checks, hopeful to catch tourists unawares, I suppose. Service industry workers, like hairdressers, waiters and taxi-drivers are not looked down upon as “lesser”, but treated as equals and paid a fair wage.
We have truly valued the education our children are receiving here. Perhaps influenced by the laidback and open nature of the people, schools seem to be more open and accessible. While in the US we are used to lining up outside the main school door to greet our children as they emerge from enclosed buildings, here the parents gather in the courtyards and open spaces outside individual classroom doors. This means that you get a chance to regularly watch the children’s interactions with their teachers, as well as get a chance to have short chats with the teachers on the veranda steps. We LOVE school uniforms, which promote the egalitarian ethos and encourage community spirit. I am not looking forward to readjusting to life without them.
Although we would like to see smaller class sizes (Erin’s 4th grade class had 31 kids last year), we have been impressed with classroom discipline and the quality of teaching. In a refreshing departure from the madness about the separation of church and state in America’s classrooms, children are offered scripture classes every Thursday morning from a faith of the parents' choosing (or they can choose a non-scripture activity instead). And it is not at all uncommon for children to miss 2 or 3 weeks of school because they are travelling with their families on domestic or international trips, either back to home countries like India or China (or America!), or for family adventure.
We have also observed that life in Australia is simply more family-friendly. The standard entitlement for annual leave is four weeks (and everyone takes it.) Long service leave is also standard- about 13 weeks of leave is accrued once an employee is with an employer for 10 years. And while there seems to be some movement to increase working hours (trying, sadly, it appears, to adopt the American mindset), it is being strongly resisted. Australia also provides government support payments to families with children (sadly, not to its temporary resident visa holders). Working parents (men or women, as I understand it) are also entitled to one full year of leave after having a baby, with 18 weeks paid by the government at minimum wage.
There is one big problem, though. And that is that Australia is so far away from our families, and indeed most of the world. I don’t know- perhaps that is one thing that has allowed its culture to develop so uniquely. So despite our deep love affair with this country, culture and people, the US still calls us to return to our roots.
But no worries, mate. We'll still call Australia home.
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Dad and the kids