Hi Britain,
Good news! It has been raining for three days now, and shows no sign of stopping. I know you might not think this is a reason for celebrating but fires are being dampened, dams are re-filling and green is coming back in parks and gardens.
Another thing that it has done is make me feel less homesick. It has reminded me of what it is like back home for most of the year, cold, rainy and, worst of all, grey. Here it is a change, a novelty (for now, lets see what winter brings) but the thought of it being the norm is really quite depressing.
So, I'll enjoy it for now as an excuse to sleep in, stay indoors and watch crap TV. But for two-thirds of the year? No thanks!
I hope your days are currently filled with sunshine.
Love,
JC
5th March 2009
Dear Britain,
I thought I would write to you today about culture. What, I hear you thinking, someone in Australia wants to talk to ME about culture? This is what I thought, and what I'm sure many Brits think. Britain surely has the upper hand on culture and history and Australia is such a new country that this hasn't really developed yet.
How wrong we all are! Australia has possibly the longest continuous culture in the world. The latest estimates say that the culture has been here for 50,000 years. Just stop and think about that for a moment, try and get some perspective on it. Christ was born only 2000 years ago. How long has our culture been how it is today? Maybe 200 years? Less? And yet we look down on Australian culture?
Ok, lets face it, it's only recently that Australians have started to recognise or be proud of this culture. For so many years there were attempts to erase it completely. And the outside world are often only aware of it in such a twee way, people half naked and painted dancing around to didgeridoo music. But this is a culture that is so entrenched with history, story, religion, tradition and ritual that an outsider would need to study for years to even begin to get a grasp on it. Even then the culture changes so much across the country that even a life time studying would not suffice.
In my short time here I have learnt a little about this culture, for example on our trip to Uluru, and I have already got such a deep respect for it. The belief on working with the land, of respect for land and each other is something we could all learn a lot from. I only hope it is a culture that can find a way to continue and co-exist so in another 50,000 years it is still here.
I will come back to this subject as it is something I have so much to say about. Think about this next time you want to look down on Aussies!
Take care,
JC
I thought I would write to you today about culture. What, I hear you thinking, someone in Australia wants to talk to ME about culture? This is what I thought, and what I'm sure many Brits think. Britain surely has the upper hand on culture and history and Australia is such a new country that this hasn't really developed yet.
How wrong we all are! Australia has possibly the longest continuous culture in the world. The latest estimates say that the culture has been here for 50,000 years. Just stop and think about that for a moment, try and get some perspective on it. Christ was born only 2000 years ago. How long has our culture been how it is today? Maybe 200 years? Less? And yet we look down on Australian culture?
Ok, lets face it, it's only recently that Australians have started to recognise or be proud of this culture. For so many years there were attempts to erase it completely. And the outside world are often only aware of it in such a twee way, people half naked and painted dancing around to didgeridoo music. But this is a culture that is so entrenched with history, story, religion, tradition and ritual that an outsider would need to study for years to even begin to get a grasp on it. Even then the culture changes so much across the country that even a life time studying would not suffice.
In my short time here I have learnt a little about this culture, for example on our trip to Uluru, and I have already got such a deep respect for it. The belief on working with the land, of respect for land and each other is something we could all learn a lot from. I only hope it is a culture that can find a way to continue and co-exist so in another 50,000 years it is still here.
I will come back to this subject as it is something I have so much to say about. Think about this next time you want to look down on Aussies!
Take care,
JC
27th February 2009
Hi Britain,
Sorry I haven't been in touch for a little while. You know what it's like...
Well, really I just wanted to share this picture of a notice outside a local school here.
I'm not really sure what they are saying but I'm pretty sure they are not an Aboriginal rights group so I'm not really sure who they are trying to represent as 'Australians'.
I know you have the BNP and I've always been a bit confused about what they stood for. They seem to believe that for some reason that the 'British' are a pure race, or at some time were. However, the fact that the people they claim to stand up for are Anglo-Saxons, in itself a compound noun, gives a clue that they aren't a pure breed. Anyway, I find it all a bit ridiculous.
But nowhere near as ridiculous as these 'Australians' trying to put down multiculturalism. Australia is such a new country and, putting aside for the moment the fact that this country was invaded, Australians have always come from everywhere. Why everyone can't accept that all these people coming and making a new society is the reason this country is great is beyond me. It took long enough to get away from the 'white Australia' policy, I don't know why people would want to hark back to it. And who do we include, just people with a British background? The Irish? Italians? Greeks? Why on earth has anyone got any more claim to this land than anyone else? The only people with a really legitimate claim are the First Australians and yet they are clearly not included by these people.
I know nothing about the Australia first party, nor do I want to. I wanted to get away from nationalist racism but it followed me here.
Keep on battling those doing things in your name for their own gains!
JC
Sorry I haven't been in touch for a little while. You know what it's like...
Well, really I just wanted to share this picture of a notice outside a local school here.
I'm not really sure what they are saying but I'm pretty sure they are not an Aboriginal rights group so I'm not really sure who they are trying to represent as 'Australians'.
I know you have the BNP and I've always been a bit confused about what they stood for. They seem to believe that for some reason that the 'British' are a pure race, or at some time were. However, the fact that the people they claim to stand up for are Anglo-Saxons, in itself a compound noun, gives a clue that they aren't a pure breed. Anyway, I find it all a bit ridiculous.
But nowhere near as ridiculous as these 'Australians' trying to put down multiculturalism. Australia is such a new country and, putting aside for the moment the fact that this country was invaded, Australians have always come from everywhere. Why everyone can't accept that all these people coming and making a new society is the reason this country is great is beyond me. It took long enough to get away from the 'white Australia' policy, I don't know why people would want to hark back to it. And who do we include, just people with a British background? The Irish? Italians? Greeks? Why on earth has anyone got any more claim to this land than anyone else? The only people with a really legitimate claim are the First Australians and yet they are clearly not included by these people.
I know nothing about the Australia first party, nor do I want to. I wanted to get away from nationalist racism but it followed me here.
Keep on battling those doing things in your name for their own gains!
JC
17th February 2009
Dear Britain,
I've been thinking about how each country (maybe not the country, that's unfair, I mean the people that live there) think of themselves as special. With the bushfires here we have heard a lot about the 'Aussie spirit', the 'mateship' thing that is supposed to be about sticking together through good times and bad. That led me to remembering July 7th and us Brits supposedly sticking together and helping each other in a spirit of togetherness. Which then led me to September 11th and everyone seeming a bit surprised in a city such as New York that is not supposed to be friendly that everybody started helping one another and showing support. I could list a myriad of other examples here.
Does this not show us something?
I have the privilege of working with people from all over the world. A quick count in my head, and I can say I've spoken to people from at least fifteen countries just today, maybe more. Often it is the differences between us that are surprising, but maybe hard to find. The similarities are much easier to see.
What I am trying to say here is that I don't think it matters where you are from, we are all human. If people are in need, we help them. If people are upset, we feel sympathy. If someone hurts someone else, we feel anger and disgust. Especially here, in a country of migrants, this should be obvious. I understand the need for people to think they are special in the face of disaster, but I would prefer to but my faith in the human race, rather than one nationality.
Actually, on this subject, I think both in Britain and in Australia could learn something from some other cultures about togetherness without disaster. I'll give you two examples. Today, when talking about culture shock with a Vietnamese student he said he was surprised that people here didn't talk to, or even seem to know their neighbours (incidentally, he said an old lady lived alone next to him here and he had made friends with her). Also, the students from the Gulf have such a strong generosity of spirit when it comes to looking after their fellow students. When a new student arrives he'll be taken in hand and looked after like one of their family. This extends out to anyone who makes friends with them, they will do whatever is in their ability to look after you.
To go back to my starting point, every country is special and unique and amazing, we should celebrate this. But lets not think we are better than any other one, the wonder of the human spirit should cross borders. If this happened more than a lot of the worlds problems would be solved.
Anyway, this is no time for politics!
Hope all is well, I will write again soon.
JC
I've been thinking about how each country (maybe not the country, that's unfair, I mean the people that live there) think of themselves as special. With the bushfires here we have heard a lot about the 'Aussie spirit', the 'mateship' thing that is supposed to be about sticking together through good times and bad. That led me to remembering July 7th and us Brits supposedly sticking together and helping each other in a spirit of togetherness. Which then led me to September 11th and everyone seeming a bit surprised in a city such as New York that is not supposed to be friendly that everybody started helping one another and showing support. I could list a myriad of other examples here.
Does this not show us something?
I have the privilege of working with people from all over the world. A quick count in my head, and I can say I've spoken to people from at least fifteen countries just today, maybe more. Often it is the differences between us that are surprising, but maybe hard to find. The similarities are much easier to see.
What I am trying to say here is that I don't think it matters where you are from, we are all human. If people are in need, we help them. If people are upset, we feel sympathy. If someone hurts someone else, we feel anger and disgust. Especially here, in a country of migrants, this should be obvious. I understand the need for people to think they are special in the face of disaster, but I would prefer to but my faith in the human race, rather than one nationality.
Actually, on this subject, I think both in Britain and in Australia could learn something from some other cultures about togetherness without disaster. I'll give you two examples. Today, when talking about culture shock with a Vietnamese student he said he was surprised that people here didn't talk to, or even seem to know their neighbours (incidentally, he said an old lady lived alone next to him here and he had made friends with her). Also, the students from the Gulf have such a strong generosity of spirit when it comes to looking after their fellow students. When a new student arrives he'll be taken in hand and looked after like one of their family. This extends out to anyone who makes friends with them, they will do whatever is in their ability to look after you.
To go back to my starting point, every country is special and unique and amazing, we should celebrate this. But lets not think we are better than any other one, the wonder of the human spirit should cross borders. If this happened more than a lot of the worlds problems would be solved.
Anyway, this is no time for politics!
Hope all is well, I will write again soon.
JC
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