A Country Beyond Expectations

Flying through the clouds during the break of dawn, I saw a city glistening with golden sunshine. A flight full of Australians with smiles and laughter was only the beginning of my journey. Out of the few destinations I have travelled to, passing through the customs of the Sydney airport was the quickest and the easiest considering their efficient service. Upon arrival, I was glad to meet my colleagues from the University of Maryland with our travel guide, Tim. Addressing each and every one of us as “mate” to show friendliness and cracking a joke here and there to break the ice was one of my first impressions of Tim who is an Australian. This was already a confirmation of one of my expectations about Australians too.

Being a Sri Lankan living in the United States, I found transitioning to global life quite easy since I have experience with living in completely different cultures. Culture in Australia, especially Sydney is like a mixture of both of these different cultures I lived in (Asian and American). Given the fact that Australians are fun and friendly, if you are generous enough to have a decent conversation with a person, do not worry, the Aussies got your back! Talking about getting around, first things first, Australians drive on the left side of the road which means you must be conscious about which side on the road to walk. Except for that, finding your way and getting anywhere on time is very easy if you use google maps and follow the instructions carefully since Sydney’s infrastructure and public transportation are above par.

As you might have read the above paragraphs, Sydney surprised me enough to exceed my expectations about Australians being fun loving, friendly, and care about each other in formal or informal environments. The preparations such as researching the cultural dimensions and gathering facts about Australia were the most helpful activities that boosted my confidence about living in Australia.