Life lessons

I’ve now lived in Australia for a year. And to be honest I still struggle a bit with the idea of possible staying here for a long time.

Life here is just so different than my life in Finland. There are so many things to get used to and so many things I just have to let go of.

I do think it’s good for me (and everyone else) to step outside our comfort zones, all tho it’s nothing new really, I seem to have a need to challenge myself all the time.

It’s true when people say that living in another country changes you. It challenges you in many ways and you learn things about yourself that you had never even thought about before.

It also wakens you to see all the little (and big) differences between your own country and the one you currently live in.

First of all I’ve learned here that I’m not quick to think. A bit disappointing since I’ve always loved to think that I’m smart and witty. But by the time my brain has translated someone else’s witty comment in Finnish the only thing that comes out of my mouth fast is bad English. And about that..

All these SC-, SH-, CH- J-, and Gs. You do know that they are all just one big ssshhccjjgg to my ears, right? There’s no difference to me whether I’m going to the gym or Jim. Or whether it is W or V or P or B. Except that there is. God I have started to hate Finnish. And English. I’m gonna become mute.

And how about pronunciation? Why is U pronounced differently in gun and in pudding? Or A in save and sack? I mean, at least Finnish is pronounced the way it’s written. Who the hell came up with English? Drunken sailor? And why didn’t I notice all this before?

There are also all the cultural differences.
What’s polite in Finland might not be polite enough here. And what’s polite here can be considered weird in Finland. Or flirting (If it’s a man talking to a woman. We don’t chat casually.)

Finns are rule obeying people. And we have lots of them. When there’s a sign on the wall at the gym ”put weights away”, we do. If you don’t someone (pissed off) will tell you to. Here nobody does, at least at my gym. And it makes my inner Finn very annoyed and I feel like giving a safety lecture to the jerk who left the weights on.

Saying ”how are you” without actually meaning anything by it. What is that? Even after a year, it still feels very unnatural to me. But I’ve learned to ignore it and be polite back.

One other thing, maybe the most important one, I’ve realized here is that there are stereotypical prejudices about other cultures. Being outsider, being the person who doesn’t meet the requirements for ”normal” social behavior makes you realize how strong prejudices we all have.

Chinese are selfish and rude, latinos know how to have a good time, Aussies are easy going, Finns drink a lot… And it all comes down to our own culture. We all have our own habits that have been formed by the culture around us.

But is that all we are? Sydney is a melting pot of cultures and we have to deal with each other every day.

I got annoyed today when a Chinese worker in a restaurant just took my money and ignored me otherwise. Even after I’ve thanked her.
I don’t understand why every day when I walk to the station, some muslim men always try to get my attention when they drive by. I mean, is it just a glimpse of blonde hair they get excited about?
I’m already used to Italian men glancing at me at the gym. And men coming to talk to me if I’m alone in a bar.
And I find it very refreshing to deal with doctors that make jokes and seem very relaxed and friendly. And I think I will always wonder about Asian people who have been here for a long time but still have very bad English.

So I guess we really shouldn’t make any presumptions about each other before we understand the background and reasons behind the behavior. If we judge people based on our own culture, we can very easily misjudge people. And miss out a lot.

So I guess the most important thing I’ve learned here is tolerance. And that is why I recommend living in another country. Especially nowadays.