As I had
preconceptions of what Australia and the people would be like, the same goes
for what Australian’s assume of Americans. Here in Australia, I not only have the chance to meet Australians, but international students from all over the world. Mainly, what I discovered was that they (being people of many nationalities) are not entirely aware of where
their presumptions came from, but they assume that they stem from American media representation like movies, TV shows, and the news.
From the interviews, the standard for
American’s that was most prevalent was that we are, as a nation and
individuals, indulgent. They assumed that we like quick service, fatty meals,
bigger and better cars, etc. Honestly, I didn't find this assessment too far
off. Though Australia is another westernised country that is largely developed,
they also have the Aussie mentality which I quickly noticed when I arrived here. The Aussie mentality I find can be recognized
by quality over quantity. While many things in America are rated for how fast
you can get them or the service was, that’s not as important here. At first,
many Australians notice that Americans have a problem with adapting to this
state of mind.
Another preconception of Americans by
Australians is that we are very blunt or literal. I found this super ironic
because I personally believe that Australians are way blunter than we are when
it comes to political correctness. I've heard so many jokes that would be considered controversial in America here that
are said without a second thought. To be fair, the person who said American’s are
very literal was talking about our names for things. Her example specifically
was that what we call weed whackers is referred to as ‘whipper snippers’ here. She however considered our terminology to
encompass our attitude as a whole.
There are so many
different kinds of people at the university here that I don’t think I or other Americans
particularly stand out. Integrating different kinds of people is fairly common
for an internationally renowned university such as James Cook. I love learning
about the Australian way of life and society as well as those of other
international students. I neither necessarily want to fit in nor stand out. I just believe that to be respectful of everyone's cultures and beliefs is what is most important to a unified society.
It's interesting what you mentioned about the idea that Americans are very direct - I've run into that in France as well. But I've found that at least one of my friends here (another international student, but not from the anglophone world) sometimes surprises me with how direct she is. She's very interested in politics, which is something people often avoid talking about in the United States unless they know each other pretty well. So sometimes I walk into class, and as soon as I sit down, she tells me about something she saw in the news or spoke to somebody else about, and asks what I think of it, and tells me her perspective. When we first started talking about politics, I wasn't completely sure how I felt about it or what she was looking for, but I've learned that she's just curious to know different people's perspectives and now appreciate those interactions. It's nice to sit there and discuss and compare the different situations in the countries we come from and with France.
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