1. It is well known that traffic is left-hand sided in Australia. The biggest shock for those who are used to the right-hand side comes when you have to drive into a roundabout from the left side and first check if no cars are coming from the right. Moreover, when buildings have doors that are turning around, they turn clockwise which is quite uncommon at least in Lithuania. On escalators people stand on the left and others who are more anxious walk up or down on the right (though London also has left 'hand side traffic, their escalators' 'traditions' are different). And finally, even on the streets you can see patters of walking on the left.
1 Pic. On the road between Melbourne and Alexandra in Victoria (bush-fires passed through here in Feb 2009).
2. I was well educated at school to use 'Dear…' in written communication. However, only 1 from 10 or actually even 20 reply like that or approach me in such a manner. And I actually really like that, all social barriers are weakened and it is much easier to connect with others.
2 Pic. Representing AIESEC in AAGE conference for graduate coordinators.
3. Some groceries' shops have started using self serving tills just recently. For some Australians it is quite exciting. I like seeing that there are some areas where Lithuania is already more developed (one more area would be digital broadcasting). However, it seems that people get used to that faster and don't encounter big problems or discomfort (or I will be honest, I am not a shopping maniac, maybe there were some similar tills before, I just haven't paid attention… but just maybe).
4. Quite many business meetings happen not in the office of an organisation you are approaching, but in a cafe that they have in their building or which is nearby. And I love that! Just hope I won't become a coffee addict. For sure I know that Milda with her "kavyte" would be really excited here cause coffee usually is very good. BTW, if you have a chance try chai latte, it is an amazing drink that I adore!
5. Australians like having after work drinks and quite many go to local pubs or bars with colleagues or friends to catch up. However, after living in London, I can compare that Australians are more moderate. Though when it comes to Friday or Saturday night you see a different side of people.
6. I remember some classes about etiquette and differences between cultures. Living in a multicultural society allowed to prove such things: Asian people do take and give their business cards with two hands; Asian people are less direct and avoid saying 'no', Anglo-Saxon people are quite polite, sometimes too polite and don't say feedback to you straightly (until it is too late) (actually, this kind of judgment would require some deeper analysis of personalities, you know, there is no rule without exception). Myself being more open and direct, sometimes showing my excitement too much or saying things prior to thinking about them more in depth or putting into right words, put me in some awkward situations… Some of the things that I am confused are related with business wear: e.g. many women wear open shoes, shirts without sleeves, no tights. It is self-explanatory here - the climate is much warmer, many people don't even have warm coats, so pretend that scarf is enough on those few freezing days of -3 or so. Arminas book would be very handy now :)
3 Pic. On a road trip in NSW with GE interns from Malaysia, Ghana and Bulgaria.
7. Thanks god or whatever, most of the taps are already mixing cold and hot water. I couldn't get used to separated taps in London and I am proud that they don't exist in Lithuania! BTW, a minor insight: if Lithuanians can't imagine their life without "gyvatukas" in their bathrooms, I can say that actually life without them exists! :) It is too warm to have it. And as far as I have noticed, houses have their individual heating systems, not centralised so they don't need constant circulation to be kept.
4 Pic. One of the nice beaches in Sydney (good for 'snorkeling').
8. Commercials. When I arrived to Australia 6 months ago, I thought that TV is crap. However, I have found out that there are actually some creative commercials. Social ads against driving while being drunk, calling your mum, smoking are quite effective and emotional. Banks do invest a lot in new ads, however it is hard to say what exactly they try to align their brand with cause they try to cover many areas. I would recommend to have a look on Coopers bear ads: bear itself is nice and South Australia is proud of it. And this is very visible in their field or TV ads. E.g. imagine such a message 'my local bar doesn't have this beer. I am looking at selling my house', 'Under old management'. That's awesome!
9. You are required to wear a seat-belt even though you are sitting at the back of the car. Cars don't have to drive with lights on. Thankfully, Australia has almost the same metric system as Lithuania, so no need to measure distance by miles, weights by stones. Each state has different regulations related with vehicles (and with many other areas).
10. Though Brisbane is in the same "dienovidinis" as Sydney, they don't have light saving additional hour. So they and one more state (Western Australia) don't turn their clocks. BTW, it sometimes cheaper and I think faster to fly to New Zealand than to Perth, which is in West part of Australia.
5 Pic. WALTCON Conference team in Perth.
oting is enforced in Australia. If you don’t, you are fined. And actually there are more than 30 countries in the world having this kind of system. People do seem to be more aware about politics and politicians.
6 Pic. Leaders of AIESEC Australia for 2010.
