Culture – Down Under

If you are thinking about spending your sspring semester abroad, consider studying abroad in Sydney, Australia. There, American students will find a culture that is at once familiar and exotic. You'll find that Aussies speak your language, but call things by different names. You'll see elements of society and culture that on the surface look a great deal like their counterparts in the U.S. - but with subtle differences.

Canada is often considered the closest sibling of the U.S. among Great Britain's former colonies, but in terms of culture and history, the Western U.S. has as much in common with Australia – if not more. You may have noted these similarities if you saw films such as The Man from Snowy River or Quigley Down Under.

In Canadian history, the government in Ottawa always established law and order before settlers arrived. In the case of the western U.S. and Australia, settlers arrived in what was often an untamed, wild and lawless frontier environment; law enforcement came only after settlements were established. European settlers in both countries encountered and eventually had to learn to coexist with indigenous hunter-gathering societies; ranching and agriculture became the mainstay of the respective region's economies. Australia even had its own “Gold Rush” Era not long after California's.

These are only a few of the fascinating parallels you'll encounter when your study abroad; Sydney, Australia even has country-western bars with line dancing and mechanical bull-riding that would not be out-of-place in Abilene or El Paso!

For those who spend a term abroad in Sydney, Australia, there are going to be a few surprises as well. For example, if you go in October or November, you'll be spending a spring semester abroad, because this is springtime in Australia. If you stay through the Christmas holidays, you'll find no snow or chestnuts roasting on an open fire; instead, your host family is likely to go out in the back in shorts and t-shirts and fire up the “barby” around the swimming pool as we might do on the Fourth of July.

You'll also have to learn some new vocabulary; for example, that Great American Icon, the pickup truck, is just as popular in Australia as it is at home, and they still run on gasoline. However, Down Under this vehicle is called a “ute” (short for “utility truck”), and it runs on “petrol.”

Then there is the fascinating and unique flora and fauna. Australia parted company with the Asian mainland at least 48,000 years ago, and possibly long before that. As a result, it is home to plants and animals found nowhere else in the world. The indigenous Aboriginal culture also offers an incredible learning experience for those who study abroad in Sydney, Australia; these hunter-gathering tribespeople have been around for over 40,000 years and have remember much that the rest of the “civilized” world has forgotten.

Anne is director, student services and programs, for AustraLearn. Their study abroad Sydney Australia program led to her experience growing in these studies, such as the abroad in Sydney Australia spring semester abroad.