My Down Under- The Good, the Not So Good and the Ugly

Just last week I posted about Reverse Culture Shock where I talked about my (and most repatriates’) feelings of returning to my “home country”.

In a way it was a difficult post to write, as it required quite a lot of introspection and carefully-planned wording. Speaking about travelling and relocating and returning brings with it a rollercoaster of emotions and memories. Some great, some not so good and some painful. Not only for me, the writer, but I imagine also for a lot of readers who have been or are still going through a similar phase.

You know that saying “Home is where the Heart is”? But what if you have TWO homes?

I wanted to continue exploring this path of thinking and describe a few of my observations of Australia. I am both an insider (I am Australian born and bred) and an outsider (I am no longer a resident). And as such I am officially allowed to indulge in my entertaining, agitated and loving impressions such as those that follow 😉. If you have ever lived overseas and returned, you possibly recognise a few of these happening in your own place!

So, here are some of my experiences of Reverse Culture Shock as well as comforting reassurances and happy re-discoveries of returning home.

The Ugly

Driving on Australian roads requires focus, determination and a good dose of aggression.

Every trip out in the car feels like a race against the entire population. People take speed limits not as law but as a recommended minimum. “Keep left unless overtaking” is for suckers who can’t drive fast enough. And don’t even think about trying to merge lanes; the other driver will get to within an inch of your car in order to prevent you ending up in front of them and therefore delaying arrival at their own destination by a whole 5 metres.

When I lived here this is something I had never really noticed or let bother me. Hell, I most likely drove exactly the same way. But now I think it is ridiculous, egoistic and dangerous how many of the people here drive. Something Darwinian like “survival of the fittest”…

Groceries are just so expensive

I nearly died when I saw that a box of breakfast cereal cost over $6. Six dollars! Are they serious?! Big tub of yogurt? Like $8! I can get the same thing in Germany for less than $5. A lot of fresh produce is, thankfully, pretty comparable to the cost of the same things in Germany.

Granted, Australia is a BIG country and transport within the country does add to the cost too, but still… I don’t want to turn this into a Germany vs Australia bitch-fest. I have plenty of things to say about Germany too 😉. But the prices of groceries really did blow my mind.

The Flies

Irritating, little, black, flying germ-carriers that just Do.Not.Quit. landing on you, your food and everything nearby. Mealtimes outdoors can turn into a game of swatting and smacking rather than eating! Even being indoors won’t guarantee relief as a couple of the nasty things surely snuck in on your back when you last came inside.

Sure, you can find flies around the world. I am still always amazed by how persistent those little things are! Australian flies just seem to achieve the gold standard of annoyance.

The Not So Good

People assuming that living in Germany = Constant, exotic European jaunts

I cannot count how many people’s glisten with interest when I tell them that I live in Germany. Exclamations like “Wow!” and “How amazing!” and “You must get to travel around all the time” tumble forth. And I always respond with a smile and sidestep such comments by answering with something like “Yeah, it’s really interesting”.

You see, there are lots of things I like about living in Germany (like living history at every turn, the family-friendly society). There are things that I don’t like about living in Germany (for example the weather, the extreme distance from Australia) But I would hardly describe my life as exotic or full of travel opportunities. My day-to-day life there is pretty much like my life in Australia or anywhere else would probably be: kids off to school and preschool, Hubby goes to work, I go to work, house needs to be cleaned, pets need to be cared for, exercise to be scheduled in, and loads more.

Sorry to bust the bubble, but we just don’t have the time or money to be off to France (“But it’s right next door!”) or Italy (“Oh, the gelato!”) every weekend. Or month. Or year. Sure, we go on summer holidays, but that is always a big deal and not just a “Let’s pop off to [insert gorgeous European city here] for a long weekend”. It’s just nobody wants to hear about that side of living abroad. 😉

Not knowing what’s “in” when chatting with people

Nothing makes you feel like a complete dumb-dumb like having friends and family recount amusing anecdotes about what’s been in the news or about the latest gossip from some B-celebrity or about some cool TV series from last year. Because I have NO.IDEA. what they are talking about. When asked questions like “Did you hear that bla bla bla…?” more often that not my answer is “Er… nup!”.

Sure, I try to catch up with some of the more important news and goings-on when I am back in Australia. And of course I want to hear all the latest personal stories from the lives of my own friends and family. But most of the rest if irrelevant to me at a distance of 16,000 kilometres. If I can’t understand the direction a discussion is going, I try to not let it bother me too much.

The Good

The supermarkets are an eye-popping adventure

There is, without question, one very big positive about the supermarkets here: the range and variety of products on offer. I am like a kid in a candy store whenever I return and my waistline at the end of the holiday shows it.

Each aisle brings with it a new revelation of culinary delights and temptations. So many goodies from my younger years (Caramello Koalas! Chicken Crimpy crackers!). Or a never-ending offering of Asian spices, sauces and noodles. Or the seasonal offerings (Fruit Mince Pies!) and gimmicky products (Lamington-flavoured M&Ms! Vegemite-flavoured crackers!).

And none of them available in Germany. Hence the wide-eyed grabbing and eating of products to get my fill before going back. And perhaps a handful of goodies in the luggage too 😉

I can speak without worrying about noun genders

I touched on some of the difficulties of trying to communicate adequately in a foreign language a few weeks back *when I was talking about why I started blogging. Returning to Australia means I can read and write and talk and listen in English all day long, without a single der, die, das pronoun to worry about!

My handle of the German language is pretty good, but nothing beats my native tongue. Unless it is a word that I rarely need to use and then sometimes the German word tumbles forth. And that would never be embarrassing, ever. Right?!? “Remember that time we went on the…um… Achterbahn?! *shock* “Er… rollercoaster?” LOL.

The amazing wildlife

Don’t believe the hype. Not everything in Australia will kill you. Sure, there’s spiders. And snakes. And sharks. And crocodiles. And don’t forget those thumbnail-sized Irukandji jellyfish. But apart from those, Australia is actually filled with some of the furriest, cutest, most colourful animals and birds you will ever see. This trip alone I have seen dozens of big lizards while out bushwalking, patted koalas at the zoo, fed wild birds such as cockatoos, lorikeets and pelicans, and got up close and personal with a few wild kangaroos at a beach. Where else in the world can you do all that?!?

These animals are so varied and strange and funny and beautiful. And I love it! I am proud that Australia is a land filled with such stunning, unique oddities. It just adds to the quirkiness and charm of the place. Just remember to stay clear of the snakes… 😉

Dreamy landscapes and weather

Once I get out of the big city, the thing that affects me most every time I return to Australia, guaranteed, is the sense of space. Outside of the cities Australia’s population density drops to about 1/50^th of a human per square kilometre. Or something like that. But seriously, everything just feels so… big and wide and open.

The skies go on forever and seem higher and brighter and bluer. The gorgeous green hills dotted with cows and trees gently roll off into the distance. The fine sand on the east coast beaches stretches for seemingly endless kilometres at a time. This sensation of space as opposed to being crowded-in is invigorating.

Oh, and the weather! I’d take mild winters and a hot, dry summer over a drizzly, cool, grey day any time. Blue sky and sun and heat- that’s the weather for me! Did it rain at all during my stay here? Sure, one or 2 days with some light rain showers, a handful of evenings where booming and cracking thunderstorms shook the windows. But otherwise, summer in Australia can usually be relied upon for it’s sun and warmth. *wistful sigh*

So What Did I Learn on my Trip?

I guess the moral of the story here could be summarised as something like:

1. The grass is not always greener on the other side
2. Take the highs with the lows
3. You came back for a reason, make the most of it while you can!

What have been your experiences of returning “home”? Do you also have this mental tug-of-war going on,“I like it” vs “I don’t like it” playing in your head? Share with us in the comments section below!