2016 essay contest winner Hannah Kintz\u27s  Adventures in Australi

Kintz, Hannah

English

DigitalCommons@Linfield

Linfield College DigitalCommons@Linfield 2015-16 Postcards Postcards from Abroad 3-1-2016 Adventures in Australia Hannah Kintz Linfield College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.linfield.edu/intl_postcards_1516 Recommended Citation Kintz, Hannah, "Adventures in Australia" (2016). 2015-16 Postcards. Article. Submission 24. https://digitalcommons.linfield.edu/intl_postcards_1516/24 This Article is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It is brought to you for free via open access, courtesy of DigitalCommons@Linfield, with permission from the rights-holder(s). Your use of this Article must comply with the Terms of Use for material posted in DigitalCommons@Linfield, or with other stated terms (such as a Creative Commons license) indicated in the record and/or on the work itself. For more information, or if you have questions about permitted uses, please contact digitalcommons@linfield.edu. Adventures	  in	  Australia	  Hannah	  Kintz	  	  During	  my	  interview	  to	  study	  abroad,	  one	  of	  the	  questions	  they	  asked	  me	  was	  how	  I	  would	  respond	  to	  someone	  who	  said	  studying	  abroad	  in	  Australia	  would	  be	  easy	  because	  they	  speak	  English.	  I	  responded	  that	  just	  because	  Australians	  speak	  English	  does	  not	  mean	  that	  they	  have	  the	  same	  culture	  as	  Americans	  and	  therefore	  it	  would	  not	  be	  ‘easy’.	  So	  far	  living	  in	  Australia,	  I	  have	  learned	  that	  is	  definitely	  the	  case.	  Although	  they	  speak	  English,	  several	  words	  and	  phrases	  we	  do	  not	  say	  in	  the	  United	  States.	  Australians	  often	  shorten	  words	  that	  are	  more	  than	  three	  syllables	  long	  by	  adding	  “-­‐ie	  or	  –o”	  to	  the	  end.	  It	  makes	  things	  easier	  and	  faster	  to	  say.	  Several	  of	  the	  words	  below	  are	  words	  I’ve	  learned	  from	  social	  context	  and	  how	  they	  were	  used	  in	  sentences.	  	  	  Some	  examples	  include:	  	  • Uni=	  University.	  College	  is	  not	  a	  word	  used	  in	  Australia,	  whenever	  I’ve	  said	  I	  go	  to	  Linfield	  College,	  they	  often	  ask	  why	  it’s	  not	  called	  ‘University’.	  	  • Capsicum=	  peppers	  	  • Brekkie=	  breakfast	  	  • Arvo=	  afternoon	  • Queue=	  wait,	  line	  • Heaps=	  a	  lot,	  many	  • Timetable=	  schedule	  	  • Maccas=	  McDonald’s	  	  • “Break	  for	  morning	  tea”=	  break	  during	  the	  morning,	  there	  is	  no	  actual	  tea	  involved.	  	  • How	  you	  going?	  =	  How	  are	  you?	  (Often	  asked	  by	  sales	  associates/customer	  service	  workers)	  	  	   Other	  than	  language,	  I	  learned	  that	  Australia	  is	  a	  different	  culture.	  Although	  they	  are	  very	  much	  like	  the	  United	  States	  in	  some	  ways,	  they	  are	  also	  quite	  different.	  For	  example,	  as	  soon	  as	  I	  hopped	  off	  the	  plane	  I	  immediately	  noticed	  how	  laid	  back	  and	  relaxed	  everyone	  is.	  Australians	  like	  to	  keep	  things	  simple	  and	  their	  national	  slogan	  is	  ‘no	  worries,	  mate’.	  You’ll	  often	  see	  people	  around	  Uni	  or	  in	  town	  not	  wearing	  shoes,	  and	  that	  is	  completely	  normal	  and	  something	  very	  different	  from	  America.	  The	  atmosphere	  is	  relaxed	  compared	  to	  the	  hustle	  and	  bustle	  I	  am	  used	  to,	  and	  there	  is	  a	  lot	  less	  stress	  in	  terms	  of	  deadlines	  and	  time.	  On	  the	  first	  day	  of	  class,	  one	  student	  showed	  up	  an	  hour	  late	  and	  it	  was	  no	  problem	  at	  all,	  the	  instructor	  joked	  with	  the	  student	  and	  welcomed	  him	  to	  the	  class.	  Being	  in	  Australia,	  the	  people	  have	  definitely	  taught	  me	  to	  let	  go	  of	  some	  things	  and	  simply	  relax	  and	  enjoy	  my	  time	  here.	  	  	  	   What	  an	  adventurous	  time	  in	  Australia!	  Last	  week	  I	  scuba	  dived	  on	  the	  Great	  Barrier	  Reef!	  I	  can	  honestly	  say	  that	  witnessing	  the	  Great	  Barrier	  Reef	  is	  one	  of	  the	  most	  beautiful	  things	  I	  have	  ever	  seen.	  Bright	  coral	  and	  exotic	  fish	  surrounded	  me	  on	  my	  dive	  and	  it	  was	  a	  very	  dream-­‐like	  experience.	  	  	  	  	  The	  picture	  above	  is	  of	  my	  friend	  and	  I	  with	  the	  famous	  Wally	  the	  Maori	  Wrasse.	  Despite	  Wally’s	  large	  size,	  he	  is	  extremely	  friendly	  with	  humans	  and	  is	  very	  photogenic.	  He	  is	  often	  referred	  to	  as	  the	  reef’s	  ‘pet’	  because	  he	  is	  so	  interactive	  with	  humans,	  but	  he	  is	  completely	  wild	  and	  free.	  Diving	  on	  the	  Great	  Barrier	  Reef	  has	  always	  been	  on	  my	  bucket	  list.	  Thank	  you	  Linfield	  College	  for	  giving	  me	  the	  opportunity	  to	  study	  abroad	  and	  make	  my	  dreams	  a	  reality!	  	  

Adventures in Australia

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Adventures in Australia

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