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Life In The Middle Today By Colleen Pulley

A Trip To Australia

Besides having lived in the North, South, East, and West in the United States, we have traveled to Europe, Britain, South America, and Mexico. It has given us a better understanding of people, and culture. At the same time we have observed the basic similarities all of us share. People laugh, love, work, and play. They worry about their families, and seek to improve their situations in life.

I have a brother who is living in Australia. While talking with him on the phone in the Fall he invited us to come visit him. After much talk we decided to go. We went the end of January. It was about 28 degrees F when we got on the plane in Portland, Oregon. We had a lay over in Honolulu, Hawaii. The skies there were blue, the water was warm and the temperature was in the mid 70's. The sunset and pictures I took were spectacular.

The next day our flight left Honolulu and arrived in Sydney, around 8:00 PM. It was in the 80's when we got to Australia. The cold of Northwest America seemed far away. It was Summer in the Southern Hemisphere.

This was our first trip to Australia, and we learned many things while there. People had told us how friendly the Australians were. Based on our experiences in the Sydney area, we would say this is true. Though there are 4 ½ million people in this bustling, internationally flavored, cosmopolitan city, people take the time to smile, and say “G’ Day”.

Sydney is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. One main reason is its many miles of waterfront for commercial and residential and park use. The Circular Quay area of Sydney Cove is the main ferry hub. The ferries, boats, and water taxies are coming and going. In an area called Darling Harbor ocean passenger liners dock.. Any kind of restaurant - English, Italian, Oriental, Indian, etc. is there along the waterfront. Just sitting and watching the traffic on the water is relaxing.

We went on bus tours throughout the city to see the sights. We took a harbor cruise and saw all the rivers and inlets, the bridges and ferries, and the beautiful homes with their boats along the harbor waterways. People were surfing at Bondi Beach. We visited the Australian Museum, and the New South Wales Art Gallery. We spent time at the Sydney Opera House, and went through the Royal Botanical Gardens. We enjoyed the National Maritime Museum. We went to the top of the Sydney Tower where we could take spectacular pictures of the whole city in every direction. We went to Taronga Zoo, which overlooks the Harbor, We enjoyed the Aquarium, which is one of the largest in the world. We traveled into the Blue Mountains.

We did notice something different. So many homes still had television antennas on their roofs, much like we did in the United States many years ago. They do have more modern means of getting television reception, so we don’t know why so many antennas were still present.

We had heard about the sport cricket and my husband had seen rugby before. While there we saw a cricket game and a rugby practice too.

We learned that since the 1970's there has been more immigration from different countries. About 40% of Australia’s population is now from India, China, Japan, and Vietnam. Sydney actually has one of the largest Chinese populations outside of China. Most of the Indigenous Aboriginal people don’t live in the large cities, but in the interior of the country, which is more desert and less populated. We saw a show with some of these people displaying their dress, dancing, and art work. This was interesting.

Australia is a country that welcomes LEGAL Immigration. They welcome anyone who can work, and contribute to their economy. National benefits are not available to any non-Australian. This means the costs on the government are less. If you can’t support yourself, come to visit, but you will not stay. This is very different than our lax immigration policy in the United States.

Sydney seems to be thriving economically. It is clean and growing. Perhaps this is one reason we noticed so few panhandlers, beggars, and homeless people on the streets.

We were most impressed by the efficient transportation systems in the area. Trains, buses, and ferries are all interconnected. The are reasonably priced, and operate frequently. We commuted about an hour each way by train to the city. We saw new roads being built in the suburbs. The public transportation is good and people are expected to use it rather than drive their cars into the city. There were very few garages in the city itself and we saw no parking lots. Instead, people walk and use the trains, buses and ferries. We should take a lesson from them.

Though Australia does import some goods, they provide the bulk of their own food goods. An example of this was bananas. Australia was hit this year by some kind of blight that decreased the nation’s crop by more than half. Australia responded by increasing the cost of bananas to about $6.00/ pound. I couldn’t believe it, since the USA imports most of their banana crops, and we pay about $0.50 a pound. But they are willing to increase the imported bananas prices so their banana farmers are not driven out of business. It did make us wish that the United States was as supportive of the farmers and manufacturers of American goods.

One thing that is apparent is a healthier diet. There are less ready made foods, candy, and chips, and much smaller serving sizes. My brother ordered a family size pizza, from Pizza Hut with the works, and got a 14 inch pizza loaded with greasy meat and a paper thin crust. However, the meats they use at restaurants are well trimmed and low fat. You notice that there are a lot less over-weight people there than here.

Another thing we observed was the lack of people walking their dogs. This was true in the suburb we lived in and in the city too. The only dogs we saw in the city were seeing eye dogs. When I asked someone about it they responded, “Our animals are our PETS.” That seemed to end the discussion.

Australia is facing some economic problems related to their social medicine, and certain social programs, but I have to say that they maintain their parks, and museums, and art galleries. They are conscious of conservation, and they seem to have a more homogenous population. The costs for their museums and art galleries, and historical sites are $7-10.00. This is much more reasonable than in the states.

Last but not least, we observed the people there working, laughing, and interacting. It brought home the fact that there are differences in traditions, foods, and climate, but the thing that still binds all o f us together is our universal needs for love, laughter, productive work, and family. We all want the best for our family. We all try to be responsible. We provide in one way or another. We reach out to touch the lives of those around us. We all desire to be good men and women of the earth.

So when you look around you, remember that what you contribute is unique. It is something only you can give. Another important thing to remember is that just as you find something comical in your circle, someone in Australia or Germany or Africa is finding something comical in their circle. Hopefully time will allow us to see the similarities we have one to another as much as the differences. Until later... Colleen

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