As I am finishing my fourth weekend here, I think I can finally say I am adjusted to the time difference and culture here. I don’t exactly think I still fit in 100%, but I do think I understand the people and cultural aspects better than when I first arrived. I think most recently, I would say that I identify with the personal relationships formed between coworkers and other people I have met while here. “Mateship” or “mates” is a term they use often, and it is something people in the US would refer to as just friendship, but in Australia, it is more unique. For me, I would consider myself to be a good friend and very honest and loyal, and I feel like most people here are the same which is very refreshing. Their definition of “mateship” is more than just friendly banter and loose friendships, it focuses mainly on loyalty and being able to show up for one another. Their relationship here are build on equality and people are very straight forward with you and authentic. I identify with it because in the workplace. everyone is very straight forward with one another, and there is no superficial communication. Because the task I am completing for my internship will be sent out to the fans of the Sydney Kings and Sydney Flames, I appreciate my coworkers’ honestly when I ask for their opinions on designs and marketing documents. Because of this, I feel like I build more genuine relationships and trust the connections formed.

As for what I find most interesting, there are some other phrases, animal behavior, and workplace actions I find different. As for phrases, they shorten words such as “brekky” for breakfast, “arvo” for afternoon, or “sunnies” for sunglasses. There are also other random phrases they use that don’t actually sound like the word and have a completely different meaning such as “have a go” which is an argument and “thongs” which really are flip flops. Looking at animal behaviors, I found it so intriguing how loyal and well behaved the dogs are here. Most dogs I have passed on walks or hikes are usually off leash and stay with their owner. Though they are the same breeds as dogs in the US, they are trained and raised much differently. I have seen dogs well-behaved and off leash at home, but nothing like the ones in Australia. Dogs here even go off and wonder around but will always return back to their owner. They also all wear harnesses with their names engraved into the harness which I also thought was unique. As for in the workplace, maybe it is because my internship’s organization is in the off season, but my supervisor is very laid back with most tasks and her and my coworkers like to chat a lot throughout the day. I don’t have very strict deadlines for my tasks, and she pushes back some site visits if something else comes up. I feel like in the US, companies or organizations are usually more strict with deadlines, even if they are in off season and they would try to find a way to fit both a site visit and other conflict within the same day, instead of putting it off.

I think the most challenging aspect of being in Australia is being able to adapt so quickly to their social norms. Between having conversations and the phrases that are said, it is hard to pick up and translate what Australians mean sometimes. In addition, I think that their classes or the structure of the classes are a little different, since everything is open for discussions and the lectures are always very generic, and not always as structured to the interests of the students. The best way to adapt to it is to keep an open mind and not take things to heart. Everyone’s relationships are different, but they form bonds generically the same through affectionate teasing, using a colloquial known as “taking the piss” or playfully mocking you or something.

In terms of how my interactions with the locals or other participants impact my own identity, I was initially confused when people would tease or point out a mistake without any emotions, and I would feel a little defensive and threatened by this. However, as I talked to more and more people and even researched a few phrases, I learned that this was a sign of affection and bonding and not an actual flaw.