The Australian People

Well its my fifth month in Australia. So far this country welcomed me very warmly. The Australian people are good. The weather is not harsh beside the intense skin dryness you suffer nowadays.  I was expecting lots of rain but it rains less. In today's post I will tell some characteristics of Australian people. Its interesting to observe them. Its not waste of time to learn something from the "Aussies".

The Australian people are really thankful. For example while taking off from a bus. They don't forget to say "thank you" to the driver, which is a really sweet and innocent gesture for the service they are offering. In the same way, when you step in to the bus the bus driver, wearing white uniform will greet you with a very polite "Hi" or "Hello". They are thankful for your presence.

Smile is another very common gesture among Australians. Here they can smile to anyone and as a result you can smile back. You can also smile to someone and be assured that you will not face a frowned face but a warm welcoming smile in return. Smiling here represents the happiness and satisfaction of Aussies. They are friendly and easy going.

Aussies don't discriminate. In Australia they will respect you if you are following your religion and wearing your cultural outfit. Multi-culturalism is one of the basic traits of Australian nation. They support your culture. They don't want you to merge but emerge as a beautiful flower from the collection of different beautiful cultures. In this peaceful land, a muslim lady can wear her traditional cloths, observe her hijab. While walking on wide roads of Perth, I can see many Somalian ladies wearing their hijab and numerous Afghani and Pakistani women wearing Scarfs and "Chadars" respectively. I observed whenever I worn the pakistani traditional shalwar kameez it was appreciated very much by friends and teachers as compare to other casual dresses I have. Thats the beauty of this lovely country. You feel like at home. They respect your uniqueness.

Last but not the least, Australians loves to give you an Australian pet name. No matter where you belong to or what's your religion. They would like to grant you an Aussie name. I don't understand the reason behind that, may be its a token of friendliness or may be its for the convenience of their own. Since names from different cultures are sometimes difficult to pronounce by Aussies. I have seen many muslims, Indians and chinese with Aussie nick names like echo for Kaun, Lucky for Khawar and Lucy for Rizwana. When I attended my first class in Australia I was asked to pick a nick name for myself.  Fearing to lose my identity in this big country, I better thought to stick with my own name no matter how hard it is, to pronounce. So, if you are coming to Australia and love to have a "given" name, its better to think about it right now.

Beside Australian people's thankfulness, friendliness and welcoming nature, they also expect you to adopt the same traits. A rigid person with inconsiderate nature is not liked. Be kind and happy and this beautiful land will own you like her own.