Reading Between the Lines

The most significant difference that I have noticed in Australia is that many of my Australian peers seem to be very forward about their opinions and do not seem to hold anything back.

Some Americans who are used to polite interactions (even if they are not genuine) might be caught off guard by the way that Australians tend to communicate and might view they way they speak and act as rude. For example, when I first got here and we were doing icebreaker activities with our floor mates, part of the game was to answer some really personal questions about yourself in front of the group. Some of the other Americans in our group seemed extremely uncomfortable with the activity and some did not want to participate. That led to some of the Australians becoming offended that others did not want to participate, because the game was designed for people to become more comfortable with each other, not to be embarrassed. Sure, the game was a bit out of my comfort zone too, but I realized that, especially in the early days of my time here, it was crucial to really be open to the practices and customs here. This ties back to Barna's discussion of the "Tendency to Evaluate," as some people took a common practice of a group of people and immediately judged it as rude and inconsiderate (Barna, 341-342).

The use of "Thank you" is not as popular here either. People tend to simply say "Cheers!" In the U.S., our general response to "Thank you" is "You're Welcome." Here, people do not say "You're Welcome," But instead say "You're alright." Occasionally, the tone of "You're alright" comes across as a sign of annoyance. I think that this ties into Barna's discussion of Culture Shock and High Anxiety (342-343). I think that the typical "Thank you, You're Welcome" discourse in the U.S. provides Americans with a sort of comfort. We do not have to worry about what will come after "Thank you," because it is rarely a surprise. But in a new place, where emotions are already hyper-sensitive, a change from what we are used to can be shocking to some people.

There is also a very strong sense of pride within University Hall Residence Hall, which sometimes leads to anxiety. In the U.S., cheering for a sports team tends to be a voluntary action, and individuals are rarely "forced" into attending an event. But here, it is assumed that all Uni Hall residents will go to sports events, no questions asked. For Australians, this is because cheering on their teams is a very important part of college life, and not doing so would be letting down the team. Some people who are not used to this type of culture might think that the coercive nature of attending sports events is not fair, but this is really a misinterpretation of the true intentions.

Water Polo finals that we were all instructed to attend

Barna, L.M. (1994). "Stumbling Blocks in Intercultural Communication." In L.A., Samovar and R.E. 

     Porter, Intercultural Communication: A Reader, 7th Edition, Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing   

     Company. 337-346.