Australian Lifestyle!

Once students reach Australia, they will start noticing the differences in culture and lifestyle immediately. But the real differences between Australia and their home country will only become clear once they start to get to know the Australian people. For most newcomers, exploring the cultural differences is one of the most rewarding things about living and studying in Australia, or any new country for that matter. It is therefore important to remember the different aspects of Australian culture.

Food and living
Australians have three meals a day of which dinner is the biggest. Breakfast is usually self serve and consists of toast, cereal, fruit and fruit juices, milk and tea or coffee. Standard of hygiene are high in the preparation of food to the public and tap water is safe to drink in any Australian town. Fresh food is plentiful at shops and markets. Seafood's and all meats, fresh fruit, salad and vegetables are of high quality and quite safe to eat. The dress is very casual around the home, shopping and sightseeing. Work and evenings out usually require a higher standard of dress. Australian people wear their shoes inside, so you don't need to take your shoes off before entering the house or before going to the toilet.

Australians tend to say what they think
Australians tend to give their opinions freely and openly. This applies in basic situations, such as saying yes or no when offered a drink, as well as when discussing complex political scenarios in a university tutorial or over dinner with friends. Generally, Australians are not overly concerned whether people they are speaking to agree with their opinions or not.

Most Australians like their personal space
Australians tend to stand quite far from each other when they're talking. As a general rule, two people talking to each other stand at least one metre apart. When somebody stands closer than this, the average Australian begins to feel quite uncomfortable.

Australians generally pay their own money
When most Australians go out to a social function in a group, it is generally expected that people will pay for themselves. This applies as much to going out to lunch/dinner with friends, as to seeing a movie. A good common example is going out to dinner. At the end of the meal when the bill is brought to the table, the total amount will either be divided equally among the number of people who ate the meal, or each person will examine the bill and contribute the amount they owe.

Most Australians place a high priority on time
Australia is a very time-oriented place. This is reflected in their public transport system, which is strongly measured by how closely it runs to its published timetable; also in their education system where class, lecture and tutorial schedules are very strictly adhered to. If you are unable to make an appointment after you have made one, you should give as much warning as possible, even 24 hours notice if you can. The same applies to meetings with friends, although the rules are generally a bit more flexible.

Australians tend to be spontaneous talkers in conversation
Australians tend to be rather spontaneous in conversations and may talk lot of additional information that may not be totally essential to the main point of the conversation. One reason for this is that Australians tend to feel uncomfortable with periods of silence and often prefer to fill the gaps with jokes, or by quickly introducing a new topic of conversation. The key is to understand the general meaning behind what is being said.

Gifts
In Australia it is common for the person who is celebrating the birthday to receive gifts from friends. Such gifts are generally not expensive. Inviting friends to a dinner party at home is a common social activity in Australia. If you receive this sort of invitation, it is not normally necessary to bring a gift to the person's house. However, if you drink alcohol, it is very common to bring a bottle of wine to contribute to the meal. Occasionally people also bring flowers, although this is certainly not expected.

Australians respect other people's privacy
The average Australian is very aware of not intruding too much into other people's personal affairs. There are a range of issues that are best avoided when talking socially to many Australians on your first meeting. They include discussing a person's marital status, religion, income and age. Australians also tend to respect other people's physical privacy. For example, many Australians will expect other people to knock on their bedroom/office door, or announce their presence, by saying "excuse me", before entering.

Australians place great importance on individual responsibility
Whether it's at work or in a study environment, Australians believe people should take individual responsibility for their own actions. In a study environment, students are expected to produce essays and reports independently. There are great penalties for copying another person's work without properly acknowledging it.

Almost all Australians have a sporting interest of some kind.
Australians enjoy variety of sports like baseball, swimming, cricket, athletics, netball, softball, soccer, hockey, basketball and tennis. Watching sport is also common for most families. Many thousands of people attend professional football games every week and many more watch all forms of sports on the T.V.