sojourningaustraliasillelam-blog

[sojourningaustraliasillelam-blog]

Final Country Report

Australia; a country known for many things.  While interested in the country, I never really tried to look up information about it.  This sojourning class has allowed me to do just that, and has prepared me on the path to knowing what I should do when traveling not to just Australia, but any other country.  Australia is a country located between the Pacific and Indian Ocean, being bordered by Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Liechtenstein, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Switzerland.  In terms of culture, Australia is diverse and tolerant, even neighboring certain architectures and structures that are mainly known to be in other countries. Australia shares a similar culture with New Zealand and Great Britain.  Great Britain and Australia have similar dishes like fish and chips, with some differences in how they serve them.  Australia is known to serve Kangaroo, as Kangaroo is more abundant in the country. Both Great Britain and Australia have a predominately White European majority, while minority groups differ.  White Southern European English is the man language and accent in both Great Britain, New Zealand, and Australia.  Other languages are Indigenous, Chinese, Greek, Italian, and Arabic, showing the diversity that runs in Australia.  In terms of the political system, Australia has what can be called a monarchy-democracy, with the queen being the same for Great Britain, New Zealand, and Australia.  Australia has been a democracy since the nineteenth century, separating its self from a country it used to be a part of in the past. Canberra is the capital of Australia, and has attractions that one could see while traveling from one end of the city, to the other.  The many other cities are Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, Cairns, Alice Springs, Adelaide, Brisbane and many other cities.  The cities listed however are known for their attractions and tourist spots that bring revenue and people to the country.  Australia has some history that can go back to forty thousand B.C., making it hard to see which event over the timeline, is the most important or influential. Thought to start, around forty-thousand B.C., the first wave of Aborigines arrives from the south-eastern part of Australia.  Thousands of years after and many events past, there is a gold rush in Australia that lead to Aborigines experiencing adverse treatment and having their number dwindle.  Come nineteen-o-one, the Common Wealth of Australia comes into being and the country becomes unified, though immigration laws are set forth, restricting non-white immigration.  Canberra is named the capital ten years later.  After participating in WWI, and other war efforts, Australia hosts the Olympics in Melbourne.  The host it again in Sydney in the year two-thousand, and in between then make Australian law independent of the Britain Parliament in London, allowing their courts to mount final appeals without input from a privy council in London.  Over many years after this, Australia deals with numerous events that shape not just them, but the world as immigration and terrorism become huge topics of news and media.  Though, they do elect a woman prime-minister who along with their government, deal with the legislative, racial, moral and many other issues that were brought to the attention of Australian citizens.  Australia is also known for its religious tolerance, with Christianity being the more dominant religion.  There are over seventy denominations for this group, those being Catholic, Anglican, Uniting Church, three more branches.  Other major religions are Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, Judaism.  In terms of the relationship between religion and politics in Australia, I can’t really say, as the only thing I know is that those who practice Islamic tradition have been under scrutiny by certain individual Australians, even going as far to be described as racism.  That’s an issue to ask an Australian directly about, if you want to know in more detail.  

As with other countries, Australia does have a social class. While it’s not just focused on these five groups, established affluent class, emerging affluent class, mobile middle class, established middle class, and established working class are the known social classes the Australians categorize themselves with the use of polls used to collect data on their lifestyle and views.  These social classes however are only the beginning, as they eventually spread out to attitude, behaviors, current problems, and political views.  Established affluent is basically a group or family of people earning a high income, with individuals the establish a diverse and large social network.  Emerging affluent classes are what is known to be the common trend today; turning education into a good paying job and earning a good living.  The difference between established and emerging is that, emerging typically does not have a lot of savings.  Mobile middles class come from families with a middle-class background, but have gotten an education since parents put focus on getting one for a better living.  After that you have established middle class and established working class, with the middle class following the parent’s food steps and the working class usually working less sought-after jobs.  Gender roles are also another social aspect that is important to learn about in Australia. From what I have read, women have fought hard to receive equal treatment, pay, and opportunity in Australia. There have been studies that show women in Australia were getting paid less than men in certain jobs, even going as far as facing discrimination and harassment in the workplace.  The Sex Discrimination Act helped deter these ill-mannered practices, and made it more manageable for women to obtain leadership roles in certain professions, and not bet treated differently because of their family role or sexuality.  The way Australians conversate is not much different from other heavily English-speaking countries.  While considered laid back, Australians like to conversate about specific topics, and depending on how well they know someone depends on what they’re willing to talk about.  Don’t really ramble on or go off on a tangent, as Australians are known to be blunt or straight to the point.  Any delay in conversation or secrecy can be considered rude, as openness and acceptance are the way in which people from Australia interact with each other.  The type of non-verbal communication that is prevalent is a relaxed posture with men greeting with strong firm handshakes, and women, hugs and kisses.  So, conversations between Australians could possibly be described as low context, but with emotion, passion, and interest in what they talk about.  Greetings can be considered personal, even when meeting strangers, giving that laid back and accepting feel.  They do value their time however, so knowing exactly what you want to say is considered proper.  Australia is a country of vast history, numerous religions, different languages, and continuing growth that is still trying to progress forward to this day. While there will always be negatives to go along with the positives, do some research of your own and make your own decision on if Australia is a good country for you to visit or not.

[sojourningaustraliasillelam-blog]

So, when considering visiting another country, risks are a topic to be considered.  Not country is perfect, and no traveler should go overseas expecting perfection from another country.  This mindset is only the beginning of what one should prepare for when visiting another country.  While researching some of the risk that are relevant when traveling abroad, I decided to take some notes on what I should be informed about in general, and when considering the country, I chose for my sojourning.  When visiting Australia, I’m going to try and be informed as much as possible on the things that are relevant to the country and today’s society. I’ll make sure to learn of any issues concerning health that are prevalent in Australia.  Any disease or illness that is more common over there, I’ll make sure to see if I need any vaccines and will make sure to learn about the sanitation in the area I will be staying in.  Also, I should we wary of taking food or drink from strangers, as with anywhere, diarrhea and food poisoning area still risks being cautious about.  I also learned that I should consider my safety, and be aware of my surroundings and learn which sections of my host country I should avoid.  The crime and law are also aspects I should be knowledgeable, for other countries as well as my selected host country, have laws to deter certain acts and behaviors that are considered unlawful.  Other things I should consider are the clothes I wear, and how I carry myself. I don’t want it to be known that I’m a tourist by the clothes I wear, as according to certain sources, I would be at increased risk to harm.  Adding to that, I should be aware that there can be a bit of a language barrier and non-verbal communication.  Language barriers are one of the more common ways for someone to be acknowledged as tourist, add in non-verbal communication like body language, eye contact, and gestures; you can give off an air of friendliness or be considered arrogant. There are more risk and safety precautions to learn about, but the ones I brought up in this blog are my main concerns and more personal to me.

[sojourningaustraliasillelam-blog]

There were five stories I read in the book that showed me the power, as well as the process, of globalization.  The first story I read was Shooting Pompeii.  It was an interesting read, showing me a good look on what globalization can do to a country that was originally more focused on the local aspect than the potential to attract tourist.  It shows the amazing changes that can happen over a certain amount of time, since he returned to the same place after nineteen years, and the place had turned to what I visualize as a tourist attraction.  In terms of ways of defining globalization, I’m not sure what role, if any, the media played in ‘Shooting Pompeii’, but it seems it could have possibly been a decent influence.  ‘Getting Travel Dirt Under Your Fingernails’, was also an interesting read.  It shows the perspective of the author, and how traveling is an important part of his life.  The author lets it be known that traveling has let him know more about himself, as well as the local people he’s visited in other countries.  In this travel story, he really shows how much the media controls the worlds views on how certain countries are looked at.  Going as far as to say, the fear of xenophobia is on the path to coming back.  This is due to the way media and news reports stories on the happenings around the world, and most, if not all, being about something negative.  I read three more stories, though two of them we’re relevant to globalization.  The name of the stories was ‘Who Wants a Girl?’ and ‘Among Saudi Sands’.  ‘Who Wants a Girl?’ showed a positive outcome of the author starting a foundation to support young girls and women with health care, educating them and protecting them from violence.  The foundation might not be around today if the artist never went on that trip to India.  ‘Among Saudi Sands’ gives us the perspective of the author before nine-eleven and after.  She enjoyed her homeland as a child, and relished in what it had to offer.  After some time passed and events occurred, she returned the Saudi Arabia and noticed the changes that occurred.  There was more building in the area and even a shopping mall, from what I hear is popular with tourist.  The stories that are in the book showed different perspectives, and even ideologies that shape some of the authors.  Hopefully when I travel out of country one day, I’ll come back home with a much better understanding of myself and the place I returned from.

[sojourningaustraliasillelam-blog]

Mini Report for Australian Sojourn

 For this report on finding relevant information on my host country, I decided found different sources of media that would help me see Australia in a broader perspective.  I found images that were open for free use, and tried to show the diversity that Australia is known for.  From what I’ve seen on the web, there are numerous Australians that look like they come from a specific background.  There are Australian that look of European, Asian, Middle-Eastern, and other ethnic groups that clearly have migrated into the culture, as well as bringing their own. Most of the images I found consisted of building that are in my host country, and the tourist it attracts.  I also tried to find images that showed Australia’s diversity by having structures that originate out of country. As for the other medias, I found a helpful video about getting a visa in Australia that I found extremely helpful and relevant.  It’s something that I feel everyone should read about first before planning a trip to begin with.  I also added videos of some of the attractions to see when in Australia. The most inspiring media out of all of them was the image of the many individuals that visited Australia and the diversity in ethnicity there was.

https://c3.staticflickr.com/1/133/385017506_c559ee4abe_b.jpg

Also, the video showing the attractions in Australia gave more excitement to the idea of visiting Australia.  In terms of preparation, these pieces of media help me with knowing what to expect in terms of attractions, activities, sites, and other aspects that are important. The video letting me know how to get a visa, and the process for it was helpful in knowing what I should do when applying for one, and was realistic in letting me know that I may not get approved.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38NONnBWDD0

The blog for visiting Australia on a budget was also helpful, as it lets you know that anything, if not everything is expensive in Australia. The high prices stem from competition that tries to match their opponents, allowing the prices to go up, and even the taxes as well.  There was another blog that has all types of attractions and places to see in Australia, while going through the blog it seems like they have other pages for other countries too, so I can see it being useful for anyone that decides to travel.

https://www.2aussietravellers.com/category/australia/

I feel like my collection of media could use more pictures of wild life, as I know that Australia has fascinating animals to see in the ocean, outback, and many other places.  I’ll through my collection, to see what I could add in terms of forms of media and what the media shows.  I do want to add more media, as well as diversify it.  I’m going to go through my collection and actively try to find media that either seems relevant or peaks my interest.  I try to focus more on media that is informative and stay away from anything that seems biased and ignorant.  When I put all of my stuff together, I’ll aim to create a report that is informative and exciting to read.

[sojourningaustraliasillelam-blog]

Images found in the reaches of Australia