Normal things in Australia, paradoxical for tourists

Russian blogger Natasha, who has lived in Sydney for more than 5 years, shared what surprised her when she arrived in the land of kangaroos. Below is the sharing of a blogger from Moscow, Russia about the things that surprise her about the locals, after more than 5 years living in the land of kangaroos with her husband.

Normal things in Australia, paradoxical for tourists

Like many people, Natasha used to think that Australia only had warm summers all year round . In fact, this country has 4 seasons: spring, summer, autumn and winter. Spring runs from September to November, summer from December to February, autumn from March to May and winter from June to August. It also has a dry season (May to October). and rainy season (November to April).

Australia is a “reverse” country . When most of the world is summer, Australians are huddled in the cold of winter. That means people celebrate New Year and Christmas in bikinis, blazers and miniskirts. They held a Christmas party on the beach, making “snowmen” out of sand. People often celebrate an extra Christmas in July, when it’s really cold. They sit in front of the fireplace, give gifts to their loved ones, make snowmen from “genuine” snow and enjoy the Christmas atmosphere like the rest of the world in December.

In winter, it can be warmer outside than indoors . At first glance, many people may think this is a paradox. The reality is that winter temperatures aren’t so low, Natasha explains, but living in homes without central heating and thin walls always makes her feel freezing cold. The first thing she bought to beat the winter here was a pair of fur boots.

A friend of hers once revealed that the temperature inside her house in the winter is nearly 9 degrees Celsius, while the temperature outside is close to 13 degrees Celsius. “People around the world wear fur boots outdoors, Australians don’t. wear boots in the house”.

Natasha realizes that locals have a hard time pronouncing the word , and they often shorten it , using shortened words like arvo to indicate afternoon , instead of afternoon ; or brekky for breakfast, instead of breakfast .

“People here rarely worry . Why do they have to live like this when they can sip a cup of coffee and watch the ocean right in front of them?”, Natasha wrote. They can wear anything out without being noticed: pajamas, sportswear, barefoot. According to one statistic, 50% of Australians do not use an iron, because no one judges them for a rumpled shirt or pants.

People have a habit of driving cars with bare feet . Previously, Natasha didn’t think it was a good idea when her friends revealed they did it. But now, she found this very comforting.

Despite their laid-back attitude, people like to plan everything in advance . They buy plane tickets to travel 8-9 months in advance, plan vacations a whole year in advance, and meet friends a month in advance.

Many people say that in Australia animals are always unusually large: giant spiders, giant bats and snakes, pythons often appear in the house. Everything is scary. But Natasha disagrees with this view. “If things were really this bad, Australians wouldn’t be among the happiest countries in the world.” Here, she said, every animal has its own territory, and humans are adapted to living with them. A simple rule to help people reduce risks and ensure safety is always to check the inside of the boots before putting on your feet, watch everything and be careful when swimming in the sea. “Be careful never to be superfluous,” she said.

Australia is known as the land of kangaroos, and there are more kangaroos than people. However, you rarely see them while walking on the street. Instead, you need to visit the national parks. These are the places where you will often see this animal.