No worries

„No worries!“ – I hear that (i guess) 20 times a day and it’s true - You don’t need to worry about much when being in OZ, because the Aussies are overall very helpful and super friendly. Being an Austrian, I really enjoy this kind of Hakuna-Matata-Lifestyle, as for most people in Austria little problems seem to be a big drama. I have been to many shops and restaurants since I arrived here in Down Under and I never met any staff or people on the street, who were unfriendly (I mean there certainly are unfriendly people here, but I have not met them yet and hopefully will never cross their way in the next 5 months).

I watched a TV show this week (can’t remember the name) – it was a quiz show and there was a picture shown of a French woman with a baseball cap. The question regarding this photo was: „What is so special about this French woman?“ and the first answer that was given was: „She is friendly and likes tourists.“ At first I laughed (I still think it’s funny!), but then I thought about it and it’s kind of weird that it is commonly known that French people are unfriendly. It’s not the same for Austrians, but still Viennese waiters are famous for being grumpy. So compared to Australians, I think that there are hugh cultural differences in terms of helpfullness: They know that they are helpful, friendly and kind and they are proud of being known for this stereotyp and seem to really enjoy helping lost people on the street.

NO WORRIES - Thumbs up for this little sentence that makes everyday life for exchange students like me so much easier!