Common Mistakes About Australia
When I was teaching in Japan, I found that some students had some ideas about Australia that weren’t right. Sometimes this was because they’d seen a news report about something unusual in Australia and assumed it was common.
Here are some things about Australia you might be surprised about.
Santa Claus doesn’t usually wear a bathing suit
Sometimes on the news in Japan there are reports about Santa going surfing in Australia. Even though it’s summer in Australia, if you go to a department store, Santa will be dressed the same as in other countries: wearing a red and white suit.
There is snow in Australia
In the southern states of Australia it snows in winter in the mountains and you can go skiing.
Not everyone drinks beer.
It’s true that a lot of Australians like to drink beer. But not everyone does. I’m Australian and I don’t drink alcohol.
There are hot springs in Australia
There aren’t many hot springs, but there are some. People usually wear bathing suits in outdoor hot springs.
A lot of Australians aren’t worried about going naked in hot springs.
Some Japanese told me they thought foreigners didn’t like hot springs, because you have to go naked in hot springs in Japan. Some Australians would be uncomfortable doing this, but a lot of Australians don’t have a problem with this. There are nude beaches in Australia – that’s a lot more public than a hot spring.
Not all maps are upside down
In some tourist shops you can buy upside-down maps of the world – Australia is at the top of the world. But most maps are the same as in other countries.
Japan bombed Australia during the second World War.
I was surprised that a lot of younger Japanese didn’t know Australia and Japan fought against each other during the second world war. Japan is the only country to have attacked Australia – Japanese pilots bombed Darwin and Japanese submarines attacked Sydney. There are some scenes in the movie Australia showing the Japanese attack.
Most people can use chopsticks
There are lots of Asian restaurants in Australia and most younger people are comfortable using chopsticks.
Thanksgiving isn’t celebrated in Australia
Thanksgiving is a North America custom. It’s not celebrated in Australia. Some people celebrate Halloween. Some children go trick or treating, but most don’t. Again, it’s more popular in North America. There are probably more Halloween decorations in shops in Japan than in Australia.
Most people don’t often eat kangaroo meat.
Although it’s possible to buy kangaroo meat in some supermarkets, most people don’t eat it very often. I’ve only eaten kangaroo once.
The dangerous animals in Australia aren’t that dangerous.
There are lots of dangerous animals in Australia: sharks, spiders, snakes, poisonous fish, jellyfish. But in the city you’re unlikely to have any problems. More people are killed by earthquakes in Japan than by sharks in Australia.
Famous Australian actors
In recent years Australia and New Zealand have had a lot of famous actors, but a lot of Japanese think these actors are from America and England. Some well-known Australian actors include: Hugh Jackman (from X-Men), Nicole Kidman, Cate Blanchett (from Lord of the Rings and The Aviator), Heath Ledger (from Dark Knight. He won the Oscar after he died) and Geoffrey Rush (he won the Oscar for Shine and played the pirate captain in Pirates of the Caribbean). Sam Worthington (from Avatar) grew up in Australia and so did Mel Gibson. Russell Crowe (from Gladiator) grew up in New Zealand and lives in Australia.
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Entering the world of the geisha
Michio is just 19 years of age but already she has spent four years learning the art of a geiko – or geisha – in the Japanese city of Kyoto.
(Locals prefer the word ‘geiko’ instead of ‘geisha’ because it is, they say, more chic.)
In modern Japan, geiko (geisha) and maiko, the trainees, are now a rare sight outside the geisha districts of cities – victims of a modern, fast-paced world.
http://www.theage.com.au/travel/entering-the-world-of-the-geisha-20100112-m493.html
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Romania
After Moldova, I took the bus to Suceava in the north of Romania.
The northeast of Romania is known as Moldavia and is still a rural area where you can see lots of horses and buggies on the road. The area is also home to painted monasteries that have beautiful frescos.
Then I travelled to Transylvania, a region in central Romania. I stayed in the town of Brasov and visited some of the towns and sights around the area.
Bram Stoker based the character of Dracula on a historical figure, Vlad Tepes, a Wallachian noble who fought against the Turks. Vlad was born in Transylvania and was called Vlad the Impaler because of his habit of impaling his enemies on stakes. He father belonged to the Order of the Dragon (Dracul) and Vlad became known as Dracula (son of the dragon).
Brasov has one of the narrowest streets in Europe. Nowhere to hide if the vampires come after you.
I visited Peles Castle, the summer residence of the Romanian royal family. I had never heard of it before, but it is one of the most impressive palaces I’ve ever been to. A lot of the European palaces (Versailles, the Hermitage, Vienna’s Schonbrunn, Madrid’s Royal Palace) have rooms covered in gold leaf, which initially seems impressive but starts to look a bit gaudy after you’ve seen a few. Peles Castle is decorated in wood and seems like somewhere you’d rather live than the other palaces. There are elaborate carvings, displays of weapons and armour and a library with a secret passage.
Unfortunately it was very expensive to get a photo permit (about 5 times the cost of an entrance ticket), so I didn’t take any photos inside.
Bran Castle is called the Dracula castle, but in reality has little to do with him. (He might have visited there, but he didn’t live there). Someone decided to cash in on the popularity of the Dracula story.
Sighisoara is the city where Dracula was born. It’s a really nice city with an old citadel. I visited the house where Dracula was born.
The house has been turned into a tourist restaurant. I had a meal with a hollowed out loaf of bread filled with soup.
The main course was a steak and schnitzel skewered on a little wooden stake and covered in tomato sauce.
After Transylvania, I visited Bucharest, the Romanian capital. A lot of people don’t like Bucharest, but I had a fun stay there and visited some nice restaurants.
Have fun,
Aidan.
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Sam the Koala goes on display in Melbourne
The koala that become a symbol of Victoria’s bushfire disaster will go on display at the Melbourne Museum from today.
A picture of Sam the koala drinking water from a firefighter’s bottle at Boolarra in Gippsland in the lead-up to Black Saturday became one of the most recognisable images from last year’s devastating fires.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/01/14/2792035.htm
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Moldova
I ate pizza in a country that doesn’t exist.
After Ukraine I visited Moldova. There’s not a lot to see inside the main part of Moldova, but there is Transnistria.
Transnistria is a self-proclaimed independent republic. There was a civil war in Moldova in 1992 and more than 500 people were killed.
Transnistria has its own borders and immigration checks, its own government, army and currency, but it’s not recognised as an independent state by other countries. Many of the people in Transnistria want to become part of Russia.
I stayed in the main part of Moldova, but went to Transnistria for a day trip. I’d heard stories of foreign travellers having to pay bribes ($20 – $50 US) to get into Transnistria, but fortunately I didn’t have to pay anything. There was a long wait at the checkpoint and I was the last in line from our bus. The bus driver didn’t want to wait any longer and took me to the front of the line and demanded they process my immigration form quickly.
Transnistria is a Communist dictatorship and has lots of murals and slogans.
The Presidential Palace
Horse traffic lights.
There were lots of young men in black clothes with shaven heads wandering around. Communist youth group members.
Have fun,
Aidan.
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