Spring Break
The Daily OrangeWhen in Australia, do as the Aussies do
By Sunny Garretson
Posted: 9/23/09, 9:40 PM EST Section: Opinion
During my first week in Australia I visited the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. While holding a koala, I thought to myself, this is exactly what I imagined Australia was going to be like. Little did I know I had barely touched the surface. Australia is much more than koalas, kangaroos and warm weather.
When I showed up to the first university-wide jungle-themed party I realized that my sorority style-inspired outfit was not what the Aussies had in mind. Standing in line, I noticed a student in a full body wolf costume talking to a student who was dressed as a tree. To my left was a Steve Irwin look-a-like holding a crocodile, and to my right was a girl completely covered in yellow body paint, wearing black stripes and wings to look like a bumblebee.
"What are you supposed to be?" my Aussie friend asked.
"A cheetah," I answered, as I spun around in my high-waisted animal-print skirt and dipped my cheetah-print cowboy hat.
I first experienced "culture shock" when I saw the look on his face. A themed college party in the U.S. is an excuse for everyone to dress up in their skimpy yet fashionable outfits, play beer pong and take a lot of pictures. A themed college party in Australia usually entails body paint, face paint, costumes, techno music, beer and sausages.
To become more acquainted with the Aussie lifestyle, I decided to submerge myself in the Australian culture. I participated in the public holiday, Brisbane Exhibition Day, also known as "Ekka." The university is closed on this particular Wednesday and encourages its students to join the rest of the city in Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, for fairground rides, horse races and, once again, beer and sausages. This is a time for young women to show off the latest fashion trends and for young men to win some extra cash by betting on the horse races. Who would have thought that a country would have a public holiday in the middle of the week devoted to having a good time?
When I showed up to the first university-wide jungle-themed party I realized that my sorority style-inspired outfit was not what the Aussies had in mind. Standing in line, I noticed a student in a full body wolf costume talking to a student who was dressed as a tree. To my left was a Steve Irwin look-a-like holding a crocodile, and to my right was a girl completely covered in yellow body paint, wearing black stripes and wings to look like a bumblebee.
"What are you supposed to be?" my Aussie friend asked.
"A cheetah," I answered, as I spun around in my high-waisted animal-print skirt and dipped my cheetah-print cowboy hat.
I first experienced "culture shock" when I saw the look on his face. A themed college party in the U.S. is an excuse for everyone to dress up in their skimpy yet fashionable outfits, play beer pong and take a lot of pictures. A themed college party in Australia usually entails body paint, face paint, costumes, techno music, beer and sausages.
To become more acquainted with the Aussie lifestyle, I decided to submerge myself in the Australian culture. I participated in the public holiday, Brisbane Exhibition Day, also known as "Ekka." The university is closed on this particular Wednesday and encourages its students to join the rest of the city in Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, for fairground rides, horse races and, once again, beer and sausages. This is a time for young women to show off the latest fashion trends and for young men to win some extra cash by betting on the horse races. Who would have thought that a country would have a public holiday in the middle of the week devoted to having a good time?
Be the first to comment on this story