The first thing hubby brought up was the beautiful beaches. Australian beaches are lovely, with its laid back atmosphere, the cool breeze and clean waters. Although living in the west means we don't get to visit the beaches that often, we always make a stop at Coogee beach whenever we make a trip to the airport (which is quite a lot when you have relatives overseas).
The next thing I brought up was the fact that you don't need a university degree to make a decent living in this country. Labour intensive work seems to be appreciated and well paid. Korea suffers from high unemployment rate even though majority of the working age people have university degrees. That's because everybody wants white collar jobs. Other jobs are so poorly paid that there is no incentive for young people to pick up a trade. I think Australia is fair in that sense. You get paid for your labour, whether it's brain work or not.
Hubby then brought up the fact that there are less formalities in Aussie culture. In Korea, there is a different set of grammar used to speak to people who are older than you. That's how much we value formalities. You need to bow your head a certain way, pour drinks with both hands, sit down in a respectable manner, the list goes on. I'm so glad I don't have to worry about those kind of things in Australia.
Some people ask me if I miss Seoul, with its fancy buildings and exciting night life. Where everyone is beautiful and everything is high-tech. But I don't miss those things at all. On the contrary, I love the simple, laid back culture of Australia. I might miss the people and the food in Korea, but I'm happy living here, even as a Korean in a different country.
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| Learning a bit about history at Parramatta Park on Australia Day |
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