Aussie Style

Sometimes it’s just a lot of fun walking around in Australia and engaging with the people on the street. It might be stereotypical, but on average, these Aussies really are a friendly and open bunch.

This morning we got up at around silly o’clock to get Willemijn and the kids to the train station as they were catching the morning flight back home. And while walking there, I had three encounters that really made my day.

The first was with a couple of construction workers on the way to the station. Just the way they greeted us with a friendly “Hey, how are you?” while we passes the construction site was a real nice wake up. If I compare that to the grumpy folk on such sites in Germany, there is a world of difference.

The second encounter was at the train station itself. Here in Oz you cannot get onto the platform without a ticket. So I was busy saying my good-byes when the guard from the gate approached us. He offered me to take the family onto the platform to see them off. Just because. Real nice.

The third encounter was at (one of) the coffee places at work. The staff behind the counter already knows my name and favourite coffee, and I have been there maybe a hand full of times. Always a laugh and chat and super friendly service. Quite a few cafés in Europe could learn from that.

I can definitely get used to this kind of interaction with total strangers on the street. What a step up from the reserved, sometimes quite distant way we treat each other in Europe.