| Visiting an Australian
Home |
| Could you please tell me how to behave the first time I visit someone’s
house in Australia? Wati |
It is customary in Australia to show a guest around the house soon after
they arrive. This may include a tour of more ‘public’ areas
like the kitchen, bathroom, living and dining rooms but it also might
include private areas like the bedrooms. It is not polite however for
a guest to openly and curiously look around the house without being first
invited. Even if you need to go to the toilet or bathroom you should ask
permission from your host first
The most important thing to remember is don’t touch any personal
belongings unless you are invited to, even if it’s just a photo
album sitting on a coffee table within your easy reach! This also means
don’t openly show too much curiosity about someone’s possessions.
Its OK to look at photos and books that are on display but you usually
would not handle them without first seeking permission. Once you get to
know someone better, it becomes more OK to touch some of his or her more
publicly displayed possessions-but only if you ask first. Personal journals,
bags and wallets usually stay ‘off-limits’, even between friends
and family.
In Australia, once children are teenagers, they expect their parents
to respect their right to private personal belongings and also to a personal
space that is not intruded upon by others.
| An Australian boy of about 10 walked past me while I was sitting
on Kuta beach. I called out ‘Hello Boy’ to him in a friendly
way but he didn’t answer and he didn’t even look at me.
Why was he so rude? |
The boy probably didn’t answer you because he felt annoyed when
you called him ‘boy’. In Australia, a child is never called
by a general term like this. To an Australian child it sounds insulting,
like you are talking down to them and don’t respect them. This is
very different in Indonesia where it is more polite to use a title of
some sort when you address someone. It could also be that this boy had
so many people calling out comments he got tired of it all!
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| Cultural Awareness Raising
Quiz |
1 If someone says “Let’s go dutch” when they invite
you out to dinner, they mean:
a. Let’s go to a Dutch restaurant
b. Let’s wear Dutch traditional costume
c. Let’s pay for our meal separately
2. You are walking down the street with an Australian friend when she/he
slips on the pavement. Would you:
a. Laugh because you are embarrassed
b. Give them your hand and ask if they’re o.k.
c. Pretend not to notice
3. You’ve arranged to visit a friend’s house. At the last
minute something comes up and you can’t go. Would you:
a. Go to your friend’s house, say sorry you can’t stay and
leave
b. Telephone as soon as possible to explain why you can’t come
c. Don’t do anything – maybe your friend will forget
4. You are at a party at an Australian friend’s house when someone
offers you a beer. You are a Muslim. Would you:
a. Accept out of embarrassment
b. Politely refuse and ask for an alternative
c. Explain that drinking alcohol is forbidden by the Koran
5. If someone asks you “Have you got the time?” They want:
a. You to help them with a problem
b. To invite you out for a date
c. To know what time it is
6. You are waiting in a queue to use a public telephone. Someone arrives
and tries to jump in front of you. Do you:
a. Let them use the phone first
b. Politely explain to the person that you were waiting first
c. Complain loudly to the other people waiting in the line
7. You have ordered a meal in a restaurant. When it arrives you try it
and it tastes terrible. Would you:
a. Tell the waiter/waitress that it is terrible and wait to see what she
does about it.
b. Don’t eat it and leave as soon as possible
c. Eat it anyway and don’t complain
8. A police person stops you for speeding in your car, do you:
a) Smile broadly and look as non-threatening as possible
b) Put on a serious expression and give him/her your licence
c) Give him/her your licence with Aus $50 folded inside
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