The Bridge Climb

One of my multitudes of phobias is the fear of heights, so when my friend suggested we climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge I was less than enthused. It was a windy day and as we approached the bridge it seemed to grow like a mountain of steel before us. I gathered my courage and began my ascent into the clouds and mist. Thankfully we were harnessed to the bridge so there was no real threat of falling but the thought still lingered in my mind. It was raining making the rungs of the steep ladders slippery which made me more nervous. After climbing for a good while my legs began to ache and wobble increasing the difficulty of the climb. Upon reaching the top however it was all worth it to see the glorious cityscape and harbour. I would most definitely do it again but on a clearer day so I could see more of the city from the top of the bridge.

It's Banana's B.A.N.A.N.A.S.

One of my more delectable trips was to the Big Banana in Coff's Harbour, the banana capital of the world. The Big Banana has plenty of gift shops, candy stores, amusement rides and a banana harvesting field. Sadly it was raining the day I went so all the rides were closed so I decided to treat myself to a chocolate covered banana with sprinkles. Turns out in Australia they are not called sprinkles but are called "hundreds & thousands" due to the fact that you get so many on your ice cream and treats. While I was in the candy store I saw them making hard candies. What started as huge lumps of sugar and taffy  turned into small round candies with designs of their flavors on the inside. Unlike candy here in the U.S. the flavors found in Australia are rather bizarre such as musk flavor which apparently all the older women love. Everyone here in America thought they were gross, I guess that's cause they're not elderly women.

Cultural Shock- Acceptation and Adaptation

I am somewhat going through the fourth stage which is the acceptance or adaptation stage. Luckily, another intern came and now her and I have become close friends and started to plan little trips during our stay. If I did not make a friend, I feel like I may have slipped into some type of depression because of having no social friendships with anyone. Now I am experiencing Australia. I have learned to surf, ride horses, paddleboard, travel to Sydney and the Gold Coast and so much more. I even participate in morning tea and eat lunch with all the workers. After work, I go to the Hoey, which is the bar all the employees go to on Thursdays because I feel like I am more accepted and a part of the work team

Australia vs US Business Styles in the Office

Australia is very similar to the United States though there are many differences in culture. The business aspect of both cultures is different.

In the United States, the boss has an office on the top floor and is rarely seen mingling with the employees under him or her. Workers are very goal driven and live to work. Many people stay overtime to complete their work or show extra effort to give them an edge in hopes their boss notices. It is also rare for employees to go out to bars or party with their boss.

Australia, however, has a different set of values. The boss works on the same floor as the employees. In fact, it is very common for the boss to serve tea to the employees in the morning. In addition, the employees themselves are also goal driven, but work to live, unlike the American employee. It is rare for an Australian employee to work overtime because it is a cultural ideal to be with the family instead of at work. If the boss sees an employee is working overtime, it is noted as, the employee does not love their family or is inefficient at doing his or her job. In Australia Friday’s are when the boss takes the employees out to the bars or for big lunches where everyone chats and drinks alcohol.

The ways the boss and the employees work with each other as well as the way they perform their jobs are very different between the United States and Australian culture. I was able to integrate both my American business Culture and my new Australian Culture. I like being able to talk to my boss free and openly, as seen in the Australian cultures, and making sure my work is done professionally, as seen in the American culture. I had a hard time adjusting to Friday sessions with the boss at bars because in American Culture it would be seen as unprofessional to drink with your boss. However, I was able to integrate my need to be the professional American with the need to be a relaxed Australian employee.

Rocky & Adelaide the Sea Lions: Painters extraordinaire

During my time at Dolphin Marine Magic, I got to spend time with several animals. Two animals in particular were Rocky and Adelaide who are Australian Sea Lions. Both animals were taught how to paint in response to signals given by trainers. I got to personally oversee the training techniques utilized with a female sea lion named Adelaide. Her learning capabilities allowed her to easily recognize the signals required to paint which was absolutely amazing. First we would set up a child size paint stand and canvas. After set up we place the brush in the sea lion's mouth; at this point the animal is not allowed to chew on the brush but must hold it in its mouth. Next we signal the seal to the canvas where it is directed on where to move the brush. Over time, the sea lions learn how to paint properly and no longer require these direct signals. To reinforce this behavior, they are given fish or pats at the completion of each task when done correctly. This was definitely one of my most memorable experiences while working there. Adelaide covered me in the paint, but who can get mad at an animal that cute?

Turtle Autopsy

One of my many interesting experiences while in Australia was taking part in a green sea turtle autopsy. The lead veterinary technician drew a photo for me leaving instructions and tools for dissecting the turtle. I had previous experience dissecting other animals so I was slightly better prepared than other interns for the job. This particular turtle was one that had been tagged and released by Dolphin Marine Magic so we were curious as to its cause of death. Upon cutting into the turtle I could see that there were white patches on the turtle’s organs which were larvae from worms that were living in the turtle’s intestine. I inspected the lungs under the suspicion that the turtle had drowned. We found that it had air in its lungs showing that our assumption that it had drowned was correct. After confirming the cause of death we took blood and tissue samples from all the major organs to see the levels of blood cell types and trace elements found in the blood. This was a great hands on experience and built useful skills for my future endeavors.

This photo displays a green sea turtle during a postmortem procedure

Cultural Shock- Adjustment Period

A few weeks in to my stay in Australia, I started to get used to things and find my place. This was the third stage or the adjustment period where accepting the new culture begins. The convenience of air conditioning, drying, name brand foods, and transportation no longer seem mundane. They are not necessary to my new way of life and I am beginning to adjust to the slang and speaking like a true Aussie saying things like uni (university), sunnies (sunglasses), and rubbish (trash). I am starting too really like living here. 

Cultural Shock- Crisis and Disenchantment

The second stage is the crisis or disenchantment stage where the honeymoon ends and reality of my new culture sets in. Some things become disappointing, and people can feel homesick, lonely, helpless and confused. I experienced similar feelings during my stay

 My accommodation had no air conditioner, no fans, and very little plug outlets. The weather in Coffs Harbour is very hot and humid, and most days rainy. Often I would have to open the window in hopes that a cool breeze would come in. These conditions were unpleasant and made me feel sticky, sweaty and unclean. I was so used to having air conditioning at home, that the new living conditions disappointed me.

Another difference is that many Australian do not have dryers for drying laundry. Detergents are all eco friendly and environmentally safe. These subtle changes had positive effects because they helped saved on electric and had environmental improvements. However, I was unaccustomed to waiting days for my clothes to dry, which was frustrating since I was used to instant gratification of clean dry clothes. Not only that, but I felt like my clothes were not at the same cleanly standards that I was used to. I work with dolphins and seals so my work clothes often become soiled and smell like fish. After washing my uniform did not have the fresh scent, I was hoping for, and sometimes had a musty odor due to improper drying. I missed the convenience of a dryer, but I learned that it was not a necessary item for life. 

Transportation is also different here and needs some taking use to. In big cities like Sydney, transportation is convenient and easy, but in comparison to the area I, am staying public transportation is nonexistent. I have to ride my bike everywhere since a car was not an option and buses often run off schedule. I often have to cross main highways to get to my desired location, and bike paths are not available. In addition, cars are different in design because they drive on the opposite side of the road and the driver’s seat is on the opposite side. The first time I tried to cross the road I was almost hit by a car. This is because I was in the habit of looking left to right, however in Australia you need to look right to left. I learned that lesson very fast.

Food shopping was my biggest cultural shock. Meat here is so expensive that I cannot afford to buy a small steak based on the budget I set aside for myself. Bread goes bad within a week, and fruit goes bad two to three days after I buy it. Many people go food shopping every three days for that reason. All the name brands I know and love from home are hard to find here. A box of fruit loops, which is the only cereal I recognized in the isle, cost 8 dollars, and that was for a small box. Shampoo and conditioner are also expensive. A small bottle can cost ten to 15 dollars. Water here costs more than soda. When I went into the cheese isle, I did not recognize anything. They have cheese names such as very tasty. I have learned to buy very tasty cheese because it is the closest thing I could find to the American cheese I love. Australians are also very big on vegemite, which is a yeast spread for toast. Well I tried vegemite, and it is not very exciting. It is salty and gross, but with the tasty cheese, it makes for an all right breakfast. Although I found the prices and brand names to be very different, I was excited to see that healthy foods were more reasonable then foods back home. I was never big on eating vegetables and fruits, but here I had the opportunity to change that as I started to be more conscience about the foods I was consuming.

I found relating to the people I worked with to be very hard because I felt as if I was in the way since I had not yet found my niche and I had a difficult time understanding the slang. People acted like they were interested in me and talked as if they wanted to hang out, but I found that many were had their own lives and were unable to spare time to show me around. For the first few weeks, I had nothing to do, and nowhere to go. I felt very lonely because there was a 15-hour time difference between my friends and family back in New Jersey. When I was awake, they were asleep, and when they were awake, I was asleep. This combination made me feel so alone and as if I would not make any friends here in Australia, because no one wanted to get to know me outside of work, and because I was missing everything that was happening back at home.

Cultural Shock- The Honey Moon Stage

Cultural Shock occurs when a person moves into a culture that is different from his or her own culture. An emotional trauma occurs from the frustrations of dealing with the host cultures way of communicating, customs, and value systems. Frustrations can come from anything the new culture offers such as food availability, standards of cleanliness, personal safety, accommodations, and much more such as the difference in routine. People may feel like an outsider, holding different values in comparison to the people within the new culture. People loose what is familiar and normal to them and may experience the cultural shock.

The first stage of cultural shock is excitement. I was very excited when I landed in Australia because I landed in Cairns and had the opportunity to dive the Great Barrier Reef, play with kangaroos, koalas, wallabies, and ATV through the jungle. I was then headed for Coffs Harbour to work with dolphins and seals, which is something not many people get to do. This was my honeymoon stage because everything was so new and exciting. This is the stage where most employees feel a sense of excitement for new opportunities to work and new steps in there career.