Wednesday, March 6, 2013

A Culture of Peace




We are Americans living in Australia and we definitely notice the culture of peace here. I was just talking to my mom and telling her how different the kids and teens are here. 
 
I'm not sure what makes the kids different here, but they are. The other day I was sitting in the car in the dark waiting for the train. A fairly loud group of mixed-race teens walked by.   Back home I would have cringed and prepared for the onslaught of inappropriate behavior. Instead they waved at me and said, "G'Day."  They did not say a word or make any inappropriate gesture whatsoever to the young, cute teen girl walking the other way.


Street art goes unvandalized.   Walls go ungraffitied.  People go unmolested.  Grassy areas go untrashed.  People travel on public transportation and have pleasant rides.  There are no signs saying "Don't climb on the sculpture", but still no one climbs on it.  There are no fences around lovely things and gardens and whatnot and still people do not deface them.

I just don't get it! 

I feel like a sociologist trying to figure out what it is in Australia that works...

2 comments:

  1. I am an American in Australia and my experience has definitely not been the same as yours. Brisbane mus be quite different than Sydney.

    I was wondering if you had to request to be able to homeschool here, as you would need to as an Australian, or if you were able to just choose to homeschool because you are American.

    My daughter is not yet two, but I plan to homeschool her.

    Thanks,

    Serena

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Serena, honestly, I haven't talked to a single authority figure about it. I'm just doing it.

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