Culture Shock Australia

Culture Shock Australia
A Guide to Customs and Etiquette
by Ilsa Sharp
1992

Thoughts Going In

Sure, the book is a bit dated, but it looks good (as in interesting). It looks like it has the inside scoop (written by a local, as it is). And skipping about, I was intrigued enough to read the section on Gallipoli. Thankfully, there is an short index. Otherwise, I would not known how to (find the section, again; and more importantly) spell Gallipoli (right here and now). Anyhow, that bit was well written, interesting, and informative.

And then, the book opens (more or less) with some slang terms. And who doesn't need more slang terms in their life?

To wit:

I chundered the chook on the dingbat's daks, so I wagged the sticky beak (such a wowser), grabbed the esky, and distributed a shout of tubes to my would be jackaroo sandgroper kin.

See, it's fun, already.

A Single Notable Quote

There were more. But I do not find myself quoting lines as much as I once did.

The Japanese tourist who poured tomato ketchup over his breakfast cereal didn't go down too well either.

So, you know, if you want to fit in, don't do strange things.

Running Thoughts

• Let's study a map.
• I do believe I will be coming back to this.
  • {I did not.}
• And that's what the corks are for.
• Also, they're corks.
• I wonder if I will desire to visit Australia by the end?
• {That's a Big No.}
• {I am going on a Visceral Vacation to Iceland next month.}
  • {And/or Virtual Vacation, but I like the first wording better.}
• {Australia was never in the running.}
• Rhyming Slang.
• So, Canoe becomes a Tin Can For You...
  • Or something like that.
• This Slang Thing is a whole Rabbit Hole.
• And Cassidy was totally on top of it.
• And then, it started to drag a bit.
• So, maybe I'm tired.
• Time to stop.
• I had no idea Australia was so fractured.
• It's one view.
• And she hardly speaks for the country as a whole.
• But it is a nice view to have.
• It comes off as measured.
• Alas, I have no context.
• The book is twenty years old.
• It's been even longer since the first printing.
• For the most, it doesn't matter.
• But sometimes, it shows.
• Not caring about immigration.
• Or politics.
• Skipping pages.
• This just might be the end.
• Sometimes, my reading goes skip... skip... flip to the end.
• We'll see.
• OK.
• We're back on track.
• Quizzes are always welcome.
• But both the questions and answers were too long.
• I thought she was Asian.
• Oh, well.

The Debriefing

At some point, a person (meaning me) has to admit they just don't feel like reading a particular book anymore. Without a doubt, the highlight was the section on Australian Slang.

It's hard to say what would have made the book better, so as to make me want to finish reading the last 150 pages instead of skimming them in a short half hour, as I did.

Humour would have done it.

Or picking the essay topics better.

I mean, in the end, the book was just a collection of essay's about Australia. And the typical essay about any topic (so, I am talking about the endless variety of sub-topics on any topic, here), I am going to find boring.

Or then, more likely, the good stuff (and let's assume Ilsa knows what the good stuff is) was front loaded. And having finished that, I had finished the better part of the book.

Opinions will differ, of course.

But that's mine and I'm sticking to it.