Submitted by Emily Levin on the 2017 spring semester program in Sydney, Australia…
My day at the botanical gardens and the Sydney Opera House with my roommates was beautiful. The gardens had many different trees and flowers and made for a great walk. I spotted a few different large spiders that are not found in the United States and realized that the wildlife here in Australia is much different than back in the United States. After our walk through the gardens, we ended up along the water in front of the opera house where I could see many people taking pictures. The amount of people and attention given to the opera house made me realize what an important structure it is to the Australian people. I had no idea how anyone could not admire the opera house until I came across an Aboriginal woman who seemed to be very irritated about the presence of the opera house. I overheard her telling other people “the opera house is just one of the things the white people built when they stole our land”. This statement made me realize how much animosity the Aboriginal people still hold towards the Europeans who stole their land. Before going home, we went to a cafe where we enjoyed a nice lunch along the water. As a server in the United States, I realized how different the service is here in Australia. Each time I needed water or wanted to order something, I had to get up out of my seat and get my server’s attention. If this were to happen in the States, it would be considered poor service. However, I realized a cultural difference in Australia is that it is customary for the customer to flag down their server when they need something.