Submitted by Olivia Szefer on the 2020 spring semester study abroad program in Sydney, Australia…
Being in Sydney for over a week, I have encountered many times when I was taken aback with culture shock. One particular time was when I was taking public transport, more specifically, the light rail which runs through the central parts of the city. To travel on any public transport, each individual should have an Opal card that holds money on it in order to pay for their journey. Everyone is expected to check on and off on a particular pad in order to pay for the transport, and absolutely everyone – adults, children and tourists alike – tap their Opal cards onto this in an orderly fashion. After tapping the card, they would calmly enter the light rail. This shocked me at first because they could easily rush onto the tram without paying without anyone noticing; however, they choose to be orderly and follow exact protocol in these instances.