10A
KULTURE
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 2007
Pop-culture shock among the challenges of studying abroad
BY MARY SORRICK
Editor's note: Kansan correspondent Mary Sorrick is studying abroad in Australia this semester.
I came to Australia for a lot of reasons, Beaches, sun, friendly people and charming accents aside, a certain mystery surrounds the country and drew me to it. As images of kangaroos and boomerangs contrasted so sharply with the hot dogs and 'Husker football of my youth, studying abroad in Australia became a goal that I couldn't wait to fulfill. Now, having been in Sydney for a month, I'm still very aware of this country's aura. You might assume that there aren't as many differences between the U.S. and Australia as there are between the U.S. and Yemen. But it's the subtle nuances of Australia life that make things feel foreign.
Culture shock has not really been an issue for me. However, culture shock does possess an unexpectedly cruel offshoot; pop-culture shock. When you don't know half of the celebrities discussed on TV or in magazines, it can make you feel farther away from home than the actual physical distance does. Turning on the radio usually means opening yourself up to a barrage of beat-driven house music, unfamiliar pop songs and the occasional appearance of the worst of America's top-40 singles. My hopes of hearing nonstop AC/DC, Kylie Minogue and Wolfmother on the airwaves were quickly dashed. I've become more familiar with electronic dance music than I ever thought possible.
Lackluster radio programming does nothing to wear down the basic enthusiasm that Australians have for just about everything. This perpetual good mood became apparent three days after my arrival down under. Sixty other U.S. students and I were crammed on a boat for the two-hour journey to the Great Barrier Reef, a trip that under normal circumstances would be very relaxing and enjoyable. Unfortunately for us, bad weather the night before had caused the ocean to look like a scene from "The Perfect Storm". While 80 percent of the passengers spent the ride being sick, the Australian crew members sang songs, played around on the PA system and took turns steering the boat as if the groans of 50 people weren't enough to dent
their cheery dispositions.
Thankfully, I made it to Sydney, my home for the next four months, without getting sick. In Lawrence, we're used to being the geographical center of the country, but it's an entirely new experience to live in a country's cultural center. Darling Harbour, which winds through downtown, is lined with restaurants and clubs that blare base heavy dance music into the city every night. An abundance of bars, as well as the Australian love of anything involving beer also adds to the lively atmosphere.
This jovial spirit made Sydney a perfect fit for the world's only Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras on March 4. About 350,000 spectators watched as scantily clad dancers and colorful floats paraded through the city. The Opera House and the Harbour Bridge, two of Sydney's largest attractions, are great, but they had nothing on the parade. Sydney's Mardi Gras was one of the strangest things I have ever experienced.
Not everything in Australia is about flam- boyant parades and busy downtown streets, though. I did come here to study.
Macquarie University, where I'm studying, is quite different from the University of Kansas. The 40 year old school prides itself on being one of the oldest universities in Australia. The students commute from neighboring suburbs because the university offers no on-campus housing and most of the stores and offices on campus are closed by 5 p.m. Macqaurie's bar stays open late every night because it's a wet campus.
Another difference is that Macquarie lacks a campus newspaper. At the University, I took for granted having something to browse through every morning, and I've come to miss the benefits afforded by a daily paper — even if my morning routine consisted of looking at the pictures and doing the crossword and Sudoku. Not having a newspaper is really the only thing I can complain about. Who needs a morning routine when lectures don't start until 11 a.m. and are optional anyway? Students often choose to skip class in favor of going to the beach or driving downtown because the professors use it lecture, a system that records each lecture and posts it online for students to download later. It's a beautiful way of doing things.
Despite the palm trees and sunny beaches, Australia is a surprisingly hostile continent. Some of the world's most venomous snakes and spiders call Australia home. The funnel-web spider, the deadliest of them all, actually lives in Sydney and its surrounding areas. Sharks can be found all around the Australian coast. Shark attacks are relatively rare, but a very real threat comes from the box jellyfish — a thumbnail sized jellyfish that can kill a person in four minutes with just one sting.
Even without poisonous animals, Australia still is a formidable place. The interior of the continent is so hot and dry that only 10 percent of the country's population actually lives there. The searing heat of the outback can be attributed in part to the fact that Australia has no ozone layer. Ever wonder how Australians get so tan? Its because nothing stands between the UV rays from the sun and their skin. During study abroad orientation, university employees made sure to announce that a person would burn in less than 20 minutes without sunscreen. In fact, it's impossible to find any sunscreen here with an SPE below 30.
Considering the strength of the sun and the overabundance of poisonous creatures, I've developed a theory as to why Australians are so cheerful. They're just happy to still be alive.
Studying abroad is not nearly as difficult as I thought it would be. Maybe it's because Australia welcomes everyone with open arms or because e-mail and Skype, an Internet phone company, keep me in constant contact with family and friends from home. It's almost embarrassing to think that the biggest frustration I've faced since arriving in Sydney is having to deal with the fact that I can't watch March Madness. Australians are indifferent to the Jawhaws and NCAA basketball. Then again, it's possible that having an aborigine teach me to throw a boomerang, snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef and walking across the Sydney Harbour Bridge all might be worth missing a few basketball games.
— Edited by James Pinick
Contributed Photos
Studying abroad offers students the opportunity to experience new things that they would otherwise not see or do during their college years. The programs offer a way for students to become more independent by spending time in a foreign culture. The time spent away from their home culture generally offers the largest benefit for most students that participate in study abroad programs.
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