The first two days in Geelong were a bit of a culture shock for me, since everything closed at 5 – on the first day because it was a Sunday, and on the second day because it was a public holiday. Coming from the city that never sleeps, this was a bit hard to swallow.

The atmosphere is also very different. This is partly because Geelong consists of only about 300,000 people (though it is the fastest growing area in Australia at the moment). Whereas New York City streets are almost always crowded and bustling, sometimes I don’t see anyone else out. The lack of significant foot traffic (despite the fact that everyone walks everywhere) is evident by the way crosswalks work. Rather than automatically giving pedestrians a walk signal, the lights only allow for pedestrians when you press a button. Being from New York, I’m used to jay walking and crossing against the light, but I’ve been warned that laws against jay walking are actually enforced here (through a AUS$150! fine) and cars are not required to yield to pedestrians (while in the city, pedestrians always have the right of way) so I better wait for the little green man to tell me it’s okay to cross.

However, the lack of the hustle and bustle is also nice. I’ve discovered that Australian’s have a reputation for being laid back for a reason – they are! No one ever seems to be in a rush, and all interactions seem to be very casual. We don’t call our teachers in class professor or doctor, we simply call them by their first name. Though I’m not saying it’s better than the busy and soemtimes cold city (which I love) it certainly is a big cultural difference.