On my first day of school in Australia I took the bus home and it dropped me off in front of the mall by my host family’s house. I was excited to take a look around the mall and see what it was like. However, I surprised to see that most of the stores were closing and it was only 5:00. With the exception of K Mart (which is open until midnight) almost all stores close around 5 every day. When we all complained about this in class, our program director explained that this was because Aussies don’t want to work late so they can spend the evenings at home with their families. We were all pretty surprised by this and just grumbled more about how we were used to being able to go to stores late into the evening. It took my whole five months in Australia to get used to this and to actually start to appreciate it.
They make sure that there is significant time to spend at home, and while they work hard, they make sure there is ample time to relax as well. They also put a high priority on taking holidays. These typically happen over Christmas and Easter, but depending on specific jobs, there are often more throughout the year.
As a new program rule, we also did not have internet access at our home stays. This was definitely a challenge, especially when trying to do homework, or look up places to go and directions, but it ended up being such a blessing. Without being able to shop, run errands, or use the internet, my evenings were completely free to enjoy with my host family. I got to know them so much better and we had so much fun.
All this to say, take some time to slow down and enjoy the people around you. We are all busy, but often we forget to invest and spend time with the people around us. Maybe try to turn off the TV, cell phones and internet for just a little while each day and use that time to spend with family and friends. We may think that we don’t have time, but we make time for what we want to make time for. It’s always good to do a priority check on how we spend our time and evaluate what is important to us.
The man that spoke in chapel today talked about how time is our most precious commodity, and I agree we don't use it in the best way. At first, I probably would have gone crazy without internet, but I might have eventually found it as a blessing too...I mean, facebook is so distracting. I frequently find myself saying I don't have time to do this or that, but really I would if I just slowed down a bit...
ReplyDeleteI completely understand the intent behind this sort of set up, but the problem is, how is it practical? For instance, if people work til 5 p.m., when do they grocery shop? I think it's very Norman Rockwell to envision everyone sitting at home crowded around Lawrence Welk, but I don't think stores closing early are directly related to that idealistic image. It would only serve to frustrate me and make me crabby... which would undoubtedly ruin the whole "family bonding time" thing.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a good reminder Laura. So often we feel that we are too busy for things that we say matter to us. It is good to occasionally take inventory of how we spend our time, and re-evaluate what is most important to us, then pursue those things first.
ReplyDeleteWhile it would be pretty frustrating to be so limited in places to go in the evenings, I'm sure you wouldn't have gotten to know your host family nearly as well.
I think extra time should be taken to spend with family and friends so I'm with the Aussie's on this. I've heard how people in other countries have an incredibly laid back way of life. I think America should learn from that.
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