The Blues

Aussie-mosis

On June 23, 2010, in Australia, by Rosie

There is so much to adore about Australia. So much.

One of the many experiences that suggests I’m a parochial and avid lover of our great country is when the plane banks South-East (usually) over somewhere like Port Headland and I feel that grounding pull on the heartstrings — hopefully it’s not the QANTAS flight reflecting my premature grounding-pull feeling. It’s only a metaphor, not what I want the plane to actually do, thanks

It feels like we’re home. Okay, so even if there is another five hours to fly.

Rather than this post exploring our love of the great Southern Land, I want to focus on our general attitude. Our ‘Aussieisms’ and stereotypical cultural perception. Recently, a mum of one of the girl’s school friends commented to me about the kids learning grammar in Australian schools. She’s from the US and I’m a former Australian teacher (that’s kinda like an expat, but with less gin and tonic and more vegemite sandwiches in the lunchbox).

We were remarking that our kids were having to learn the grammatical rules ‘as they go’. She was wondering what children at the same stage were doing back in America, and I commented glibly, ‘well over here, we like to learn things via osmosis.’

If I was an ex-scientist (now children’s clothing label owner) we might say ‘hang on! There’s no passing of water molecules through a membrane in the learning of grammar’. Less literally, however, the concept was merely that the kids are ‘picking up’ the rules like it’s diffusing through their main topics and ideas.

Generally, as Aussies, we have this Aussie-mosis attitude that ‘okay, she’ll get it eventually.’ It will pass through the meninges and get into her brain at some stage along the way. Betcha it does!

Historically, it was described as a bit of a laissez faire, or ‘leave to do’. Perhaps both these terms (one made up at this blog: Aussie-mosis, the other a significant latin phrase) can be applied to this item of news we wake up to this morning:

The Kevin07 Ruddster is being challenged for his post of Prime Minister!

A couple of things:

• For people who don’t follow politics due to disinterest and disheartening emotions related to past leaders, current leaders, the things that come out of our leader’s mouths, this is relatively new!

• The disheartened politic non-watcher (ie: me) goes to bed one night knowing the K-Rudd is our leader, but then wakes to the news that we might have our first FEMALE Australian Prime Minister.

• The people actually voted (for better or worse, but unlike marriage, there’s NO divorce or child allowance) for Kevin Rudd. Now, Julia Gillard might be our PM, as early as… well, soon.

• Julia is an ex-teacher. I bet she kept her attendance book well. I wonder if she dragged out her soapbox at staff meetings to discuss the state of the staffroom kitchen? I wonder if she challenged her Principal about an extension to report-writing time!?

• As a non-political watching citizen of Australia, I am quite amazed. This is our highest political position in the land, and we can sort of just swap our main players whenevs there’s a bit of a challenge and the PM decides to hold a bit of a ballot.

• I think it’s my fault that I’m surprised. I really need to listen to the news, but tend to shy away from it because it’s rarely good, the kid’s don’t need to hear about rape and turmoil, and politics bores me to snorts.

• Except for today! Wow! Let’s bring on the laissez faire swapsy of PM, and hopefully I will pay more attention about our political news in the future. Although I can always learn about it via Aussie-mosis mate!