Currently traveling in Australia--what a wonderfully different world!

Last edited Fri Nov 7, 2025, 04:15 PM - Edit history (3)

I am traveling with my eldest sister. We are visiting our "Australian sister," Julie. The back story is that in 1967-68, when i was 6-7 years old, mt eldest sister, Siri, spent her senior year of high school a Rotary exchange student in Sweden. My parents decided to give their other four children a culturally-enriching experience of our own by hosting, for the same period, an Australian student (Julie), who became just like another sibling. We have stayed in touch these many decades. She has been back to the U.S. for visits numerous times, including in 2000, when both my parents were terminally ill, when she dropped everything to come and be with them for 10 days. My parents visited her in Australia a couple of years before they passed, and my other three siblings have as well. Now it's Siri's and my turn.

The culture here is so wondefully different and refreshing. Julie's and Simon's extended families are a marvelous blend of European and various Asian nationalities (including Indian, Sri Lankan and Japanese), and many gay and lesbian couples. The best part is!that no ons here expends so much as a nanosecond worrying about what anybody else does in the bedroom!

They don't stress about politics here. That isn't to say they necessarily like everything the government does, but the general feeling is that it will all work out in the end.

They are fairly appalled by American healthcare! Even Julie's husband, Simon, who i gather tends to be a bit more conservative in his politics, said to me, "But surely you can all agrre that everyone haa a right to healthcare!" Sadly no, I told him.

Something else that makes a HUGE difference here: it is illegal for anyone to donate money to a political campaign! Elections are publicly financed, and voting is compulsory!

No country is perfect, but Australia seems to get an awful lot right that we do not!