Singing in a strange land

A strange land

‘How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land?’ (Ps 137:4)

I write this just one week after arriving in Australia after 11.5 years living elsewhere.

There are all kinds of things that presumably seem normal and unremarkable to the native population but which stick out in my view. They will doubtless soon enough become unremarkable to me, thus I record them while I still notice them.

Shops and businesses that open and close early.
I am used to offices opening at 9am (but don’t expect too much then) and shops not open until 11am. But the other side of that is the difference between everything closing at 5pm and offices that are open until 6pm+ and shops until 10-11pm.

Restrictions on alcohol sales.
Australian alcohol sales are restricted such that it is available only from controlled venues and not until certain hours. I’m used to seeing alcohol available at any supermarket, servo or mini-market and anytime they are open. Yet beer is sold and consumed in ‘slabs’ of many bottles or cans in Australia as compared with people buying what they want to drink at the time. I wonder is these well-meant restrictions are not helping foster binge drinking and over-consumption?

Free parking and many parking spaces available.
I’m used to paying for parking almost everywhere and expected to queue and squeeze for parking lots. What a welcome contract to have much free street parking or long fee-free parking in malls etc and to drive straight into a parking spot.

Shaky communications.
Mobile calls drop and fade here and likewise with wireless internet signals. Thus landline phones and cables internet assume greater significance. That’s an irritating change from a place where handphones are strong almost anywhere and likewise for wireless national net signals.

Flag-showing patriotism.
National flags are only allowed in Singapore for a restricted period around national day and with controlled exposure and handling. Flag-displays were quite uncommon for private Australians when I left. But now every second car / house seems to be sporting a flag and there is much more flag merchandise for sale in this present season of Australia Day. But guess where the flags and merchandise are made? Yep – mainland China!

Broad Aussie accents and idioms.
The Australian accent seems pronounced in its broad vowels and also in its distinct idioms. Eg, a preacher who described something as being ‘bonza’. I’m self-conscious, when speaking, of how my accent has neutralized in 11.5 years away and how Australian idioms are much-removed form my speech. It will be interesting to see if I revert to a more local accent and idioms over time.

These things indeed seem strange to me and at times I feel a stranger in this land of my birth. I’m not saying better / worse, just ‘strange’ for the present.

And yes, I will learn how to sing the Lord’s song in this strange land.