THERE IS SOMETHING STRANGE ABOUT AUSTRALIA

I don’t understand why: Australia is a young Country, with over two centuries of civil life. It is a huge country with a small population. Compared to the others ancient Countries around the world, it has had less time and less possibility to create pollution. And where is the ozone hole? Just above this country! I don’t understand why!

Yet —

Australia still uses plastic bags. Retail shops in particular seem to be the biggest fans of plastic bags. It seems that they are obsessed by them. As a matter of fact, I was in a supermarket the other day, and I bought just a packet of chewing gum and the check-out assistance asked me “Do you want a bag?” A bag, for a packet of chewing gum?

Australians are nice people, but I don’t understand their obsession with asking, “How are you?” wherever you go. Yeah, ok, it’s nice and polite. I understand asking that when you meet someone you know. But, in a supermarket? With a line of people behind you? Do they really care? 

Sometimes I replied “I’m good and you?”... Silence, no answer. The check-out assistance continued to pass the items on the cash register.

One day I want to try to change my answer and see the reaction, saying, “Actually I’m not good, I really need to talk to someone, thanks for asking,” and I’ll start to give vent to my problems.  I’m curious to see their reaction. 

I don’t understand why in Australia everything is bigger than in other countries. Australian in itself is bigger than all of Europe. And the plants are bigger. For example take the fern. In my country of Italy, the fern is a nice small plant, around 50 cm that you can keep in a vase in your home. Here no. Here it grows tall enough to become a tree. And bats? In my country you can just hear their squeak. In Australia, you can ear the sound of their wings! Fflop, fflop, fflop. The first time I saw one of them I thought  ‘Oh my God, Batman exists!’ I pinched my arm to make me sure that I was really in Australia and not in the imaginary world of Gotham City.

So everything is big.

Until I went to Philip Island.

There the penguins are small. People should tell you that you need binoculars to see them. I was walking, looking for penguins and a friend of mine told me excitingly, “A penguin, a penguin!”

“Where? Show me, show me!” I said.

“There!”

There it was, a small creature.

So everything is big, but the penguins are small.

I don’t understand why the Australian souvenirs (and also other products) are not made in Australia. So, you go in these shops, the majority of products are made overseas, not only that, the shopkeeper is also not Australian.  Everything is made in China. Again, you may be confused in which Country you are.

People say that wine is very good in Australia.

I have this habit to check the label of almost everything I buy. So, if you are a student like me and you want to buy a normal wine, not an expensive one, you discover that they are made with the aid of milk and eggs! Wine with milk and eggs??? I don’t understand why! Maybe they make wine while they are having breakfast!

Finally: Australia is subjected to bushfires. So, I don’t understand: why so many houses are built with wood and plasterboard?

There is something strange in Australia! And I don’t understand!

Dear English language,

You are my friend and my enemy. You are the subject of my concerns. You’ve given me the opportunity to open my mind to new experiences. Yet, I want more from you.

It was a long long time ago, the first time I met you. I was a child and I was introduced to you in the form of a game. "Hi, my name is Lucia," in addition to other simple words and sentences: "apple, orange, sun, rain, I’m happy, I’m sad, I’m thirsty. My hobbies are painting, reading…", etcetera.

Then, the game became more serious. I came to know more about you, and I realised that I liked you. But what I knew wasn’t enough. I was surrounded by people who could communicate with you and have fun. You winked at me, but you weren’t mine. 

I felt a lack, an emptiness to fill. That’s why I followed you here. I wanted to feel part of you, part of your folk. I though that in one year I could do it, and that in that time frame you would fall in love with me.

You let me down, English language. I’ve been here for three years, around twenty thousand kms from my home, my family, my friends and all my attachments. And you still play hard to get. It’s frustrating the way in which for a moment we are a good couple, laughing and flirting each other and the following instant you turn into a stranger.

Sometimes, I still don’t understand you. Words become codes to my ears; codes to which I do not have the keys. I can hear sounds, but they are so vague and incomprehensive that I feel as a deaf and dumb person, without hearing aid.

Sometimes you deceive me, with words that are so similar to my mother tongue that I assume their meaning, until I discover that they have another meaning, if not the opposite.

However, sometimes you rein in your naughtiness, offering similar words in my language, in their look and in their meaning. Thanks for that, I really appreciate it.

But, you know, this occur because you have stolen words from your cousins, the French, Italian, Spanish, and German languages. You are the thief, my dear English language and yet, it’s you the one who is considered the most important, thus the most popular. You have received the power, you have the support of the entire world. Everybody has to know you, if they don’t want to remain isolated.

You are having fun, aren’t you?

Sometimes I hate you, for instance when you talk using abbreviations. I’ve taken a while to understand some of them, some others are yet to discover. Phd, DOF, PNG, BWP, MS. Can you please, please, please talk as a normal person?

To make the things worse, your younger brother, Slang, puts in his contribution to confuse me: chockie, Crissie, bikkie, arvo, rego, cozzie, prezzie, tellie and so on. Do you mind stopping him?

I come across difficulties not only in listening, but also when I talk, in some circumstances. For example, when all the attention is on me. Everybody want to listen to me and understand me. I can see it from their expressions. They are so nice, ready to listen really carefully. And what I do? I become nervous, I can’t speak properly and fluently. I find myself looking into my brain, in the pursuit of a word that I know, I’m sure that I know it, and it’s so easy, but it’s lazy and shy in that moment and it doesn’t want to be seen. Why? Seconds appear as hours. People are still there, waiting. I feel the pressure. I can read on their faces "Yes Lucia, come on Lucia, go ahead! You can do it!" So, I rely on another term, but it is not the appropriate one. It is not what I wanted to say!

Sometimes I’m lucky, they understand me. Sometimes not, indeed I can see their lost expression saying "What?".

Few minutes later, when the lights are not pointing at me anymore, I think about the conversation. Now, my speech is so clear; the right words in their right collocation, as pieces of puzzle finding their partners.

I’m not confident with you, my dear English language, even when we are with Australians who have an Italian background. Especially those who can speak Italian very well. In that case, I feel embarassed and I prefer shelter behind the skirt of my Mother tongue.

However, I can see our progress. Since your wink, we’ve become closer each other. I’ve increased my vocabulary embracing a lot of terms that I own now. I've improved my grammar by going to school and meeting wonderful teachers who have had the patience to bear me. In fact, I've became their nightmare with my thousands of questions and long and twisted sentences in which they got lost as if in labyrinths without an exit. I’m learning since then your simplicity, compared to my Mother tongue, who loves making complex sentences. And this, it has been revealed as an advantage when I have to translate from Italian to your language, because even something complex can be transformed simply and clearly to you. It takes away a lot of stress.

Now, you’ve driven me mad. I followed you to a school, among local people who want to become writers or editors. I don’t know if I will survive, but I haven't given up yet.  And let me say one more thing: I would like to be with you, having you at 100 percent, but if you want to keep something only for you, it’s ok. I’ll be happy with your 99 percent!

With love,

Lucia

INTERNET, NEWS AND GENERATIONAL TENDENCY

After a recent research of the use of newspaper in print or in digital version, I found that, predictably, the majority of the people who read the news on the Net are younger than 50. This result is obviously related to the generational change. The new generation is growing up in a technological era, where every form of information is possible to find on the Internet. The youth of today have learned to use computers and other devices as easily as they have learned to use a pen and to write. The babies of today – the youth of tomorrow – are becoming computer literate almost before learning to speak. Generation X and especially the baby boomers have had to approach computers later on in their life. This provokes certain reluctance on their part towards any form of technology. It is similar to when a person begins to read books in childhood or in adult age. In the second case it is quite hard, especially if reading books is regarded as a chore or boring. The use of technologies requires some skill; therefore, some people tend to avoid them. Consequently, these people prefer to rely on paper as their preferred source.

Yet, taking part to a discussion about the future of the newspaper, I was surprised to witness an opposite generational tendency. A young girl was worried about the credibility of the Internet, where anyone can participate at the creation of information. Her point of view was that if the newspaper die, we are going to lose a type of journalism that we can trust. A mature woman stepped in saying that the Internet makes checking the data easier; therefore, we shouldn’t be worried. The young girl insisted: “How can we know that some information that is not in the form of data, is true?” she asked. “Use trustful websites” someone suggested. However, she was still perplexed.

There is still something about the Internet that cannot convince the general public entirely about its reliability and trustworthiness. The Newspaper, the print version, for me remains irreplaceable. Why does everything have to end up in a digital form? I feel annoying using the computer or a smartphone to read the news. Internet for me is correlated to fast reading. I feel that reading the news is not only a ‘must to do thing’, but it is also a pleasure that we concede to ourselves in our spare time. If in my spare time I had to read in front of a screen, this wouldn’t be a pleasure anymore. So folk, if you are like that girl and me, let’s buy newspaper and save their life, please!     

A Journey back

Think about the latest technologies: smartphone, tablet, e-book and the super new one, which is probably going to become popular, a watch that allows a connection with the Net. Think about how they are changing our behaviors and habits; the possibility of surfing the Internet wherever you want; the use and abuse of these technologies. You can take millions of photos and videos. You can publish them and your thoughts on the Net: you are an Author! Can’t choose which book to carry with you on holiday? Bring all that inspire you on your e-book; thousands of book on one device. You have got used to these technologies, and now you can’t live without them.

Now, forget about them. Imagine a world without them. You don’t have to go back to long time ago, just few years. Yet, it seems hard. You still have your computer. You can use it for searching information, and for communicating with people near you or far away; people you know or you don’t know. You still have your digital camera to make videos and beautiful photos. You still have books in which to mentally escape. You are less connected with the Internet but more connected with this world.

Now, forget about the Internet. Forget about personal computers. Imagine a world without them. The step back is longer than the previous one. What can you do? You can go to the library and research through encyclopedias, books, and magazines; research with the paper. You can write using paper and pen or a typewriter. The paperwork is slower. What about entertainment? You still have books, television, radio and cinema. You watch the tv, listen to the radio or buy newspapers if you want to know what happens in the world. You have the fax if you want communicate in real time a message to the other part of the world.

Now, forget about television. Imagine a world without it. Your entertainment is prevalently outside. You can still take photos, but in less number. You have to print them if you want see them; the result is a surprise! Black and white photos are not only fascinating, but they are the common ones. The city is still full of advertisements, signboards, printed words on the buildings, on the concrete; printed words on the shop doors and inside, on the goods. Printed words in books, newspapers and magazines. The offset printer has a lot of work to do.

Now, forget about them. Imagine a world without the print. The step back is huge this time. It’s a jump to the world before 1450. The world communication is prevalently oral. Books are hand written by only a few people, the scribes, who work for the Church under poor conditions. It takes long hours and hard work to create a product only the rich can afford. Culture is only for a few. The majority of the people are illiterate. Your social status is inherited from your father. You can’t make progress up the social ladder; if your parents are poor, bad luck!

But there is a man who is working on a machine that will bring a lot of changes. A machine that will let you climb not only the social ladder, but the ladder that will bring you to the modern Era; the ladder you have just descended. This man is the German Johann Gutenberg, and the machine is the mechanical movable type printing press. The world will not be the same. Movable type printing press: what an invention!