an aussie in austria

There’s something that happens when someone from Australia comes to visit me in Austria. I’ve observed it myself when other non-Austrians have visitors from their home country. The talking moves quicker, the accent gets thicker and the slang starts rolling out. It’s the same with me. It’s unintentional but almost unavoidable to switch back into Aussie mode.

It’s like when you hang out with a childhood friend and suddenly start acting 16 again. There’s a great How I met your Mother episode where Ted’s childhood friend comes to town and the others give him grief because he turns into a complete other person.

Though to some extent I think we do this in our everyday lives. We act differently with different people. We have different friendships and associated activities. You might have a friend you go for walks with, a friend you swear like a sailor with, a friend you go out dancing with, a friend you tell all your dirty secrets to, and these are not necessarily all the same friend. And it doesn’t make one person a better friend than any of the others. It doesn’t mean that the intelligent friend you heatedly debate with is any better than the creative friend you bird watch with, innocent and unassuming.

Now when I switch into Aussie mode I often notice myself doing it and I have to laugh. Because never before can I remember using the word mate so much, or having such a drawn out dialect. Perhaps I’m overdoing it for the nostalgia, or perhaps that’s just how I always was! Whatever it is, I look forward to the next time it happens!