Australia! Quite hard to integrate. Quite hard to understand. Quite a bigger cultural difference than I first expected. Quite hot. Quite high humidity. Quite good people. Quite friendly people. I like the Australians.

During my stay in Brisbane, there was a lot that was unfamiliar to me. There are a lot of Asian people who travel in groups, which makes it nearly impossible for me to enter that bubble and socialise with them. I can absolutely understand that they don't want to switch languages just for one person when they already have their friends around – but for me, it was difficult. That dynamic is still unfamiliar, because where I come from, we wouldn't exclude someone; we would try to integrate that person instead.

Punctuality became unfamiliar. The new familiar is unpunctuality. Not everyone in Australia is punctual or ready on time. In my opinion, it is very important to be ready at least five minutes before an appointment begins. It is better to wait five minutes by yourself than to let others wait for you. That is my cultural background – I learnt it from my parents – and I hope it will return once I am back in Switzerland. 

For the first five or six group meetings, classes, or appointments, I arrived five minutes early. I then ended up waiting more than five minutes, because the people there have no Swiss watches. For example: a group meeting was set to start at 2 pm. I was ready at 1:55 pm with my laptop, a full water bottle, and everything prepared. The others arrived between 2 pm and 2:10 pm and still needed to fill their bottles, use the bathroom, and so on. By that point, I was already in a bad mood, thinking I could have done something more useful with my time. After it happened a few times, I asked them why they weren't on time. Their answer was: "What? We were on time!" I realised that punctuality is a flexible term that can be understood in very different ways. I decided then that I had to adjust my own sense of punctuality – or rather, embrace unpunctuality – otherwise I would be in a bad mood at every meeting or appointment. It was easier than I first expected. I simply discovered how easy it can be to slow down and not rush for any meeting. I ended up becoming the most unpunctual person in our group. Quite an achievement. I think it just took some time to adjust to the lifestyle and go with the Australian flow. In the end, it is the same, but different. There was also a helpful technique for staying unpunctual: I stopped wearing my Swiss watch. It helps to forget Swiss punctuality.

The unfamiliar became familiar. When I first arrived, it was a nightmare – I genuinely dislike waiting for people when an exact time has been agreed. Nevertheless, I got used to the unpunctuality and I am very happy with it. I do hope, however, that punctuality will return as soon as I am back in Switzerland; otherwise, the Swiss people will not be pleased with me.

To sum up, I have realised how happy I am in Australia. It took time to adjust, but it has become familiar. I have started to truly like Australia, Brisbane, and the lifestyle here. It is a shame that I have to go back just as I am beginning to feel at home.