Culture, Life style, Stress, Uncertainty in Australia Vs USA

This country needs fruit pickers! (I am not joking!).

Everything else is a little bit iffy at present....

It also desperately needs trades people - plumbers, electricians, cabinetmakers, etc. A BIG shortage!

g__day..THANKS A LOT for all your information on my questions. It really gave me a very good idea on what I was looking for.. I really appreciate your comments.Will get back to you for further info.

Most countries with agriculture needs fruit pickers. That's the reason why we have many illegal Mexicans in the states working on the farms. It's very hard work, and their pay is not exactly minimum wage. I wonder how many citizens will take up the slack if they were all sent back to Mexico?

Our lack of a common border with Mexico is the only thing stopping the importation of truckloads. There has been even talk of importing labour 'as we used to with the Kanakas (Polynesian workers from the Pacific)'. Seeing how the system worked on kidnapping them ('blackbirding'), I'm not sure of the intent of the speaker.....

Mr Still, I know we still have "kidnapping and slavery" in the US, but not in the open. As for farmworkers in the US, I'm not so sure "blackbirding" will be allowed by many farmers.

They could pick the South African model - by locking up the 'nie-blanks' behind fences and using the power of the shotgun to back up managerial decisions.

It is a goddam disgrace that in order for the fat-assed developed nations to continue gorging themselves on cheaper and cheaper foodstuffs the rest of the world has to go without AND knock themselves out for 14 hours a day to earn a living. By just making the economies of picking and distributing food equitable it would do more for international relations than dropping bombs to encourage 'democracy'.


But I digress (a lot)........

Citizens of the USA will find that Australia is very similiar to their life at home. They will also discover that life is NOT the same. This subtle point (alike, but not the same) may cause some frustration as Australians also have that 'Love it or leave it' attitude.


Main sticking points:
-emphasis on looking outside nation for attitudes and ideas (less insular)
-great similarity with British and European cultures
-don't discuss politics with some enthusiasm
-it's rude to ask about people's monetary affairs and salary
-religion and religious debate not too big
-great distances with bugger-all
-don't bring up the treatment and condition of indigenous Australians - you will get to hear some rubbish
-get used to putting the 'u' in flavour, labour, savour, and colour
-don't go on and on about some crappy foodstuff that you can get at every corner store in the US and no-one has it in Australia - chances are that it is inedible anyhow.

Mr Stillwater,

"get used to putting the 'u' in flavour, labour, savour, and colour "

We do that in Canada too, eh?
And I raise my hand to pick fruit while waiting for my permanent residency to come through!

Trouble is I don't suppose that fruit/vegetable pickers earn enough to live on? Or maybe it is a seasonal thing? I lived in Childers for a short while and talked to a few backpackers and they shared the same complaint; they did not make enough to get by.

Whining maggots! How could not have enough to eat when you are harvesting food!!!

Of course when you're cutting ti-tree for fencing it could be a bit of a problem. But with all that marshy ground there's gotta be good pickings for small rodents and large insects......

Ay Sontespli

Pay no attention to Mr Stillwater. Obviously today is one of his famous cranky days! :wink:

Well now Mr Stillwater, back in the day I picked summer fruits back home in Canada and yes, I did eat some of the fruit but soon learned not to because it made me sick. The sprays they use on fruit and vegetables probably should not be consumed in any large amounts.
Now then, one of the backpackers I spoke to said she was unimpressed with the lifestyle at the backpackers lodgings. She intimated that perhaps too many fruit pickers spent their earnings at the local grog shop. Surprise, surprise

So Vikky, have you moved to Aus by now? I also have the same issues as you do. I'm also an Indian working in US on H1B. Myself and my husband will not be able to make it for Green card on time as we are close to our 6 yr limit. We are considering moving to Aus pretty soon. Do let me know how you went about finding visa and job in Aus. We dont know anybody out there.

US and Aus for us are equally strange lands but at least Aus is closer to homeland!

Cheers,
2BRNOT2B

WOW!!!

I have read this entire thread and found a lot of information. Like a few members on this discussion thread I am ( little wonder) relocating to Oz also. I have a degree in Accounting and one in Education as well. Someone said that it was as difficult to migrate to Australia as it is to the US. I agree on the Australian half, I have never jumped through so many hoops in my life and I have friends who have jumped the same hoops to become citizens of the US. I'm not due to leave until later this year (early start), but I love Sydney and find the whole experience stressful but worth it.

I had the chance to veg in Sydney for a few months and found the people in Sydney were openly friendly, the cosmopolitan type lifestyle reminded me a bit like home (Chicago, IL) sans the violence of course. :wink: From what I observed the people of Sydney worked just as hard in Australia as the people in the US do. It just depends on what they wish to accomplish in life. For some its all about career and others family and good times.

Trying to get away from Chicago's violent grind and the more than apparent racism, I move to Orlando, FL (UGH!!!) not a good move for me an African American woman, but an experience none the less. The point I'm trying to make is that no matter where you are there is always a scale of Pros and Cons it is just up to you choose which pros a better and which unchangeable cons you can live with. I'm willing to go through the stress because I desire to settle in Australia, that is my ultimate goal, but I will always love the US for what it has offered me and because its home.

Erica

Welcome to Oz, I hope you settle happily here!

Thanks dlowan,

I am looking forward to my new home and great neighbors!

The main disadvantage of Sydney (apart from horrendous real estate costs) is that Mr Stillwater and I both live here. On the other hand, Adrian and some others also live here, but.....the balance tips a bit.....

Rica, i hope that you will do well in Oz . . . however, i feel that i must warn you--we have learned from our contact here with Ozzians, that they are morbidly fascinated by felines, which dominate their lives, and when combined with the pounding sun of a hot December day, leads them into all sorts of deplorable excess.

Stay away from the kitties, and you'll be fine.

Does that mean we're all feline-whipped Setanta?