It’s 4am and I’m obsessively watching the live broadcast of the Sochi Winter Olympics, but it’s not unusual for me to be following the luge or Super-G at this ungodly hour.
I rarely get to bed before midnight in my determined quest to catch Olympic sports on TV. A week ago, I tried – and failed – to get up for the opening ceremony and was relegated to watching the highlights later that day.
It just wasn’t the same.
Living in Australia, we’re blessed with so many things but live television programming scheduled at a reasonable time of day isn’t one of them. So this is an annoying yet necessary ritual we’re forced to adopt when living in this far-flung corner of the world.
It’s not all bad though.
When we expats, travellers, nomads and cultural junkies move around the planet, we pick up any number of willing or reluctant habits, much like my middle-of-the-night television viewing. You take the rough with the smooth and it comes with the territory.
The good always outweighs the bad.
Whether these habits help us cope, make us fit in or bring extra joy to our day, it’s fun to think about the kinds of things picked up along the way.
In eleven years of life “on the road”, I’ve collected a few cultural obsessions along the way.
Photo credit: Flickr Creative Commons (ohdearbarb) |
An addiction to over-sized coffee
I’m not sure exactly where it started. Canada maybe? A lone Starbucks that sucked me in? Somewhere, somehow, I’ve developed a mammoth-size addiction to coffee. I have an unhealthy passion for the black liquid gold in Sydney and every morning, without fail, I’ll purchase a large-size cup of triple-shot espresso coffee and fuel my body with an insane caffeine dose.
Love my hockey but doesn’t everyone?
I grew up in a town famous for its ice hockey team and in a country that was still fairly new to the sport – I watched the game but didn’t feel any sort of calling. After three years in the land of the hockey puck, the locals instilled in me a deep, inexplicable passion for the game. After eight years down under, the obsession still burns brightly, regardless of geographic or cultural distance.
Refusal to ditch the “cheers”
I’m almost certain that I never signed off an email with “cheers” until I left the UK. As if clutching on to any remaining evidence of my Britishness, I now sign each and every piece of correspondence with the word, assuming everyone will know me for who I was and still am. Call it a a tick or annoying habit, it refuses to go away.
Too snap happy by far
Living in the UK, I took my environment for granted. I didn’t care much for photography because it seemed unnecessary and too much like hard work. Here in Sydney, it’s become an obsessive part of my regular routine as I try to capture and share images from my backyard.
Kicking the travel habit
We all have it to some extent, don’t we? Most of us yearn to travel, to set ourselves free. What was a healthy interest in travelling became a need to live abroad. Living in unfamiliar surrounds led to a greater desire to get out and explore. The travel bug kicked back in and now I want to go further and see more. I haven’t travelled for almost six months and I’m getting restless. It’s time to get on a plane again. Or pick up and move.
So what are your cultural obsessions or habits? What are some of the routines and rituals you’ve collected at home or away?
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Carrie says
Builders’ tea, for sure! Like your coffee, Russell, I have to have my daily cuppa of builders’ tea. Before I lived in the UK I would drink tea, but it was pretty weak and I used the Dutch version of English Breakfast tea, which is really not the same as ‘proper’ British tea. After living in the UK, I now have strong and milky tea using teabags brought back from the UK (or we can now get Yorkshire tea or PG tips from a local shop catering for UK/US expats). And if I travel abroad I have been known to take a few ‘proper’ teabags with me!!
Jack Scott says
How strange. I started signing off with ‘cheers’ only after we settled in Turkey. Maybe it was the drink habit I carefully nurtured that did it. Now we back in England, I’m still doing it – hiccup!
Russell V J Ward says
I know, right? I’m fairy certain I was a ‘regards’ man up until I left and I’m also sure the drinking habit down under has influenced me. Steady on over there in Norwich! π
Russell V J Ward says
Peppermint candy. Interesting one. I know exactly what you’re talking about. I bet your guests love you. I’ll be round yours next Xmas then!
Russell V J Ward says
Good ole PG Tips. Nothing like it. Now I’m a complete non-tea drinker – never could understand the stuff and it didn’t give me the same hit as coffee, but millions swear by it so who am I to disagree! I have heard the weak vs strong comment so I feel your pain and the need to carry a couple with you. At least the real stuff isn’t too far away…
The Guy says
Hmm not sure I have cultural obsessions but maybe habits when I’m in a certain place. When in Hampton Inns in the US I can’t resist picking up the free cookies when I arrive back from work each evening. I also try to watch Jim Cramer as much as I can when I’m there.
Whilst in Australia (as I currently am) I’d look out for the Hamish and Andy show.
Also make use of the great weather here since us from the UK aren’t used to it.
Cheers.
Russell V J Ward says
Oh, those free cookies… almost as bad as the bagels and muffins. They were always the end of me! Hamish and Andy and the great weather – not a bad combo to look forward to. Thanks for your comment π
Laura Fortey says
Geez..where do I begin…?
From Aus: still always say “how u going” canadians always look at me sideways on that one!
I would die for a flat white and a cherry ripe right about now!
From uk: I have become obsessed with british tv. Jonathan creek, mr Selfridge, downton abbey, sherlock…cant get enough! I started saying “are you ok?” (Like how are you) canadians defensively say ya I’m ok why…
From vancouver: I seriously miss the canucks and still cheer for them. I seriously miss the outdoor lifestyle in Australia and vancouver and its near impossible to get ppl around here to do anything!
Great article russ! π
Russell V J Ward says
I’ve lost track of how many people tell me they miss the flat white from here. Cherry ripes are a good choice too! Great selection of things you miss and have picked up. And a big congrats on the ice hockey gold too π
Katie Gunston says
Although I’m a born and raised Canadian, I have to admit, I’m not a hockey fan (gasp!) and I don’t like Tim Horton’s coffee (Don’t tell anyone or they may revoke my Canadian citizenship π I did wake up a ridiculous hour to watch the Olympic final though – and watched the ladies’ win over the US – as our national pride is still hockey-dependent, whether you follow the sport or not.
While in Aus, I also developed an obsession with coffee – (I think it’s a requirement when you work as a public servant) – and the “latte lifestyle” culture made for pretty decent coffee options. I developed a love for New Zealand Sauv Blanc and South Australian Shiraz. I renewed my love of soccer (playing for 8-12 months of the year outdoors will do that to you) and I became a crazy NRL fan (livestream.com and an app called Hola Better Internet let me watch content from Aus now – woo hoo!). And I developed an interest in Real Estate and have developed a bit of a Real Estate research hobby. Aussies seem to be alot more interested in Real Estate than Canadians (and I’m sure 1/3 of the population are, or have been, Realtors/Property Managers). Now, when I have spare time, I travel the world (virtually) checking out properties and daydreaming π
And I have developed UV Phobia – the Queenland sunshine and my Scottish-Irish-Canadian complexion were not a good mix, so now I have turned sun safety into an obsession – which is completely unnecessary for at least 10 months of the year in Calgary, but I still always have sunscreen handy at all times (and I’m sure I now reflect all the suns rays with my goth-like tan).
Ohhh, and I discovered stand-up comedy in Aus, and I still watch it at any opportunity. We have the Montreal Comedy Festival, but Aus seems to grow and attract some of the best comedians in the world.
Russell V J Ward says
Great comment, Katie. I almost feel I should make you an honourary Australian on the basis of those observations! Agree re. Tim Horton’s coffee and a love for NZ and SA wine. I hadn’t thought about the real estate angle before but now you mention it, I do see a bit of a fascination among the locals. House prices and house ownership are definitely hot topics here. I took a trip to Greece on my last visit back to the UK and was paranoid at the sun and horrified to see people lathering up with zero factor tanning oil. Maybe that’s not a bad phobia to have?
accidentally seasoned hobo says
There too many cultural ones, that I have picked up (not my own initially but are now….) and those I have stuck too…but the mention of Olympics made me realize how much I enjoy watching ‘figure skating’…definitely something that has not worn off with years….I learnt this winter olympics…
James Wood says
Living in Calgary, I ski more than before and I pine for the ski season. Don’t remember feeling like that in blighty
Russell V J Ward says
Yep, I enjoyed this Winter Olympics although the timing weren’t great for us so we missed some of the events like figure skating, having to settle for highlights instead. Now on to Rio in 2016!
Russell V J Ward says
Hi James, I felt the same in Canada. In fact, I still miss the skiing here, even though you can ski for some months of the year. It’s definitely a country geared up for that type of sport.
Rob H says
Katie, I got the UV Phobia too, sunscreen every day for me in Vancouver π
After reading this article, I feel slightly less nutty though, it can possibly reduce skin aging by 24%!
http://www.epiclinic.com.au/media/new-study-shows-sunscreen-slows-aging
Katie Gunston says
Thanks Rob, that makes me feel better π
And I thought that the clouds would provide enough sunscreen in Van (just kidding!).
Russell V J Ward says
That, and the rain and the cold and the snow. Vancouver’s a terrible place to live, isn’t it? π
Russell V J Ward says
Nice article Rob. Feeling paranoid here in Sydney π