When in Rome, Do as the Romans do

I know this might sound like a strange post title, but it's what my sister told me the other day and it's part of the inspiration for this blog post.

I've been thinking about what to write for the last few days and trying not to let an incident from last weekend affect me. I started flicking through notes I've been making on my iPod and came across one of the first things I wrote: "experiences are what you make of them!" This ties into "When in Rome, do as the Romans do"... Let me show you how...

The other day, a group of Canadian exchange teachers and Aussie former exchangees, came together for a welcome picnic. A few of us met in nearby Mudgee (known for its wineries and yuppie flavor by people from Sydney who jet in for the weekend). Anyways, we met there and then drove out together to Hill End. I was looking quite forward to this as I was given a bit of gold rush history linked to this area (Ali's ancestors settled in Hill End). The drive into the country was amazing and we thought it looked like BC to us ... Rolling hills, beautiful big green trees, winding roads.

The town itself is tiny tiny!! But the old buildings are clearly the draw for tourists who walk through the town reading guide posts that teach you about Hill End and the historic buildings that remain. For someone who loves history, this was the perfect spot for our picnic.

However, on our walk around town, we somehow started talking about meat pies. I seriously have no idea how it happened, but that's what we were discussing when one of the Aussie's said "You stupid Canadians! You don't know how to eat a meat pie, you don't even know how to make meat pies." I was seriously dumbfounded, did someone seriously just say "Stupid Canadians"? No, that can't possibly have happened. I made a quiet remark about French Canadians being famous for their tourtière and then let it go.

We continued our walk and went into a small art shop where I met Genevieve. She and her husband Bill run Hill End printing press. www.hillendprintingpress.com.au
Their artwork was beautiful and the pieces they created using the 100 year old printing press were my favorites.

We went into the local pub where we had a glass of beer and enjoyed the local scenes - a guy who rode his horse to the pub, an older gentleman sitting outside the general store (cowboy hat and all), enjoying a drink while country music (banjos loud and clear) played. Total country and it was fantastic!

We now moved onto the actual picnic and were enjoying our beautiful lunch when I heard it again, "You stupid Canadians, you don't know what good bread is. I couldn't wait to get back to Australia to have good bread." And then again with regards to cheese and bacon. I believe we heard the statement "You stupid Canadians."

For those of you that know me, you know that I'm not one to keep my mouth shut. However, one of my goals this year was to find a filter for my mouth once again. I always feel the need to comment or retort back when someone says something that I don't agree with but especially when someone says something rude or unjustified. Now I'm trying to put myself in the other person's shoes. Think about why they're saying something and why they think that.

In this situation I was so shocked that I just couldn't say anything, just sit there. I didn't say a word because I would have then said something rude depending our cheese, bacon and bread!

Do you see the ridiculousness of it all?! Cheese, bacon and bread! Now I can actually find it quite funny because in Sylvan Lake we have a cheese shop that wins awards for their delicious cheeses. Last time I checked maple bacon was pretty delicious and wouldn't be the same without the maple flavoring/syrup that Canada is known for around the world. And our bread, well the Flax bread at the City Roast coffee shop in Red Deer or Sobey's sourdough loaf are some of the best breads I've ever had.

That was what was so ridiculous about what was being said and how it was said. Maybe these ladies were trying to make a joke. But let me tell you, whenever you refer to someone as "stupid" it is not funny. It's rude, thoughtless and offensive, especially when you're referring to a whole country of people.

Each experience is what you make it! I can choose to be like those 2 women or I can move on from it and learn from it. And that's exactly what I've done. Luckily for me, these 2 ladies showed me exactly how not to act in a foreign county or when speaking to foreigners. They reminded me to be thoughtful and kind in my words and respectful of those around me. I'm actually grateful for this experience because that's a reminder that we all need to hear once in awhile.

I'm just so grateful that all of the other Aussies I've met have been so wonderful. These 2 ladies seem to be an exception, not the norm. Because the amazing Aussies I've met have welcomed me into their homes, their lives, their families and have shown unwavering thoughtfulness and generosity. They are genuinely interested in Canada and love how we say things differently. They don't ever correct me when I've said the wrong thing because they know what I'm talking about even if I got the Aussie word wrong. They've taught me about their sports (cricket is the focus now) and they have shown me that hospitality is yet another thing that Australia should be known for.

That brings me to the quote my sister shared on Facebook.... When in Rome, do as the Romans do. This could be "When in Canada, do as the Canadians do." It could be any country. I feel it's so important when you're visiting or living in a foreign country to be respectful of and adapt to local customs and the way of life. Just because we do something a certain way in Canada doesn't mean that's the acceptable way to do it in another country. Really it all comes down to respect and cultural sensitivity. Perhaps we all need to do that a bit more no matter where we are. I'm not saying that we should set aside our beliefs and ideals, but that we should just be aware that those don't suit every person or every country.

I'll leave you on that note and tell you that each day I'm here, I try to do as the Aussies would do. And because of that, I'm adapting to life here well and honestly, still loving every minute of it.