It’s no secret that I love travelling. I believe that it is part of human nature to want to explore and learn new things. I can’t say that I have been to many parts of the world and I still have numerous places I would like to explore. Though, one aspect which I love about travelling is discovering the interesting and unique cultures of the countries I visit. I’m going to name a few places and interesting facts I have found out during my journeys.

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I’m going to start by talking about Australia, even though it’s my hometown, I think it’s only fitting I begin here. Australia was originally inhibited by the Aboriginal people. The Aboriginal People like to eat witchetty grubs, emus, kangaroos and crocodiles. I have never dared to eat such delicacies, would you?

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When living in Japan, these were many cultural differences that I had to get use to quickly. For example, I swiftly had to adopt the daily traditions of using toilet slippers, bidet toilets and brushing my teeth after lunch. In addition, I learnt to not blow my nose in public, remain silent on trains, make slurping sounds while eating noodles and how to bow constantly – even while driving in my car!

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A few years ago, I also visited a very unique place, Fiji. I went to Fiji on a short one week holiday. It was absolutely beautiful! Fiji is made up of many tiny islands in the Pacific Ocean. The islands are surrounded by azure lukewarm waters and filled with tropical aqua life. But I found out that Fiji actually had a very shocking past… Some native Fijians use to be cannibals – they use to eat humans! The custom was for Fijians to kill and eat their enemies as they thought they could adopt their enemy’s powers and knowledge. Luckily, I found out that cannibalism was no longer practiced these days and had officially stopped in 1844. So I was safe!

 

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More recently, I visited Thailand for another “beachy” getaway. The people were very polite and friendly. They always put their hands together in front of their chest and bow, this is called the “wai”, it is a special greeting. Aside from bowing, I found out that it is vital to not point, especially at their King; Thai people love their Royal family. Also, the majority of Thai people are Buddhist and they believe that the human head is sacred, so you must never touch somebody on the head. It is considered disrespectful. As I soon found out, Thailand was a place of peace, because the people there respected one another dearly.

 

 

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For every place I have visited, I have learnt something new and different. It has made me realize that we are all very different in our own little ways, but that’s what makes life interesting! If we were all the same, how monotonous and boring that would be! If we all understood each other more, may be there would be more tolerance and understanding in the world. So, the world is your oyster! Go explore whenever and wherever you can!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By Cyndi Chong