AUSTRALIA - ADELAIDE

Australia... A country that many dream of and many want to get to know. Not every city is as big as Melbourne or Sydney. For example, there is Adelaide, the city of festivals, where you can find yourself in a family environment.

I arrived in Adelaide, Australia, in mid-July and at first it felt like living in a new world. On the one hand because of the new time change. But also because of the people who welcome you so warmly and helpfully.

A good example of this is shopping in Adelaide. The sales clerks are there to help you. For them, this is a matter of course. This willingness to help is not only found in clothes stores, but also in DIY stores or stationery stores. In addition, you are immediately on first name terms and are also asked about your origin and the reason for being in Adelaide. This is certainly a big difference to back home, as you tend to interact with strangers at a distance. This was very unusual for me at the beginning because these are personal questions. However, you quickly get used to this openness and are drawn in by the people here.

When I arrived, the Illuminate Adelaide Festival was taking place. Adelaide itself is generally known for festivals. The whole city was lit up with lights and special light shows. As the temperatures here are very cold at this time of year, I thought it was Christmas at the beginning. It was nice to see the people of Australia and everyone else enjoying the lights together. As a result, you quickly got involved in conversations and were able to learn a lot about the city. The people were very close and they celebrated together peacefully.

Young people here are also very open and approach you very quickly. This quickly gives you the feeling of being accepted into a society. You mainly meet young people in the evenings in the City East End, where there are numerous bars and clubs. They are often not as stressed as we are. They organize their day differently and make the most of their free time. I learned this from talking to an Australian from the Adelaide Hills who was my age. He told me that it is not easy to get a good education or go to university in Australia due to the high costs. As a result, many young people work in supermarkets or support communities and retirement homes and usually work shifts. He also told me that the focus is not on training, but rather on life. I found this conversation very interesting, as at home it has usually been all about education since elementary school and sometimes leisure time is pushed to the back burner.

However, there are many people in Adelaide who have moved here from other countries. Australia has a high rate of immigration. This began as early as the mid-19th century, when many German craftsmen and farmers moved to the neighboring towns of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. This resulted, for example, in Hahndorf, which is structured like a small German town. After the Second World War, many Italians, Greeks, Asians and  South Americans emigrated to Australia. Many of them settled in Adelaide. You can still find many Germans, Austrians and Swiss in the Adelaide Hills and Barossa Valley today. This is also immediately noticeable when you walk through Adelaide‘s CBD. There is a cultural mix and you often almost have to look for native Australians. However, most of them don‘t really spend time in Adelaide‘s city center.

Another aspect that is very different at home is certainly the food. A lot of meat is consumed in Australia, which can make it very difficult for vegetarians or even vegans. There are a few small restaurants that offer vegan alternatives, but you have to look for them. This is certainly a big difference, as at home this lifestyle has become more and more supported recently and there is a vegan alternative in every restaurant. Due to immigration, you can find an extremely large number of Asian and Greek restaurants.

If you like the feeling of being included in a community and want to feel like you belong, you should definitely come to Adelaide. Adelaide is a very small city, so it can happen that you see the same people again and again. Australians have an open ear for everyone and make you feel welcome.