Spring Break
A little American lifestyle
Olivia Vivian
Issue date: 4/10/09 Section: Sports
After being here for almost eight months, I have become pretty accustomed to the American lifestyle. But every now and then, something will pop up that has me a little confused.
Good Friday is a public holiday in Australia. Normally we take the day off and have a 'Barbie' and go to the beach. I was surprised and disappointed to learn that I had classes today. We don't have big holidays like Thanksgiving, Memorial Day or July 4th, so instead we make the most of occasions like Easter.
I'm also still adapting to the language barrier. Although both counties speak English, some things I say can be misinterpreted. We have a slightly different sense of humor in Australia so sometimes when I say something that I mean in a lighthearted way, it's taken seriously and usually gets me in trouble.
And other times I just get blank looks followed by the need to translate. This is normally when I say a word that doesn't exist in the American vocabulary. For example, 'Donna' which here, means comforter, and 'jumper' which means sweatshirt. We also have slang sayings but I feel like people don't even bother trying to figure out what I mean, they just laugh at me.
A couple of weeks ago, my friend from Australia came over to join the OSU men's soccer team. There are also a couple of other 'Aussies' that are here for schooling. When we get together it's a nice reminder of home and it's especially fun when it's three of us and one American. Suddenly we don't feel like the minority and we aren't the ones who are confused with the language barrier.
But those moments are rare and I don't mind being the minority sometimes. I love learning new things. Next week I will learn what it's like to go to a college gymnastics National Championships. I've already been exposed to new gymnastics experiences here at OSU and I hear this will be by far the best.
This will be the first time our gymnastics team has made it to Nationals four times in a row since 1996 when they had a 10 year streak. It's a huge deal to build a program back up to this level and we have our amazing staff and seniors to thank. They have made such a huge contribution to this program and the results definitely show. It has inspired our whole team and we always go for it all. This year, super six is in our reach and there's nothing that will stop us from getting there.
Olivia Vivian, OSU gymnastics
sports@dailybarometer.com
Good Friday is a public holiday in Australia. Normally we take the day off and have a 'Barbie' and go to the beach. I was surprised and disappointed to learn that I had classes today. We don't have big holidays like Thanksgiving, Memorial Day or July 4th, so instead we make the most of occasions like Easter.
I'm also still adapting to the language barrier. Although both counties speak English, some things I say can be misinterpreted. We have a slightly different sense of humor in Australia so sometimes when I say something that I mean in a lighthearted way, it's taken seriously and usually gets me in trouble.
And other times I just get blank looks followed by the need to translate. This is normally when I say a word that doesn't exist in the American vocabulary. For example, 'Donna' which here, means comforter, and 'jumper' which means sweatshirt. We also have slang sayings but I feel like people don't even bother trying to figure out what I mean, they just laugh at me.
A couple of weeks ago, my friend from Australia came over to join the OSU men's soccer team. There are also a couple of other 'Aussies' that are here for schooling. When we get together it's a nice reminder of home and it's especially fun when it's three of us and one American. Suddenly we don't feel like the minority and we aren't the ones who are confused with the language barrier.
But those moments are rare and I don't mind being the minority sometimes. I love learning new things. Next week I will learn what it's like to go to a college gymnastics National Championships. I've already been exposed to new gymnastics experiences here at OSU and I hear this will be by far the best.
This will be the first time our gymnastics team has made it to Nationals four times in a row since 1996 when they had a 10 year streak. It's a huge deal to build a program back up to this level and we have our amazing staff and seniors to thank. They have made such a huge contribution to this program and the results definitely show. It has inspired our whole team and we always go for it all. This year, super six is in our reach and there's nothing that will stop us from getting there.
Olivia Vivian, OSU gymnastics
sports@dailybarometer.com
Note: writers will not reply to comments.
Be the first to comment on this story
Comments by registered users are approved by default.