Thursday, December 15, 2011


People at Sydney Airport. Slide show. 35 seconds.

If you went to reside in another country would you give up your heritage?  Some Aussie ex-pats never venture far into use of a local language or out of their comfort zone. (Granted, language is a difficult task).  Others are the opposite and are early adopters.
So many of us just don't get it. 'Newcomers to Australia, should be just like us' etc etc. 'Speak English, don't form into groups''.
What is hoped for, in my estimation, is that newcomers will abide by our laws and have some measure of good will towards this country.
What's the problem? It is not unusual for any of us to have weaker degrees of allegiance and have various opinions as to the worth of local endeavours.  And no one is expected to give up their heritage. Around here, we are all entitled to have our own beliefs and customs. 
At the same time, one does wonder about correctness and watering down, of our very few established Christmas customs. Does it diminish us?  I can see the point, but, like I've said, I am still stuck in the eighteenth century and must adjust.
But, let's have full-on celebrations and acknowledge the full range of customs in a significant manner.
  

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