I'll be the first to admit that when people would say that we live in the "lucky country" I would look at them as if they didn't know what they were talking about. I would often sight that we lacked a decent nightlife and decent public transport, comparing them to London's nightlife and underground or heaven forbid - Melbourne.
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But after travelling four weeks in Greece, I can see why people often refer to Australia as the "lucky country" - even if our night life is almost non existent, we have species of snakes, spiders and drop bears that can kill us almost instantly (yes my relatives did ask about all three deadly fauna).
The first thing that makes us uniquely lucky is that we have higher wages. Yes, even as a cadet journalist, our wages are a lot higher than many people in Greece.
We might experience a higher cost of living, our bottles of water might cost us anywhere between $1 and $2.50 compared to 0.80 cents aud (0.50 euro) but when it comes to shopping and luxury goods, we break fairly even.
For example, the same product sold in both Greece and Australia - and taking into account currency conversion and tax - is the same price. The only difference here is that we have more of a disposable income.
Speaking of income and spending it, we all like to complain about the cost of tolls on the M5, M7, M4, M2, and everywhere else that will take us north of Sydney. We know nothing of the cost of tolls. In one day alone, the most my partner and I spent on tolls was $26.35 euros, that's $42.67 aud.
One single toll was $13.50 euro ($21.86 aud). I will keep this in mind the next time I complain about the tolls here in Australia.
The hardest thing to adjust to was the fact that you couldn't flush toilet paper down the toilet. A luxury I never considered a luxury. I had been warned but nothing could prepare me for the fact that you couldn't flush your toilet paper down the toilet.
Where did you put, you ask? The bin. Yes, the bin. The bin shared by the public and family members. Bins cleaned by the hotel cleaners. There's certainly an ick factor associated with going to the bathroom and not flushing the toilet.
For the locals it's normal, for everyone visiting Greece, it's definitely a little on the nose. Needless to say, I was very relieved when I could flush my toilet paper when I got home.
Of course there are many great things about Greece that I will miss; the beach bars and beach beds, the mouthwatering octopus, the relaxed attitude and late night dining options and bars. But I'm happy to call Australia home.
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Vera Demertzis
Journalist at the Southern Highland News covering council yarns and community news. Got a tip or a story to tell? Email vera.demertzis@southernhighlandnews.com.au or call on 0427 250 908.
Journalist at the Southern Highland News covering council yarns and community news. Got a tip or a story to tell? Email vera.demertzis@southernhighlandnews.com.au or call on 0427 250 908.
