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[Paphitis]

Oh and Australia isn’t a police state. It is a liberal country with absolute freedom of everything. It is more free than Cyprus as no one will judge you.

Police are highly visible everywhere but they don’t bother anyone generally unless you are doing the wrong thing.

There are 6 State Police forces and other agencies. There are 2 territories which have the Federal Police. The Feds have National jurisdiction while the States within their own State lines.

The nightlife is pretty amazing too. The big cities have amazing night life and in my opinion better than in Cyprus. Australian cities are pretty big. Agia Napa is literally absolutely nothing at all compared to what’s available in Australia in terms of clubs, bars, casinos, entertainment venues and everything else. Australian cities do not sleep and the night clubs are open all year round and during the week.

The bars are trendy, the pubs are amazing, and if you want nightlife you won’t have a problem, and the police don’t interfere.

But yeh, if you get pulled over you will know about it. They do behave a bit power happy sometimes like the Americans.

If you are caught doing something wrong there is little chance you will smooth talk your way out of it. The Aussies will follow the law to the letter. They don’t care who you are or who you know. If you play that card, they will make it even worse for you. You just got to smile.

Even if you are the Son of the Prime Minister or Rupert Murdoch, an Australian copper will take pride in giving you a fine especially and there is no one you can call to get off.

You can however give them some cheek and get away with it but you got to be careful and know where that line is. For instance when I got pulled over by them a few days ago with a TV crew in tow for filming, I let them have it. Ordinarily I could have been arrested but because of the TV crew they would have gone to caught and looked liked idiots because I was upset over the Cameras in my face so they thought it wasn’t worth going for me.

So I had a good opportunity to treat them with contempt and took my opportunity wholeheartedly for their stupidity. And they knew I was playing them.

[Sotos]

Never been to Australia myself. That said if you look at something like the Human Development Index, Australia is ranked 3rd in the world:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_c ... ment_Index

Coming to conclusions about a country based on a few people you know is not a proper way to go about it, especially when most of those people are poor immigrants whose chances for great success are limited regardless of where they go (but I would bet that poor immigrants going to Australia have greater chance of being successful than poor immigrants coming to Cyprus)

The HDI doesn't tell me match other than since Australia is richer all other parameters concerning life (like healthcare education etc) shoot up.
Well we have to rely on something to form a personal opinion and I personally have nothing other than watch those who return or those of this forum.
There is a striking difference between them and the typical Charlies returning from the UK.

There are richer countries which rank lower in HDI. So Australia has high standards of living, good education, long life expectancy etc, and then if you look at other factors also it also ranks very highly:

8th in democracy index: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracy_Index
5th in Economic Freedom: https://www.heritage.org/index/ranking
19th in Press Freedom: https://rsf.org/en/ranking (still better than Cyprus)

So why shouldn't Australia be painted with the brightest colors? Obviously no country is great in every aspect but on average Australia seems to be one of the very top.

Because Indices are just indices and depending in how you use them you may end to totally different conclusions.
For example most charts that measure happiness use these factors:

six significant factors which contribute to happiness; GDP per capita, social support, life expectancy, freedom to make life choices, generosity and corruption levels.
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/03/ ... the-world/

These chart however based on different factors places Australia at the bottom

http://www.traveller.com.au/mapped-aust ... rld-gtst82

World's happiest countries mapped: Australia is the 105th happiest country in the world (out of 140 countries listed)

Obviously anybody can make a report and claim whatever bullshit they want. There are good reports and then there are bullshit ones. That "happy planet index" is obviously a BS report. Mexico number 2, Colombia number 3? Those that wrote that report must have been on drugs.

Here you can see how they calculate that index: http://happyplanetindex.org/about/#how They divide the score by the "Ecological Footprint"! And then one of the other factors is "How satisfied the residents of each country say they feel with life overall", which is also bullshit because it is relative and subjective. In some countries people can say that they are satisfied because they have food to eat and they aren't starving like they used to, while the residents of developed countries have much higher expectations and they aren't satisfied as easily. So this is not a good way to rank countries on absolute terms.

[Paphitis]

It is very difficult explaining the nuances of Australia. I am trying to explain but it is a very difficult thing to do. One needs to visit to make up their mind but at the same time, if people are not pleased with Australia then perhaps they are difficult people to please full-stop.

Do people want to move from Australia. No not generally. Maybe some young Aussies go to the UK or the USA for a while but they always come back to Australia.

Australia is very unique. It does have its own and sometimes quite peculiar (in a good way) culture. But Aussies are also loud, and can hit you like a sledgehammer. But they don't mean harm. Nothing at all subtle about Australians.

But for me, I consider it to be the best country in the world. We got everything here, including the great Mediterranean Climate and lifestyle. We got a great climate. Great produce. People also great.

Now, there may be other countries like Switzerland and places like that, but I think Australia is better. Not to say Switzerland is bad because it isn't bad at all. It's great too, and my opinion and all our opinions are subjective.

The nuances of Australia are interesting.

Oh and Australians are very proud and nationalistic about their country. Bit like Americans.

As a Cypriot, Australia is predominately a Greek influenced country. 90% of Hellenes are from Greece and only 10% are Cypriot. Therefore, the Cypriots in Australia had to learn very quickly to speak proper Greek otherwise they wouldn't be understood. Very few Cypriots speak with a Cypriot dialect and the same thing applies in USA. You can't tell a Cypriot in Australia and USA.

The Cypriots in the UK are different. they sound like more horiates there, and speak more Cypriot than the Cypriots in Cyprus. And it is off putting too.

You will find all the Greek foods in Australia and the fresh produce is brilliant. Seafood is brilliant. Fruit, including exotic fruits like Mangos and Dragon Fruits are plentiful and yummy.

[Paphitis]

Australia has ts closest relationships are with USA and Canada. Australia is much tighter with USA and Canada than it is with UK, and New Zealand. But they are close with UK and NZ too, just not quite as much.

Culturally, Australia has a very European culture.

Religiously, very Anglican, Catholic and also Lutheran. Which probably explains its closeness with USA and Canada. Plus the fact that these 3 countries were forming around the same era, confronted the same issues and developed from pitched tent to huge metropolis in a short space of time.

[Paphitis]

First time I heard that, are the Cypriots more inspiring and less boring iyo?
Can you elaborate?

Australians are very repetitive and predictable; they all greet you in exactly the same way… “Goodday, how’s it going?”… I could usually guess the first 3-4 things they’d say to me. They were all the same.

Over the years they’ve invented their own stupid words and phrases like “He’s a fair dinkum bloke!” ….and countless other annoying peasant phrases.

They all talk like they’re farmers in the 1930s… I could never accept their annoying peasant talk or their idiotic sports like “aussie rules football” while being so ignorant of the outside world.

I couldn't take anymore of them and had to leave despite the good jobs and money I was making.

Oh and I wouldn’t go back for all the money in the world… I don’t ever want to see or hear them again!

You have a not so common idiosyncrasy that's for sure.
Did they treat you bad though, or is it that you treated them bad and they responded in kind?
How was the work environment, was there discrimination against you?
i heard many Cypriots who 've been in the UK for studies saying they often addressed them as " you foreigner".

No, I don’t recall getting treated badly or facing any racism but then again I never worked in kitchens and such where you’d find most Cypriots.

I held engineering jobs where many colleagues were foreigners from all over the world and nobody really cared where you came from. As long as you performed your duties you got along fine.

My only gripe is boredom of the monotony of the average Australian and their culture which you could not avoid whilst living there.

Australians are one of the highest eduacted people in the world. They are also well traveled so they are not insular or ignorant about their world.

They reckon there are about a million Aussies in London alone, and there would be over a million Aussies in USA easy. Also in Canada.

If you travel through the Greek Islands or Italy and France, you will always find Aussies. Also to China, Vietnam, and Japan. They travel a lot.

But yeh, Aussies have their own dialect and phrases and even their own words. It's like the Cypriot dialect which to be totally honest is very annoying to me. Don't get me wrong, a bit of Cypriot is great, but when people over do it its down right fucking shit...I feel like telling them to STFU!

Australianisms are actually quite colorful, interesting and really funny. The Americans, and Canadians especially love the Australian accent and the way Aussies talk. The Brits think Aussies are vulgar, but Aussies don't like the Brits that much either. Aussies are pretty down to earth actually, and swear like Greeks. And just as vulgar too.

But Aussies can over do it too, but they do it more because the American and Canadians (and others) get so turned on by it, and end up hooking up with the American girls for sex. It's almost a pick up tool because some Americans think that Aussies are like Paul Hogan and can wrestle crocodiles on the way to work. So it is a bit of a chick magnet and pick up tool.

The truth however is that Aussies are Halloumi eating, Cabernet Sauvignon pansies! But shhhhh, that's just between us ok. Whenever you are in America, just make sure you tell them that we fight crocodiles ok?

The last thing you can say about Aussies is that they are predictable. Nothing predictable about Aussies.

They will greet you with a:

"G'day mate"

Translation: "hello, now get the fuck out of my way because I am busy"

When Aussies greet you like that, it is very superficial. They are just being polite, but don't want to know you.

If they get to know you, then is when you can make a real friend.

But really, with a bit of effort, it doesn't take much for Aussies to warm to you. they are very talkative, and open people. If you treat them bad, then they will not be interested at all.

[Get Real!]

I don’t agree with some of your sentiments Paphitis because Australians have some really bad habits… just off the top of my head:

ie: You get invited to a party at someone’s house and everyone has to take their own drink with them! And I’m thinking… if you can’t even supply the alcohol to satisfy 10…30 guests what’s the point of throwing a party?

ie: They pride themselves on the so-called “great Aussie barbie” yet barbecue everything on a hot plate resulting in everything tasting exactly the same. All the juices mix and everything ends up tasting like sausage which has the strongest taste/smell.

ie: No idea why, but many Australians walk about barefoot… you’ll see entire families sitting at a restaurant with no shoes on! The last thing I need when I’m about to have a meal is to look at someone’s dirty feet. They justify this by describing themselves as “laid back” but what it really means is that they’re bums!

[Paphitis]

I don’t agree with some of your sentiments Paphitis because Australians have some really bad habits… just off the top of my head:

ie: You get invited to a party at someone’s house and everyone has to take their own drink with them! And I’m thinking… if you can’t even supply the alcohol to satisfy 10…30 guests what’s the point of throwing a party?

ie: They pride themselves on the so-called “great Aussie barbie” yet barbecue everything on a hot plate resulting in everything tasting exactly the same. All the juices mix and everything ends up tasting like sausage which has the strongest taste/smell.

ie: No idea why, but many Australians walk about barefoot… you’ll see entire families sitting at a restaurant with no shoes on! The last thing I need when I’m about to have a meal is to look at someone’s dirty feet. They justify this by describing themselves as “laid back” but what it really means is that they’re bums!

That's because it is expensive, and Australians will likely arrange a piss up and barbie every weekend just to watch the Football. It isn't uncommon for Aussies to gather at the same house each week.

So they all gather at someone's house but they don't want to be a hindrance. What usually happens though is that they take it in turns to supply the meat and to cook.

Australians are pretty fair that way and do like to pay their own way. They don't like to burden other people. They just want to hang out as mates, but they don't expect you to pay for everything.

I don't think it is a bad habit at all.

I know my parents hated it, but for us born in Australia we are totally in tune with this and completely understanding and also prefer it. It is advantageous because we might gather at houses very regularly. Even for the slightest excuse, there is a piss up.

No one sits in restaurants with no shoes on. I don't know how old your information is, but generally Australians do wear very nice clothes and expensive shoes.

For example, RM Williams boots are an Australian icon and shoe and they are worth about 250 Euros a pair. My favourite mens shoe.

In Australia it is all about the image now. It's about the expensive houses, expensive European cars, and Monte Blanc Pens.

Plus, the city lifestyle is very yuppified. I don't think there are any restaurants that would even let you in these days if you were not wearing any shoes. Our restaurants are very classy establishments, not the Cyprus style taverna you guys are into.

I don't know what barbies you have been too, but an Aussie barbecue encompasses fish (Australians fish), shrimps or prawns, scallops, prime Beef, sausages, and onions. But they mix things up quite a bit and now you will go to an Aussie barbecue and find Halloumi and Saganaki. The Aussies discovered these cheeses through their Greek mates because they fry well on the barby and they love it.

Now when Aussies invite you to their house, they are pretty laid back. Don't expect them to dress up for you. They just want to drink, eat, and watch the footy and have a laugh. They are not inviting you to a formal or anything.

Australians don't walk around barefoot. In fact the men put on face creams these days, and beautiful European and French colognes. That is Australia today. Extremely liberal, extremely yuppy, and cafes, restaurants and bars everywhere. the pubs today are all renovated and very classy and most have dress standards.

And even the wealthy Aussies (and I am talking about millionaires) are pretty down to earth.

Bums they are not. They are very classy, and I would say more classier than Cypriots and Greeks generally. It's about the threads and the cars, and the houses, the shoes and the sheillas now.

Australia is very materialistic. And one of the most pretentious places on the planet.

The pnly time you will see Aussies barefoot is at the beech. In fact, you will see the girls not just barefoot but almost naked.

And from there they could go and get fish and chips or some ice-cream and they are wearing thongs.

I don't know why you think Aussies are bums. I actually think Cypriots are more bums than Aussies especially in this day and age.

There is the Aussie stereotype which is this macho and rugged hunk of a man that speaks funny, but these days Aussies are more akin to gay primadonnas and fashionistas. If you aint got the threads and the shoes, you aint got the respect.

[Pyrpolizer]

Paphitis, don’t forget you were born and raised there.
Perhaps we could get a better understanding if your father was doing the talking instead of you.

For people like GR or myself who had a choice of living in a foreign country or Cyprus the choice was clearer. Cyprus is not the best place in the world but not total shit either. It’s a matter of weighing the pros and cons. Surely for most young mainland Greeks today the balance would tilt towards Austrialia.

It looks for GR the balance was tilting slightly as he managed to stay there for 15 years which is quite a long time. I think (from things he said in the past) what pushed the button was the safety of his child. For myself though the balance was clear after the first couple of years as there was too much racism.

After so many years I still have nightmares of having to live in that country ever again. No way …

[Get Real!]

For myself though the balance was clear after the first couple of years as there was too much racism.

Maybe you’ve got the standard "eastern Mediterranean looks" and thus faced racism but I’m quite fair-skinned and spoke English well so I (luckily) had no problem in that department.

Once I got there I did everything right which guaranteed me of a successful career including:

* Went there quite young at 21-ish and got straight into a free tertiary education.

* Having qualified the Australian way I accepted voluntary work which landed me my first job.

* I kept chasing after all industry accreditations I could squeeze in my schedule thereby always remaining competitive.

* I absolutely loved what I was doing so there was no way I wouldn’t become good at it.

* I couldn’t care less about any employment rejections along the way, because I knew it was a numbers game… same as picking up women.

And after 15 years and having accomplished all my career goals I got bored of it all and left… only to return home and encounter difficulty adapting to the slack Cypriot way of doing things!

[Paphitis]

Paphitis, don’t forget you were born and raised there.
Perhaps we could get a better understanding if your father was doing the talking instead of you.

For people like GR or myself who had a choice of living in a foreign country or Cyprus the choice was clearer. Cyprus is not the best place in the world but not total shit either. It’s a matter of weighing the pros and cons. Surely for most young mainland Greeks today the balance would tilt towards Austrialia.

It looks for GR the balance was tilting slightly as he managed to stay there for 15 years which is quite a long time. I think (from things he said in the past) what pushed the button was the safety of his child. For myself though the balance was clear after the first couple of years as there was too much racism.

After so many years I still have nightmares of having to live in that country ever again. No way …

I can tell you how Dad felt about Australia.

He loved Australia and never regretted his move there. He preferred Australia than Cyprus.

But he would visit Cyprus regularly.

He had worked in the Australian Army as a chef throughout the 70s (till 1978) at the Albury/Wodonga barracks. Albury was where I was born.

If he preferred Cyprus he would have moved back, but he believed Australia was a better fit for his family and would offer better opportunities for his kids. We have an A Grade education system in Australia and A grade health care. It is a big call to let that go.

And of course he was right. I was so glad to not live in Cyprus after what you guys went through with your Stock Exchange and Banks. In Australia, if anything like that happened, everyone would be in jail. That is the other great thing about Australia. It's institutions are very much alive, active and transparent. They are there for the people, not the establishment. It doesn't matter who you are, no one is above the law. Law Enforcement will come around and hunt you down if necessary.

Australia was also a much easier place to earn money, and succeed. Great place to conduct business and make money.

My father was also into his horses. He could never do that in Cyprus.