The pure joy of the familiar - 26° 42' 38" S 152° 55' 02" E

With Canada and Australia sharing a common language, similar values and even the same Head of State, moving between the two should be relatively straight forward. The cultural change I grappled with when living in Indonesia, where everything was so different, was thought not to be such a big deal in Canada.  And it wasn't. But unlike Indonesia, when there was a sense of joy whenever something felt a little familiar,  the differences in Canada were so unexpected, I was blindsided.

I had been in Canada for about a year and went for a run with a friend on a summer Saturday.  We stopped for coffee afterwards and, because it was so warm, I opted for an iced coffee rather than something hot.  I was anticipated the tall frosted glass filled with cold milk coffee, the big dollop of ice-cream and the lashings of whipped cream on top when I was presented with a glass of black coffee filled with ice cubes. 

I was dumbfounded.  I just stared at it.  I do believe there were tears.  It was culture shock in full force because it was so unexpected.

A proper iced coffee!

Back in Australia, receiving exactly what you are anticipating is pure joy. The comfort of the familiar cannot be underestimated. The perfect iced coffee makes the statement - yep, you are home and isn't it wonderful!