– Ana, we have a snake in the house, Sorin announces with his unflappable calm from the hallway, whispering loud enough for me to hear from the kitchen area.
He had just taken a shower and he was heading to our bedroom, whilst I was preparing a fruit salad. In a matter of seconds, I was standing meters away from the snake in complete disbelief, not knowing what to do.
– Go grab the fish net, Sorin is quick to think.
The house was shaking under my stomping feet as I cut through the dark night in the garden to collect the salutary object.
Seconds after, Sorin emerges from the narrow hallway leading to our bedroom with the capture in the fish net. Danger averted!
We felt relieved, but also worried, not understanding how the long sylphlike creature, one of the most venomous, made it inside a house with fully netted windows and doors.
Are we safe inside the house that was left to us by our friend who flew to Fiji to reunite with his boat? We do hope so, as electrical work is ongoing on Mehalah, therefore the house is a more comfortable place to be. However, the situation commands full awareness with every step we take.
Australia reminds us of the Galápagos Islands to another scale, of course. Wildlife is equally at home here and more diverse too. Only that since the Europeans’ arrival, humans have made a bigger dent in the wildlife habitat. Wildlife is not giving way easily though. Instead it has adapted to living alongside humans and vice versa. Most of the time the cohabitation is successful. Not always, though. Only this past season, on Fraser Island, there were several dingo attacks on humans, resulting in the culprits being tracked down.
What else is an important part of the Aussie DNA? Sports are a thing over here. With access to television for the first time in very many years we further acclimatised with the Aussie culture by following sporting events that never captured our attention. We didn’t go anywhere near cricket, but we closely followed the Australian Open. Rugby became more palatable, with sailing, of course, remaining our favourite. It feels that in Australia attending a sporting event is like going to the theatre in Europe. Same applies to a pop concert.
Last but not least, talking about the Aussie culture we cannot let out the Australian outdoors. The passion for nature runs deep through Australia’s veins, and it is anchored in the foundations of the country’s history. A respectful connection with the earth has been central to Aboriginal culture for more than 50,000 years. This special connection with nature has been passed onto the European settlers becoming a passion for anything outdoors, from surfing to hunting and anything in between.
Despite an autocratic approach when it comes to rules following, we love ‘the lucky country’ with its ‘too easy, mate!’ culture.