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What's a skill that's taken for granted where you live, but is often missing in people moving there from abroad? (kyu.de)

submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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I was thinking about that when I was dropping my 6 year old off at some hobbies earlier - it's pretty much expected to have learned how to ride a bicycle before starting school, and it massively expands the area you can go to by yourself. When she went to school by bicycle she can easily make a detour via a shop to spend some pocket money before coming home, while by foot that'd be rather time consuming.

Quite a lot of friends from outside of Europe either can't ride a bicycle, or were learning it as adult after moving here, though.

edit: the high number of replies mentioning "swimming" made me realize that I had that filed as a basic skill pretty much everybody has - probably due to swimming lessons being a mandatory part of school education here.

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[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 year ago (1 children)

If the internet has taught me anything, it's taught me to never swim in Australia. In freshwater, crocodiles will eat you. In the ocean, sharks and saltwater crocodiles will eat you.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Also riptides will pull you out, small venomous fish will crawl up your urinary tract, volcanic gases will take away buoyancy from the water so you will sink (plus the poisonous gas will kill you). Oh, and the sun will give you cancer. That is, if you don't get bitten by a spider or snake in your hotel room before you even get to the waterline.

Btw did I mention that basically the entire population is descended from criminals who were sent there as punishment?

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Things in Australia that can kill you, or make you want kill yourself, also include:

Jellyfish
Regular fish
Octopuses
The fucking trees -- not one but (at least) two different species!

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

This guy is just cranky, not trying to kill you, just make you Go Away!

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Mate, you forgot to mention the drop bears. Nasty little fuckers, fall out of a tree and maul your face.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

This was news to me. My morning is now worse.