Like most Australians I have always worn my footwear in the house.
As a young boy the only time there was an issue with footwear in the house was when there was mud on my shoes.
When I initially met my future wife, as a matter of courtesy and respect I would always take my shoes off before entering her unit.
I did this as a show of respect for her property, her unit, her home. It did not occur to me at the time that if I was to marry this woman at some point, that I would be forgoing my home life sensibilities for hers.
But so it was.
No compromise, no meeting in the middle, no delicate mix between of east and west.
Basically I live my home life as if I was raised in a Chinese family.
This expectation laso extends to the TV set. In fact watching TV for anything other than the new is big no-no. The house is almost always quiet, with some activity going on that requires silence, or so I am told.
Anytime I watch sport on TV, I am quickly reminded that I am being lazy. No ifs or buts.
What is not appreciated by my wife is that many Australians keep the TV on at all times, simply as background noise that will take our attention from time to time, but we still get all our work done.
Completely different approach to home life, and one that I simply didn’t expect when I entered into a cross-cultural relationship.
