Report / observacao

I've been reading the book, The World is Flat, by Thomas Freedman which was recommended by my good friend/mentor Dr Wray, and this book talks a lot about blogging and the power of uploading and I feel compelled to write down some of my findings of the Land Down Under (this will be very brief).

I have noticed that the Kiwis (New Zealander) is very proud of their country and their roots (Maori culture) and they take very good care of their land - a lot more than any other country I've seen. They are proud to be nuclear free. They seem to be spiritually asleep. Australia is more industrialized and has more big cities, where as NZ only has Auckland. As one of the guides here said, NZ is like the rest of the world was 5 years ago (and that's true).
Australia has no typical or stereotype looking people or food. The country seems to be so young in its roots and has so much international flavor that it doesn't have a flavor of its own (yet). In NZ is easy to spot the Maori's where as in NZ the Aboriginals are nonexistent in society (at least on the east coast). Australians were very cool, into surfing stuff to look cool, laid back, almost slow. I found more Christians in Australia then NZ.
I found both countries similar to Brazil and Europe and different from America (as I expected). Aus and NZ are culturally closer to Brazil then Europe. The Europeans that I've met here confirm what I learned two years ago on my tour of Europe. The Spanish are a lot of fun, they party their life away and seem to be happy at the moment but they are clearly missing something that is not of this world. The Sweeds are extremely polite and the role model for world citizens. The German guy that I met here was different then the typical. He was a Christian and was usually late. We became good friends. In a nut shell that's my take on the people and the Land Down Under.

Em Portugues
No momento estou lendo o livro "O Mundo e' Plano" escrito por Thomas Freedman, que e' sobre a globalizacao do mundo. O livre menciona que uma das maiores razoes da rapida globalizacao e' justamente esse mundo dos blogs e tudo que eles passem de informacao e tecnologia de um para o outro. Entao ai vai minha contribuicao sobre o que eu ja' observei enquanto desse lado do globo.

Os Kiwis (povo da Nova Zelandia) tem muito orgulho da terra deles e por sinal cuidao MUITO BEM do seu meio ambiente. Impressionante o tanto que eles se importam com a natureza. Eles tambem estao bem vinculados a sua cultura (Maori), ja' os Australianos quase nao tem contato com sua cultura original (Aboriginais). Na NZ tambem se nota facilmente os individuos de decendencia Maori, ja' na Australia todo mundo parece ser gringo. Eles nao tem uma aparencia ou comida tipica. A Austalia parece mais uma salada de Asia e Europa com influencia americana. O pais ainda e' muito novo e ainda tem sua propria identidade. A costa leste da Australia e bem desenvolvida com varias cidades grandes, ja' a NZ so' tem Auckland (que nao e' tao grande assim, 1.4 milhoes de hab). A NZ esta' 5 anos atras do mundo (em termos de civilizacao, nao tecnologia) mas eles nao estao nem ai, pq a NZ e' show de bola e eles amam a natureza. Espiritualmente a NZ parece estar adormecida e sem interece. A Australia ja' esta' mais na frente, com pinta de reavivamento nacional (pelo menos foi o que eu vi e ouvi enquanto na JOCUM de la').