Reflection on Poverty and Leisure Activities: Cross-Cultural Analysis

This essay provides a reflection on the author's experiences as an international student in Australia, contrasting them with their background in India. The essay explores cultural differences, particularly concerning poverty and leisure activities. The author examines the varying poverty lines and social security measures in both countries, highlighting the role of NGOs and government initiatives in addressing poverty. Furthermore, the essay contrasts leisure activities, observing differences in how people spend their free time, including indoor and outdoor activities, and the impact of work-life balance. The author concludes by emphasizing the importance of balancing productive and leisure activities and the value of time management in personal and professional development. The essay highlights the author's personal observations and insights gained from living in a new cultural environment, offering a comparative analysis of social and economic aspects.

Running head: REFLECTION OF POVERTY AND LEISURE ACTIVITIES
Reflection of Poverty and Leisure Activities
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

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Being a native of India and having completed my initial studies in India I had decided
to engross and diversify with my higher studies in Australia. Choosing to study further in
Australia, was not an easy task as I thought it would be. Challenges were coming up my way
to fulfilling my dreams. Presently, during my stay in Australia, I am encountering a few
issues because of the differences in the social customs, attitudes and cultural attributes.
Recognizing that the culture and attributes of Australia are utterly different from that
of India, I know that I have to undergo many circumstances which may make me feel both
good and sometimes bad though. The best of what I felt was the awareness people have
regarding their surrounding and cultural attributes. The worst as a woman is the issue of
gender equality. Understanding the scenario after residing in Australia, I critically found that,
not only in India, these issues persist almost everywhere across the globe though the depth of
each has differences in their existence. The first difference I found between India and
Australia is that both the countries India and Australia deals with the challenge in the poverty
line although the depth line of poverty in India is much higher as compared to Australia.
According to a report published in National Overview 2017 Health & dignity, the people
below poverty line were provided with few recognisable facilities of social securities to the
people in Australia. On the one hand, the government organisation namely VINNIES in
Australia are trying to raise and provide funds and assistance to the below poverty line people
(Pollard et al., 2018). Whereas, on the other hand, an NGO-Orange Sky Laundry in Australia
provides the homeless people with free laundry and showers to help them maintain their
hygiene (Parsell & Watts, 2017). When overviewed at India, the poverty line is more
significant than that of Australia although less than what it used to be in the past of Indian
history. According to McLaren (2015), it was examined that with the help of the top ranked
NGO- Smile Foundation helped the poor people in India by providing the privilege of gaining
education to the underprivileged children. This makes me feel that both the countries,

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although engaged in finding a concrete solution for the problem of the poverty issue,
currently lack a proper reduction plan for the same. Both Australia and India need to
understand the level of poverty in their respective countries to decrease the same. This
knowledge helped me understand the explicit concept of debt and the factors affecting them.
Also, it made me realize that governments are in need to look after this to develop the gross
budget of not just the individual but also the country.
Another difference I noticed is the behaviour and taste regarding the activities
individual have in Australia as compared to India. The ways people spend their free time
shows much about their culture and traditions. Leisure time has increased in the present
lifestyle of people because of the higher rates of facilities provide by the companies, such as
advancements of work from home, retirements, flexible timings of work and study and also
may be because of some health issues an individual go through. During my stay in India, the
leisure activities I had as an individual include art, music, reading or listening to music and
surfing social media. The leisure activities which attract people from all across the globe to
India are river rafting, paragliding, skiing, trekking and several adventurous activities (Guide
& India, 2019). A study even claimed that the Indians only spend 18% of their time in doing
something useful and productive; the rest of their time 71% time is spent on leisure (Bureau,
2019). Further, during my stay in India, I have also noticed that women spend their leisure
time in handlooms and crafts and enjoy their leisure time both with their work of interest and
enjoying the time. However, as opposed to that, during my stay time at Australia, I found that
indoor leisure activities of people mostly include playing games with their family members
such as puzzle games, board games, card games. Since most of the people in Australia
primarily reside near the coastline, usually prefer to indulge in water-based activities. Those
outdoor leisure activities include sailing, surfing, swimming, diving or maybe stand up
paddle boarding. Since sport happens to play a less important role in the lives of women and

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also for the people with visual and health impairments, some people spend their idle time in
other sports activities. Some individuals used to spend their time promoting their products
and services through different modes of communication such as visiting places physically or
through the means of online media (Pettigrew, 2019). This made me feel that people should
indulge in leisure activities, but they should not disregard their productive activities and also
that they can use their leisure time in doing something productive that would help them gain
both the fun of their leisure time and interest. This knowledge helped me understand the
importance of time and I would further use my leisure time that would benefit my overall
circumstances.

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References
Bureau, O. (2019). Leisure Time Use Is 71% In India. Retrieved from https://www.business-
standard.com/article/specials/leisure-time-use-is-71-in-india-100082401002_1.html
Guide, E., & India, L. (2019). Leisure in India, Leisure in India. Retrieved from
https://www.expat.com/en/guide/asia/india/13122-leisure-in-india.html
McLaren, P. (2015). Life in schools: An introduction to critical pedagogy in the foundations
of education. Routledge.
Parsell, C., & Watts, B. (2017). Charity and Justice: A Reflection on New Forms of
Homelessness Provision in Australia. European Journal of Homelessness _
Volume, 11(2).
Pettigrew, S. (2019). Australians and Their Leisure Time. Retrieved from
http://www.acrwebsite.org/volumes/display.asp?id=11772
Pollard, C., Mackintosh, B., Campbell, C., Kerr, D., Begley, A., Jancey, J., ... & Booth, S.
(2018). Charitable food systems’ capacity to address food insecurity: An Australian
capital city audit. International journal of environmental research and public
health, 15(6), 1249.