Australians have a well-deserved reputation for having a great sense of humor, being easy-going, and extremely friendly. All of which I’ve experienced so far in the few days I’ve been here.

Case in point, I spent a few hours today in the Australian Museum, a natural history museum filled with minerals and meteorites, stuffed animals and dinosaur bones, among other things. Here you realize that the museum doesn’t keep you at a distance by focusing on prohibiting but rather encouraging; picture taking, touching the variety of stuffed animals, and signs and explanations like those below. Ask yourself, when is the last time you saw something this natural at a museum in the U.S.?

Call me crazy, but I find it refreshing…