Since I've been in Australia...Part 3

1. I’ve found that restaurants refuse to split checks (with no free refills and no split checks, I think I’d like serving in Oz!)
2. I’ve also found that restaurants charge an automatic 10% surcharge on public holidays. Some do for public holidays AND Sundays. It’s also common to charge $1 extra for take away.
3. I’ve noticed that water fountains are nonexistent.
4. I’ve learned that Australians are extremely environmentally conscious. Everyone brings their own bags to the grocery store and the cashiers will only give you a plastic bag if you request one. And if you do, everyone behind you in line will give you some dirty looks.
5. I’ve learned that it costs approximately $70 a year to own a dog. And a leash is called a lead.
6. I’ve found that all buses have seatbelts.
7. I’ve found that if you get on a bus with only a $50 bill to pay for your $3.20 ticket, the bus driver will usually be too lazy to give you change and let you ride for free :)
8. I’ve found that I’m REALLY good at running to catch trains.
9. I’ve become quite fond of people from England & Ireland.
10. I’ve learned that when you go to Subway and you get to the part in the line where they put the vegetables on, the employee will ask you “Do you want salad?” Originally, I thought this meant lettuce, so I said yes. Well apparently if you say you what salad that means you want EVERYTHING or what we would call “the works”. Learned that one the hard way.
11. I’ve found that ass is spelled “arse.” I have no idea why.
12. After looking at my flight itinerary for November numerous times trying to figure out why it said that it only took 10 minutes to travel from Newcastle to Brisbane, I learned that even though the state Queensland is directly above the state of New South Wales, Queensland is in a different time zone for 6 months of the year because they don’t want to participate in Daylight Savings Time. Weird.
13. I’ve come face to face with a possum. Scary!
14. When working on a research paper alone in the cellar, I met a lizard hanging around my shoes. Scary!
15. I’ve found that Australia’s version of Ramen noodles come with a plastic fork inside…convenient!
16. I’ve noticed that Australian guys don’t like to wear shoes. It’s quite common to see men walking around the mall barefoot.
17. After overhearing some Australian girls discuss how excited they were that the movie “Up” was coming out next week, I realized that American movies come out many months later in Australia.
18. I think I’ve overdosed on techno music.
19. I’ve noticed that Australians don’t wear sweatpants. Girls wear workout pants but ONLY before/after going to the gym. So the few times I’ve worn my sweatpants to the dining hall, I’ve had people ask me, “Oh are you going to the gym?”
20. I’ve realized that it’s only rained 4 times in the 3 months I’ve been here.
21. I’ve found that a text message in Australia can be 1,000 characters long. My Verizon limit at home was 160 characters. Also, incoming texts and calls are free :)
22. I’ve found that if you text an Australian it’s quite common not to receive a response till about 2 or 3 hours later.
23. I’ve learned that there’s a free bus to Jeso every Thursday night. Thursday night grocery shopping has become a weekly social event.
24. I’ve found that clothes sizes are different here, which was quite frightening before I realized it. A size 0 in the US is a size 6 in Oz, a 2 is an 8, etc. Also, while in the US we typically have S, M, L, XL, XXL, in Australia they have XXS, SX, S, M, L. What’s that say about America?
25. I’ve found that in transportation timetables they often use military time. i.e. our bus will leave at 20:50 and arrive at 9:40. Huh!?
26. I’ve noticed that no one drives automatic cars. Everyone can drive a manual (and remember that means you have to use your left hand!)
27. I’ve learned that when you’re traveling you should NEVER pass up an opportunity to go to the bathroom. You never know the next time you’ll get the chance to go.
28. I’ve found that Australians are very proud of their country and when they meet people like myself who are travelling around their country, they will most always say, “Enjoy Australia!”
29. I’ve discovered that generally the less clean a hostel is the more social and fun it is. The cleaner it is, the more quiet and boring it will be. So when picking a hostel you gotta ask yourself, “Do I want to sleep tonight or do I want to make friends?”
30. I’ve turned into a dancing machine.
31. I’ve noticed that most places you go it seems like the guy to girl ratio is about 7 to 3. I mean I’m not complaining or anything, but it is a bit odd….
32. I’m tanner than I’ve ever been in my entire life. You might not recognize me when I come home in December.
33. I’m still trying to figure out why I use to think that I needed so many clothes. I could have easily come to Australia with one suitcase and been totally fine.
34. I’ve begun to add “as” to the end of phrases. For example, “That movie is funny as,” “This burger is tasty as,” “Those sunnies are sweet as,” etc…
35. I've found that I love the TV show "Summer Heights High" I might need to buy all the seasons on DVD before I leave...
35. Like most Australians, I've replaced the words "huh?" or "what?" with "hey?" So if someone says something that I don't understand or I couldn't hear, I would respond with "hey?"
36. I've found that nearly every high school in Australia both public and private are required to wear uniforms. Now I thought that my high school uniform was bad, but these ones are hideous! The girls generally wear LONG (mid calf) dresses of various ugly colors with ties around thier necks. The dresses in this picture are probably the shortest out of any of the uniforms I've seen. And to top it off they have to wear straw hats (you can kinda see some of the girls in the front of the picture wearing them). The boys uniforms aren't that much greater because they too have to wear the straw hats. And if the boys want to wear shorts then they have to wear knee length socks...haha. They also never carry backpacks, but rather duffle bags.

And finally...I know you all love the Aussie slang:
Capsicum = peppers
Boys = guys
Nervie = nervous
Paddle pop = popsicle stick
Hire = rent (So you would hire a car or a locker)
Holiday = vacation/break
Yank = American
Seppo = American (short for septic tank, because apparently American’s are “full of shit”)
Pom/Pommie = person from England (derived because when the English first came to Australia their skin turned the color of pomegranates because of the sun)
Bugger= crap/shoot/darn
Mark = grade (You get a mark in a class, not a grade)
Kangaroo in the headlights = deer in the headlights (There’s no deer here!)
Mum = Mom
Fair dinkum = absolutely/definitely
“Whatya getin’ into tonight?” = What are you doing tonight?
"I can't be bothered" = I don't feel like it (i.e. "I can't be bothered to cook dinner")
D & M = deep and meaningful conversation