I mentioned in an earlier post how I've become quite a "dancing machine" since I've been in Australia and consequently, I've had heaps of blog readers ask me further about that. Between the endless techno music, the flashing strobe lights, and the dancing Aussie boys, I find it hard NOT to catch the dancing disease.
Therefore, I thought I'd share another video with you so you can see what I mean. One of my favorite things about Australian boys is the fact that they LOVE to dance, and they don't care about what they look like while they're doing it. This is a video I took of my Aussie friend Cal. Yes, Australian boys REALLY do dance like this, I swear.
I'm really gonna miss this...*sigh*
Friday, November 13, 2009
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Waking up in Vegas
And last but not least....part 5 of my spring break trip!
Day 14: Brisbane --> Gold Coast --> Surfer's Paradise
Jess and I decided to sleep in as long as possible until we eventually had to wake around 9:30 because we had to check out of our hostel by 10 AM. After checking out, we weren't keen to stay in Brisbane any longer, so we made our way to the Roma St. Station to find a train to catch to go down to the Gold Coast for the final part of our trip.
The Gold Coast is a city in the state Queensland, about an hour south of Brisbane. The Gold Coast is infamous for its sunny subtropical climate, surfing beaches, active nightlife, and numerous tourist attractions including theme parks, water parks, and the ever popular Steve Irwin Zoo. It is said that approximately 10 million tourists visit the Gold Coast each year. If you're an Australian, this is most likely the place that you would go on holiday.
We decided that we wanted to visit and stay in Surfer's Paradise (colloquially known as "Surfers"), the most popular suburb of the Gold Coast. After we arrived in the Gold Coast, we had to hop on another bus before we finally arrived in Surfer's Paradise around mid-afternoon. The moment I stepped off the bus I felt like I was in a slightly smaller version of Vegas. The city is heaps vibrant and just buzzing with people. Everyone in Surfer's Paradise is happy because they're on vacation!
When we arrived in Surfers we hadn't decided or booked a hostel to stay at. We had a few in mind but were still kinda undecided and didn't even know where they were located. As we were walking past the Greyhound bus terminal, we saw two boys our age sitting on a bench waiting for a bus to leave Surfers. We decided to go up to them and see where they stayed and if they could suggest anything to us. It turned out that the boys ended up being Americans and after chatting with them for a few minutes we found out that they actually live in Newcastle and go to Uni with us. One of the boys actually goes to the same Uni back in Pennsylvania as my friend Catie. Small world? The boys were actually really helpful and gave us some great advice on places to go, things to see, and where to stay. We decided to take their suggestion and stay at the Surf'N'Sun hostel because they enjoyed staying there so much. It actually turned out that we got a discount for staying there 3 nights and that we could simply go inside the bus terminal and the receptionist could arrange for them to pick us up so we wouldn't have to walk 15 minutes with our suitcases. Both a huge help!
One of the things that the boys at the bus stop suggested we do was to go up to the observatory in the Q deck. The Q deck is titled the World's Tallest Residential Building and is also the 20th tallest building in the world. So we bought our tickets (cheers to student concessions!) and got into an elevator that took us up 77 floors in about 30 seconds.
The view was absolutely amazing; you could basically see the entire city and coast. We probably spent about 45 minutes walking around the deck and taking pictures. In the second picture below, it looks like I'm standing in front of a poster, but I swear that was real!
'
After we left, we were getting pretty hungry so we decided that instead of eating out every meal like we had been for the majority of break, it would be more wise for us to buy some food to cook at the hostel for the next few days. So we made our way over to Cole's and purchased our usual food items:
The Traveling American Study Abroad Student on a Budget's Shopping List
Since we usually never stay in one hostel long enough to buy grocery food to cook, I never realized that the kitchen's in hostels are a great way to meet other people. I also never realized how extravagant some people get in the meals they cook themselves and their friends. We met this one really nice guy from France who just recently moved from Perth where he worked at a hotel as a chef. When we met him he was making himself this fancy meat stew while we were slapping the PB&J on some cheap, white bread. This guy felt so bad for us that he ended up INSISTING that he cook us dinner for the next 2 nights. I mean how could I turn down food cooked by a chef? The dishes he made us were so extravagant that I'm not even 100% sure what they were, but they were definitely our 2 best meals over break.
Day 15: Surfer's Paradise
Today we had more time to explore the city a bit further. We basically just mucked around the city for the entire day, going into stores and down streets as we pleased. I think we were enjoying being able to do things at our own pace since we had been on a pretty tight schedule before. We also spent a few hours down at the beach, prime people watching spot.
We remembered that before break we figured out that our friends Jenna and Keithy (who live on Jess's floor) would be in the Gold Coast at the same time as us. We gave Jenna a call, seeing if they would want to go to one of the amusement parks with us tomorrow, but they were leaving for Newcastle tomorrow. However, Jenna did invite us to meet them and Keithy's friends at the Casino that night. We didn't have any plans for the night yet, so we were pretty keen to go. So after dinner, we took a bus to the casino in the Gold Coast named Conrad Jupiter's. Jess had been to a casino before, but I hadn't so I was heaps excited! Since I'm not old enough to gamble in the states yet, and since I'm in Australia, I had to give it ago. I only let myself spend $10 and played the 1 cent slot machines (or "pokies" as the Aussies call them).
Day 16: Surfer's Paradise
Today Jess and I planned to go to Dream World, the Gold Coast's main theme park. However, when we found out that a ticket costs $70, plus the $12 in transportation we would have to pay, AND the park was only open till 5:00 PM, we decided it would be wiser to save our money. After going to Cedar Point every year of my life, I found it hard to justify spending more money an a ticket to a less awesome amusement park!
Back when I first knew that I was going to Australia, my mom told me about an art piece located in Australia by one of her favorite artists. The piece is made completely of flip flops ("thongs"). Before I left, we looked it up online and found that it was currently located at the Gold Coast Art Museum. So since I was in the Gold Coast, I thought that I'd try to find the museum so that I could take pictures of it for her. I found directions to the museum and probably SHOULD have taken a bus there, but at that very moment I was feeling especially cheap and thought it would be a better idea to save a few bucks and walk there. Well about 45 minutes of walking later, I realized I probably made the wrong decision. Once we finally arrived at the museum, I was compleatly caught off guard when I saw a flip flop covered art piece outside. I had no idea that it would be located outside the museum. So we took a few shots and hung out there until we made the hike back to Surfers.
Day 17: Surfer's Paradise --> Gold Coast --> Newcastle
After waking up and checking out, we only had a few hours to kill until we had to head to the airport. So we ate lunch and hung out in the lounge of the hostel watching movies with some other people. Around 1 PM we left to catch our shuttle and made it to the Gold Coast airport for our 3:00 PM flight back to Newcastle. The shuttle company actually made a mistake with our booking and we didn't arrive at the aiport until 2:30 PM, which actually wasn't too horrible because we were allowed to cut everybody in line to check in! Also since we were last to check in the lady gave us seats in the "Emergency Exit Row" which meant that we got twice the leg room if we argreed to "help the crew in the event of an emergency." The guy sitting next to me told me that he paid $10 extra for the seat, so we lucked out there. Arriving back in Newcastle was the most depressing moment of the past 17 days because not only did it mean that our break had come to an end and we had Uni tomororw, but it was COLD and raining.
So that brings us to the end of my spring break adventures in Australia. Stay tuned to hear about my weekend travels to Melbourne and Sydney!
Day 14: Brisbane --> Gold Coast --> Surfer's Paradise
Jess and I decided to sleep in as long as possible until we eventually had to wake around 9:30 because we had to check out of our hostel by 10 AM. After checking out, we weren't keen to stay in Brisbane any longer, so we made our way to the Roma St. Station to find a train to catch to go down to the Gold Coast for the final part of our trip.
The Gold Coast is a city in the state Queensland, about an hour south of Brisbane. The Gold Coast is infamous for its sunny subtropical climate, surfing beaches, active nightlife, and numerous tourist attractions including theme parks, water parks, and the ever popular Steve Irwin Zoo. It is said that approximately 10 million tourists visit the Gold Coast each year. If you're an Australian, this is most likely the place that you would go on holiday.
We decided that we wanted to visit and stay in Surfer's Paradise (colloquially known as "Surfers"), the most popular suburb of the Gold Coast. After we arrived in the Gold Coast, we had to hop on another bus before we finally arrived in Surfer's Paradise around mid-afternoon. The moment I stepped off the bus I felt like I was in a slightly smaller version of Vegas. The city is heaps vibrant and just buzzing with people. Everyone in Surfer's Paradise is happy because they're on vacation!
When we arrived in Surfers we hadn't decided or booked a hostel to stay at. We had a few in mind but were still kinda undecided and didn't even know where they were located. As we were walking past the Greyhound bus terminal, we saw two boys our age sitting on a bench waiting for a bus to leave Surfers. We decided to go up to them and see where they stayed and if they could suggest anything to us. It turned out that the boys ended up being Americans and after chatting with them for a few minutes we found out that they actually live in Newcastle and go to Uni with us. One of the boys actually goes to the same Uni back in Pennsylvania as my friend Catie. Small world? The boys were actually really helpful and gave us some great advice on places to go, things to see, and where to stay. We decided to take their suggestion and stay at the Surf'N'Sun hostel because they enjoyed staying there so much. It actually turned out that we got a discount for staying there 3 nights and that we could simply go inside the bus terminal and the receptionist could arrange for them to pick us up so we wouldn't have to walk 15 minutes with our suitcases. Both a huge help!
From the moment we arrived at the hostel, we were treated like royalty. The entire staff learned our names (and remembered them), gave us "welcome lollies", actually gave as a tour of the hostel (something NO hostel ever does), and one of the staff members carried our suitcases to our room for us (what service!). The actual facilities of the hostel really weren't very nice, but the friendly atmosphere was like none other. This hostel is actually one that people generally stay at for at least a few weeks, so it was a bit weird that all of our 6 roommates were totally settled into the room and had their stuff scattered everywhere. Four of our roommates were these lovely Irish girls (2 of which were sisters) who were currently trying to find jobs in Surfers and stay there for a while. After a little bit of talking with them, we realized that they actually know my Irish friend Kevin because they met him when they were in Brisbane a few weeks earlier. SMALL WORLD?! Our other two roommates were these two very friendly and VERY TALL guys from the Netherlands. Random cultural fact: people from the Netherlands are the tallest people in the world! They were interested to talk to us because after traveling Australia, the US was their next stop so they had heaps of questions for us. They also later tried to teach us a bit of Dutch, but that was quite unsuccessful.
Jess and I then decided to spend the last few hours of our afternoon exploring the area. The city has such a fun vibe to it, but it is pretty apparent that everyone is a tourist/on vacation. We walked down to the beach so that we could see the famous Surfer's Paradise sign (pictured below).
One of the things that the boys at the bus stop suggested we do was to go up to the observatory in the Q deck. The Q deck is titled the World's Tallest Residential Building and is also the 20th tallest building in the world. So we bought our tickets (cheers to student concessions!) and got into an elevator that took us up 77 floors in about 30 seconds.
The view was absolutely amazing; you could basically see the entire city and coast. We probably spent about 45 minutes walking around the deck and taking pictures. In the second picture below, it looks like I'm standing in front of a poster, but I swear that was real!
'After we left, we were getting pretty hungry so we decided that instead of eating out every meal like we had been for the majority of break, it would be more wise for us to buy some food to cook at the hostel for the next few days. So we made our way over to Cole's and purchased our usual food items:
The Traveling American Study Abroad Student on a Budget's Shopping List
- jar of peanut butter (home brand)
- jar of jam
- loaf of bread (home brand)
- instant noodles (home brand)
- energy drinks
- apples (cheapest)
- museli bars (home brand)
Since we usually never stay in one hostel long enough to buy grocery food to cook, I never realized that the kitchen's in hostels are a great way to meet other people. I also never realized how extravagant some people get in the meals they cook themselves and their friends. We met this one really nice guy from France who just recently moved from Perth where he worked at a hotel as a chef. When we met him he was making himself this fancy meat stew while we were slapping the PB&J on some cheap, white bread. This guy felt so bad for us that he ended up INSISTING that he cook us dinner for the next 2 nights. I mean how could I turn down food cooked by a chef? The dishes he made us were so extravagant that I'm not even 100% sure what they were, but they were definitely our 2 best meals over break.
Day 15: Surfer's Paradise
Today we had more time to explore the city a bit further. We basically just mucked around the city for the entire day, going into stores and down streets as we pleased. I think we were enjoying being able to do things at our own pace since we had been on a pretty tight schedule before. We also spent a few hours down at the beach, prime people watching spot.
We remembered that before break we figured out that our friends Jenna and Keithy (who live on Jess's floor) would be in the Gold Coast at the same time as us. We gave Jenna a call, seeing if they would want to go to one of the amusement parks with us tomorrow, but they were leaving for Newcastle tomorrow. However, Jenna did invite us to meet them and Keithy's friends at the Casino that night. We didn't have any plans for the night yet, so we were pretty keen to go. So after dinner, we took a bus to the casino in the Gold Coast named Conrad Jupiter's. Jess had been to a casino before, but I hadn't so I was heaps excited! Since I'm not old enough to gamble in the states yet, and since I'm in Australia, I had to give it ago. I only let myself spend $10 and played the 1 cent slot machines (or "pokies" as the Aussies call them).
Day 16: Surfer's Paradise
Today Jess and I planned to go to Dream World, the Gold Coast's main theme park. However, when we found out that a ticket costs $70, plus the $12 in transportation we would have to pay, AND the park was only open till 5:00 PM, we decided it would be wiser to save our money. After going to Cedar Point every year of my life, I found it hard to justify spending more money an a ticket to a less awesome amusement park!
Back when I first knew that I was going to Australia, my mom told me about an art piece located in Australia by one of her favorite artists. The piece is made completely of flip flops ("thongs"). Before I left, we looked it up online and found that it was currently located at the Gold Coast Art Museum. So since I was in the Gold Coast, I thought that I'd try to find the museum so that I could take pictures of it for her. I found directions to the museum and probably SHOULD have taken a bus there, but at that very moment I was feeling especially cheap and thought it would be a better idea to save a few bucks and walk there. Well about 45 minutes of walking later, I realized I probably made the wrong decision. Once we finally arrived at the museum, I was compleatly caught off guard when I saw a flip flop covered art piece outside. I had no idea that it would be located outside the museum. So we took a few shots and hung out there until we made the hike back to Surfers.
Day 17: Surfer's Paradise --> Gold Coast --> Newcastle
After waking up and checking out, we only had a few hours to kill until we had to head to the airport. So we ate lunch and hung out in the lounge of the hostel watching movies with some other people. Around 1 PM we left to catch our shuttle and made it to the Gold Coast airport for our 3:00 PM flight back to Newcastle. The shuttle company actually made a mistake with our booking and we didn't arrive at the aiport until 2:30 PM, which actually wasn't too horrible because we were allowed to cut everybody in line to check in! Also since we were last to check in the lady gave us seats in the "Emergency Exit Row" which meant that we got twice the leg room if we argreed to "help the crew in the event of an emergency." The guy sitting next to me told me that he paid $10 extra for the seat, so we lucked out there. Arriving back in Newcastle was the most depressing moment of the past 17 days because not only did it mean that our break had come to an end and we had Uni tomororw, but it was COLD and raining.
So that brings us to the end of my spring break adventures in Australia. Stay tuned to hear about my weekend travels to Melbourne and Sydney!
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Strange Sightings around Teds...Part 2
1. Shapes. In the shower??
I mean if you gotta eat, then you gotta eat.
2. Swooping Birds.
Saw this one on my way to class one day. They actually recently added the sign this month. I guess it must have been a problem?
3. Hey, you forgot your...mattress?
Perfect example of a common freshman mistake. If you leave your door open, your mattress WILL get stolen and placed somewhere else in the building. When will they learn?
4. PDS (Public Display of Studying)
Australians study?! In public!? Up until this week, I had never once seen an Australian actually studying. Apparently the only time it is socially acceptable to be caught PDSing is during exam month.
5. Boys in Boots
No your eyes are not deceiving you, that is in fact a hairy leg sporting the popular Ugg boots, and no it is not a hippie girl, but rather a boy. Yes, boys DO wear Ugg boots in Australia.
6. True Blue
A true blue is a term used to describe an Australian is loyal and patriotic to his or her country. I think this is enough proof to label this boy down the hall a true blue.
I mean if you gotta eat, then you gotta eat.
2. Swooping Birds.
Saw this one on my way to class one day. They actually recently added the sign this month. I guess it must have been a problem?
3. Hey, you forgot your...mattress?
Perfect example of a common freshman mistake. If you leave your door open, your mattress WILL get stolen and placed somewhere else in the building. When will they learn?
4. PDS (Public Display of Studying)
Australians study?! In public!? Up until this week, I had never once seen an Australian actually studying. Apparently the only time it is socially acceptable to be caught PDSing is during exam month.
5. Boys in Boots
No your eyes are not deceiving you, that is in fact a hairy leg sporting the popular Ugg boots, and no it is not a hippie girl, but rather a boy. Yes, boys DO wear Ugg boots in Australia.
6. True Blue
A true blue is a term used to describe an Australian is loyal and patriotic to his or her country. I think this is enough proof to label this boy down the hall a true blue.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Brissy, BrisVegas, or BrisBoring?
Hey everyone,
I actually decided to break up the last part of spring break into 2 separate entries, so this is part 4 of 5. I'm getting there! Since this is the portion of break that Jess and I planned ourselves and since we were starting to run pretty low on funds, we didn't have quite as many adventures as the previous week, but we still enjoyed ourselves nonetheless.
Day 13: Brisbane
After Jess and I woke up from probably our best (and cleanest) night's sleep, our only plan for the day was to explore the city of Brisbane. At every hostel I stay at, I always make it a habit to stop by the area lined with the brochures to have a look at possible activities and tours to do in that area as well as in other cities in Australia. I remember back in July when I stayed at my very first hostel in Cairns, I must have stared at the brochures for almost an hour with pure excitement and sparkling eyes thinking about the endless possibilities of things to do and places I could potentially see over the next few months. However, this time as I scanned the brochures, something was different. I realized that aside from a trip to the outback, I had been to nearly every place in Australia that there was a brochure for! Wow, I guess I have traveled more than I thought I did.
Anyway, we stopped at reception for a map of the city (which we eventually ended up ditching) and were off to explore. Brisbane (pronounced Briz-ben) is Australia's 3rd biggest city with a population of 2 million. If you're wondering about the title of my blog, "Brissy" is most often the city's nickname as well as "BrisVegas." However, I have NO idea why the city would be nicknamed BrisVegas because there was NO resemblance in any way, shape, or form. If it was up to me, the city's nickname would be "BrisBoring" because it was really just another city with nothing particularly unique about it. Before I came, I had heard that Brisbane was starting to become a more cultural and sophisticated city, but that backpackers generally disliked the city; however, I gave it the benefit of the doubt and thought that maybe I'd think differently. Not really...
Brisbane is situated on the Brisbane river, so there's about 3 different bridges you can walk across to get to the CBD area. During our walk, we did witness a few interesting sights such as a car accident between two ambulances and these 2 guys riding their bikes on rocks (see picture below).
For the next few hours we wandered around the South Bank area and Botanical Gardens, which was a pretty area. We saw heaps of business people walking around the area, probably on their lunch break. We also went inside the art gallery and state library for a little bit. We then stumbled upon Streets Beach. Since Brisbane doesn't have a beach, they built a man-made one in the middle of the South Bank area, which I thought was kinda funny.
One of my Irish friends that I met a few months ago in Byron Bay gave me a ring at this point. We had kept in touch since then and he was currently living in Brisbane and working. He had gotten off work early and wanted to know if we wanted to meet up. Since we were pretty bored, and had pretty much seen all of the city at this point, we were keen to do something else. He lived in a suburb only 4 train stops away from the city, so we made our way over to the train station to meet him. There I found this sign on the tracks, "STAY OFF THE TRACKS! Or cop at $150 fine. So don't say you didn't know." Haha, I'm really gonna miss these signs.
So we spent a few hours catching up with Kevin while he gave us some advice for the next leg of our trip. Jess and I then headed back to our hostel and called it a night.
Brisbane, slightly disappointing. Maybe I shouldn't have left the airport this time.
I actually decided to break up the last part of spring break into 2 separate entries, so this is part 4 of 5. I'm getting there! Since this is the portion of break that Jess and I planned ourselves and since we were starting to run pretty low on funds, we didn't have quite as many adventures as the previous week, but we still enjoyed ourselves nonetheless.
Day 13: Brisbane
After Jess and I woke up from probably our best (and cleanest) night's sleep, our only plan for the day was to explore the city of Brisbane. At every hostel I stay at, I always make it a habit to stop by the area lined with the brochures to have a look at possible activities and tours to do in that area as well as in other cities in Australia. I remember back in July when I stayed at my very first hostel in Cairns, I must have stared at the brochures for almost an hour with pure excitement and sparkling eyes thinking about the endless possibilities of things to do and places I could potentially see over the next few months. However, this time as I scanned the brochures, something was different. I realized that aside from a trip to the outback, I had been to nearly every place in Australia that there was a brochure for! Wow, I guess I have traveled more than I thought I did.
Anyway, we stopped at reception for a map of the city (which we eventually ended up ditching) and were off to explore. Brisbane (pronounced Briz-ben) is Australia's 3rd biggest city with a population of 2 million. If you're wondering about the title of my blog, "Brissy" is most often the city's nickname as well as "BrisVegas." However, I have NO idea why the city would be nicknamed BrisVegas because there was NO resemblance in any way, shape, or form. If it was up to me, the city's nickname would be "BrisBoring" because it was really just another city with nothing particularly unique about it. Before I came, I had heard that Brisbane was starting to become a more cultural and sophisticated city, but that backpackers generally disliked the city; however, I gave it the benefit of the doubt and thought that maybe I'd think differently. Not really...
Brisbane is situated on the Brisbane river, so there's about 3 different bridges you can walk across to get to the CBD area. During our walk, we did witness a few interesting sights such as a car accident between two ambulances and these 2 guys riding their bikes on rocks (see picture below).
For the next few hours we wandered around the South Bank area and Botanical Gardens, which was a pretty area. We saw heaps of business people walking around the area, probably on their lunch break. We also went inside the art gallery and state library for a little bit. We then stumbled upon Streets Beach. Since Brisbane doesn't have a beach, they built a man-made one in the middle of the South Bank area, which I thought was kinda funny.
One of my Irish friends that I met a few months ago in Byron Bay gave me a ring at this point. We had kept in touch since then and he was currently living in Brisbane and working. He had gotten off work early and wanted to know if we wanted to meet up. Since we were pretty bored, and had pretty much seen all of the city at this point, we were keen to do something else. He lived in a suburb only 4 train stops away from the city, so we made our way over to the train station to meet him. There I found this sign on the tracks, "STAY OFF THE TRACKS! Or cop at $150 fine. So don't say you didn't know." Haha, I'm really gonna miss these signs.
So we spent a few hours catching up with Kevin while he gave us some advice for the next leg of our trip. Jess and I then headed back to our hostel and called it a night.
Brisbane, slightly disappointing. Maybe I shouldn't have left the airport this time.
I reckon the old boy told his ankle biters to stop whinging about the mozzies on the way to Maccas this arvo.
I know many of my blog readers have expressed a special interest in the “Aussie lingo” and the way we speak here. When I think about it, it’s hard to believe how many different words and phrases I’ve picked up in the last 4 months. So I decided to compile a final list so that hopefully you will be able to understand me when I come home and I’m talking a bit funny. Some of these sound pretty ridiculous, but I promise I didn’t put anything on the list that I haven’t heard come out of an Australian’s mouth on numerous occasions. Enjoy!
To start off, we’ve all heard Paul Hogan use the expression, “G’day mate!” Well, that is said here, but not as much as you would think. I was actually surprised on how little I did here the phrase “G’day.” On the other hand, “mate” is used constantly. There is no fella, pal, buddy, dude, or hey you…just “mate”. There are also different contexts you can use the word. Of course, you could say, “Today is my mate’s birthday” meaning that today is my friend’s birthday. However, any stranger can also be your mate. You could tell the cashier at the gas station “Thanks, mate” or if you’re in trouble with the police they could tell you, “You’re under arrest, mate.” Also, as a general note, you wouldn’t call a girl a mate, even if she is your friend. Girls are more generally often referred to as "love," "darling," "doll," "babe," or "darling" (even by other woman). If you have a “D&M” with your friend, then you just had a deep and meaningful conversation.
Australia is truly the country of no worries. In addition to mate, the phrase “no worries” comes out of an Australians mouth almost every other word. “No worries” can mean no problem. If someone bumps into you and says “Sorry!” you would respond “no worries.” It can also replace “Yes.” If someone asked if they could borrow my glue stick, I would respond, “no worries.” Finally, the phrase can be used in place of “you’re welcome.” I told my friend “Thanks for the directions” and he responded, “no worries.”
HEAPS. Aussies say “heaps” heaps. Heaps can either be used in place of “a lot” like in there are heaps of people there or it can be used in place of “really” like in the surf was heaps good today.
“But” is used at the end of a statement. The weather is nice today but. I’m going to go out tonight but. I really like the beach but. You get the picture but.
“As” is used after an adjective to replace “really.” This store is expensive as. That story was funny as. Your car is sweet as. I think that boy is cute as.
When you pass someone or greet someone in the states you would generally say something like “Hey, what’s up? or “Hey, how you doing?” or “Hey, how are you?.” However, in Australia you would say “Hey, how ya going?” At first, it’s pretty weird and I had no idea how to even respond to that question, but it has definitely grown on me and I really like the phrase. Consequently, when asking about other people you would ask how they are “going.” In addition, Australia also uses the phrase “Hey, you alright?” to greet someone. This is more common in England, but I’ve heard this numerous times here. For example if you were to get up to the front of the line to order McDonalds, instead of the cashier asking you “How can I help you?” they often times rather say “Hey, you alright?” or simply “You right?” to which you would appropriately respond, “I’d like one McChicken, 2 Quarter pounders, 1 large coke…”
Australians rarely say “Thank you” but rather “Cheers.” So if a guy holds the door for you, you would respond “Cheers, mate.” I also often sign the end of my emails “Cheers, Kim.” “Good on ya” means “Good job” or “Good for you.” When I told my Australian friend that I received an A on my history paper, he responded “Good on ya.”
Australian’s don’t think, they “reckon.” They are not fond of things, but rather “big on” them. Someone they highly respect is a "legend" and if they dislike someone then they are "off" them. They don't call people, but they "ring" them. They don’t do things right away, but rather “straight away.” If they don’t feel like doing it then they “can’t be bothered.” They don’t rent things, but “hire” them. If they are interested or excited then they are “keen.” If my friends asked if I wanted to go to the beach on Friday I would respond, “I’m keen” and I could tell you that I was “keen for the weekend.”
Australians don’t say “yeah” but rather “yep” or "yer." They don’t say “no” but rather “nah" or "nar."
You never do something, but rather “have” it. I’m going to have a shower. You should have a think about that. We should have a chat later. Come have a look at my house.
You would ask your friends “whatya getting into tonight?” to find out their plans. Don’t go anywhere shady or “dodgy” or “seedy” with them. "Youse" is plural for you as in "youse should come out tonight with us!"
If you buy someone a drink or a meal, you are “shouting” and would most likely say, “It’s my shout.” Don’t expect to sleep at a hotel because a hotel is another name for a pub. You would buy alcohol at a “bottle shop” or “bottle-o.” “Goon” is boxed wine. A “stubby” is a beer bottle. Drunk driving is called “drink driving.” A “Booze bus” is not as fun as it sounds; it is actually a vehicle that cops use to catch people who are “drink driving.”
Your parents are your “oldies,” your mom is your “mum,” your dad can be called “old boy,” and your relatives are your “rellies” or “rellos.” You might get together with your rellies on Christmas or “Crissie” in which you’ll probably exchange “prezzies” or presents. With them, you might also see some “adverts” or advertisements on the “telly” or the television.
Australia also has some interesting job titles. A “sparky” is an electrician. A “firey” is a firefighter. A “chipie” is a carpenter. A “cabbie” is a cab driver. A “journo” is a journalist. An ambulance driver is an “ambo.” A “pollie” is a politician. A “brikie” is a bricklayer. And a garbage man is a “garbo.” A “truckie” is a truck driver. I bet you’d never guess that a “postie” is a postman. Mind you, these are mainstream terminology that would be heard on the evening news. Also, if you read a want add that says they are looking for “casual help” that means part-time work.
Transportation is also a bit confusing. A pick-up is a “ute” while a big transport truck is a “road train.” A car trunk is often called a “boot.” A “bike” refers to a motorcycle, while a “push-bike” refers to a bicycle. A “billy cart” is what we call a go-kart. Don’t forget that you park your car in the “car park” where you try to find a “park” or parking space. Finally, never ask an Aussie for a ride somewhere, but rather a “lift.”
It also seems like everything in Australia seems to get “chucked.” Most commonly it means to throw or toss, so my friend told me to “chuck your coat on the chair.” Someone can also “chuck a sickie” which means to call in sick to work. If you take a u-turn then you just “chucked a yewy.”
Moving on to clothing…bathing suits are called “swimmers” or “togs." "Budgie smuglers” refers to what typically an old man wears that is our equivalent to spedos. Trust me, this is a common thing to see at the beach. “Jim-Jams” or “Jammies” refers to pajamas. Jogging pants are called “trackies” and running shoes are “joggers” or “runners.” Flip flops are “thongs.” A tank top is a “singlet.” Sweatshirts and sweaters are “jumpers” and if you are cold you should “rug-up.” Your “sunnies” are your sunglasses. If you shop at the “op shop” then you shop at the thrift store. And if you're growing a mustache, then you've got a "mo."
As for food: breakfast is “brekkie,” “smoko” is a break, “tea” can often times mean dinner and “supper” can sometimes mean a snack. A sausage is a “snag” and all shrimp are “prawn.” Thus meaning that if you ever hear someone say the phrase “Let’s throw a shrimp on the barbie” that’s a sure way to know that they are definitely NOT Australian. If you’re vegetarian then you’re a “veggo.” McDonald’s is “Macca’s” (both pronounced and spelled exactly like that on many advertisements). While at Macca’s don’t forget that “tomato sauce” is ketchup. An “esky” is a cooler. I think you can figure that one out. If you ask for green peppers at Subway you’ll get a confused look because peppers are “capsicum.” If you ask for a vanilla milkshake you’ll be quite disappointed to discover that you’ll receive milk with vanilla flavoring in it. Rather, you should ask for a “thick shake.” A cookie is a “biscuit.” If someone asks you if you “got a chewie?” they’re asking you if you have any chewing gum. A general word for all candy or sweets is “lollies” and this can refer to anything from chocolate “chockie” to actual lollie pops to tick tacs. A popsicle is called a “paddle pop” or an “icy pole.” Sprite is “lemonade” and lemonade is “lemon sqash.” Jello is “jelly” while jelly is “jam.” Never tell an Australian you had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich because that would be pretty gross. If you order bacon at a restaurant, you’re going to get what we would consider Canadian bacon, or ham. Don’t forget that “chips” are french-fries and “potato chips” are what we would call chips. If you order an “entrée” at a restaurant, you just ordered an appetizer. Instead, you should order a “main.” A “cuppa” is a cup of either coffee or tea. A “flat white” is a coffee with milk, a “long black” is a black coffee, and “short black” is a shot of espresso.
If you’re sick, or feeling a bit "crook" then you go to the “chemist” to fill your prescription. Imagine how confused Australians are the first time they come to America and see that we have a “drug store.”
Everything is described as “hectic.”
Instead of saying “come again?” or “what?” or “huh?” you simply say “hey?” Aussies are like Canadians and add “aye” or “hey” to the end of sentences. The weather is nice today, aye?
Children are “nippers” or my favorite, “ankle biters.” A stroller is called a “pram” and a diaper is called a “nappy.” When you “wagged” that means you skipped school. If a peer asks you for a “rubber” they simply want an eraser. If you went on “schoolies” that means you went on an insane vacation or “holiday” with your friends after year 12 exams. If you attend “Uni” then you go to college and if you’ve got “uni work” then you have homework. You don't do well on a test, but you "smash" it. If someone asks you what you are studying, they’re asking what your major is. A “course” is a class, a “tut” is a tutorial, and you get a “mark” not a grade in the class. You don’t receive a student discount but a “concession.”
Mosquitoes are “mozzies” and kangaroos are “roos.” To whine is to “whinge.” Garbage is “rubbish.” A “doco” is a documentary.” An elevator is a “lift.” "Petrol" is gas. An environmentalist is a “grennie.” Slot machines are “pokies.” Guys are called “boys” or “blokes.” The afternoon is titled “arvo” and the evening is “evo.” A "torch" is a flashlight. A "serviette" is a napkin. A redneck is a “bogan.” A receipt is a “docket.” A “hottie” is a hot water bottle. A shopping cart is a “trolly.” Something beautiful can be described as a “beaut.” If you went “OS” then you went over seas. If something is “right” then it’s okay. If you have red hair, then you're called a "bluey."
The word “piss” can have many different meanings here, all depending on the context. If you “take the piss out of someone” that means you joked around or made fun of them. Of course, you can also “take a piss,” I think we all know what that one means. If you go around saying “I’m pissed!” that means you’re drunk or “blind”, not to be confused with “pissed off” which means you’re angry. “Piss” can also sometimes be the name for alcohol. If, however, you are pissed, please don’t “spew” or puke everywhere. However, be careful if you leave a party or social event early or you might be labeled a “piker.”
The bathroom is always called the “toilet” and if you “got the shits” that means you’re angry. No one here knows what a cell phone is because it’s called your “mobile.” A text message is often called an SMS.
If you haven’t noticed, Aussies love to add the letter “o” to the end of words, especially in people’s names. John goes by Johnno, Steve is Stevo, and Dave is Davo. Consequently, the Aussies call me Kimo.
Aussie’s pronounce herbs WITH the h. A fish fillet is pronounced “fil-let.” Aluminum is pronounced “a-loo-min-e-um.” H is “haytch” and Z “is zed.”
If you are “devo” that means you are sad or depressed. It can also be used in place of “bummer.” If I heard it was going to rain today, I would probably respond, “Oh, devo!”
When saying goodbye, you’d probably hear “Catch ya later” or simply “Catch ya.” I wouldn’t’ talk to you later, but rather “chat to you later.” Often times workers or strangers will say, “See ya later” even though I probably will never see them again in my life.
Gosh, who knew studying abroad in an “English speaking country” would involve learning a new language?
To start off, we’ve all heard Paul Hogan use the expression, “G’day mate!” Well, that is said here, but not as much as you would think. I was actually surprised on how little I did here the phrase “G’day.” On the other hand, “mate” is used constantly. There is no fella, pal, buddy, dude, or hey you…just “mate”. There are also different contexts you can use the word. Of course, you could say, “Today is my mate’s birthday” meaning that today is my friend’s birthday. However, any stranger can also be your mate. You could tell the cashier at the gas station “Thanks, mate” or if you’re in trouble with the police they could tell you, “You’re under arrest, mate.” Also, as a general note, you wouldn’t call a girl a mate, even if she is your friend. Girls are more generally often referred to as "love," "darling," "doll," "babe," or "darling" (even by other woman). If you have a “D&M” with your friend, then you just had a deep and meaningful conversation.
Australia is truly the country of no worries. In addition to mate, the phrase “no worries” comes out of an Australians mouth almost every other word. “No worries” can mean no problem. If someone bumps into you and says “Sorry!” you would respond “no worries.” It can also replace “Yes.” If someone asked if they could borrow my glue stick, I would respond, “no worries.” Finally, the phrase can be used in place of “you’re welcome.” I told my friend “Thanks for the directions” and he responded, “no worries.”
HEAPS. Aussies say “heaps” heaps. Heaps can either be used in place of “a lot” like in there are heaps of people there or it can be used in place of “really” like in the surf was heaps good today.
“But” is used at the end of a statement. The weather is nice today but. I’m going to go out tonight but. I really like the beach but. You get the picture but.
“As” is used after an adjective to replace “really.” This store is expensive as. That story was funny as. Your car is sweet as. I think that boy is cute as.
When you pass someone or greet someone in the states you would generally say something like “Hey, what’s up? or “Hey, how you doing?” or “Hey, how are you?.” However, in Australia you would say “Hey, how ya going?” At first, it’s pretty weird and I had no idea how to even respond to that question, but it has definitely grown on me and I really like the phrase. Consequently, when asking about other people you would ask how they are “going.” In addition, Australia also uses the phrase “Hey, you alright?” to greet someone. This is more common in England, but I’ve heard this numerous times here. For example if you were to get up to the front of the line to order McDonalds, instead of the cashier asking you “How can I help you?” they often times rather say “Hey, you alright?” or simply “You right?” to which you would appropriately respond, “I’d like one McChicken, 2 Quarter pounders, 1 large coke…”
Australians rarely say “Thank you” but rather “Cheers.” So if a guy holds the door for you, you would respond “Cheers, mate.” I also often sign the end of my emails “Cheers, Kim.” “Good on ya” means “Good job” or “Good for you.” When I told my Australian friend that I received an A on my history paper, he responded “Good on ya.”
Australian’s don’t think, they “reckon.” They are not fond of things, but rather “big on” them. Someone they highly respect is a "legend" and if they dislike someone then they are "off" them. They don't call people, but they "ring" them. They don’t do things right away, but rather “straight away.” If they don’t feel like doing it then they “can’t be bothered.” They don’t rent things, but “hire” them. If they are interested or excited then they are “keen.” If my friends asked if I wanted to go to the beach on Friday I would respond, “I’m keen” and I could tell you that I was “keen for the weekend.”
Australians don’t say “yeah” but rather “yep” or "yer." They don’t say “no” but rather “nah" or "nar."
You never do something, but rather “have” it. I’m going to have a shower. You should have a think about that. We should have a chat later. Come have a look at my house.
You would ask your friends “whatya getting into tonight?” to find out their plans. Don’t go anywhere shady or “dodgy” or “seedy” with them. "Youse" is plural for you as in "youse should come out tonight with us!"
If you buy someone a drink or a meal, you are “shouting” and would most likely say, “It’s my shout.” Don’t expect to sleep at a hotel because a hotel is another name for a pub. You would buy alcohol at a “bottle shop” or “bottle-o.” “Goon” is boxed wine. A “stubby” is a beer bottle. Drunk driving is called “drink driving.” A “Booze bus” is not as fun as it sounds; it is actually a vehicle that cops use to catch people who are “drink driving.”
Your parents are your “oldies,” your mom is your “mum,” your dad can be called “old boy,” and your relatives are your “rellies” or “rellos.” You might get together with your rellies on Christmas or “Crissie” in which you’ll probably exchange “prezzies” or presents. With them, you might also see some “adverts” or advertisements on the “telly” or the television.
Australia also has some interesting job titles. A “sparky” is an electrician. A “firey” is a firefighter. A “chipie” is a carpenter. A “cabbie” is a cab driver. A “journo” is a journalist. An ambulance driver is an “ambo.” A “pollie” is a politician. A “brikie” is a bricklayer. And a garbage man is a “garbo.” A “truckie” is a truck driver. I bet you’d never guess that a “postie” is a postman. Mind you, these are mainstream terminology that would be heard on the evening news. Also, if you read a want add that says they are looking for “casual help” that means part-time work.
Transportation is also a bit confusing. A pick-up is a “ute” while a big transport truck is a “road train.” A car trunk is often called a “boot.” A “bike” refers to a motorcycle, while a “push-bike” refers to a bicycle. A “billy cart” is what we call a go-kart. Don’t forget that you park your car in the “car park” where you try to find a “park” or parking space. Finally, never ask an Aussie for a ride somewhere, but rather a “lift.”
It also seems like everything in Australia seems to get “chucked.” Most commonly it means to throw or toss, so my friend told me to “chuck your coat on the chair.” Someone can also “chuck a sickie” which means to call in sick to work. If you take a u-turn then you just “chucked a yewy.”
Moving on to clothing…bathing suits are called “swimmers” or “togs." "Budgie smuglers” refers to what typically an old man wears that is our equivalent to spedos. Trust me, this is a common thing to see at the beach. “Jim-Jams” or “Jammies” refers to pajamas. Jogging pants are called “trackies” and running shoes are “joggers” or “runners.” Flip flops are “thongs.” A tank top is a “singlet.” Sweatshirts and sweaters are “jumpers” and if you are cold you should “rug-up.” Your “sunnies” are your sunglasses. If you shop at the “op shop” then you shop at the thrift store. And if you're growing a mustache, then you've got a "mo."
As for food: breakfast is “brekkie,” “smoko” is a break, “tea” can often times mean dinner and “supper” can sometimes mean a snack. A sausage is a “snag” and all shrimp are “prawn.” Thus meaning that if you ever hear someone say the phrase “Let’s throw a shrimp on the barbie” that’s a sure way to know that they are definitely NOT Australian. If you’re vegetarian then you’re a “veggo.” McDonald’s is “Macca’s” (both pronounced and spelled exactly like that on many advertisements). While at Macca’s don’t forget that “tomato sauce” is ketchup. An “esky” is a cooler. I think you can figure that one out. If you ask for green peppers at Subway you’ll get a confused look because peppers are “capsicum.” If you ask for a vanilla milkshake you’ll be quite disappointed to discover that you’ll receive milk with vanilla flavoring in it. Rather, you should ask for a “thick shake.” A cookie is a “biscuit.” If someone asks you if you “got a chewie?” they’re asking you if you have any chewing gum. A general word for all candy or sweets is “lollies” and this can refer to anything from chocolate “chockie” to actual lollie pops to tick tacs. A popsicle is called a “paddle pop” or an “icy pole.” Sprite is “lemonade” and lemonade is “lemon sqash.” Jello is “jelly” while jelly is “jam.” Never tell an Australian you had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich because that would be pretty gross. If you order bacon at a restaurant, you’re going to get what we would consider Canadian bacon, or ham. Don’t forget that “chips” are french-fries and “potato chips” are what we would call chips. If you order an “entrée” at a restaurant, you just ordered an appetizer. Instead, you should order a “main.” A “cuppa” is a cup of either coffee or tea. A “flat white” is a coffee with milk, a “long black” is a black coffee, and “short black” is a shot of espresso.
If you’re sick, or feeling a bit "crook" then you go to the “chemist” to fill your prescription. Imagine how confused Australians are the first time they come to America and see that we have a “drug store.”
Everything is described as “hectic.”
Instead of saying “come again?” or “what?” or “huh?” you simply say “hey?” Aussies are like Canadians and add “aye” or “hey” to the end of sentences. The weather is nice today, aye?
Children are “nippers” or my favorite, “ankle biters.” A stroller is called a “pram” and a diaper is called a “nappy.” When you “wagged” that means you skipped school. If a peer asks you for a “rubber” they simply want an eraser. If you went on “schoolies” that means you went on an insane vacation or “holiday” with your friends after year 12 exams. If you attend “Uni” then you go to college and if you’ve got “uni work” then you have homework. You don't do well on a test, but you "smash" it. If someone asks you what you are studying, they’re asking what your major is. A “course” is a class, a “tut” is a tutorial, and you get a “mark” not a grade in the class. You don’t receive a student discount but a “concession.”
Mosquitoes are “mozzies” and kangaroos are “roos.” To whine is to “whinge.” Garbage is “rubbish.” A “doco” is a documentary.” An elevator is a “lift.” "Petrol" is gas. An environmentalist is a “grennie.” Slot machines are “pokies.” Guys are called “boys” or “blokes.” The afternoon is titled “arvo” and the evening is “evo.” A "torch" is a flashlight. A "serviette" is a napkin. A redneck is a “bogan.” A receipt is a “docket.” A “hottie” is a hot water bottle. A shopping cart is a “trolly.” Something beautiful can be described as a “beaut.” If you went “OS” then you went over seas. If something is “right” then it’s okay. If you have red hair, then you're called a "bluey."
The word “piss” can have many different meanings here, all depending on the context. If you “take the piss out of someone” that means you joked around or made fun of them. Of course, you can also “take a piss,” I think we all know what that one means. If you go around saying “I’m pissed!” that means you’re drunk or “blind”, not to be confused with “pissed off” which means you’re angry. “Piss” can also sometimes be the name for alcohol. If, however, you are pissed, please don’t “spew” or puke everywhere. However, be careful if you leave a party or social event early or you might be labeled a “piker.”
The bathroom is always called the “toilet” and if you “got the shits” that means you’re angry. No one here knows what a cell phone is because it’s called your “mobile.” A text message is often called an SMS.
If you haven’t noticed, Aussies love to add the letter “o” to the end of words, especially in people’s names. John goes by Johnno, Steve is Stevo, and Dave is Davo. Consequently, the Aussies call me Kimo.
Aussie’s pronounce herbs WITH the h. A fish fillet is pronounced “fil-let.” Aluminum is pronounced “a-loo-min-e-um.” H is “haytch” and Z “is zed.”
If you are “devo” that means you are sad or depressed. It can also be used in place of “bummer.” If I heard it was going to rain today, I would probably respond, “Oh, devo!”
When saying goodbye, you’d probably hear “Catch ya later” or simply “Catch ya.” I wouldn’t’ talk to you later, but rather “chat to you later.” Often times workers or strangers will say, “See ya later” even though I probably will never see them again in my life.
Gosh, who knew studying abroad in an “English speaking country” would involve learning a new language?
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Beware of the Drop Bears!
As I’m sure you know, Australia has many unique animals found nowhere else such as the kangaroo, koala bear, and platypus as well as some of the deadliest snakes in the world. However, unless you’ve lived in Australia, you probably don’t know about the most dangerous animal of them all, the drop bear. The drop bear is an Australian marsupial animal that is a large (almost the size of an American grizzly bear), vicious, carnivorous subspecies of the koala bear with very sharp claws and teeth. Like koalas, the drop bears generally sleep in the treetops during the day. However, at night they hunt by waiting for unsuspecting victims to walk under their tree, at which point they drop from the branch (hence the name) onto the victim’s head. Luckily, I was warned about them the very first night that I moved into my room here. Drop bears have also been found to detest the smell of yeast extract, so people are advised to smear Vegemite behind their ears to prevent attacks. I’ve also heard that a way you can tell if one is hiding in a tree is by lying on your back under the tree and spitting upwards. If there’s a drop bear in that tree, it will spit back at you (and then you can quickly run away before it drops).
The reason I’m writing about drop bears is because unfortunately last night an international student was attacked near her residence hall on campus here at Uni. Unsuspectingly, the drop bear suddenly dropped out of the trees onto her head as she was passing by. She was immediately hospitalized after the incident. She’s going to be okay, but she apparently has heaps of deep scratches and teeth marks on the back of her neck. The Australian government has been trying to keep quiet about the recent drop bear attacks and keep them from the media because they’re concerned that it will decrease tourism in Australia (probably why most people have never heard of them). Ever since the attack, Campus Security has been highly suggesting that we give them a call for a lift back from the train station instead of risking walking back through campus at night. Scary right?
WRONG! I think I’ve lived in Australia too long because I’m just pulling your leg (or “taking the piss” as the Aussies would say). There are NO drop bears. There was NO attack on campus. Drop bears are fictitious animals that the Australians across the nation LOVE to use to scare foreigners, tourists, and international students (or in my case - all of you!). Did I get ya? Now if you ever make it over to Australia you’ll be wise enough to not fall for the Aussie drop bear myth. My friend who studied in Australia last year warned me before I came that the Aussies would probably tell me all about these vicious creatures. And sure enough, my very first day I was already being told about them and their violent ways. However, some of my naive American friends were completely frightened by the drop bear stories and walked with their heads in the air as they passed under trees for the entire first week they were in Australia.
Drop bears have even made it into popular culture, best known in the Bundaberg Rum commercial. I've added a link to the right side of my page so you can have a watch.
So remember to watch out for the drop bears mate!
The reason I’m writing about drop bears is because unfortunately last night an international student was attacked near her residence hall on campus here at Uni. Unsuspectingly, the drop bear suddenly dropped out of the trees onto her head as she was passing by. She was immediately hospitalized after the incident. She’s going to be okay, but she apparently has heaps of deep scratches and teeth marks on the back of her neck. The Australian government has been trying to keep quiet about the recent drop bear attacks and keep them from the media because they’re concerned that it will decrease tourism in Australia (probably why most people have never heard of them). Ever since the attack, Campus Security has been highly suggesting that we give them a call for a lift back from the train station instead of risking walking back through campus at night. Scary right?
WRONG! I think I’ve lived in Australia too long because I’m just pulling your leg (or “taking the piss” as the Aussies would say). There are NO drop bears. There was NO attack on campus. Drop bears are fictitious animals that the Australians across the nation LOVE to use to scare foreigners, tourists, and international students (or in my case - all of you!). Did I get ya? Now if you ever make it over to Australia you’ll be wise enough to not fall for the Aussie drop bear myth. My friend who studied in Australia last year warned me before I came that the Aussies would probably tell me all about these vicious creatures. And sure enough, my very first day I was already being told about them and their violent ways. However, some of my naive American friends were completely frightened by the drop bear stories and walked with their heads in the air as they passed under trees for the entire first week they were in Australia.
Drop bears have even made it into popular culture, best known in the Bundaberg Rum commercial. I've added a link to the right side of my page so you can have a watch.
So remember to watch out for the drop bears mate!
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