It’s hard to believe, but I have been living in Australia for a little over 2 years now. Where has all the time gone? It has taken some work, but I do believe I am finally getting the hang of living here.
In my opinion , Oz is a lot like America in the 1950’s, only tech savvy. It’s a much slower pace most of the time, everyone is very friendly, and you can take most people at their word. The Aussie motto is “No worries Mate”, and they mean it. When I first got here, even though it is a different country, for me there was only a little culture shock. Thanks to the fact that Australia is an English-speaking country (for the most part) and the fact that we get a lot of American TV here, Oz is a lot like the States. Most Aussies could understand me, I just had to work on understanding what they were saying. Besides the Aussie accent, they do have their own lingo here that was rather confusing to me, until Gene, my own private personal interpreter, would translate.
The first time I heard that a man was “nursing” a child, I thought for sure Aussie men were very different from regular men. I wanted to see this special male breastfeed a baby. As it turned out, in Oz, to be “nursing” someone means you are taking care of them.
Since we are on the topic of babies, a nappy is a diaper, not a short amount of sleep, and asking a baby about his/her dummy is not a question about their intellect, but instead a discussion about their pacifier.
If we are going to a hotel, in most cases that means we are going to a pub to drink, but it can also mean a place we could get a room for the night. A “club” is not only for dancing, like it is in the States, but instead it is the Aussie version of a VFW hall, only a whole lot better.
They always have a café, and most have “poker machines”, or “pokies”, which are what Americans call slot machines. I am not really a fan of these clubs, but Gene really loves them. You can get a really cheap meal, but in my opinion, all the food in all the clubs are all the same.
Since my move here, we have had only one visitor from the States, and that was my BFF Mary, from Detroit. In her infinite wisdom, she summed up Oz in one word. Adequate. This is the perfect word to describe Australia. I am not saying that being adequate is a bad thing. Aussies get just what they need, and usually no more. That is one reason we go food shopping 3 to 4 times a week. Why buy extra when you can make another trip to the store and get it fresh?
A lot of things are much smaller than I was used to. Take housing. This is a photo of our “unit”, or townhouse. There are a lot of “units” (or apartments, condos, or townhouses) everywhere, and they keep building more. There are single family homes, but the majority of them are what we in America would call small. Like us, it is very common to have only a one car garage, (not a 1 ½ car) even if you are a two car family. I just want to know where they keep all their stuff. One of Gene’s sisters’ lives in what I call an “American” house. For Aussie standards, it is large, with big front and back yards. I say it is just about right.
Their serving size are also much smaller here. A large drink at “Macca’s” (pronounced mack-ers) would be considered a small in America.
I had to get use to everyone driving on the wrong side of the road, and all the roundabouts. It is very strange to sit in the front seat of a car on the left side, and not have a steering wheel in front of me. I have driven a little here, and I am not a fan of how narrow most of the lanes are. Again, the adequate thing. I keep saying I just need to get out there and practice, but for once in my life, I am enjoying having my own personal chauffeur. I just can’t get Gene to wear the little hat that goes with the uniform.
When I’m asked what I miss most about the US, my first answer is always Taco Bell. Yeah, I know. It should be family and friends, which I do miss, but I also miss the fact that I can’t just go through the drive thru any time of the day or night to get one of my favorite foods. I have reserved myself to the fact that Oz is not a place for Mexican food, so I make it at home when I get a craving to make a run for the border. I do Skype with my family and friends, so in some cases, I talk to them more now than I did when I lived there.
Another thing I miss is being able to find certain things in the stores. One example is tomato sauce. To an Aussie, tomato sauce is ketchup, and American tomato sauce does not exist in Oz. To compromise, I’ve learned to substitute tomato puree instead.
I also miss the fact that not every store gives you a bag for your purchases.
One thing that I will never understand, is their electrical outlets, or what they call power points. For some reason they turn off the power points when they are not in use. I am assuming that Aussies think the power may leak out when they are not looking, so they turn them off.
They have wonderful tea shops that I frequent quite a bit, and my tea collection has grown to 60+ teas. Aussies still look at me funny when I tell them my drink of choice is Ice tea, but I am hopeful that one day they will realize that they there are other ways to have your tea besides white (with milk) or black (no milk).
I also love the fact that there are beautiful animals here. There are all kinds of birds all over the place, and my favorites are the rainbow lorikeets, and the cockatoos.
I also love the fact that fairy penguins also call Oz home. They are the closest thing to a munchkin here, so they fit right in.
One of the things I really enjoy doing is going to some of the wildlife parks, and have lunch with some of my truly Aussie friends. That’s something I never got to do in America.
Some things I don’t miss are having to be at work, and bad weather. Sydney has pretty mild weather, and never gets snow, so that makes me a VERY happy camper. When I moved here, I was thrown into an early retirement, because I was not allowed to work.
Now I spend my days doing what I want to do, and not what a boss thinks I should do. I like this way much better. Here’s a photo of me and the girls at one of the knitting groups I belong to.
Nice weather makes taking public transport not seem like a bad thing. Instead of driving a car, I do take the buses and ferries to get where I’m going, and I also do my fair share of walking. I guess now that I have the time, I don’t mind leaving the car at home. That would have never happened back in the States. That, or living in a house without a heating system. Even when I lived in Las Vegas, smack dab in the middle of a desert, we had a furnace, and we used it. Here, we don’t have one… Yet.
I gave Gene one winter to see if I could handle it being cold in the house, and the answer is no. So to put off getting a heating system this year, Gene is taking me on trips while it’s winter here. I must admit I like his way of thinking.
I have gotten use to this lifestyle, and I will be the first to admit, I am really enjoying it here. It is a slower pace, everyone is laid back, and it is a very peaceful place to live. I do miss America at times, but that’s what the airlines are for. For now I plan on staying here as long as possible, and enjoying my new life. Gene and I do love to have visitors use our guest room, so if you are so inclined, feel free to plan a trip down under. We would love to show you around all the places that are on my “What to show visitors” list. And if you’re lucky, my truly Aussie friends or our munchkins will fit you into their busy schedules.
No worries Mate
loved it Date: Sat, 4 May 2013 13:29:52 +0000 To: over.day@live.com
See, you do have taste and class.