1. The spelling.
There are lots of words where you think the person that wrote said word is dsylexic and they're trying to spell it right, but he/she just got a little confused... but he/she isn't actually dsylexic and it's just Australians spell things differently (aka, incorrectly).
A few examples:
- "Tyres" not "Tires" (all I can say is y would you spell it that way?)
- "Enrolment" not "Enrollment" (which made signing up for classes simply uncomfortable because I saw this butchered word everywhere.)
- "Yoghurt" not "yogurt," (make sure to emphasize the "h" when you do say it.)
2. Driving on the left side of the road.
I recently bought a bike from a guy named Greg (or Craig, I couldn't really understand him). I'm not a fan of the trams here because they get pretty crowded in the morning when I'm heading to Uni, aren't 100% reliable, they take a while to get to campus, and are pretty pricey to use. Don't get me wrong, the tram system here is great compared to most places, I'm just an impatient toddler who doesn't want to wait for the tram to get to my station and then wait for the tram to get to campus. So, I bought a bike in hopes I will become the Lance Armstrong of my University (just without the steroids) and bike all distances and terrain in the city, free of the hassle and prices of the tram system. Also my thighs will be so strong I could choke a bear, so that will be a cool new power.
Fingers crossed.
Anyway, the law in Melbourne is you must ride in the designated bike lines on the road, going with traffic. Now, being on the left side of the road is a new and ridiculous experience for me. So, taking my bike out to the city for the first time (about a 5-mile journey) was quite an experience, especially because of the whole left-side-of-the-road-thing. I stayed on the sidewalk for the most part anyway because I'm about a step above training wheels in terms of bike skills so I thought it best for all persons that I just annoy pedestrians with my lack of skill, not persons with large, fast cars. Anyway, dodging around people on the sidewalk, I realized I had to get in the bike lane for a few feet in order to stay in the direction I was going for since the sidewalk ended. But this bike lane was on the right side of the road...otherwise known as the wrong side. I thought to myself as I entered the bike lane in the opposite direction I was to be going "Gee, I hope in these few feet someone isn't coming the other way in this bike lane." Sure enough, a woman comes booking it down the bike lane as I'm sluggishly trying to pedal. We didn't really get that close to colliding, and as I sheepishly said "I'm soooorry" (cue John Mulaney's voice saying "I'm soooorry"), she made sure to give me a death glare strong enough to disturb my future children. In short, I driving on the left is terrifying and confusing.
3. The dimensions of paper.
Here in Australia, their standard paper is A4 sized paper. It's 8.3 x 11.7 inches. The standard letter sized of American paper is 8.5 x 11.0 inches. This doesn't sound like a big deal, but believe me when I say it really feels awkward to hold a paper that long.
4. The butter.
Instead of a pack of 4 individual sticks of butter, just imagine those 4 sticks fused together in one door-stopped sized brick.
5. Everyone is nice.
I know it seems odd to add this to the list, but the folks here are so delightful it makes me uncomfortable because I'm simply not used to that. Do they have an angle? Are they actually being condescending and I just can't tell because of their accents? Or am I just neurotic? (the latter option being the most likely answer.)
Also, the niceness throws me off guard because I do not know how to act in return.
I will probably amend this list later, but this is what I got for now.
***Stay tuned for more dramatic episodes of Adventures Down Under Fall 2k14. Next weeks' episode will feature: birthday bashes, bar blunders, hospital hiatuses, confusing classes, and a dog.***
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| Sunset in St. Kilda during my one successful bike trip. |
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