- Assigned seating at the movie theatre - you can request aisle, middle, top or bottom - sort of like the airlines. You know when you buy the ticket where you will sit and how full the theatre is with their handy coding system.
- Flying domestically within Australia - no need to show ID or take off you shoes. Just get your boarding pass at the kiosk, run your carry-on through the x-ray machine and get onboard. You only need to get there 30 minutes early.
- Choc-tops - These are ice cream cones you get at the movies. They come in an assortment of flavors, Bailey's being my favorite, and they have hard shell chocolate on top.
- Cappuccinos - Oh they are so good here. I haven't really had a bad cup of coffee here. Cappuccinos here have chocolate sprinkles and thick foam on top.
- Wheelie bins - We have these in the states but I love the term "wheelie bin". I imagine an animated film of all the wheelie bins on trash night wheeling down the streets and having fun while the people sleep.
- Ravioli - There is an excellent pasta shop on Lygon Street where you buy the raw noodles and take them home and cook them.
- Brunetti's - Amazing desserts, cocoa and coffee. On Lygon Street.
- King and Godfree Deli - Amazing bread, wine selection and anti-pasta bar. Knowledgeable staff.
- What kind of driver are you? - Cars for learners and beginners are required to have a tag that identifies them.
The Bad
- Bacon. You can't get American bacon here. It is all what we would call "Canadian Bacon" in the states. So instead of crunchy, crispy bacon, you get limp and fatty.
- Fountain drinks - they are impossible to find. Mostly you can a canned or more often glass bottled drink. Those cost upward of $3AUS. There are never free refills.
- Sidewalk walking - No one adheres to any rules of walking down sidewalks. People walk on every which side, they stop in the middle to do whatever they feel like it, they walk 2x2 even when it is narrow and they don't budge.
- Employee benefits - Most employee benefits are offered by the government versus the employer. I can see how if you are Aussie this would be good. Being here on a visa, it is a little less exciting. We were mandated to contribute to a super annuation fund (like a 401K). There is public health care, so no private medical benefits. The culture because of that makes employers a little more hands-off with employee development, Job negotiates are strange because salary is really the only thing to discuss in most cases.
- Free press - There is no law guaranteeing free press. This doesn't seem to stop free press, but it makes me feel concerned. Also, the news here tends to be a bit more free with journalistic rules. They have what appear to be paid infomercials on the morning news show, the headlines and captions are a bit more silly, and there is a lot more use of jargon and slang than you would see in the states.
- The Metric System - I got better. I did manage to burn the enchiladas one night due to bad calculations and the fact that our over heats from the top down. I do like weigh myself in metric. I am almost half myself.
- Self-Deprecation - Aussies are not very boastful, for sure. They always down-play their accomplishments. Americans are so opposite. We are more boastful - even when there is no reason to be so.
- Banking - Things are security wise a bit behind so they are way more annoying security measures to deal with here. I also had one credit card for my debit account and then a separate card for ATM access and general POS purchases. But that card wasn't useful for shopping online or actual credit card purchases. Huh? Just give me some of that plastic money, please.
- Everything is more expensive - Books are twice the price. Beer is twice the price. Wine is cheap. Bottled beverages are more expensive. Restaurant prices are higher. Clothes are more expensive. Cars are more expensive. Our 1999 Ford Festiva (manual) was $7,000AUS.
- No tipping - No one tips here. No one expects it. They think you are crazy. So things like pedicures, hair cuts, eating out - all are less expensive comparatively because there is no tip.
- It's a Bloke Culture - Aussie life is very male dominated. This is hard to explain and understandable if experienced. Every guy calls every other guy his mate.
- The hole in the ozone layer - Yep, there is a hole up there above Australia. You can feel it. It gets hot here and the heat is intensive.
The Just Plain Weird
- Chewing gum (referred to as "chewies" here) comes in all sorts of different packages and the chicklet-style gum is very popular here. Dave says that I am behind the times in chewing gum and that this is the case in the states as well.
- Burger King is called Hungry Jacks. This is due to the fact that the name Burger King was already owned by someone in Australia. It is just weird for everything brand-wise to be the same, but the name is different.
- Footy tipping is Aussie for betting on football. Betting is very big here. Fantasy football is not as big a deal here, so maybe that is why footy tipping is so big.
- It is like an American store, but not. It is strange to walk into what looks like The Container Store, but it is called something else. There is also a local organic store called Macro Whole Foods - it looks like Whole Foods, but sadly, it is not quite like the US Whole Foods.
- Table manners. Who knew. I knew about the difference in knife/fork coordination and I did try to do that. Problem is - that it is so counter to what I learned. The purpose behind holding your utensils like that is to eat, non-stop without putting your silverware down. My momma taught me that you cut a few bites, eat a bite, put the fork down, drink some water, repeat. Here no one hardly ever orders a drink with lunch (probably because they are over $3AUS each). Now maybe I ate out lunch at work with my friend Chris too much. Being a bloke, maybe his table manners are not that great. But upon survey, I find this is common - even among the ladies. Shovel on.
- Compulsory voting - I am not sure what to make of this. If we had it in the US, Democrats would win every time, so I would be happy. Here, if you don't vote, you get fined.
- Currency - Australia dollars are made out of plastic, are different colors and each bill is a different size, get smaller as the currency amount decreases. Very cool for finding things in the dark or if you are blind. Plastic money feels weird. Also they have $1 and $2 coins. I find myself many times digging out all my change (so reminds me of Taco Bell runs in college) to buy a glass of champagne or movie ticket. There is also no "penny" here, everything gets rounded-up to the next 5 cents.
- Eating kangaroo - I just can't. I see it minced and in steaks at the store, on the menu in restaurants. I guess it is like eating deer meat (which I do) in the states, but it just seems wrong.
- The Wildlife - No, not drunk blokes at the bar - but the fact that when you get out of Melbourne you see koala bears paired up in trees, wallabies (small kangaroos) and kangaroos and all these other combinations of kangaroo/possum animals.
- The Seasons - The seasons are backward, which makes it hard enough to remember what months are summer and which are winter. It is also weird that Christmas comes at the same time as summer vacation. Also, the entire country shuts down for Christmas holidays - for almost an entire month. Many stores close too. Check to make sure your favorite restaurant is open before you go there during the break. Winter is in what I have always known as summer. There are no holidays or anything to break up the long, cold days.
- Phone number and address formats - These are different. There are even different formats for landlines versus mobile numbers. I never could memorize my phone numbers. Our address was 147/1 Queensberry Street, which means apartment 147 at 1 Queensberry Street.
- Eggs - They are not in the refrigerated section, but on the shelf in the main aisle area of the store. They also just taste different. The yolks seem bigger. I swear I am not crazy.
- Driving - Driving on the other side of the road is weird enough and then you throw in traffic circles. It is also weird to by petrol by the liter instead of gasoline by the gallon.
- Chicken Parma - What is the deal? This is so popular here. It is basically a very thin piece of chicken, breaded with ham and cheese on top. Huh? Pubs all over town tout they have the best Chicken Parma.
- English/British Spelling - Oh I am so confused now. I always prided myself on being an excellent speller. Now I find myself combining the two spellings in one document.
- Melbourne Weather - This weekend it was summer. For the past two days, it has been fall and raining. Bam. One day it was 115 degrees F. You always need a jacket and umbrella everywhere you go. The weather report is about as good as reading your horoscope.
- Scary Public Safety Ads - These go from strange to scary. There is one where a lady loses her hand in the bread machine because she didn't ask questions at work.
- Toyota Commercials - The still jump up and down at the end of the ads here. Oh what a feeling, Toyota.
The Vocabulary
- No worries.
- Lollies = candy
- Breakie - breakfast
- Keen = excited
- Well-placed = I am down for that
- Chemist = Walgreens
- Biscuit = cracker or cookie (also called Bickies)
- Full up = busy
- What's On = what is playing or showing at a theatre, what is the plan
- Rubbish - trash, garbage
- Toilets = Restroom, bathroom
- Thongs = flip-flops (thong underwear are referred to as G-strings)
- Slip, Slop, Slap - slogan to remind Aussies to wear sunscreen
- How Ya Goin'? = How are you?
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