Taste of Culture

So, here's your quick dose of Oz culture to assist in your immersion process. Hope it gives you another peak into my life here and answers various burning questions I know you all have.

Tid bit number one: It's not a wive's tale. The water, as a result of the Coriolis Effect, does swirl down a drain in the opposite direction- clockwise.

Now, onto traffic... Australians drive on the opposite side of the road. With the addition of round-abouts, adjusting is actually a lot more difficult than expected, especially when crossing streets on a run! The fast lane is furthest to the right and on/off ramps are on the left. I wondered before coming to Australia if driving on the opposite side of the road had an effect on people's walking logistics (nerd alert), and it does. If you're walking toward someone in the states you veer right to avoid them, and if you want to pass someone you pass on the left. But, here it is just the opposite- veer left and pass right. A car's passenger seat is on the left side, and you enter/exit a bus on the left side.

K, onto Aussie Speak... and that's AuZZie. (I was repremanded for saying it with an "s" sound.) Aussies are notorious for shortening words or adding endings to them. They also use British English as well. So, here's some fun vocab to use back in the states:

Brizzy=Brisbane
Oz=Australia
bird=girl
bloke=guy
garbo=trash man
wheely bins=trash cans with wheels
rubbish=trash
sunnies=sunglasses
sickie=sick day from work
brekkie=breakfast
arvo=afternoon
owyagoin'?=how are you?
mate=guy to guy greeting
stubby=can of beer
no worries=you're welcome
dunny/lou/toilet=bathroom
Poms/Pommies=Brits
Kiwis=New Zealanders
sanger=sandwich
truckie=truck driver
heaps=lots
g'day=hi

Cheers to acculturation!