2 Months Down Under

Two months in a new city, new country, new life. It all seems kind of surreal. For some people things seem to stand still, but for others things seem to fly by. I'm definitely the latter, it doesn't feel like I've been away from Canada for nine weeks already. It doesn't feel like I've missed anything back home either. And I definitely haven't missed the weather! Even though the forecast is beginning to change in Sydney because winter is coming, it's not very noticeable. Although we're starting to get rain, it's only for a few minutes sporadically throughout the day. It reminds me of Thailand actually, in the so-called "wet season" when it downpours for a short time but it's still hot out. We haven't seen the thermometer drop below 25 degrees yet during the day, and at night it's still almost 20. Sweaters have stayed in their spots and pants have rarely been worn. However, the Aussies are pretty wimpy when it comes to the weather, complaining easily and covering up quickly. I have a feeling us Canadians will rarely feel cold while we're here, but only time will tell. We've heard mixed information on the winter conditions, so all we can accept for certain is that we're better off Down Under!

Bondi in all it's glory

Another thing I wanted to touch on is the fact that Australians don't use near as much lingo as you would think. There have only been a handful of instances when I needed to get a word clarified. What I can tell you though is that they love to say 'heaps' in place of 'lots/tons/much', McDonalds is 'Mackas', they call ketchup 'tomato sauce' and the most annoying of all is how they ask you 'how ya goin'?' instead of 'how are you doing?' It just doesn't make sense! It makes me want to answer them literally, like 'I'm walking' or 'Taking the train'. Also, I still forget to ask for tomato sauce at restaurants because I'm not asking for pasta sauce or pizza sauce with my fries, I want ketchup! But complaining aside, I do like a few things they do differently: tax is included in the final price, EVERYWHERE, the drinking cut-off at bars is 3am, liquor stores are called bottle shops (making you feel like less of an alcoholic) and our campus rents out bean bag chairs for free to students on break between class! The only downside to that is the fact that it's hard to get up when you have to go to lecture, especially after basking in the sun (laziness sets in hardcore). And that's a bad thing for Aussies because it just contributes to their already present laziness. They don't think twice about taking the elevator when you have class on the fourth floor, whereas us Canadians gladly walk up a few flights before sitting for an hour or two. We also don't mind walking for twenty minutes to a half hour to get anywhere, but the locals would never. I know I'm generalising here, but don't we all! We've heard countless stereotypes about Canadians and Americans, most of which are remarkably accurate. Unfortunately the Aussies have difficulty differentiating us from each other; understandable but offensive. But don't worry, we always clear the air, sometimes throwing in a little Kiwi vs. Aussie banter (they hate being mistaken for New Zealanders more than we hate being called Americans!) So there's your lesson for the day!

University of Sydney main campus courtyard