...to walk on the left side of the sidewalk. always. i'm not too bad at checking the correct direction for cars thanks to fiji/tanzania, but i run into about 5 people daily before i remember. the aussies say they can always tell who the americans are by looking to see what side of the sidewalk they're on.
...that guys in teeny shorts are so unappealing. especially when paired with ugg boots. if your shorts are short than mine, bud, we've got a problem.
...that people here go out ridiculously early because everything shuts down early. i miss the land of 24 hour grocery stores and parties that start after we've hit the double digits. 7 pm parties are not unusual. and grocery stores close at 6.
...sodexo's food was really not that bad. i always complained about high school/colorado college food, but it was a dream compared to here. the meat is unidentifiable so i've decided to go vegetarian. unfortunately, "vegetarian" consists of potatoes. and potatoes. and more potatoes. usually in some sort of sauce. dianne and i made a pact to go a whole 24 hours without consuming any sort of potato product. we still haven't succeeded. they sneak them into unexpected places... like eggs. and salads. what?
...that apparently it's cool to carry a mini duffel bag to class instead of a backpack. i refuse to conform to this one.
...not to be surprised when somebody opens their mouth and an accent you've never heard pops out.
...that girls are obsessed with how they look but still manage to throw together some pretty random outfits. and by random, i think i mean to say "ridiculous." you're 200+ pounds and want to wear a 2 inch dress with a hat and leg warmers? that's cool! you want to show up to an 8 am class with curled hair in a dress and 4 inch stilettos? also strongly encouraged.
...it's okay to say "i'm taking the city bus to kmart." you aren't necessarily pegged as homeless and/or white trash here.
...clothing sizes are much, much different here. a 6 is super itty bitty. therefore you will feel unbelievably pudgetastic trying on clothes. save the shopping for the states.
...ferries are the coolest mode of transportation ever. always take a ferry over a bus if you can.
...that people will ask you "are you going out tonight?" on a sunday. and monday. and tuesday, wednesday, thursday and friday. and saturday.
...uni students get up at 4:30 am, don dresses, heels, and huge hats, and start drinking at 5 am to watch horses race. true story. and we get a day off of class to partake. sweeet!
...huge schools are a little overwhelming. fun, but a bit crazy.
...people are less into "uni" pride than students are in the states. a girl hanging out in my room was amazed that i had so much "uni" apparel/accessories (i did tell her i had more than the average student). perhaps it's because it's so big, but people seem to be more into their colleges or the city than UQ itself.
...that earplugs are the only way to sleep through the night. blaring techno music (my neighbor's genre of choice) + noisy birds that wake up at 4:30 = not okay.
...not to look quite so appalled when professors take every opportunity they can to bash the US. "we all know how fat america is..." "unlike in america, where they can murder people for murdering people..."
...that aussie change adds up quickly. there's a $2 coin and a $1 coin. i've gotten into the habit at home of chucking all change into a cup since i find it pretty much useless. i started doing that here... just checked my tupperware o' change and it's already got $40 in it!
...sunscreen is a must. you can get burned in the time it takes you to walk from one side of campus to the other. apparently queensland has the highest skin cancer rate of anywhere in the world. i'd believe it.
...the procedures for quarantine. apparently over half the cases of the flu going around are testing positive for swine flu, so they've stopped testing and are just assuming it's swine flu. yippee! if you get it, there's even a special table for you in the back of the caf, away from everyone else... i'm currently listening to a neighbor hacking up her lungs. here's hoping it's a hangover.
...that although oz seems quite small, it's rather difficult to get all the traveling you want to do in. cairns, gold coast, sunshine coast, sydney, melbourne, adelaide, new zealand... man! it's nice that there are so many international students here. since they're only here for a semester, they're super gung-ho about traveling. the aussies don't really care about life outside of brisbane. i'm keeping my fingers crossed for a trip back to fiji for spring break :) ...
i'm sure there are a million other things, but seeing as how i have 9 hours of class tomorrow starting at 8 am (on the agenda: dissecting a toad and analyzing the semen of bulls/observing how sperm swim... should be an interesting day) and tennis try-outs, time to shove in my earplugs and drown out the techno :)
good night, sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite. if they do, grab a shoe and smack 'em 'til they're black and blue --wasn't planning on including a quote, but a boy just ran down my hall singing this. oh australia.
