It's been four long, long months since our family of four arrived in Sydney. A time of discovering new foods, new lingo, and shockingly (ha,ha) a lot of American haters.
My husband was recruited here by someone he worked for in the U.S. Being that we have two small children it was an incredibly difficult decision to make, but in the end we thought it would be a growing experience for all of us. I think now is the time that I should say--- we may have made a huge mistake. A mistake of enormous proportions.
"Sad" and "homesick" are my two best friends here. I am missing everything-- all the usual suspects--friends, family, current TV shows, pay at the pump gas stations-- the basics. I started a myspace page to communicate with my friends and family at home, but I think blogging will be a better outlet for the crybaby that I have become. And I say crybaby because it is the damn truth. So here I stand (or sit at the computer) wanting to enjoy my time here for the next few years, but unable to pull my shit together and make it all good.
Now that my cloud of darkness has been put out there, I am going to really try to focus on the good things (while still intermittently remarking on things that are making me crazy, confused, frustrated, etc. in my new life here).
I'm sure this has been said and done before, but here is a list of lingo (and translations) in Australia that is interesting:
Rice Bubbles = Rice Krispies cereal
How are you going? = How are you?
Nappy = Diaper
Woolies = Woolworths = the grocery store (not Publix by a longshot)
Footy = Rugby
Brekkie = Breakfast
Flat white = Coffee with milk in it
Long black = black coffee
"Tip" (the game) = tag (the game)
Take away = To go food
Serviettes = Napkins
Garden = Backyard
Bottle Shop = Liquor Store
Sultanas = Raisins
Entree = Appetizer
Bikkie = Short for "biscuit", by which they mean either cracker or cookie or both
No Dramas = No problem
No worries = No problem
Hotel = Usually just a bar or pub
Kindie = Kindergarten or preschool, still confused
Lollies = any kind of candy
Old Boys = School alumni
Rubbish bin = Garbage Can
Petrol = Gasoline
Uni = College/ University
College = Kindergarten- High School
People mover = Minivan
Slippery Dip = Slide at playground
McCafe = McDonalds australian style
Sun Cream = Sunscreen
SMS = text message
Weetbix = not so delicious breakfast cereal
And by the way, did I mention that almost all crackers and chips in Australia have some bizarre meat flavoring. For example, instead of french onion chips, they have Honey Baked Ham flavor and Chicken Noodle flavor chips. Hmmm, if you wanted something that tasted meaty... wouldn't you just have, well, some meat?
Thursday, November 15, 2007
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5 comments:
i can't believe you don't like weetbix-or has this changed? i once had a race with a boy and i ate 17. i so out ate him!
Nope, still no weetbix in this house! But my four year old loves vegemite-- does that make up for it?
And I don't hate it anymore here-- so that's good.
Heat your weetbix in the microwave, smother with honey and welcome deliciousness.
We don't call McDonalds "McCafe"...McCafe's are AT McDonalds and are like the place where you can get better coffee instead of at the other counter. SIGH
I have just discovered this blog. I love reading the blogs of US expats living in Australia. I am an Australian and I live in Sydney, so this blog is really interesting to me.
It's particularly interesting to compare this blog post with the posts you wrote at the end of your time in Australia. Your feelings about life here in Sydney certainly seem to have undergone something of a seachange. I'm glad about that.
I will slowly get through the rest of this captivating blog over the summer, I think!
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