Aussie Slang

How you going? = How are you doing?
G'day = Hello
Good on ya = Good for you! (Pronounced as one word)
She'll be right = It'll/I'll/She'll/He'll be all right
Barraking = cheering, as in, "I barrack for St. Kilda"
Root = to have sex with (you do not root for any sports teams!!!!)
Nappies = diapers
Diapers = depends
Serviettes = napkins
Napkins = maxi pads
Lemonade = sprite
Long Black = black coffee/americano
Short White = espresso with milk (no sugar)
Slab = 24 pack of beer
Pot = small glass of beer
Jug = pitcher of beer
Abbo = aboriginal Australians
the bush = the outback

Souviners

This is Victoria, my super cute niece. For her 3rd birthday, I got her the very stylish koala backpack you see her modeling in this picture. Maybe, if your birthday passes, and we're still in Australia, you could also get something equally cute and stylish. Of course, you'd have to let me know when your birthday comes round (and allow 1-3 weeks for delivery).

Possums, Black Swans, and Penguins

The possums in the park near our house are very cute and cuddly. They are also very friendly, as tons of people feed them. There was even one guy (crazy in my opinion) who let the possums sit on his arms and shoulders while he walked around the park and fed them. Needless to say, they do not run away to hide or prepare for battle, as possums in the States do. Instead, they'll wander up to you with idle curiosity, looking for food. Now, while these possums may be cute, and cuddly, and even friendly, this in no way means that they aren't dirty and full of diseases that I don't want to get. Walking through the park one night after dinner, our friend Tony decided to see how truly friendly the possums were. While he tried to bribe them off the tree trunks they hang out on with a $5 bill and Eric snapped photos, Gina (Tony's wife) and I stayed squarely on the path through the park in the hopes of avoiding any rodent diseases. Because Eric and especially Tony were so friendly, however, the possums starting approaching Gina and I. Being no fan of disease-spreading, wild animals (cute or not), Gina and I opted to walk on and leave Tony and Eric to play with the possums. The possums, thankfully, were not interested in Tony's $5, as they soon realized it was not eatible. Thus, the possums when on their way and Tony and Eric followed not to far behind Gina and I.

Which leads me directly in to an observation I've had about the swans here. First of all, the swans here are black with pinkish-red bills. They are quite pretty. This, however, in no way makes me want to feed them. On more than one instance, Eric and I have seen people feeding the swans and the swans have proven themselves quite ballsy. They will hound the feeder by getting out of the water to get closer as well as by following and squawking at the feeder. Now, don't get me wrong, the swans are cute and they have adorable babies that live on their backs (under their wings), whom pop their little fuzzball heads out from time to time, but they are mean, sometimes vicious, and unrelenting when it comes to free food.

There are also apparently penguins at the pier near our house. The sign at the pier says that if you come out at sunset, you should be able to see them amongst the rocks. We've only attempted to see them once, but were clearly too late by the time we got there. But, I was very surprised to find out they had penguins here. After all, Melbourne is on the same latitude south as San Francisco is north, where I don't know there to be penguins, but hey, what the hell do I know?! So, if we do ever get a chance to see the penguins, I'll be sure to take some pictures and post them.

Work Hard, Play Hard

This is the motto that Aussies seem to truly live by. As you will notice in this photo, Rowdy is chugging two bottles of beer at the same time. And yes, he did completely chug them both. Let me tell you, it was damn impressive to see. He's also the hardest worker at EI Australia and has the BEST manners of any guy I've ever met.

This picture was taken last weekend at a party the company had for it's employees. There were approximately 15 people there and 10 cases of beer and nine bottles of wine were purchased. When all was said and done, there were less than three cases of beer and five bottles of wine left. I'll let you do the math, but there was a hell of a lot of drinking going on! Everyone had a really great time and there was a bit of a dance party to boot!

Work hard, play hard...it's the Aussie way.

Tram Police, My New Favorite Food, and Movies

Melbourne has an excellent public transportation system, and seeing as Eric and I do not have a car, I've spent some time trying to get to know it. It's a system of buses, trains, and trams that will take you pretty much anywhere in and around the city. I've tried to get around a fair bit and at least learn where everything is. Eric hasn't been around quite as much, but that's to be expected from a working man, no? In any case, I was told when I first got here to make sure I always have my metro ticket on me because there are metro police that will come on and ask you for your ticket. If you don't have one, they'll write you a ticket for something outrageous, like $150 (as opposed to the $6.10 it costs for a day pass on the tram). Well, I recently had my first encounter with the tram police. They got on in a swarm, about four or five of them, dressed all officially in their blue trench coats and matching police hats, announced their presence (as if everyone couldn't tell who they were) and ask everyone to see their tickets. They were quite nice - simply asking to see your tram ticket, making sure it was validated, and then moving on - but it still felt a bit like being in the middle of a swat raid.

Also, I've found my new favorite food down here...potato skins with sweet chili sauce and sour cream - they're amazing. The very first night that Eric and I went there with some people that he works with, but I was so tired, I hardly remembered the deliciousness. But, we went back to that same place for my birthday dinner and I had the potato skins again...oh so yummy!

And one other point of interest, we went to the movies the other night and it's a bit of a different experience here. When you buy tickets, you get an assigned seat! So, no movie free-for-all. Also, you can see the Gold Pass movie, which means that they server you dinner while you're watching the movie. So, it's just interesting how things like that are different.

Well, I'm off to start my day now. I hope you are all well and I miss you guys!

~Sabrina