Lagged, Confused, and Excited

I'm sorry to say that I don't think I'll ever be coming back to America. It's not that I don't miss you all, or that this place is too awesome to ever leave (though it's close). The flight is just too long and terrible to endure. I may be able to make it back someday by hopping from country to country, taking little chunks at a time.

I'm half kidding.

My experience of Australia so far has been nothing short of incredible. Here are some things I noticed, and some comparisons with America/Americans...

• The people seem much nicer here. If you look confused, people will walk up to you and ask if they can help. They seem much happier than Americans. I'm sure part of that is due to the booming economy and minimum wage of about $15, but people here just don't sweat the little things.
• Prices are a little less than double what things cost in America. The Australian dollar is about six cents more than the American dollar. The only thing that's cheaper is milk. We bought 2 liters today for $2 (think a 2 liter bottle of soda). 
• The metric system is weird, and I think it's going to take me a while to get used to. 
• Cars drive on the other side of the road, like in England. Walking across the street is dangerous, as we're used to looking left and then right. Even walking is weird, because we're used to passing people on the right. 
• We're not in the same rhythm with this place yet. There are many similarities with America, but the vibe is totally different. 
• Pints are not 16oz, they're 20oz. And the other sizes you can order are schooner, pot, mid, and a few others. 
• Australian's aren't usually difficult to understand, but some of them tend to run their words together. Tonight we ordered some fried chicken, and neither of us could understand what the employee was asking us, even after he repeated himself 5 times. Finally, another employee told us he was asking if we wanted our food for here or to go. I guess I don't quite get the accent yet.
• They sell kangaroo meat in the grocery store.
• Thrift stores are called op shops (opportunity shops) or second hand shops. 
• Melbourne is locally pronounced Mel-bin, not Mel-born. 
• We're 10 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time in the US, so it's 12 mindnight right now for me while it's 10am for most of you. When I get to my workplace outside of Alice Springs, I think I will be 11 hours ahead instead of 10.

I've got more, but I need to figure some stuff out before tomorrow. We walked about 10 miles (or 16 kilometers!) today, and will likely do the same tomorrow.
This place is just so much fun!