G'day from the Schoens

The Road Traveled:
Mark and I have officially been expatriates for over a month now. Mark originally left the U.S. in late January but has already made one visit back to Atlanta. I spent four days in Australia after my departure from Atlanta on February 12th, spent two weeks with my friend, Jodie, in Japan, and am now back in Geelong (about an hour outside of Melbourne) getting settled into our new place. Our dog, Cash, just arrived in Australia on March 7th and will remain in Australian quarantine until April 7th. Poor Cash!


Initial observations about Australia:
Tastes like chicken – You would think that just because the Aussies are on the other side of the world, enjoy summer while we are hating the winter months, and encounter more animals on a daily basis that can kill the average human in less than 30 minutes (tiny bit of an exaggeration) that the country would seem very different from the States. It is quite the contrary. From the moment I stepped into the Melbourne airport, I had the strangest feeling that I was still in the U.S. but surrounded by people who talked funny (kind of like being in New York).

Pardon? - Aussies do claim to speak our language, but you could have fooled me. It is no joke that Aussies do say “G’day, mate” and “No worries, mate” among a ton of other phrases and words that entirely indigenous to their culture. For instance, say, ‘May I please have a 12-pack of Cooper’s Pale Ale?’, and an Aussie might need a moment to process. Say, ‘Can I have a slab of Cooper’s Pale Ale, mate?’, and you are in business. Southern English and Aussie English are a very interesting mix.

The Crocodile Hunter was not joking – And my first taxi driver from Melbourne to Geelong was quick to tell me so. The conversation navigated through the many dangerous animals in Australia, like the saltwater croc, the poisonous taipan snake, the many sharks and sea snakes, and the redback spider, that could ruin your day. You can imagine how much better I felt when he said those animal attacks or bites are only “rarely experienced in Victoria (the state of Melbourne)”. Thanks, dude. I won’t ever be getting in the ocean or, for that matter, leaving my house during my stay in Australia.

Sweet as Pie – Aussies are seriously the nicest people on the planet. I can absolutely say that I have not yet encountered one person that has been miserable. Makes sense when you wake up to the landscape that most of them wake up to every morning.

Note: No, we have not hit any pedestrians, poles, or other cars since driving on the other side of the road. Although, the windshield wipers have been turned on many times in search of the turn signal.