Life In Australia So Far...

I've had a lot of people ask why I chose to go to a Country/Continent so far away. Well, why not? Does it really matter how far or near it is? (aside the long flight time, which can be divided into 2 or 3 stretches anyway). Relocating to a new environment whether far or near, can be quite daunting but adaptation soon kicks in and strange things become the new normal. Here's what I have tried to adapt to in a little over a month of living in Australia...

Some of my own observations -

                         

1) A relatively expensive but serene, lovely place to live  - None of the madness that exists in Lagos. Yikes! I do not miss that at all.

2) Forget about fine baff-ups (fashion and style) - Very laid back casual is the way forward. Shorts and top any day and you're good to go. Actually, it appears there's a fashion trend of wearing sportswear/gym clothes as regular wear. I'm not quite sure though... didn't get the memo on that. It then comes as no surprise that a lot of the people appear quite fit and well-toned from all the walking and plenty other exercise I assume they do in those gym clothes. These days, I meet my target of 10,000 steps a day without even trying (perhaps being a student is a factor to consider there, especially as statistics suggest that about 63% of Australians are obese).

3) No such thing as being scantily clad or a dress or shorts or skirt being too short even for guys. I've seen outfits that made me (my friends say I like to dress skimpy) do a double take. Go figure! Well, summer just ended a short while ago and it's autumn now with some rain every now and then. I'm guessing winter might change the clothing style, although I hear Brizzy weather is generally sunny all year long. I'll find out soon enough.

4) Got no matching shoes? No problem... just wear thongs (flip-flops aka bathroom slippers) or go barefoot.

5) Carrying a bottle (I've seen a  jug. LOL!)  of drinking water everywhere you go is another necessity. That 8-glasses-of-water-a-day thing is serious business here. You can't just help but drink.

6) It appears to be a nation of tall people. *so jealous*

7) Degrees mean nothing. Experience is everything. Not just any experience, "Australian experience" is gold.

8) Apparently, talking is too much effort so, everything has a short version - afternoon is replaced with arvo, a service station is a servo, McDonald's is Mackies or Mackers, barbecue is barbie (which they happen to do a  lot), business is bizzo, mosquito is mossie and generally everyone's name is replaced with "mate". Yep, even their name is abbreviated... Australia is Oz and an Australian is an Aussie or Ozzy. Oh! By the way, "selfie" originated from Australia but you already know what that means.

9) Sunglasses(or Sunnies) and face caps/hats ain't about fashion/style. Those babies are major necessities. The sun ain't for the fainthearted... and you know what they say about Down-Under and the ozone layer, no? Google is your friend. 

10) "Howz it going mate?" is the way of greeting and you can be on your way... No such thing as being formal.

11) Forget about the taste of food or craving what you're used to. Just chew, swallow and be full. Lucky for me who is a meat lover, meat is in abundance (Yes, there's kangaroo meat) and relatively affordable. Veggies, Bananas and Grapes too. Yay!

12) The Aussie accent is kind of a lazy drawl. "Nice" comes out like "noooice" and "right" sounds like "roooi". Kinda British I'll say. I think it's easier to grasp when you approach it with a lazy attitude... maybe with your head to one side and one or both of your eyes closed. You know, like when you're dozing off. Hehehe. 

PS - No, I haven't seen any of the 1,500 species of spiders (they say the average person swallows three spiders a year, yeeesh!), nor seen snakes and kangaroos but I have seen  lots of cats, dogs, squirrels, rabbits and something that looked suspiciously like a koala bear.

A few fun facts - 

1) There are more sheep in Australia than human beings, and even more rabbits than sheep.

2) Cockroach racing is actually a thing. Eeek!

3) Australia has less than 1 percent of the world's population, but has more than 20 percent of the world's poker machines. Gambling ain't a joke over here. Per capita, Australians spend more money on gambling than any other nation and also read more newspapers than any other nation. (I suppose that balances out, no?)

4) Australia was the second country (after New Zealand) in the world to give women the right to vote in 1902.

5) The longest fence in the world is in Australia (the dingo fence), and it runs for over 5,530 kilometers.

6) There are over 9,850 beaches in Australia. In effect, if you decide to visit one new beach in Australia every day, it would take over 27 years to visit every one of them.

Some funny laws exist (or existed?) -

1) In the state of Victoria, only a qualified and licensed electrician can change a light bulb. You also can't wear hot pink pants after midday on a Sunday.

2) Spitting on any Brisbane (Brizzy) street is illegal. (Me likey!)

3) It is illegal for children to purchase alcohol, cigarettes or condoms, but they are not prohibited from using them. Hmmm!

4) In Melbourne, vacuuming your house between 10pm and 7am during weekdays and, 10pm and 9am during the weekends is against the law.

5) In Gold Coast, it's illegal to wear a bikini whose material exceeds six square inches but in Brighton Beach in Victoria, you cannot swim unless you are wearing a neck to knee swimsuit. (I'll choose Gold coast! Hehehe).

6) Voting is compulsory for Australians (or you get fined), even if you don't like any of the candidates. It doesn't matter what you actually write on the ballot paper... apparently, Donald Duck and some fictional characters tend to get quite a few votes.

7) In the absence of a urinal, you are allowed to urinate on the rear left tyre of your vehicle.

8) Taxi cabs are required to carry a bale of hay in their trunks. (I wonder if this is actually enforced, couldn't find anywhere that says it's been abolished though).

9) It's illegal to be drunk in a pub (Hello? Isn't that where they do the drinking?)

10) It's illegal to walk on the right side of a footpath. You gotta walk on the left  of the path, just like you gotta drive on the left of the road.

11) Men are free to cross-dress, just as long as their dresses are not strapless. LOL!

Thinking of moving to Australia?

xoxo...

Girlfriends

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