My view on Australia thus far

So, I have almost been here in Australia for a month. I guess the time really does fly by and these 130 days are passing by ever so quickly. But with my time here already I have learned so much and I just cant wait to see what will come next. When I first arrived here in Australia things looked just like the states, but when I looked closer I realized everything here is quite different and mostly backwards really.

First and foremost, they drive on the left side of the road here, and almost every car is a stick-shift. The birds here don't cherp, they squawk and at 5 am that is very loud. This is something I cant wait to get away from. To turn the lights on in a room, you flip the switch down, not up. When you write the date, the day comes first, not the month. When you flush a toliet, you have a half flush or full flush in which you press the botton down on top of the toliet. In opening a door, the door handle turns the other way than the states. The smallest coin in size is valued at the most, and the biggest is valued at the least (thanks Mike for warning me about this one). A BBQ is called a Barbie. Any type of meal is called "tea"- either morning tea or afternoon tea.

Also, speaking Australian is almost like speaking an entirely different language. If there's not a different word, there's a different way to say what you're trying to say, and then there's certainly a different pronunciation. Bathrooms are toilets, a jacket is a jumper, gas is petrol, and a pitcher of beer is a jug. The way to say a word that ends in "er" is switched with the way you say a word that ends in "a," so Smooter is 'Smoota,' and idea is 'idier.' They also say "I reckon," just without the southern accent. To call someone you simply ssay, "ring her" instead of "call her". Messaging someone is refered to in America as a text message.

As for the people themselves, Basically, some people are shy and awkward, some vibrant and interesting; some people are friendly, others don't seem to want to talk; some drink a lot, some... well, they are all different, kinda like America.

All that being said, it's definitely a different culture here but I think that's what makes getting to know a bunch of them such a cool thing to be doing with my next four months.