Imagine an eerie but incredible parallel universe like something out of a Christopher Nolan film. That’s what Australia is like compared to the U.S. Everything is exactly the opposite. The lights switches flip the opposite way for on/off, cars drive on the opposite side of the road, and the driver’s side is on the right (wrong) side of the car. The seasons are opposite, Celsius and the metric system are used, the toilet flushes differently, and the phone does a double ring, instead of single, spaced out rings. McDonald’s (Macca’s) burgers were even being served upside down as part of a corporate marketing strategy while I was in Melbourne!
To elaborate a bit on that influx of information that I’m sure absolutely blew your mind, Christmas takes place in the middle of summer in Australia. Meaning Aussies celebrate the holidays on white sandy beaches instead of in the snow. In the year 2017, I didn’t experience a spring season, because I came to Aus during their summer, and left in the fall, and then repeated the same two seasons in the U.S. That experience was a mind bender, suffice to say!
Now, it’s time to address the age-old question of how toilets flush in Australia. Rather than the water swirling, it sort of just goes straight down, like you would see in an airplane toilet. I know, this is fascinating stuff folks.
Prehistoric Cinderella
And that’s just the beginning. All the birds in Australia are clearly direct descendants of Pterodactyls and sound like they want to murder you in your sleep. Normally, one would awaken to the sweet song of birds chirping in the morning (like in “Cinderella”). But Down Under, you’re abruptly startled awake by an unearthly screech that promptly instills fear in your very soul.
On the topic of things to be fearful of, watch out for Drop Bears in your travels. They’re vicious koala-like creatures that live up to their name by dropping down from the trees onto their victims to attack.
A Cuppa What?
ANYWAYS, the friendliness of the people here more than makes up for all the animals who want to kill you. Pretty much every person you meet makes you feel like you’re their dear cousin Darla who they haven’t seen in six years. One of my first encounters with an Aussie-native was at the coffee shop next to my apartment building. The first thing out of his mouth was, “How ya goin’?” I must have looked like a fish out of water, gasping for air, as I tried to determine my response.
He then asked me if I’d like a “cuppa.” I had no idea what he meant, but later, thanks to The Google Machine, I found out “cuppa” means a cup of tea. What do you know? By the end of my time in Melbourne, I’d become fluent in Aussie slang, and still use some of it to this day, to confuse my American friends as much as possible.
Baby Shark, Do Do, Da Do Do Do Do
I made friends immediately upon arriving to Melbourne, mostly with other international students. We all went to a phenomenal beach welcome program at Lorne on Great Ocean Road. There, we learned how to surf, went mountain biking, and took a yoga class on the beach. The student leaders warned us not to pick up any shells, because you guessed it, some of them can kill you.
One night, we witnessed a man accidentally catch a baby shark on his fishing line, and throw it back in the water. That was certainly a memorable moment on the trip, but my favorite memory remains learning to surf. My fourteen years of dance training must have worked to my advantage, because I was able to stand up on the board after a few tries. The instructor said I had great balance, and I didn’t let his compliment go to my head at all. Okay, maybe just a little bit.
Fairy Penguins
After our welcome party in Lorne, my friends and I explored Melbourne together a few times, including going to the Moomba Festival, a donut festival, and Queen Victoria Night Market, which I’ll talk more about in a later post. We also frequented Brighton Beach, and St. Kilda. The latter is magical at nighttime, because tiny Fairy Penguins who have been scavenging in the water all day, resurface at dusk to climb into their rock burrows and go to sleep. They don’t come out during the day because they don’t have eyelids, and the sun hurts their peepers. My friend and I literally cried at how cute they were. On that note, I’ll leave you with that adorable mental image, and sign off for today. I look forward to sharing more of my Australia adventures in future posts!
Below is a link with information about the best time to see Fairy Penguins, at St. Kilda Beach:
https://www.whentobewhere.com/travel-listing/st-kilda-little-penguins
