Toilets and Toilet Paper

Sunday, December 29th, 2013

My Random Thoughts and Observations... (Hang on to your pants.  I've got a lot of randomness to share today.)

• They put butter on most sandwiches.  They use it instead of mayo. (But they do have mayonnaise but it is typically whole egg mayo. Yuck.)   At work, Erich likes to get a cream cheese with capers, smoked salmon, and rocket (lettuce) sandwich.  They put butter on it too.  Even with the cream cheese on the sandwich, they need to add more spreadable fat. We try to order without it...if we remember...
• Here in Australia everyone has a barbie (grill) in their backyard.  We left our grill in storage in the U.S. because we didn't think it would pass the Australian customs quarantine inspection.  So Erich has been shopping for a new grill for us so we can "throw some shrimp on the barbie."  He has discovered that all grills sold down under have half the grill space replaced with a griddle hotplate. (see example below)  Apparently the griddle is there so you can do your breakfast eggs and pancakes on the barbie. I know what you are thinking right now.  You are thinking that that is what you've been missing out of in America.  In the U.S. we haven't been using our grill to cook up some eggs over easy and blueberry pancakes in the morning. I know you are thinking that you wish you could run out and buy a griddle/grill combo. Don't be jealous.   We weren't interested in this at all and ended up having to spend a lot more money to get a grill large enough to grill 8 hamburgers at once.
  
• They call yellow mustard "yellow mustard" or "American mustard."  Boo-ya.
• They don't have elbow macaroni here. 
• There isn't much internet shopping here.  Most big businesses have websites, but not all of them sell their things.  Erich and I were both noticing that a lot of websites are difficult to maneuver and clunky.  It is so interesting.  After being a hard core internet shopper for the past 6 years, I find this so interesting.  How can it be?
• We call the hair that frames your face "bangs."  They call it "fringe."
• When we play the game, we say, "rock, paper, scissors."  They say "scissors, paper, rock."
• Lawn bowling is big here.  There are lawn bowling places all around.  For Erich's office Christmas party, the office took off an afternoon and they went lawn bowling.  Below you will find a picture of Erich lawn bowling.  Yes, he is barefoot. (on the bowling green they have to wear flat shoes or go barefoot.)  And yes, he is sporting an Aussie hat. 
  
• If someone is having you over for drinks and "nibblies", they are having you over for drinks and snacks. 
• Australian tradies (short for tradesman) wear bright neon colored shirts. 
• Charlie and Chaney will be split for year one (first grade) next year.  They seem to be fine with this.  It is breaking my heart a little bit.  I really can't explain it and maybe you could only really understand if you have twins.  They have always been together.  Always.  So, while I know separating them is the right thing to do so they can shine individually, it makes me a little sad.
• It has started.  The children are learning new words and pronouncing them the Australian way.  Since they are attending an Australian school (there are no DOD schools here) they are surrounded all day by the Australian accent.  When they learn a new word at school, they learn it the Aussie way.  I believe I told you that they learned the color word maroon since arriving.  They pronounce it "ma-rone" with a long O.  Next year Chaney will have Mrs. Stewart for year one. Since they have only heard her name at school, they are saying it the way they hear the Aussies say it.  "Stew-it."  Erich and I have had the discussion before with other Australians that we should pronounce someone's name the way we would say it in the U.S.  That is what having an "American accent" means. 
• In the past 5 months of living in Australia, I've seen ONE public toilet with an automatic flush. And not only are the toilets not automatic, you can't use your foot to flush.  The public toilets flush with a button on top of the back tank that pushes down into the tank.  I'd like to see someone flush that with their foot.  That would be pure talent.
  
• On our drive from the coast back to Canberra, a car passed us.  It had an Obama election sticker. Ummmm...  What??
• When you say "thank you" to an Australian, you will not get the typical "you're welcome" response you would get in the U.S.  The Australians reply "that's okay" or "no worries."
• A pick-up truck in Australia is called a "ute."  (Which I believe is just shortened from the word utility.) Utes are not like the big, badass pick up trucks you see in the U.S.  Most are small.  And a lot of the ones we have seen are half car, half truck.  Our neighbor, a tradie who installs fences, has one.  Check it.  And speaking of small vehicles, I know I mentioned this in one of my early posts but its worth mentioning again.  The large majority of vehicles you see on the street are compact cars.  You rarely see a "people mover" (minivan) or what we would call a SUV.  Imagine going to drop your kids off at school and only seeing 3 or 4 minivans.  And the ones that do have minivans have three or more children. 

  

  Car in the front.  Truck in the back.

• It might be 95 degrees outside, but it is the Christmas season.  So Chaney still wants to have hot chocolate.  Charlie stuck with cold chocolate milk. I guess its not Christmas without hot chocolate.
  
• Do you remember the Toyota slogan in the 1970's? "Oh what a feeling! Toyota!" (Followed by the Toyota jump.)  They are using that slogan here in Australia... Forty years later...
• Have you ever seen bananas this big??  That, my friends, is a 12 inch ruler next to the bunch.  Wow. Wow.
  
• I noticed that I didn't see anyone do any "holiday baking."  No Christmas cookies, fudge, pies, etc.  I'm not sure if this is because it's summer and they don't want to heat up the kitchen.  Or if they are just healthier here.  Who knows.  We stuck with our American roots and made brownies with peppermint frosting.  Yummy!

  

• Our Elf on the Shelf has been busy.

  

  Overnight, Louie decorated our tree with a roll of toilet paper. Sneaky fella!