Things I Learned While Abroad
- "The Simpsons" is a worldwide phenomenon.
- Only Americans love peanut butter.
- People who live in New Zealand are often referred to as "Kiwis," after the bird, not the fruit.
- Australians don't drink Fosters, only foreigners in Australia drink Fosters.
- In Australia, "Jail" is spelt "Gaol" but pronounced the same way.
- Australians are strange about pronouncing the letter "r." For example "Melbourne" is pronounced "Melbin" and "Cairns" (a city on the Northeastern coast) is pronounced "Cans." However, "no" sounds more like "nar."
- If you ever find yourself in Sydney's Chinatown, eat at the BBQ King. Great food, particularly the duck.
- Fijians have no concept of punctuality everything is done in "Fiji time."
- Australians have a different definition of a "dorm." What we would call it is one building that houses students. Their dorms are actually multiple buildings in one big housing complex called a "college."
- Trams are sweet!
- Australians like to say "heaps" instead of "lots."
- Don't, I repeat, DO NOT drive in downtown Melbourne. You will get confused and then run over by a tram.
- In Australia, Good Friday is just as big of a holiday, if not bigger, than Easter Sunday. That is something to take into consideration when you have a flight to catch and public transportation schedules that are getting you to the airport change...for the worse.
- There is a difference between a smoothy and a frappe. Smoothies have yogurt frappes don't.
- If you've never tried gelato (Italian style ice cream), DO IT! You're missing out.
- Australian Rules Football is a combination of American Football and Rugby and is commonly referred to as "Footy."
- Don't be afraid to do something unfamiliar by yourself. In fact, it's probably better if you go alone. You might look a little stupid, but most likely you won't. I met some of my best friends while abroad when I let down my boundaries and threw myself into the deep end.
- This is going to sounds like a cliche, but I'm going to say it anyway. The most valuable lessons in life aren't learned in a classroom. I only had three classes while I'll studied abroad (because I wasn't allowed to take more) but I have never learned so much about life, love, friendship, and the world at large. It was the best semester of my life.
