I thought that I'd gotten used to most of the prices in Australia but I hadn't accounted for automotives. My husband has become numb to it, already having ranted and raved about Canadian prices vs. American. Being Canadian myself I shrugged off his outrage but now have the dubious pleasure of experiencing exactly the same thing in Oz.
Our car was due for an oil change and so we went off looking to get that done. In the States oil changes can go as low as $14 and in Canada you're usually looking at about $30. I knew Australian prices were generally higher so I was prepared to pay about $50-60 dollars for the same service. Instead of it being double the Canadian price, it was quadruple.
After some poking around we found that the average oil change cost about $120. As said before my husband was already immune by now to sticker shock but I stood dumbfounded thinking we couldn't possibly have been quoted the correct fee. Why is it so much more here? Is oil imported via air freight? Are there only a handful of mechanics working in the country? I don't have an answer for this. Not to mention the shock still hasn't worn off, hence I'm writing about it now.
What we've taken away from this experience is that, next time, we'll do our own oil change.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
Vegemite - Australia's KD
Food vices exist everywhere. In Canada we apparently have great fondness for Kraft Dinner. Policemen have donuts. Koreans have to have kimchi. San Francisco has Rice-a-Roni, you get the picture. As it's contribution to the food vice community, Australia presents Vegemite.
On one of my first trips into the supermarket in Australia I was bewildered by certain yellow-labeled jars and tubes prominently featured in the condiments aisle. The label read "Vegemite" and was made by Kraft Foods. What was this Vegemite? A salad dressing? Jam? Strangely condensed vegetables? An edible topical ointment? I know the suspense is killing you so read on.
Vegemite is an Australian staple. The label declares that it's: "Proudly made in Australia since 1923". The thick, dark brown paste is a by-product of beer brewing. Leftover yeast is mixed with some vegetable and spice additives to create Vegemite! Sound distasteful to you? The majority of North Americans would agree as it never caught on there even though it's owned by Kraft. Vegemite is derived from the British Marmite which is even thicker and saltier than its cousin (ugh). It can be purchased in jars of varying sizes or toothpaste-like tubes. I'm just wondering what brewery-working bloke looked at leftover yeast and thought: "Eureka! This would be perfect on bread!" Seriously, it's the not the first thing that would come to mind as a tasty snack.
A good many Australians swear by it. I've seen it scraped onto bread at many a recess and lunch and many bakeries sell "Cheesymite" rolls. My brother had his first taste of it while on an extended overseas trip and it's safe to say that Vegemite will never grace his tongue again.
I had my first taste of Vegemite in a friend's house after they'd learned I'd never tried it. A jar was promptly whisked out and I was given a knife and piece of bread. "Don't put too much on!" I was warned and with good foresight. I tentatively placed a light covering of Vegemite onto the bread and even more gingerly took a bite. What was it like? Honestly, it tasted...brown (I'm serious if brown had a flavour this would be it!) and salty, really salty. Did I like it? No, but I didn't hate it either. I also haven't had any since that initial sampling, despite being given a jar at Christmas. I'll leave it that we're strangers who met once at a party and never spoke again, much to Vegemite's dismay. I'm sure it would've loved to make another conquest.
I'll end my Vegemite-themed post there. If any of my friends out there wants to try it, let me know and I'll mail you a tube! Mmmm.
Things I miss about Canada
I've been in Australia now for about 5 months. In that time I've managed to get work and make some friends. I've also had time to really miss things about my home country. In no particular order I present them now:
1. Snow and cold - Yes this sounds strange for those of you suffering from too much of it but Christmas in blazing sun and heat just isn't the same for a gal who grew up in the Great White North. Christmas Day is for sitting in your warm jammies, sipping hot chocolate and eating lots of fatty foods (turkey, stuffing, potatoes etc.). NOT for sitting in shorts, perspiring and wondering when the hell it's going to cool down again. They don't really play carols here either, which is simply a travesty.
2. Clothing Stores - No, Aussies don't all walk around naked for a lack of stores but they're just not what I'm used to. The styles are slightly different (though nowhere near the trauma of Japanese styles) and prices...well I've discussed that before. I was somewhat surprised that bigger name stores like Gap, or H&M hadn't made it here. I suppose I should just stop bitching and find some places I'll like.
3. Canadian Book Prices - Although I complained about paying more than Americans did for books it's nowhere near the exorbitant prices Aussies pay. Your average paperback in Canada is, let's say about $10. Here you're looking at something like $27 for exactly the same book. Don't even get me started about hardcover. For one, it's basically a bigger, thicker paperback (not a real hardcover) and two, the cost is astronomical. Basically if you want to be a reader here you either need to go bankrupt or have a library membership.
4. Hashbrowns - They have the McDonald's type hashbrowns here but I'm talking about the diced/shredded versions that you could easily pick up in any supermarket in North America. I loved eating these for a snack or lunch/breakfast. Actually I probably would've eaten them at every bloody meal if I could've convinced my husband he liked them too. Why why why don't they have them here?? I was heartbroken when I went on a supermarket hunt to no avail. *sob*
5. Right side Driving - We bought a car here in September and I'm pretty used to driving on the opposite side but 29 years of right-side driving doesn't go away overnight. I'll still find myself hopping into the car and then realizing there's no steering wheel in front of me. Or I'll nearly crash because I'm exiting on the wrong side of a driveway. And roundabouts, whew I finally got the hang of them but they were my mortal enemy for a good month. On a related note, I also miss being able to turn right/left on a red light. They don't do that here.
6. My family and friends - I said it was in no particular order. In past posts I've gone on and on about it being more difficult to make new friends when you're older. I stand by it! I want my social network from home to be transplanted here then I'd be supremely happy (except for the hashbrowns).
7. Ice Cream Sandwiches - What gives? Aren't these a staple during the summer? Ice cream on a stick and Eskimo Pies just don't cut it. I've only managed to find one brand that makes them and one supermarket that stocks it.
8. 8.5" x 11" Paper - Apparently the rest of the world uses A4. It's not really a big deal but I can't use clipboards and binders that I've brought from home. Why can't everyone use the same thing, be it letter or A4?
9. Frivolous Magazines - Such as People, Entertainment Weekly and Us. I like to read crap, so sue me. Actually it's more of Entertainment Weekly I miss. Oz has it's own equivalents of People and Us. Strange since I never paid it much attention when I was home.
10. Produce in a supermarket - I'm not saying there isn't good produce here, it just isn't found in a supermarket. After a few months of being dissatisfied, I discovered that most people seem to buy their greens separately at produce-only stores. I'm used to produce-only stores being of the organic variety at home but here they're the norm (and not necessarily organic). Usually a produce store is found very close to a supermarket.
11. Unlimited Internet - I've never had the problem of having the amount of internet I use be capped. In Korea you get crazy speeds and no one seems to care how much you use. In Australia, this is not the case. Internet prices are inflated and you're closely monitored with how much bandwidth you take. When we hit our limit our speed is severely downgraded until the next billing period starts. I've heard it's owing to the distance and the difficulty of wiring across the ocean or bla bla bla. In Canada, I paid less than half the montly price I do now and there was no cap. Quite frankly it sucks and to me it's archaic.
I originally had the list at 10 but remembered my beef with internet, thus it's now 11! (Wow, that was an exciting aside Yuri!) I could go on but I won't as I'm realizing this sounds more like a bitch-fest than I intended it to. Oh well! Cheers everyone!
1. Snow and cold - Yes this sounds strange for those of you suffering from too much of it but Christmas in blazing sun and heat just isn't the same for a gal who grew up in the Great White North. Christmas Day is for sitting in your warm jammies, sipping hot chocolate and eating lots of fatty foods (turkey, stuffing, potatoes etc.). NOT for sitting in shorts, perspiring and wondering when the hell it's going to cool down again. They don't really play carols here either, which is simply a travesty.
2. Clothing Stores - No, Aussies don't all walk around naked for a lack of stores but they're just not what I'm used to. The styles are slightly different (though nowhere near the trauma of Japanese styles) and prices...well I've discussed that before. I was somewhat surprised that bigger name stores like Gap, or H&M hadn't made it here. I suppose I should just stop bitching and find some places I'll like.
3. Canadian Book Prices - Although I complained about paying more than Americans did for books it's nowhere near the exorbitant prices Aussies pay. Your average paperback in Canada is, let's say about $10. Here you're looking at something like $27 for exactly the same book. Don't even get me started about hardcover. For one, it's basically a bigger, thicker paperback (not a real hardcover) and two, the cost is astronomical. Basically if you want to be a reader here you either need to go bankrupt or have a library membership.
4. Hashbrowns - They have the McDonald's type hashbrowns here but I'm talking about the diced/shredded versions that you could easily pick up in any supermarket in North America. I loved eating these for a snack or lunch/breakfast. Actually I probably would've eaten them at every bloody meal if I could've convinced my husband he liked them too. Why why why don't they have them here?? I was heartbroken when I went on a supermarket hunt to no avail. *sob*
5. Right side Driving - We bought a car here in September and I'm pretty used to driving on the opposite side but 29 years of right-side driving doesn't go away overnight. I'll still find myself hopping into the car and then realizing there's no steering wheel in front of me. Or I'll nearly crash because I'm exiting on the wrong side of a driveway. And roundabouts, whew I finally got the hang of them but they were my mortal enemy for a good month. On a related note, I also miss being able to turn right/left on a red light. They don't do that here.
6. My family and friends - I said it was in no particular order. In past posts I've gone on and on about it being more difficult to make new friends when you're older. I stand by it! I want my social network from home to be transplanted here then I'd be supremely happy (except for the hashbrowns).
7. Ice Cream Sandwiches - What gives? Aren't these a staple during the summer? Ice cream on a stick and Eskimo Pies just don't cut it. I've only managed to find one brand that makes them and one supermarket that stocks it.
8. 8.5" x 11" Paper - Apparently the rest of the world uses A4. It's not really a big deal but I can't use clipboards and binders that I've brought from home. Why can't everyone use the same thing, be it letter or A4?
9. Frivolous Magazines - Such as People, Entertainment Weekly and Us. I like to read crap, so sue me. Actually it's more of Entertainment Weekly I miss. Oz has it's own equivalents of People and Us. Strange since I never paid it much attention when I was home.
10. Produce in a supermarket - I'm not saying there isn't good produce here, it just isn't found in a supermarket. After a few months of being dissatisfied, I discovered that most people seem to buy their greens separately at produce-only stores. I'm used to produce-only stores being of the organic variety at home but here they're the norm (and not necessarily organic). Usually a produce store is found very close to a supermarket.
11. Unlimited Internet - I've never had the problem of having the amount of internet I use be capped. In Korea you get crazy speeds and no one seems to care how much you use. In Australia, this is not the case. Internet prices are inflated and you're closely monitored with how much bandwidth you take. When we hit our limit our speed is severely downgraded until the next billing period starts. I've heard it's owing to the distance and the difficulty of wiring across the ocean or bla bla bla. In Canada, I paid less than half the montly price I do now and there was no cap. Quite frankly it sucks and to me it's archaic.
I originally had the list at 10 but remembered my beef with internet, thus it's now 11! (Wow, that was an exciting aside Yuri!) I could go on but I won't as I'm realizing this sounds more like a bitch-fest than I intended it to. Oh well! Cheers everyone!
Friday, November 21, 2008
Socializing as an adult
I'm going on the 3rd month now away from home and hitting that usual bump that I encounter when I'm not in North America. I find this happens in 3 month increments. I'll be doing fine and then suddenly I'm hit with an overwhelming wave of homesickness. This happened in Korea, and Japan so it's no surprise it's happening here too. I thought it might've been muted a bit since I can at least communicate with people but there's a difference from being foreign in an English speaking country as opposed to a non-English speaking one.
When you're in a non-English speaking country you automatically latch on to any English speaker you come across, whether your personalities match or not. Sometimes all you have in common is the fact that you're both foreign. It doesn't matter, in a sea of aliens it's enough of a base to start a friendship. Usually you hang out with your English-teaching coworkers. Social groups spring up surprisingly fast and become strong in an indecently short amount of time. At least this was how it was for me and a good many of the foreigners I knew overseas. You became instant best friends with people you'd known a week, did everything and went everywhere together. Of course groups also fall apart quickly as when you return to your own country you realize you actually have nothing to say to each other. Generally, as far as socializing goes being in a non-English speaking country is a blast.
Australia is different for two reasons. One: I'm not here for only a year and Two: I speak the same language that everyone else here does. This time I'm not an anomaly, like in Korea or Japan. My coworkers are all natives to Australia so there isn't anyone to latch onto (you can't latch to natives, it doesn't work that way it would just seem creepy). Instantaneous friends don't exist in this situation, you have to actually work at it like you would in your home country. Anyone knows that making friends as an adult is usually a lot harder than when you're younger and in school. You need to socialize through work functions first and then later you can maybe go for coffee. In a way it's a lot like dating, you're courting potential friends and it's uphill work! It's harder when the people you meet already have established groups and their own lives to live.
The main purpose of this post was to say that I miss my friends and family back home. The friendships I had there spanned years and those people knew me inside out. Pretty much to the point they could predict what I would do in a given situation. I miss getting together with friends where as soon as I see them I can immediately bitch about a bad day and they'll know exactly what to say to make me feel better.
Anway, I hope all of you back home are doing well. I'll keep you updated on my social attempts! Cheers.
When you're in a non-English speaking country you automatically latch on to any English speaker you come across, whether your personalities match or not. Sometimes all you have in common is the fact that you're both foreign. It doesn't matter, in a sea of aliens it's enough of a base to start a friendship. Usually you hang out with your English-teaching coworkers. Social groups spring up surprisingly fast and become strong in an indecently short amount of time. At least this was how it was for me and a good many of the foreigners I knew overseas. You became instant best friends with people you'd known a week, did everything and went everywhere together. Of course groups also fall apart quickly as when you return to your own country you realize you actually have nothing to say to each other. Generally, as far as socializing goes being in a non-English speaking country is a blast.
Australia is different for two reasons. One: I'm not here for only a year and Two: I speak the same language that everyone else here does. This time I'm not an anomaly, like in Korea or Japan. My coworkers are all natives to Australia so there isn't anyone to latch onto (you can't latch to natives, it doesn't work that way it would just seem creepy). Instantaneous friends don't exist in this situation, you have to actually work at it like you would in your home country. Anyone knows that making friends as an adult is usually a lot harder than when you're younger and in school. You need to socialize through work functions first and then later you can maybe go for coffee. In a way it's a lot like dating, you're courting potential friends and it's uphill work! It's harder when the people you meet already have established groups and their own lives to live.
The main purpose of this post was to say that I miss my friends and family back home. The friendships I had there spanned years and those people knew me inside out. Pretty much to the point they could predict what I would do in a given situation. I miss getting together with friends where as soon as I see them I can immediately bitch about a bad day and they'll know exactly what to say to make me feel better.
Anway, I hope all of you back home are doing well. I'll keep you updated on my social attempts! Cheers.
Saturday, November 08, 2008
Not Australia Related
Hello out there. I can't believe I haven't updated in so long! First I was plain lazy and then I managed to land a temporary job as a science teacher and have been going non stop since. I was sick the past few days and now have some energy to blog. Excellent.
My post for today pertains to something I stumbled across in my many hours of perusing the internet. I can't remember what led to it but I found an article discussing "SED" or Selective Eating Disorder. I read some of it and I have to say, I just can't agree that this is a legitimate disorder in the way bulimia or anorexia are. To me, it's a product of the over-indulgent, overly-analytical society we live in today.
Apparently, if you suffer from SED you are anxious about new foods. I guess you just can't bring yourself to eat things of a certain texture or taste. It can range from a few foods to omitting entire food groups. While that last part is bit extreme, it still sounds like a lot of bullsh*t to me. Translated I read: "I am picky and now I can excuse it." How many things can we possibly label? Kids today are already over diagnosed and over medicated in my opinion. Isn't this just making it worse? Soon we're going to have excuses for children/adults who don't like to pick up after themselves. Don't worry, make a mess, it's a disorder! We'll send you to pricey doctors for a ridiculous assessment and then medicate you for it! Do you shop too much and go into debt? We'll write your creditors a doctor's note because it's a disorder, you're not responsible for your actions.
I'm not the best of eaters myself. For some reason, I can't stand raisins. Is it irrational? Yes, those raisins never did anything to me. Quite frankly, I don't like the taste. And doesn't it really come down to that with food? You like it or you don't. Why make being picky into a disorder?
Granted, I don't suffer from SED (I hardly think my one untouchable food counts). I don't understand the all consuming anxiety that seems to engulf true sufferers when they encounter those dreaded foods. But it anxiety or just plain disgust? Are we making this into more than it is?
My main problem with labeling diseases/disorders is that I feel like we limit people to working within them. As a teacher, I have seen many students assessed and then accordingly diagnosed with learning disabilities, cognitive disorders, attention deficit disorder and so on. Now, I'm not saying that they don't have merit, I'm sure a great deal of research has gone into it to make it so. But when the child is aware of their condition they can excuse their behaviour within it. I've heard/seen a great many students shrug and say, "My mom says I can't do work because I have such and such." Is making them aware and labeling the problem helping or hurting? If they didn't have the label would they strive more to overcome it? If we didn't outright say it was a problem, would it cease to be one? It's something I've always wondered. I have a friend who believes that had she been in elementary now she would've been diagnosed with ADD. Fortunately for her she: 1. Went to school before Diagnosing Mania began and 2. Had a supportive family. The way she told it is that her parents cared and supported her in overcoming her issues. Did she actually have ADD? Debatable but if given the label, it would've followed her throughout her school career. What does that do to a child? Or an adult for that matter?
Diagnosing has it's benefits and can be very valid, don't get me wrong, I just think we tend to overdo it. Sometimes, don't we just need to take responsibility for our actions?
Those are my rambling thoughts at this late hour. Hopefully I made some sort of point. I tend to veer off in different directions as I write.
My post for today pertains to something I stumbled across in my many hours of perusing the internet. I can't remember what led to it but I found an article discussing "SED" or Selective Eating Disorder. I read some of it and I have to say, I just can't agree that this is a legitimate disorder in the way bulimia or anorexia are. To me, it's a product of the over-indulgent, overly-analytical society we live in today.
Apparently, if you suffer from SED you are anxious about new foods. I guess you just can't bring yourself to eat things of a certain texture or taste. It can range from a few foods to omitting entire food groups. While that last part is bit extreme, it still sounds like a lot of bullsh*t to me. Translated I read: "I am picky and now I can excuse it." How many things can we possibly label? Kids today are already over diagnosed and over medicated in my opinion. Isn't this just making it worse? Soon we're going to have excuses for children/adults who don't like to pick up after themselves. Don't worry, make a mess, it's a disorder! We'll send you to pricey doctors for a ridiculous assessment and then medicate you for it! Do you shop too much and go into debt? We'll write your creditors a doctor's note because it's a disorder, you're not responsible for your actions.
I'm not the best of eaters myself. For some reason, I can't stand raisins. Is it irrational? Yes, those raisins never did anything to me. Quite frankly, I don't like the taste. And doesn't it really come down to that with food? You like it or you don't. Why make being picky into a disorder?
Granted, I don't suffer from SED (I hardly think my one untouchable food counts). I don't understand the all consuming anxiety that seems to engulf true sufferers when they encounter those dreaded foods. But it anxiety or just plain disgust? Are we making this into more than it is?
My main problem with labeling diseases/disorders is that I feel like we limit people to working within them. As a teacher, I have seen many students assessed and then accordingly diagnosed with learning disabilities, cognitive disorders, attention deficit disorder and so on. Now, I'm not saying that they don't have merit, I'm sure a great deal of research has gone into it to make it so. But when the child is aware of their condition they can excuse their behaviour within it. I've heard/seen a great many students shrug and say, "My mom says I can't do work because I have such and such." Is making them aware and labeling the problem helping or hurting? If they didn't have the label would they strive more to overcome it? If we didn't outright say it was a problem, would it cease to be one? It's something I've always wondered. I have a friend who believes that had she been in elementary now she would've been diagnosed with ADD. Fortunately for her she: 1. Went to school before Diagnosing Mania began and 2. Had a supportive family. The way she told it is that her parents cared and supported her in overcoming her issues. Did she actually have ADD? Debatable but if given the label, it would've followed her throughout her school career. What does that do to a child? Or an adult for that matter?
Diagnosing has it's benefits and can be very valid, don't get me wrong, I just think we tend to overdo it. Sometimes, don't we just need to take responsibility for our actions?
Those are my rambling thoughts at this late hour. Hopefully I made some sort of point. I tend to veer off in different directions as I write.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Mission: Friends
I don't usually think of myself as a creepy person. That is not until I get to a foreign country. I'm in Melbourne where, aside from Will, I don't know a soul. I don't like not knowing any other souls. My soul likes getting to know other ones. After feeling panicked because I didn't know anyone, a great opportunity presented itself in the form of an after-school meet-and-greet that also included spouses of the students. Excellent.
Once I arrived at the school I was happy to see that a decent number of Will's fellow students were also married. After chatting for a few moments I felt compelled to immediately go on the offensive and get the numbers of these other lonely souls. Now, I don't do this in Calgary where I already have an established group of friends. Back home it takes days and sometimes months of chatting/working together before the number swap will happen. Being practical I didn't have that kind of luxury to waste as I didn't know the next time an opportunity like this would present itself. Feeling somewhat desperate and more than a little creepy I pulled out my ever-present planner and pen to jot down the numbers of girls who I'd known for a total of 15 minutes. Yes, this is what fear of loneliness does to me. This tactic seemed to have worked out successfully as I have a group of girls that I see with some regularity, our two things in common are that we're not from here and our husbands' are in the same program.
Now I've been hired to work at a school for the next term where many other people also work. While this has potential to create more friends, I can't pounce there, I do have my limits for what's socially acceptable. On a side note, I absolutely hate being the new person. Teachers there have formed their friend groups and have worked together for the whole year if not longer. I'm not good at breaking into already established cliques. I feel like I might as well be screaming, "Be friends with me! I'm nice, really I am! And hey, I have a cool accent!" I never worried about it in Calgary where I already had my network and friends from work were a bonus, not a necessity.
However I'm nothing if not determined. I'll make friends at that school or die trying. Actually dying isn't on my list of fun things to do, I'll modify that to I'll make friends at that school or...I won't. Yes, a much stronger statement! But really, I'm so charming how can anyone resist? :P
Once I arrived at the school I was happy to see that a decent number of Will's fellow students were also married. After chatting for a few moments I felt compelled to immediately go on the offensive and get the numbers of these other lonely souls. Now, I don't do this in Calgary where I already have an established group of friends. Back home it takes days and sometimes months of chatting/working together before the number swap will happen. Being practical I didn't have that kind of luxury to waste as I didn't know the next time an opportunity like this would present itself. Feeling somewhat desperate and more than a little creepy I pulled out my ever-present planner and pen to jot down the numbers of girls who I'd known for a total of 15 minutes. Yes, this is what fear of loneliness does to me. This tactic seemed to have worked out successfully as I have a group of girls that I see with some regularity, our two things in common are that we're not from here and our husbands' are in the same program.
Now I've been hired to work at a school for the next term where many other people also work. While this has potential to create more friends, I can't pounce there, I do have my limits for what's socially acceptable. On a side note, I absolutely hate being the new person. Teachers there have formed their friend groups and have worked together for the whole year if not longer. I'm not good at breaking into already established cliques. I feel like I might as well be screaming, "Be friends with me! I'm nice, really I am! And hey, I have a cool accent!" I never worried about it in Calgary where I already had my network and friends from work were a bonus, not a necessity.
However I'm nothing if not determined. I'll make friends at that school or die trying. Actually dying isn't on my list of fun things to do, I'll modify that to I'll make friends at that school or...I won't. Yes, a much stronger statement! But really, I'm so charming how can anyone resist? :P
Footy and what I don't know about it
I've been in Australia for just over a month now, and working for 2 weeks as a CRT. Yesterday afforded me one of my more interesting introduction to the culture here...footy.
The main sport here in the state of Victoria is AFL or the Australian Football League, they follow Australian Rules Football. The way I understand it is that it's a mixture of rugby and football (not soccer). Not knowing the rules to either I won't elaborate on it. From what I can see they play with a modified football in soccer-like clothing. That's about what I can see. Sorry, I'm horribly unathletic. This translates in being a spectator as well.
The AFL consists of 16 teams, of which NINE are situated in Melbourne alone. This makes for a city full of rabid footy fans. Yesterday was "Footy Day" at the school I was subbing at. The entire day was devoted to Footy related activities and a nearly 2 hour assembly that declared itself to be the "Footy Show". Uniforms were cast aside in favour of team colours and students eagerly tried to recruit me to support their teams. This isn't a phenomenon just among children, adults are much more invested in the sport.
Now I'm from Calgary where I support the local NHL team the Calgary Flames. Hockey is Canada's thing, our unofficial national sport. The major difference is that Calgary unites to support it's team since there aren't EIGHT others to fight over. And there is no song that goes with the Flames. Yesterday I endured listening to 16 team songs, at various points student and staff would stand to enthusiastically join in.
Being an outsider and having no cultural sensitivity to Footy, I sat most of the day completely bewildered by the ardent love of the sport (and doubly shocked when the singing started). I wondered if, in a year or so, I would be singing along when I heard MY team song.
For someone who still can't master the rules of American Football it seems doubtful that I'll pick up Aussie Rules. But I can enjoy the spectacle of others who do appreciate the game.
Saturday, September 06, 2008
I Hate Transit
I can't really pretty up the title anymore than that. I grew up in Calgary where if you don't have a car you're condemned to stay at home and starve to death. I've never been without a car, be it my parents or my own. If I had to make a pros and cons list about transit it would look something like this:
Pros:
1. Saving the environment
2. Don't have to worry about parking
Cons:
1. It REALLY SUCKS
2. See number 1
3. See number 2 (you get the idea)
My newly revived hatred of transit began about 3 weeks into my stay in Melbourne and coincided with the commencement of my job. I work as a substitute teacher, or CRT (Casual Relief Teacher) as they're known here. Part of my job description is that I visit a variety of schools, taking over from teachers who are sick or have prior commitments that day. Without a car, this can get somewhat tricky. First some background about Melbourne's transit system.
Okay, the system here isn't at all bad. It's actually quite comprehensive. If you're
traveling somewhere close to your home then there's really no problem getting around. The system is comprised of buses, trams and trains. I think the 1st and 3rd are pretty obvious and don't need further descriptions but I will go into the trams. These are akin to Calgary's LRT but much more rickety and squeaky. They are tracked and run on electricity, however, they operate like buses in that you need to indicate you want to get off at the next stop or the driver will just carry on. For the first few rides on the tram, I usually glued myself to the window in the fear that I would miss my stop (which are handily numbered). I'm a bit more relaxed about it now. The transit system breaks Melbourne up into two zones. Zone 1 originates in the city centre and extends at least 15-20 kilometers out (I think). Zone 2 covers areas outside of zone 1, and is generally the suburban areas of Melbourne. Zone 1 tickets are $3.50 one way and Zone 1 and 2 together will cost you $5.50. Now back to my initial carping.
The company that I work for generally calls the night before to inform me of a job opening. Once I accept said job I then open up the transit site on the computer and proceed to obsessively map out a route to the school. This can take anywhere from 15 minutes to about an hour (I'm serious). I first look at what the site suggests then take matters into my own hands by pulling out the transit map and poring over the train, tram, and bus routes closest to the site. Once I've settled on a route, I consult the website for the timetables of each vehicle and then coordinate accordingly. These nightly productions leave me worn out and unenthusiastic for the day ahead. So far my job assignments have been far enough away that it takes me two hours to get there and I travel through both zones. Yesterday my route included: tram, train #1, train #2, bus. Spending 2 hours (one way) walking, tramming, training and then busing is not my idea of a good time. At the end of a chaotic day my desire to get back onto a bus is about as strong as my desire to poke my own eyes out. Not to mention I'm spending about $50 on transit a week.
To rectify the situation and after much complaining and whining after only 3 days of using transit extensively (yes, I am that spoiled) we have now bought a car. Nothing fancy, just a '94 Toyota Corolla that'll get me from point A to B in some comfort. Yes, I'm leaving a carbon footprint and no, I don't care. As for parking, pfft, I can always use a pay lot.
So here's to my last week of transit and to my upcoming life of absolute luxury.
Pros:
1. Saving the environment
2. Don't have to worry about parking
Cons:
1. It REALLY SUCKS
2. See number 1
3. See number 2 (you get the idea)
My newly revived hatred of transit began about 3 weeks into my stay in Melbourne and coincided with the commencement of my job. I work as a substitute teacher, or CRT (Casual Relief Teacher) as they're known here. Part of my job description is that I visit a variety of schools, taking over from teachers who are sick or have prior commitments that day. Without a car, this can get somewhat tricky. First some background about Melbourne's transit system.
Okay, the system here isn't at all bad. It's actually quite comprehensive. If you're
traveling somewhere close to your home then there's really no problem getting around. The system is comprised of buses, trams and trains. I think the 1st and 3rd are pretty obvious and don't need further descriptions but I will go into the trams. These are akin to Calgary's LRT but much more rickety and squeaky. They are tracked and run on electricity, however, they operate like buses in that you need to indicate you want to get off at the next stop or the driver will just carry on. For the first few rides on the tram, I usually glued myself to the window in the fear that I would miss my stop (which are handily numbered). I'm a bit more relaxed about it now. The transit system breaks Melbourne up into two zones. Zone 1 originates in the city centre and extends at least 15-20 kilometers out (I think). Zone 2 covers areas outside of zone 1, and is generally the suburban areas of Melbourne. Zone 1 tickets are $3.50 one way and Zone 1 and 2 together will cost you $5.50. Now back to my initial carping.The company that I work for generally calls the night before to inform me of a job opening. Once I accept said job I then open up the transit site on the computer and proceed to obsessively map out a route to the school. This can take anywhere from 15 minutes to about an hour (I'm serious). I first look at what the site suggests then take matters into my own hands by pulling out the transit map and poring over the train, tram, and bus routes closest to the site. Once I've settled on a route, I consult the website for the timetables of each vehicle and then coordinate accordingly. These nightly productions leave me worn out and unenthusiastic for the day ahead. So far my job assignments have been far enough away that it takes me two hours to get there and I travel through both zones. Yesterday my route included: tram, train #1, train #2, bus. Spending 2 hours (one way) walking, tramming, training and then busing is not my idea of a good time. At the end of a chaotic day my desire to get back onto a bus is about as strong as my desire to poke my own eyes out. Not to mention I'm spending about $50 on transit a week.
To rectify the situation and after much complaining and whining after only 3 days of using transit extensively (yes, I am that spoiled) we have now bought a car. Nothing fancy, just a '94 Toyota Corolla that'll get me from point A to B in some comfort. Yes, I'm leaving a carbon footprint and no, I don't care. As for parking, pfft, I can always use a pay lot.
So here's to my last week of transit and to my upcoming life of absolute luxury.
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
Accents and Textas
Living in Australia, I'm surrounded by the accent. It's sometimes grating on my ears and other times I hardly notice it. Now that I've started teaching I get the frankness of children staring open-mouthed at me when I tell them I'm from Canada. It's strange to be considered the one with the accent. Don't they realize I speak real English and they're the ones who are doing it wrong?
Today I asked students to guess where I was from this resulted in the following:
Me: Where do you think I'm from?
Student 1: America!
Me: No, try again, it's really close to America.
Student 2: USA!
Okay, I'm going with the assumption that the second student either didn't hear the first guess or thinks "America" referred to the continent as a whole and wanted to be more specific. In any case I informed the class after more unsuccessful guesses (I did wonder why Canada never entered their minds, I guess we really are that far off the map) that I was Canadian. They seemed flabbergasted and the general response was to say "Wow..." in appreciative disbelief.
After I set the group's project for the hour I walked around the tables looking at their progress. When one student asked me for a "rubber" (*giggle*) I said: "Oh, the eraser is over here." At which some kids looked confused. To further the confusion, there was another exchange that went like this:
Student: May I use a texta?
Me: I'm sorry, what did you want?
Student: Can I use a texta?
Me: What is a texter? (I'm saying it incorrectly)
Student: You know, to colour.
Me (now completely baffled): A pencil crayon?
Student: No, a texta!
At some point another student took pity on me and showed me the "texta" in question. For the North Americans out there, it's a marker. In Australia, they have different words for different thicknesses of markers. "Marker" means a large tip marker, "texta" is medium, and "felt-tip pen" is fine tip. After this minor debacle I overheard this comment: "Well, she does speak Canadian."
Canadians back home will be happy to discover we have our own language! It's eerily similar to Australian and American but just different enough to be declared separate! I look forward to future word tangles and will update you all accordingly.
Today I asked students to guess where I was from this resulted in the following:
Me: Where do you think I'm from?
Student 1: America!
Me: No, try again, it's really close to America.
Student 2: USA!
Okay, I'm going with the assumption that the second student either didn't hear the first guess or thinks "America" referred to the continent as a whole and wanted to be more specific. In any case I informed the class after more unsuccessful guesses (I did wonder why Canada never entered their minds, I guess we really are that far off the map) that I was Canadian. They seemed flabbergasted and the general response was to say "Wow..." in appreciative disbelief.
After I set the group's project for the hour I walked around the tables looking at their progress. When one student asked me for a "rubber" (*giggle*) I said: "Oh, the eraser is over here." At which some kids looked confused. To further the confusion, there was another exchange that went like this:
Student: May I use a texta?
Me: I'm sorry, what did you want?
Student: Can I use a texta?
Me: What is a texter? (I'm saying it incorrectly)
Student: You know, to colour.
Me (now completely baffled): A pencil crayon?
Student: No, a texta!
At some point another student took pity on me and showed me the "texta" in question. For the North Americans out there, it's a marker. In Australia, they have different words for different thicknesses of markers. "Marker" means a large tip marker, "texta" is medium, and "felt-tip pen" is fine tip. After this minor debacle I overheard this comment: "Well, she does speak Canadian."
Canadians back home will be happy to discover we have our own language! It's eerily similar to Australian and American but just different enough to be declared separate! I look forward to future word tangles and will update you all accordingly.
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