A thing or two about Australia

I realized today that 2010 will be my 5th year in Australia! I moved here 5 years ago knowing absolutely nothing about the country or the culture. While I most certainly am no expert on the ways of the Australians, I can say that I have definitely learnt a thing or two about the land down under over these past few years. Here are some random facts about everyday life in Australia that I have found interesting and some which still bewilders me to this day (eg. #1 and #4...)

1. Makeup is very pricey in Australia. Brands like MAC cost double to triple the price in Canada and drugstore lipsticks cost around $20-$25 each! WAaaHHhhhh...

2. On the other hand...Jurlique is an Australian skin care brand and they make the BEST hand creams.

3. Tips are generally not required at restaurants unless you're at a very fancy one.

4. Don't be alarmed when you see people walking around the city with no shoes on, it seems to be an acceptable thing to do around here. O_O Nicole Kidman proves my point!

5. Coffee is excellent here! Aussies don't drink percolated coffee (ie. the huge jugs of pre-made coffee sitting behind starbucks counters that everyone orders in N. America) so be prepared to be questioned on the type of coffee (eg. cappucino, latte) you would like when you stroll up to a cafe counter and order a 'coffee'.

6. The weather is crazy in Melbourne! It can go from 40 degrees to 25 degrees in a few hours. Oh, and when the forecast predicts rain, expect rain for a total of 15 minutes that day.

7. Don't speed when driving, there are speed cameras everywhere! I found this out the hard way...

8. Staffordshire bull terriers, or Staffies, are a common dog breed kept as household pets here. While they're considered to be under the Pit Bull family, they're some of the friendliest, most affectionate dogs I have ever met. There should be more of them in Canada!

9. There are no pennies in the Australian currency. Yet prices at supermarkets are set to the 0.01 decimal point (eg. $10.97). So what happens at the cash register? Your total gets rounded up or down!

10. The potato chips are so good here! The variety is huge and there are so many yummy flavours!

This was officially my first blog post, hope it was an interesting read!

-CC