“Why go to your friends house when they can come here?”
“Why go to Australia when you can watch the movie Australia, here?”
Is what my American dad would say.

A short trip has turned into a long stay

So when I decided to study abroad in Florence Italy for one month through my home university in New Jersey my dad was not very thrilled. However he understood that this would be an amazing experience for me and even helped fund me for my first overseas adventure. His only request was “Please Janine, just don’t fall in love with some Italian from the other side of the Atlantic”. I kept that promise; I fell in love with an Australian on the other side on the planet.

And so, six months later I came to Tasmania Australia. I have been here for over a year now and I have even transferred to the University of Tasmania to finish my degree in Journalism.  It was a bit of a culture shock to start; there were so many things that were new to me.

When I first arrived I could barley understand half the things people were trying to say to me.  The words were unfinished, the sentences were unfinished and there were all these words I had never even heard of before! Now, not only do I not hear anyone’s accent but also I use half of these shortened words and new vocabulary. I even know now that when someone says, “that’s easy as” not to wonder “easy as what?”

Getting to know a trunk from a boot

I have gotten used to the driving on the other side of the road and the steering wheel being on the right, and I almost always walk over to the correct side of the car. Although, I still cannot help referring to the boot as the trunk.

I have come to appreciate cricket, (as my boyfriend is obsessed and took me to three games shortly after I had arrived) AFL, (which is fun to watch simply for eye candy alone) meat pie and Vegemite. Americans hear Vegemite and we know immediately that it is Australian but we still do not have a clue about it. I did not even know that it was a spread; I did not know that it was black, and I also did not know that I would love it.

I feel I have acclimated pretty well so far except for maybe my lack of control when it comes to Tim Tams.  Smooth, velvety chocolate layered over a crispy wafer with soft sweet chocolate filling is in my opinion overwhelmingly irresistible and addicting. The first time I was introduced to this devilish treat, I shamelessly ate so many that I gave myself a terrible stomachache and later got sick. My Aussie boyfriend found this hilarious saying, “The American can’t handle Tim Tams.” I guess its true, you just cannot have one or two, boxes.

Something else I have come to love would be Tasmania’s Boags draught. The St. Georges, the Premiums and the Reds are my top favorites but as long as it is Boags it is good and I am happy.

Anyhow aside from the great sport, food and fun new lingo the weather is great, except that it gets cold in the winter. I thought all of Australia was supposed to be warm, always!

Perhaps it is because we do not know very much about Australia. If you ask an American to just say the first few words that pop into their head at the mention of Australia I guarantee they will answer with Steve Irwin, Kangaroos, Hot, Sunny and “Oh my god their sexy accents.”

This is very true, we adore Aussie accents and are intrigued and charmed as soon as we hear them.  On guys we find it to be rugged and strong and on girls it is just lovely, or as my brother would describe “hot!”I remember when I first met my Tassie boyfriend in Florence; all I wanted was to keep him talking as much as possible just so I could listen to him.

As I had mentioned Americans think Australia and our minds go to bathers and sunnies. When I arrived here in Tasmania it was January and it was hot. And it did not matter what people told me about Tasmania in the wintertime I didn’t believe them. As an American, who before she left was experiencing two feet, oops I mean a meter of snow, when someone tells you that it is going to get cold you think “pshhh sure yah cold in Australia, they probably think 17 degrees is cold”. Yes that is right I know Celsius now

OK, so Australia does get cold

But I was in denial. Living in Hobart I get cold. I walk around the house in my Uggs and dressing gown, huddling over my cup of coffee for warmth.  We adore Uggs in the U.S too I might add. There is not a single uni student sporting around campus without them during the winter months. However, despite the fact that it is not sweltering hot all the time I have to admit that I love Tasmania. I have heard all the jokes about it already and how the rest of Australia “takes the piss out of Tasmania” but I cannot see why. I have traveled around the mainland and yes it is beautiful and warm but Tasmania has those beautiful mountains and scenery that I am now so in love with. I am guessing those who bag it out the most are the ones who have never been.

Lastly my overall experience in Australia has been wonderfully pleasant and fun except for some of the awful Australian people I have encountered. Just some of the meanest, obnoxious and…you know I am kidding already don’t you? Honestly, everyone I have met here has been fun, kind and very welcoming. The type of people you like straight away.  Best of all they have a great sense of humor and do not want to sue you over a harmless joke.

Cheers Australia!

Janine is one of our Youth Content Producers. If you have something to say about Navigating Life’s Challenges and would like to see your work published here contact us crew@tuneinnotout.com

Image Credits

Books: Evil Yoda
Uggies: Faithmonsoon
Car boot/trunk!: Fatty Tuna

from Flickr  CC BY-NC-ND 2.0