Today we began orientation for school. After that, we went to Bondi Junction to do some shopping. I got 2 shirts for $7.50 total.
Last night we went to the Palace (the bar one block from my apartment) for Rock/Paper/Scissors. You order what you want to drink and if you beat the bartender, your drinks are free. It is a great deal if you win and order a lot. We have figured out that one bartender throws the same thing to all the cute girls, so Wednesdays are great for saving money and getting drinks.
I figured that I should say some of the obvious differences between Australia and the States (especially because a lot of people have been asking me this). First, Australians drive on the left hand side and the driver’s seat is on the right hand side of the car. This is so hard to deal with when you are crossing the street and left-right-left has been embedded in your brain since you were a child. I have to tell myself to look right first every single time.
Second, coins are used a lot more here for money. The smallest bill is $5. There are $2, $1, 50 cent, 20 cent, 10 cent, and 5 cent coins. Australians do not use pennies and round up or down to the nearest 5 cents. Australian bills are also color coded (for color blind people), different sizes per denomination (for blind people), and flexible plastic. It still feels weird to pay for something that is $2 with a coin.
Third, everything and everyone is healthy. People walk a lot more, maybe due to the extremely high gas prices or the beautiful weather. I barely see people smoking except in the bars downtown. I think cigarette prices here are pretty high too. I’ve seen people rolling their own cigarettes because it is cheaper. Also, food portions are smaller (for example, the US small pizza is about the size of their large) and food is pretty expensive. Beer is also fairly pricy (it has a greater alcohol content than American beers) while wine and liquor are about the same price.
Fourth, everyone makes a decent amount of money. The lowest I’ve heard is $12 an hour. Wait staff makes about $15-$20 an hour because it is not usual to tip here. Because of this, I haven’t had the best of service and only 1 place has gotten an order for the group of us correct. I’m sure it is not like this in most places, but it is just what I have experienced so far.
That’s all for now… much more to come, I’m sure.
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