2. Aussies are very kind, warm, and welcoming people. What they do lack, however, is line etiquette. I have been cut in front of three times in two days. But I must admit, it was done with a smile.
3. I have started to pretend I am Canadian. I know my momma taught me to always tell the truth, so if you must, Mom, please skip to #4 right now. The warmth and kindness of Melburnians turns a bit chilly once I answer their question about where I am from. So this weekend when the salesman at Virgin Mobile guessed my accent was Canadian, I decided I would go with it. I never flat out said I was Canadian, I just kept oohing and ahhing at the international call rates to Canada. He remained friendly throughout our visit, and so I realized that I had found the key to everlasting harmony while abroad - deceit!
4. I thought the U.S. was the safest place to live, but I am beginning to think I was wrong. Safety is taken to a whole new level here. First of all, Whit had to wear a seatbelt on the regional flight, even though he was an "infant in arms." They give you a smaller seatbelt to attach to your seatbelt! And they do not care one iota that you are holding a child who has zero interest in sitting in your lap. Also, the apartment buildings have very strict codes. Our apartment alone has two speakers through which they can give us emergency info. In the States, if you sleep through a fire in the apartment down the hall, your loss...literally. Here, all twenty-two floors of inhabitants receive a VERY loud message of danger, with detailed instructions about how to vacate safely. How do I know? They test it once a month, usually during Whit's nap time.
