It's the little things; 6 Things I've learnt so far

1. What gets me into trouble; my accent. What gets me out of trouble; my accent
   There is nothing quite like being completely misunderstood because of the way your words sound, then having that same feature be your redeeming factor :) Though I'm not entirely sure why I get pegged as British, South African and/or New Zealand before Australian. Do Australians just not come up here often? Or is there an abundance of these other foreigners up here confusing them? I have no idea, the mystery continues every day that I'm here, but it certainly seems people get every accent other than American confused. It is very nice being able to have my accent get my out of trouble though. Oh you accidentally pulled the bus cord late? That's okay, because you're Australian! Oh you don't know how to find that street? That's okay because you sound charming while you smile and try to ask how to! Oh you like the sample of our market food? Do you want a whole pile of free stuff because you're Australian? Oh you accidentally stabbed me? ^.^ That's okay! You were probably just confused because you're Australian!
2. We pass on the RIGHT here Lisa
   *Bump bump bump* Why do I keep accidentally bumping into so many people?
   *Gets onto wrong escalator*
   *Gets confused trying to drive a shopping trolley through the aisles*
   *Something feels off walking on this side of the footpath*
   I constantly have to keep reminding myself that over here it's RIGHT not LEFT for traffic flow and, ergo, have had no end of moronic collisions when force of habit wins out. It's such a small adjustment, but I'm forever surprised what a difference it makes, and how deeply ingrained it is in everyone in so many small areas like footpaths and shopping aisles and escalators...
3. Crossing walks are sneakily silent here
   Such a ridiculously small detail, but it's the little things you're constantly struck by. I *keep* on standing at traffic lights and almost forgetting I have to diligently watch for the little white walking man to light up because that delightfully peppy *bipbipbipbipbipbipbipbip* of Australian crosswalks are missing! A cool feature they have though is that the walking symbol has a timer that starts counting down so you know how long you have to get over the road. Now I just need to work through my twinge of missing the bipbipbips :)
4. No american can do a good Aussie accent
   This is a simple truth. Everyone ends up sounding either British or like they're gargling marshmallows, it's kind of hilariously bad.
5. All the monopoly money here looks exactly the same and tipping is an awful system
   Argh! You have no idea how frustrating it is to try and find the correct money when you're in a queue, or have your hands full or are in a dark bar WHEN ALL THE MONEY LOOKS THE SAME. The only difference is the small number in the corner and the presidents on the other side. It's all the same size and colour and texture and it's incredibly annoying :( Then there's this whole tipping system wherein you first of all have to deduce which premises you actually tip (because HA it's not everywhere, that would be too simple) then you have to sporadically do maths to calculate a suitable 15% tip. Oh and every price EVERYWHERE is before tax so when you actually go to buy something it's not the price you were told. Money here is the worst.
6. Inclement weather, art galleries and markets are secretly magical ways to revive ones soul
   This too, is a simple truth. But it's my favourite truth so far, and it's where I'm off to again now :)