How to not be weird in Australia

One of the lawyers at the firm told me he had a book I could borrow entitled "How to not be weird in Australia". I don't know if that's a good sign or not...

Years ago my family had some Japanese boys stay at our house for a week or so. I remember being highly entertained by them and how novel America was to them. They would take pictures in the grocery store and listen loudly to their Japanese music. All so funny at the time. But now I see I have become just that!

In Australia there are dozens and dozens of varieties of tuna - which is overwhelming to one with such an odd taste for tuna as myself. I keep on wanting to take a photo of it, but feel too much shame when the grocery store is crowded. Also, as I walk to work listening to my wonderful American music on my iPod, I realize I am those Japanese boys.

More reasons I might be "weird in Australia":
- I always ask my co-worker my random questions about the country, and I feel a bit like an alien. On Monday I asked her if they had drinking fountains anywhere here. She said not really - just at parks - because they want you to have to buy bottled water. Then I went on and on about how in America they have drinking fountains everywhere. But then I realized I don't really know, because for the past 7 (ahh - seven!!) years my entire existence has been BYU campus, and as that is the only place I shop/work/eat, I really don't know what the rest of America is like.

- I find I am far more awkward here, probably a result of my not knowing what I am doing. Yesterday I went to get a library card, which should have been a fairly smooth process. But for some reason it took far more time and questions on my part than were reasonably necessary. But I did finally get a card - though I can only check out 3 things at a time instead of 20 because I'm a foreigner. But I started reading "King of Torts" by John Grisham (I figured it was fitting - I did love my Torts class so...).

- Again, at the grocery store, I was outraged that apples were so expensive! $2.50 for a kilogram of apples? I did buy them - as all the othe produce was upwards of $6/kg - and when I returned home and looked at my Australian tourist guidebook I realized I'd just paid about $.80/lb. Whew.

- Ahh - and my lowest point of all. I realized, sadly, that I am an American-centric type of person, far moreso than I'd ever imagined. You see, I kept on being so amused by how I had an accent here, and I really enjoyed it. And I finally figured out why: because in my head I am thinking "silly Australians - it is all YOU that have the accents - not me". AHHHHH!!! What have I become?

And mostly I am "weird in Australia" because I just use the wrong terminology. Yesterday I was corrected that it isn't a "trash can" but a "rubbage bin" - and they just refer to it as "bin". And of course I always refer to this three month block of time as the summer (when it is their winter). And still - I am paranoid that cars are coming from the right side of the road and going to hit me when I am looking in the other direction. I can't wait for the day I finally get to drive here.