Australia v America: Part 2

PART TWO:

Now you’ve learned a lot about the cool things Australians do. WHAT’S BETTER IN AMERICA?

1. FOOD & DRINK PORTIONS

This one is top of the list for a reason. Americans know what they’re doing when it comes to food. Of course, there are certain countries where you can get much better cultural good, like pizza in Italy or sushi in Japan. Even Australia has pretty spectacular French fries (chips) that could often battle the ones I’d get at Penn Station.  Still, there's something America does right when it comes to food, especially fried food.  I feel #blessed by America’s taste in food. I appreciate it for being a melting pot of options, for having large portions for a good price, and for creating more fried food than anywhere else I can think of.

Something you’ll be astounded and overjoyed by when you visit America for the first time is free chips & salsa.  This may seem like it’s not a big deal to you Americans, but if you come from a country that doesn’t have free refills, free chips & salsa, and free bread at the tables, you’ll figure it out real quickly and never want to leave America.  On the other hand, when you’ve grown up your entire life going to Italian places that give you a constant supply of free bread before and during your meal, then it’s more than slightly disappointing that this is not a regular occurrence in Australia.

Click for the 100 Must-Eat American Foods

2. AIRPORT SECURITY

This one seems pretty strange, but I think it’s very relevant to people traveling, especially for the first time when you’re so excited to hop on a plane and go somewhere new, but you don’t think about the little things that are so different in other airports.

While airport security in Australia is SOOO much more chill and so much quicker, the safety and thoroughness of American security is good.  It’s just confusing for non-Americans to go through it for the first time, and on the other hand, it’s a breeze for Americans to go through security here.  You never have to take your shoes off!  And you can take water on domestic flights!

If you’re planning on traveling to America, check out these airport security tips.

3. COMFORT COLORS TSHIRTS

In my stereotypical college sorority girl opinion, this is something the US should proudly claim as their own. Comfort colors is not just a tshirt brand, it’s an outfit choice that will always make you comfortable and content. Girls often one or two sizes too big, but I go for my regular size and wear them all the time with athletic shorts or leggings. And guys wear them too. Definitely not a good look for going out to the bars, but they’re perfect for a normal day of class or going out to lunch. This style is definitely not the most flattering or dressy look, but it’s a level of comfort we take for granted.  We can be incredibly comfortable more often that not, and we can make “looking like a bum” somewhat cute.

If you’re from anywhere in Europe, NZ, or Australia and you don’t understand the “American college kid” style, read this one. Trust me.

4. ENOS (hammocks)

If you know me well, you’ll have a laugh at this one.  I love hanging up my Eno hammock in random places, so I can comfortable read or do some homework, or just take the most comfortable nap in the world.  I’ve found some pretty stellar spots to hammock here, but the trees at USC by the library fountain are just the best.

ENO stands for Eagle Nest Outfitters, and while it does exist in Australia, so far it has proved to be a much bigger trend in America, especially at the University of South Carolina.  Even if I get some weird looks carrying around my hammock bag attached to my backpack or get some funny comments while I’m swingin from a tree, Australia is still an incredibly place to “hang out” and I’m so glad I packed my Eno in suitcase.  A great investment.

Get on my level

5. AMAZON

This one most Americans wouldn’t think about.  Amazon is such a common part of life, and for many of us, we feel like we can’t live without it.  I was talking about it with an Australian friend in class when I ordered one of my textbooks on Amazon.  I had to have it shipped to America and my mom conveniently brought it over on her trip, but I’d already bought so many other essentials for my trip on Amazon.  I told my friend that I’d bought a backpacker backpack, a beach blanket, some shampoo and conditioner, moisturizer, and a pair of shoes before I left America.  She was shocked at how much I could buy and how often I used Amazon.

Sure, you can get lots of things on Amazon all around the world, but it’s just so much better in America.  Thank you, Jeff Bezos, for being a genius and inventing one of my all time favourite companies.

For my friends on a budget… (so, all of you)

6. TV

Australian TV really is not great.  Sorry to all the Australians I just offended, but I’m just not a big fan.  I still watch it for fun occasionally, but let’s be honest, I don’t need to be concerned with watching TV while I’m having fun abroad anyway.

You don’t realize truly how much the rest of the world is influenced by American TV, music, and movies until you live in another country and notice that lots of international students know just as much or more about American pop culture as you do.  All we know is American pop culture, but a lot of times, that’s the main thing that other cultures are surrounded by as well.

Shout out to Modern Family, Pretty Little Liars, and The Goldbergs for waiting for me in America.  I’ll have lots of bonding time with my couch this July when I catch up on all the episodes I missed.

Australian Netflix Guide

7. SCHOOL MASCOTS / SCHOOL SPIRIT

Just for fun. It’s turning into autumn here in Brissie and I’m missing Willy B just a little bit.

This is just one person’s opinion about the differences between two countries I feel I can call my home. America will always be a bigger part of me, but I’m so lucky I’ve come to love Australia so much so quickly.

I can’t compare one thing to another all the time, but it is a good way to reflect on things I have seen and learned and continue to understand how I want to live my life and to put these realizations and learning experiences into practice…
Each situation I encounter is individual of all the others, but at the same time, they all connect in making up who I am and how I make sense of this massive beautiful crazy world and the people living in it with me.

Be on the look out (on here and my personal travel blog) for new posts, including the QUEST trip to Moreton Island.

Be Excellent.

xoxo Jo Jo

Westella housemates in Moreton.

Australia vs America: Part 1

If you’re one of my American friends, I hope you’re excited to see all the things that make the US the best (too much patriotism? Nah, never). But first, you have to get through the things that Australia does better, and it may make you realize that the US really isn’t ahead of the game all the time.

If you’re Australian, or from anywhere else, I hope you enjoy the somewhat surprising but mostly goofy comparisons I’ve come up with between two of the best countries on the planet.

[Larissa, a student blogger on exchange at UQ from Germany, just wrote a similar post about encountering things she didn’t expect Australia, and I definitely got a chuckle out of it! Check the UQ Student Blog page for more interesting posts!]

Now on to the battle between Straya and the good ole USA.

(Click the pictures for some entertaining tidbits, especially if you’re planning to come on exchange in Brisbane!)

PART ONE:

Things Australians do better than Americans:
1. TIM TAMS

You may be asking yourself, What the heck does Tim Tam mean, and why do I keep seeing it on the social media pages of everyone who studies abroad in Australia? To me, a Tim Tam is not quite a cookie, but not quite a candy bar either. The closest thing America has to these scrumptious chocolate-covered snacks are probably Kit Kats, but I’ve come to realize that crunching on a Tim Tam is way better than breaking off a piece of that Kit Kat bar. There’s even a creative way to enjoy Tim Tams called Tim Tam Slamming which is simply biting off either end of the Tim Tam stick and using it as a straw (I haven’t actually tried it yet but apparently milk, hot chocolate and iced coffee are the best pairings)

One thing Australia will never do right, however, is OREOS. I haven’t seen a single package of Double Stuf Oreos, and you can imagine how hard I’ve been searching. The flimsy cookies here are not very suitable for my ritual of dipping them in peanut butter, but I’ll manage.

In the end, they’re just another chocolate cookie thing, but to me, they’re essential in Australia.

2. HEALTHY FOOD

In contrast to the chocolate I just raved about, I might as well tell you about some food options that are actually good for you, instead of just the ones that taste really good.

While Americans do have plenty of healthy food options, I think Australia does it just a little bit better. As much as I LOVE the Soda City Market in Columbia or restaurants that have health-conscious food options, there are so many more produce market options here throughout the week. I can get fruits and veggies for at least the whole week for less than $15! Although I do miss eating meals that my parents make at home or that the amazing chefs at Gamma Phi cook for us, living on my own has actually made me a somewhat decent cook (according to myself), and has made me appreciate vegetables more, which I’d qualify as a big step for me.

The healthiest thing about Australian food took me awhile to adjust to, and that is the portion size. Plain and simple, most countries serve small/normal portion sizes; Americans serve large/huge portions. Only after living in Brisbane for a couple of weeks did I truly realize how ridiculous we are with our meal sizes (& I learned why my stomach had been growling so much.) It sounds tough to an American, but you really do get used to it and grow to appreciate it here.

Image of Davies Park Market from Trover.com

3. GAP YEARS / TRAVEL

Australians (and Europeans, and most non-Americans, from my observations) are MUCH more well-traveled than Americans. Now don’t freak out if this is completely inaccurate to you because it’s just a big generalization, but I’ve found it to be true most of the time. From talking to international friends, I always knew that taking time off school or work to travel was common in Australian culture, but it didn’t really hit me until I got to know my housemates better and asked them about their travels.

I thought seeing parts of the North Island of New Zealand and then hopping over to Brisbane for a whole semester was a huge leap in regards to traveling- and it is!- but that’s nothing compared to where lots of Australians and Europeans have been. It’s all relative. I don’t think people who travel are better than those who don’t. It just seems like they have a different outlook on certain parts of life.

I love hearing about all the cool places my friends have been, and their stories motivate me to keep making plans to see more countries, even if it’s not for a long time. Time and money are definitely two big obstacles, but you can work them in your favor too! Backpacker culture is an interesting concept, and I think my generation is very lucky it’s become so prominent.

I’m SO grateful for the fantastic education system I’ve grown up with in America, but part of me wishes that gap years were more common.  I think most of us know at least one or two people who took a year off to work or to attend community college before going to university and spending more money on their degree, but this is not even close to what Europeans, New Zealanders and Aussies experience, with most of them and their friends taking at least 6 months off after high school to work and travel.  I would love to see how some of the dynamics of higher education, as well as students’ social awareness and their attitude about education change if  our society was more accepting and encouraging of students taking gap years.

Photo by Jordan Condon from a day sailing trip at Wellington Point. Just get on my level and accept this boat sailing off into the ocean as a metaphor for travel and exploration.

4. DANCING

This one’s an interesting one and one of my favorites. At bars or clubs in Australia, let’s just say people dance differently than they do in America. They’re not as pushy, and the guys don’t worry about trying to get a girl to dance with them or vice versa. We all just dance.  However we want to. This is SO much fun because we’re just all having a great time together and dancing how we want to dance. Sidenote: there are also bars where you can take a break from the dance floor and just sit outside and enjoy the night. Plenty of options for everyone.

Click for some fun info about night life in Brisbane!

5. DRESSING NICE

This one may be something Australians do better than Americans, but that doesn’t necessarily mean I enjoy it. People in Australia and New Zealand (including LOTS of exchange students from South America, Asia and Europe) all dress much nicer than an American would on a typical day. For example if I’m sitting in my apartment and I want to walk over to the café to grab lunch, I generally would wear a tshirt and running shorts or cropped leggings and an athletic tank top or sorority tank. MAYBE denim shorts and a somewhat nice top if I’m REALLY feeling put-together that day. Here, that last outfit I mentioned is pretty much the minimum all the time. The only way you really get away with wearing more casual clothes is if you’re going to the gym, but boys would never wear a tshirt to a bar. In fact, they can’t even get in to most places if they aren’t wearing long pants and “proper shoes.” Girls will usually wear dressy shorts or a skirt with a nice top (although some people are a bit too fancy for me), or a dress somewhere between a sundress and a cocktail dress. And we have to wear appropriate shoes as well. No flip flops allowed, my friends. However one of my favorite twists to this rule is that most of us just wear tennis shoes or keds/converse instead of the crazy heels that a lot of girls like to wear.

8 US College Styles You'd Never Find in the UK (and probably not Australia either)

6. SIMPLE LIVING

One thing that’s usually good (& only occasionally annoying) about Australia is that people generally live more simply- old fashioned than we do in the USA.   At first I wondered why we have and use a lot of extra things in America than they do in NZ and Aus, but then I quickly realized how refreshing it is that most people just don’t care very much about material things.  Hardly any refrigerators have ice makers or automatic water dispensers, having the latest electronics and fancy things just isn’t as big of a deal.  Dryer sheets don’t even exist here..  Oddly enough, they’re more environmentally progressive than we are in a lot of ways. EVERY outlet has an on/off switch to cut the power when you’re not using it, every toilet has two flush options in order to conserve water, and most cafes and restaurants (even boat tours) use glass/reusable cups much more than they use paper ones.  The only annoyances I’ve noticed in regards to simple living are 1) we rarely have ice in our water glasses/water bottles, and if we do, it melts right away anyway and 2) outlets are much harder to come by on campus or in restaurants and cafes than they are in the US.  I don’t know how factual this actually is, but it seems to my friends and I that outlets are much more scarce in Australia than in America.  However, these things are easy to get over when you weigh the cons against the pros of how amazing Australia is.

Clothesline at our share house.

7. SAFETY

Any students who want to visit America, don’t freak out about this one, it’s just a simple fact. I generally feel safe in America… IF I hang out in a good neighborhood, remain aware of my surroundings, and travel with somebody all the time. And, yes, I carry pepper spray on my keys, which I’ve learned is VERY strange to everyone except Americans. What can I say? You can never be too careful, and my mom taught me well. In Brisbane, however, none of that is needed. The one downside of that safety is that deceives us into thinking nothing bad will ever happen, so we still have to be careful. Just take normal precautions of a uni student like having a travel plan for the night, always watch your drinks, and tell your friends where you’re going if you leave.

To me, it’s incredibly sad how concerned with safety we have to be in America, but that’s just the way it is, and I think my friends and I are smart enough to know how to stay safe when going out places and traveling.  In Australia, as I’ve learned, safety isn’t really an issue (unless you’re gonna go out and surf in the ocean alone where there has just been a shark sighting). Safety is a prime example of a major part of our society that’s so different from other places. It’s pretty relieving how safe it is in this country (& New Zealand!) compared to America and lots of other places nowadays.

One of the “dangerous” things that can happen to you in Sydney would be getting hit in the head by one of these falling hill’s fig branches. Tree failure is not a good thing, people!

move on to part two to see what America is doing the best  . . . 

Mid-Sem Break

Mid-Semester Break 2k16

(aka SPRING BREAK)

WOW.  I don’t know how many times I’ve said this word in the past week, but if you saw the landscapes, animals and incredible nature I saw, you would’ve said it too.

In order to limit time and space and to not go off on a tangent (even though you know I probably will anyway) I’m going to change things up a bit.  This post will be more like a BuzzFeed article than my typical journal-style blog posts with a few photos and captions.  Get ready for lots of unbelievable pictures, clever captions, plenty of advice if YOU ever take a trip like this, and of course, a few weird back stories. (no judgment, please).

*keep in mind, these are all my very honest opinions about what I experienced in the beautiful South Island of New Zealand.  Your experiences or opinions may be very different, feel free to use this as entertainment rather than solid advice.  Although my friends and I will attest that these tips are pretty useful, especially if you’re clueless about a lot of things like we were ;)*

Pre-NZ

Canberra and Sydney were perfect visits on the way to New Zealand.

Canberra: dinner at a pub, a few bars at night (sort of a college town atmosphere in the “Civic”), gorgeous view of the city and the parliament houses from Mount Ainslie, visits to ANZAC War Memorial and National Museum (one of my favorite parts!), the Questacon science museum (sort of like the Magic House in STL), walking by the lake on the path with all the countries’ flags (my other favorite place), and drinking the BEST milkshake I’ve ever tasted at Pastissez Milkshakes in Manuka (apparently it’s pronounced Monica. Weird.) It was chocolate with espresso, had a caramel drizzle, and came with a huge smore that had a BROWNIE inside the marshmallow!  Heavenly.

Pretty cool seeing this hundred-year-old
YMCA flag in the WWII section of the museum.

Sydney: I’m so glad we made a stop there for 2 days, and one of the best parts was seeing Jenna, Emmi, Sarah & Juliette!!! It was such a nice taste of home and catch up with some of my FAVORITE people. Can't wait til we all visit each other again.

Things I was glad people recommended to me:

o   Buy an Opal Card (their public transportation pass) because it’s free to buy and prices are always way cheaper on the card (just like in Brisbane!) They also have “Sunday Funday” on the buses where you only have to spend $2.50 on rides and then your transportation is free for the rest of the day! Best of all, I can use it again when I go back to Newcastle and Sydney!

o   Take a ferry through the harbor.  We got a much better view of the Opera House, the Harbor Bridge, and lots of beautiful houses in the hills along the water.

o   Take a walking tour of the city, and it was wonderful!  It took about 2 and a half hours as we walked from the old City Hall up George Street all the way to the harbor and the Rocks.  It was free but we all tipped our tour guide at the end.  (That’s actually the only wage the workers get for this full time job, and our guide Lisa was so fantastic!) We got to hear all the honest details about what to do, what not to do, good places and attractions to spend our money, and a lot of really interesting stories and facts about the city.  I definitely learned a lot more (and it was actually exciting, not boring at all!) than I would have if we had taken a more expensive and crowded boat tour or had just walked around on our own.

§  This was one of our favorite stories, if you’re interested!  It's about how 2 men painted NO WAR in red paint on side of the opera house, were charged $150,000 to get the paint off, and they sold thousands of mini opera house replicas on which they had painted NO WAR to pay the fine.

South Island Trip

1. Kaikoura

Tip: Find Ohau Falls and see the seal colony. Wear waterproof shoes or boots and make sure you have your camera!

Best moment: Being about a foot away from the cutest baby seal ever, and then watching the adolescent seals waddle up the hill to their mom.

2. Nelson Lakes

Tip: Stay at one of the camp sites right on the lake. (& make sure you have plenty of gas in the car and for the stove! Not much around here & what is there doesn’t stay open late)

Best moment: Driving up to the campsite right at sunset after our first day of lots of windy roads and being awestruck by the gorgeous lake hidden in the middle of the national park.  (pictured are the giant eels we saw once we walked out on the boardwalk)

3. Franz Josef Glacier

Tip: Would not recommend booking the walking tour because you could do almost the same thing on your own for free.  We did pay for the glacier pools which were essentially glorified hot tubs, but we really warmed up and got our first clean shower in the locker rooms.

Best moment: Taking the hour walk to see the glacier. The part of the glacier we saw was only a small fraction (if you wanted to see all the ice and snow you’d take about a $300+ helicopter ride! Maybe another day…) but it was beautiful and unlike anything I’ve seen.  The whole landscape was so cool, with rocks of all different sizes and colors, surrounded by trees, surrounded by mountains, and then the big chunk of ice on one of the mountains that lead to the glacier.

4. Wanaka

Tip: The best thing about being in a campervan (and having a Department of Conversation campsite pass) was that we could change our plans whenever we wanted to.  We only chose Wanaka because it was about halfway between Franz Josef and Milford Sound, and it was one of our favorite places for sure.

Let's play a game of how many different views of the lake can we see.

Best moment: Seeing 2 sheep from part way up the mountain and then meeting them at the very top! Hiking up a mountain next to an absolutely gorgeous lake and seeing wild sheep was probably the most New Zealand thing to ever happen to us.

5. Milford Sound

 

Tip: Keep in mind that you will be spending more money here than most places. It’s very secluded and most of the tours are about the same price, so just pick what you think you’ll like most.  Also apparently Milford gets twice as much rain as the Amazon each year, so expect at least a drizzle while you’re there.

Best moment: Dunking my water bottle straight into the water next to my kayak and drinking pure glacier water.   

6. Queenstown & bungy jumping

Tip: If you are considering bungy jumping, but aren’t sure about it, go Tandem with a friend.  Another friend recommended me to do this, and it made me much less afraid.  Either way, you’re doing an extreme sport, but it’s very safe and the crew is fantastic, and it’s over so fast!  Definitely worth the time and terror.

Best moment: When we walked up to the desk to check in for our bungy, the girl at the counter’s name was JoJo, and I knew I’d be okay!  Also, Haley filmed and took photos of us before, during and after our jump, and Siobhan’s reaction right after we popped out of the freezing cold water was priceless.

Queenstown was a really cool city, although very touristy and small.  I enjoyed all the adventure and tourism juxtaposed with the relaxing lake and nice views.  Definitely worth a visit, especially since lots of popular spots are near there. PS go to Fergburger. It’s delicious. And by far the biggest meal you’ll get for your buck in New Zealand.

So if you want to take your own trip there some day, or just want to learn about all the weird things in New Zealand.

GENERAL TIPS / THINGS WE LEARNED

Pack warm clothes.

Lots of layers. Gloves and hat are vital if you’ll be doing a lot of hiking.  Rain coats are lifesavers.  And hiking boots are honestly so worth it (even if they’ll be sitting in your closet for the rest of the semester)

o   Because hiking boots are SO annoying to fit in your suitcase, clip or tie them (another example of how carabineers save lives)

o   Also remember to have a couple tshirts and shorts for the airplane or if you get a warm day (or just when your warm clothes are too smelly to bear and you want to wear clean clothes while driving the van)

Always buy an extra can of gas for the stove.

You don’t want to wake up all excited about making oatmeal and tea and then realize you have no way to power the stove. (Good thing New Zealanders are super nice and gave us one of their extra cans so we didn’t go hungry!)

Flashlights are a must.

We liked hanging our headlamp from the backdoor of the van for extra light when cooking. And newsflash, going to use the questionably gross toilet in the middle of the night while holding your iPhone to use the flashlight is not fun or practical.

Use a car charger for your phones as much as possible.

There’s a good chance you won’t have any power at the camp sites (we didn’t get to plug in the van once all week)

·      Make sure at least one person has a New Zealand SIM card with data. Unless you are very confident in where you’re going and want to be unplugged for a week! (that’s always nice too)

·      If you don’t have a SIM card, get a GPS. Not something to cheap out on. It’s worth it, especially when you’re driving somewhere you’ve never been before, the nearest town is hours away, and you don’t have cell service. (this happened a lot)

o   If you need to charge your phone but the GPS is dying, take pictures of the GPS screen on your phone and put the GPS away unless you get lost and need it.

o   You can also star/favorite your destinations on Google Maps and screenshot all your directions before you start driving, but we didn’t trust ourselves to use this tactic all week.

Gas stations (aka petrol stations!) are NOT always 24 hours. Ridiculously stupid, but all too true.

In fact, many of them close at 6pm. Plan accordingly… we learned this the hard way.

Allow extra time.

We actually didn’t get hopelessly lost at all, but it took us a long time to get places.  Driving 100km (don’t be freaked out, it’s only about 60-70mph) is the fastest we were ever allowed to go, and we didn’t go over that at all because we didn’t want to be the obnoxious tourists who get pulled over for speeding and try to get off the hook with the excuse that “we’re tourists and we didn’t know.”

·      Driving on the left side of the road is NOT THAT BAD.  Mostly because you keep telling yourself “Stay on the left, stay on the left!” and “No turn on red!”  The most difficult thing for me was actually getting used to switching on my blinkers on the RIGHT side of the steering wheel.  For awhile, we all kept clicking the windshield wipers because they were on the left side where we are used to the blinkers being situated.

·      The hardest part of driving is getting used to the roads. Roads in New Zealand (especially the South Island) are very windy and curvy.  And these are highways (aka motorways) which would be at least 65mph in America, fairly straight, and have at least 3 lanes on each side of the median.  In NZ, the highways are usually only 2 lanes TOTAL, often there are no medians at all, and it takes a lot longer to get from Point A to Point B than what you would anticipate on an American highway.

o   When New Zealanders use blinkers- if they use them at all- they don’t do it early enough before the turn. On the other hand, if you’re the one turning, people will always swerve right around you.  They NEVER stop and wait for you to turn like we would in the States.  If you’re very aware of it and keep your distance, you’ll get used to it.

o   On the curvy roads, I kept saying I felt like I was playing Mario Kart (think DK’s Jungle Parkway on N64 or that autumn leaf one on Wii) as I was driving… sometimes we literally drove around hairpin turns, up and down the sides of mountains.

Me, Siobhan and Haley stopped by the stunning turquoise Wairau river

with our even-more-stunning camper van, our favorite girl, Stef.

Once you get comfortable with driving in all that, you truly feel like you can conquer anything.

So we had an awesome, packed week with our lovely van and she only almost broke down on us once when had to change the oil (and by change I mean we bought a can of oil and a nice man helped us in the gas station parking lot). Cooking out of the back of the van and sleeping on a wooden board bunk bed thing was a LOT more fun than it sounds, and I feel so lucky we all had that experience together!

And no trip is complete without some fun pit stops at the beginning and the end. So...

 

BIG thank you’s to Phil, Max and Aimee for being wonderful friends and letting me stay with you all. Visit Brisbane any time (or the STL or South Carolina!) J

Be Excellent

and look for adventure everywhere.

xoxo Jo Jo