 |
 |
|
 |
This is an emu. She may look pretty, but when you're looking the other
way she'll snatch the peanut butter sandwich right out of your hand. Just ask Kevin's brother.
|
|
|
|
Top Five Electronic Hassles
1. None of our appliances fit the funky sockets....
2. Even if they could, the voltage would blow them out...
3. Not that it matters, because the computer is busted...
4. And Australian DVDs can't be read in our machine...
5. Not to mention that our cell isn't compatible with the Australian mobile network.
|
about those dvds...
Okay, we knew that VHS tapes have two different formats (though we didn't really know why), but DVDs? Arent' they universal?
Before we left, we
said, "Alright, we'll bring the DVD miniplayer, but leave the DVDs at home, since we won't want to lug them around with us.
We'll just rent when we get there." Nuh-uh!
Turns out, the only DVD we brought with us is Over Canada, a "lyrical, visually stunning celebration of Canadian
images," given to us by Kev's aunt. It's a great film about the geography and beauty of Canada, set to Canadian music, but
it doesn't exactly make for an action packed Saturday night.
|
|
|
|
|
|
meet the pattersons
 |
|
Way back in 1982, Kev's dad did a teacher exchange with an Aussie family. Kev got to live in Australia
for a year, go to school, ride a bike on the left, get a cute accent... while that lucky Aussie family got a
chance to experience Canadian winter. Good trade, eh?
|
|
|
And 20 years later, here's that lucky Aussie family! Meet John and Ros...
What are you up to these days? Still teaching, actually. [John's] the
principal over at Broadford Secondary College, and [Ros] is teaching up in [some town that starts with a K].
How are the kids? There all over the place these days. Nick's over in New York
City, Richard's living in London now. Georgie still lives close to home, about 45 minutes away in Melbourne.
What do you remember most about Canada?
Well, I remember on our way over, we were
supposed to meet you in Hawaii to swap winter gear. Your dad had said not to bother buying warm clothes in
Australia, since they wouldn't have anything close to adequate. Anyway, your plane was delayed, and we missed
the swap. We stepped off the plane to the coldest weather I'd ever felt in my life. I'll never forget that
first step off the plane.
When's the last time you were overseas? We visited Nick just recently in New
York. He took us around, showed us the sights... we had the chance to have a drink at Windows on the World.
Favourite Footy Team? Geelong.
|
|
|
|
|
|
If it was your first full day in Australia, you had jet lag, and someone invited you to an "architectural tour of some of
the old hotels in East Richmond", would you go? What if that was just a fancy name for a pub crawl? Now, that's more like
it! The biannual ritual of the Broadford Secondary School faculty is to pick a neighbourhood in Melbourne, explore some
of the old pubs in the area, and get bloody pis-- I mean, gain an insightful view of the city.
Pot: (n.) Smaller than a pint, bigger than a glass.
How 'bout a pot of Vic B, mate?
|
After a long day of running errands, John and Ros took us to a unique Australian experience: a BYO restaurant. A simple
concept, really: You want wine? Bring your own. The serve their
own wine too, in case you forgot yours, but would you rather pay $5.00 a glass at the restaurant, or $10.00 a bottle at the
liquor store? We thought so too. Of course, the patrons of the Gaol (that's "jail" to you and me, the joint was built from
an old prison) are probably more discerning than $10 a bottle, but you get the idea.
"We've only been here two days, and John's already brought us
to six pubs, a topless bar and put us in jail."
- Kevin.
|
Since his eagle eyes were so quick to spot the roos on our first day here, Kev's set a much loftier wildlife goal for
himself: the wombat. And wouldn't you know it, right there in the middle of Jells Park, there's a wombat! Of course,
it was made of plastic and mounted on a spring, but a small victory nonetheless.
"Melbourne suburbs are like Thunder Bay, but without the strip clubs."
- Rosalie Odea.
|
|
flat white:
Coffee with milk, no sugar. Following that, a "short black" is an espresso, and a "long black" is
an espresso with water. (We've taken to ordering "sweet whites" to see if the phrase catches on.) 
reality check
1 mob 
3 
slummin' it
3 
2 
1 
2 
b.y.o.
Four Sisters 
3
spider sense
$95/wk 
4" 
suburban wildlife
9 
11 
