subtle similarities
by Larry Horton
Australians drive on the wrong side of the road and talk funny but the subtle differences go far beyond the water draining the other way.
First let’s talk about the energy use. Here an electrical outlet is called a power point and each power point has a little switch above it. If you plug something in to the power point the electricity won’t begin to flow until you also switch the power point on. So for all the outlets not in use they are turned off.
And laundry is called washing. But don’t expect to have your clothes dried in a dryer. Sure, Aussies have dryers but every house I’ve stayed in along the coast or in the country uses clothes lines. I haven’t put my clothes on a line at any time in my life that I remember but it really does make so much sense especially in Arizona where it’s so dry and hot.
What we would commonly refer to as a restroom is preferably called a toilet here. The toilets are another opportunity to save water. Each actual toilet has two flushes: a low water flush and a normal water flush. So if you’re just going to urinate, you only need to use the low water flush. Anything else you want to do... well there’s the normal water flush. We have these in the US as well but here there is not a toilet that has only a single flush whereas in the states, a dual flush is the exception, not the rule.
When people eat here, they simply turn their forks over and there is no complicated unnecessary hand utensil switching. Where koozies where a fad back in the states, they are a staple here. A stubbie holder or stubbie cooler is standard with a nicely chilled bottle of brew.
It’s strange how both countries speak English yet sometimes we’re not speaking the same language. I slowly began to notice themes like Australians are Aussies, breakfast is brekky, a biscuit is a bikky, rugby football is footy, sunglasses are sunnies, and Tazmania is simply Tazzy. Then there are the words that are the same but mean something totally different. The trunk of a car is a boot. As a police officer I go on radio calls, here constables go on jobs. A power outlet is a power point. Laundry is washing. Restrooms are toilets. A bottle of beer is a stubbie. Men’s speedo briefs are budgie smugglers. Any truck is a ute. Then there are terms that have no US alternative like smoko which is morning tea. I hope my teammates comment further and contribute to the other terms I've missed.
But at the end of the day these differences are purely pedestrian. If I was a Boston Southie I might feel the same about the way a person from New Orleans Bayou and they way they talk. I struggle to remember all of the terms and little differences but it is easy for me to recall the fellowship and hospitality. Good people are good no matter where they come from, North or South of the Equator. I’ve recently discovered that Rotary has this amazing power to shrink the size of our planet and it is comforting to know that what I read in the world news section might not be the best representation of Earth. I’m looking forward to the opportunity to share my part of the world with the new friends I’ve made from Down Under.
