Things I Learned During My First Week in Australia.

I often heard people talk about how different and upside down Australia is. Now that I have been here for a bit more than a week, I could see why. It is very different than a lot of places, especially North America. I guess it may be why so many Australians are interested in visiting North America like I was in visiting Australia. Here are some of the things I learned during my first week in The Land Down Under.

Crossing The Street.

Everyone know that Australia drives on the other side of the road, as do many other island nations and ex-British colonies.  What nobody tells you is that as a tourist that has spent his whole life living in countries that drive on the right side of the road, trying to cross the street is one of the most confusing things ever. Looking left then right before crossing becomes a reflex when you have been doing it your whole life.  Doing that on an Aussie street, can get you seriously hurt or could cause an accident. I have to keep reminding myself to look right first every time I cross the street, even after a week.  It may sound easy to switch, but it really isn’t, not for me anyway.

Sunscreen.

I have never really been a fan of sunscreen. I just don’t like creams in general. But if there is one thing that I learned it is that the Australian sun is unforgiving. A mere 10 minutes in the sun can make a difference between a light tan and a bad burn. It took only 2 hours on the beach and walking around town, followed by 3 days of suffering for me to come to terms with the fact that I will have to learn to use sunscreen everyday. That is if I want to survive and not look like a red birthday balloon all the time

Drinking Culture.

I knew that Australia had a pretty big wine culture. After all, all my favorite white wines come from here. Whats I did not realize was, how huge it actually was. It is not just wine either. Aussies love their beer and cider too. I don’t to make it  sound like they are all drunks, but there are bars and liquor stores everywhere. I walk past 2 of each on my 5 minute walk from the train station. One thing you have to keep in mind though, it is not cheap. Coming from a part of Canada that has the lowest prices on alcohol, I almost fell over when I grabbed a 6 pack of cider and it came out to 18$. Even the cheapest wine bottle I saw was 15$, which seems pretty expensive when you realize that the country is pretty much swimming in this stuff.

Very Active Country.

Before I left for Australia, a friend of mine, who has been here for 2 months told me to start getting used to the gym. She said that it was because once I got here, I would want to start exercising and be healthy. I could not understand why at first. But it only took a few days to see why. Australians are a very active nation. Anywhere you look there are people exercising. Whether its running, yoga, crossfit or small group classes, exercise and being active is a way of life here. When I looked up gyms online, I was spoiled for choice. Though it is not only exercise that they are into, but a lot of outdoor activities too.  Hiking, camping, surfing, swimming, and even 4 wheel driving are very popular. Seeing all this on a daily basis, just gives me the urge to start an outdoor activity, to join the ranks of the healthy and active. So if you love exercising and being outdoors, this is the place for you. Just don’t forget your sunscreen! 😉