1 year in Australia - my reflections and some embarrassing moments!

[Maktub]

Hi again forumites!

I have documented my 6 week, and 6 month experiences elsewhere on this forum - and have just realised that I never did my 1 year post. It is now actually 1 year and 3 months that I have been in Australia.

I am feeling particularly reflective this week...perhaps it is the beautiful full-moon that we had last night, or perhaps it is the meteor that I witnessed falling just outside Ballarat last night (as a friend and I took a long walk that ended after dark), perhaps it is the fact that I reached a significant milestone in my work this week, or perhaps it is just the fact that I am ridiculously happy right now.

Those of you who remember me will know that I ended a long-term relationship to move here.

I was frustrated that my work was not fulfilling me.

I was suffering from fear of crime

I was bored

I was craving change

Today I am single again (having had another relationship with an Aussie, which was fun but ultimately not for me at this time)

Today I am 1 year into my PhD, the reason why I came to Aus in the first place.

Today I am safe

Today I am challenged on a daily basis

Today...well...I am still craving change :-) I suffer from serious wanderlust.

I must admit and stress here that I was never unhappy in RSA...if I didn't have an opportunity to leave I would have made my life there. Out of necessity I did, and would have loved my life there. It is in my nature to be an eternal optimist and I have a very strong motivation to make the most of my life, no matter where I am or what I am doing.

But I must also admit and stress here that I have never been happier than I am now in Aus.

Now, I hope this does not come across in the wrong way, but bear me out:

The Oscar Pistorius trial has been a particularly interesting parallel for me, and yes I am slightly obsessed (the only positive of the time difference between here and RSA is that I can stream the trial live!). The weekend that I left RSA was the weekend that Reeva was tragically shot. The first thing that most people asked me that first week was my opinion on the OP case. I have never had an opinion on his innocence/guilt, but I do remember so very clearly that all I could think that week was that I could actually understand his fear of intruders (bear in mind that whether or not this is actually true does not matter for my story). In PTA I used to live not far from OP's estate, we have many mutual friends although I have never met him, and we are the same age. I remember the news of the rugby player who shot his daughter accidentally, and the father who sadly shot his child because of that all-encompassing fear of crime. At the time I had no idea how much that fear seeped into every day of my life. Those first few weeks in Aus I could not sleep because, ironically, I did not feel safe. I had moved into a share house that had 6 bedrooms and was quite large, there was only one other girl in the house at the time (others were uni students who were still on holiday) and I felt so unsafe. I remember her asking me why I locked my door at night, and then being told off because it was a fire risk. I also remember that the owners of the house had to come and change the locks because all locks had to by yale locks that could open from the inside in case of fire. No burglar bars/trellidors here! Today as I think back to that everyday pervasive stress I really do believe that it is a major health risk, both physically and mentally.

I lived with that fear because I did not know anything else. I lived with that boredom and frustration because I did not know, because I could not shape those feelings. It has only started to dawn on me now.

I am currently in a highly competitive PhD program, and must admit that being a proper professional nerd is right up my alley, haha! No time for boredom here!

A large part of my research involves Australian Football (Aussie rules)...and in Aus you don't say Aussie Rules when you refer to this game, you just refer to it as 'Footy'...as in "I went to watch the Footy this weekend"

Now, I just wanted to share a story that I think will make you all smile! Nobody in my office understands this, but I know that you all will! #embarrassing

We were having a big research meeting a couple of weeks ago, about our Footy research projects, and at one point in the meeting just started chatting. I mentioned a story where a colleague of mine took me out to teach me and the other international student how to kick an Aussie rules ball. The trouble was that I referred to this as a "Footy ball", as in "rugby ball" by saying "we went out to kick the footy ball around"...WELL I was met with howling laughter and had NO idea why!!! Apparently you just say 'footy' as in 'we went to kick the footy around'. So now I will forever be known as the 'footyball' girl. Oh boy. But the Aussies LOVED it...embrace these moments I say! Haha!

Another one has been the obvious 'robot' blunder, and just yesterday "till slip" was met with a blank stare (it is a receipt)!

In April I attended a conference in Monaco (still cannot believe that coming to Aus led me to the amazing opportunity of going to Monaco). At the conference there was a delegation from RSA...and they thought my Aussie accent was hilarious, especially the inflection. Although the Aussies still think I have an RSA accent. This led to more gentle teasing from all! Haha. Worst of all, I had quite a few English teachers at the primary school that I went to in Botswana and so I now have a strange RSA/Aussie/English accent with occasional American pronunciations thrown in for good measure! Got to laugh at myself sometimes!

Whoah, okay I better stop for now (and change the title to add "embarrassing moments"). This journal started off being reflective and has quite swiftly progressed to things that have made me laugh! I think this is the perfect indication of my state of mind a year ago, and my state of mind now!

So, will write more in this journal another time. For now it is over to all of you...what are your most embarrassing Aussie moments?!?

Edited May 15, 2014 by Maktub

[Fish]

Loved reading your post

Considering it is part of your PHD I'll try and clear up some of these sporting terms for you

"...and in Aus you don't say Aussie Rules when you refer to this game, you just refer to it as 'Footy'...as in "I went to watch the Footy this weekend""

- might be obvious, or maybe not, but you only call Aussie Rules "footy" in the Aussie Rules states...Vic, Tas, WA, NT, SA...in the others Qld, Nsw, ACT footy usually means rugby league

"The trouble was that I referred to this as a "Footy ball", as in "rugby ball" by saying "we went out to kick the footy ball around"

- maybe it has been explained now but by saying "kick the Footy ball around", those Aussie Rules loving Aussies were probably thinking of it as "kick the Football ball around"...Footy being a shortening not just for the game of Football itself but also for the "Football" used in the game. Used in your context it is referring to the ball not the game so you have mentioned the ball twice

Up here in the multi-football rugby land we would have understood you perfectly as there is a rugby (union) ball and a footy ball (rugby league) when you need to prefix the ball with the sport

Can I please be cited as a source in your thesis now ?

Edited May 15, 2014 by Fish

[AndreaL]

What an absolutely lovely post. I think one of the best things about coming to Australia is how much you discover about yourself.

Embarrassing moments, I have had plenty of too, not so much through understanding the vernacular, as I am from the UK and many of the more unusual expressions here stem from there, but more because I forget that I don't have an Australian accent, I'm very obviously British, and sometimes I come up with a phrase Australians find funny or vice versa.

I suppose this could happen anywhere, but just last week I came out of Coles and walked toward my car, opened the door and climbed in, only to realise that it wasn't my car! I got out and walked 2 cars up to my car..............." Wrong car love", said a man who witnessed my folly and started to laugh.

[Maktub]

"The trouble was that I referred to this as a "Footy ball", as in "rugby ball" by saying "we went out to kick the footy ball around"

- maybe it has been explained now but by saying "kick the Footy ball around", those Aussie Rules loving Aussies were probably thinking of it as "kick the Football ball around"...Footy being a shortening not just for the game of Football itself but also for the "Football" used in the game. Used in your context it is referring to the ball not the game so you have mentioned the ball twice

Can I please be cited as a source in your thesis now ?

Thanks Fish! Yes this was the problem! Hahaha!

Citation:

Fish. Comments on: “1 year in Australia - my reflections and some embarrassing moments!" [2014]. In: SAAUSTRALIA.Available from: http://www.saaustralia.org/index.php/topic/42853-1-year-in-australia-my-reflections-and-some-embarrassing-moments/

I suppose this could happen anywhere, but just last week I came out of Coles and walked toward my car, opened the door and climbed in, only to realise that it wasn't my car! I got out and walked 2 cars up to my car..............." Wrong car love", said a man who witnessed my folly and started to laugh.

Oh AndreaL I will be laughing for days!

Ps: this would not happen in RSA! Imagine a car guard's reaction!

[Fish]

What an absolutely lovely post. I think one of the best things about coming to Australia is how much you discover about yourself.

Embarrassing moments, I have had plenty of too, not so much through understanding the vernacular, as I am from the UK and many of the more unusual expressions here stem from there, but more because I forget that I don't have an Australian accent, I'm very obviously British, and sometimes I come up with a phrase Australians find funny or vice versa.

I suppose this could happen anywhere, but just last week I came out of Coles and walked toward my car, opened the door and climbed in, only to realise that it wasn't my car! I got out and walked 2 cars up to my car..............." Wrong car love", said a man who witnessed my folly and started to laugh.

A cousin of mine from overseas was backpacking in Australia and he decided to catch the bus out to our previous house for a first time visit. The bus he got terminated at an interchange around 5 mins drive from our house. He got out of the bus and jumped into the front of a taxi and asked to be taken to our address. He waited while the cabbie took his time looking our address up the old fashioned way and then proceeded to our house.

He got quite a surprise when half way through the trip he worked out that he had just asked a normal local for a lift rather than a cabbie. The local had just dropped family off at the bus stop and admitted he was surprised at how forward my cousin was in jumping into the car so quickly after asking, but thought that must just be his culture and was happy to help out

Edited May 16, 2014 by Fish

[SurferMan]

All brilliant posts!!!

[Bronwyn&Co]

Thanks Fish! Yes this was the problem! Hahaha!

Citation:

Fish. Comments on: 1 year in Australia - my reflections and some embarrassing moments!" [2014]. In: SAAUSTRALIA.Available from: http://www.saaustralia.org/index.php/topic/42853-1-year-in-australia-my-reflections-and-some-embarrassing-moments/

Oh AndreaL I will be laughing for days!

Ps: this would not happen in RSA! Imagine a car guard's reaction!

Maktub did you just formally cite that quote?? I love it, I've never seen that before. ?

[Maktub]

Fish that is hilarious!!! Waahahaha! LOVE it!

Bronwyn&Co hehe yes - that is the formal Vancouver referencing style citation! I think it just needs "Accessed on 16/05/2014" at the end.

[Bronwyn&Co]

Hehe I use AGLC and Harvard, I haven't seen that style before Maktub.

[HadEnoughofJuju]

Let me just say that I am a proud forum parent, you have seriously got a sensible head on those shoulders of yours and I can only hope my daughter turns out as driven and dedicated as you.

Enjoy your life to the full and embrace those embarrassing moments, they make for good bed time stories.

Try throwing the rooter word around in the IT industry as apposed to pronouncing it router. I have successfully embarrassed myself a couple of times with that one.

@Fish, ya just gotta love the Aussie spirit. I think now that I've been here for a while I would probably do the same thing.

[Maktub]

HEOJJ with parents like you and OYBR she already has a flying start, add in the Aus environment that you have given her and I think she is one very lucky girl! Big things to come for her, I am sure of it!

[rikamarie]

Hi Maktub. Nice to "see" you again. I haven't been on here myself much as life in Aus gets busy. We have been her almost 6 months, can't believe it though. Really happy to hear that is is going so well with you!