This and That... and a Request

    We knew we wanted an easy way to provide our family and friends with updates on our adventures, frustrations and joys while here.  Having read our good friends' blog from their summer in Oz two years ago, we liked the format and took the plunge in December.  Thank goodness Blogger is generally easy to use!  The kids ask for things to be mentioned, or not mentioned, and suggest photos, etc.  Most times I'm writing but Chris occasionally takes a turn at the keyboard.  We're all participating and all eagerly looking for feedback.  We love getting comments because it makes us feel connected to the folks for whom we're writing/posting and missing!  So, here's the request: if you're reading, PLEASE send us some feedback occasionally.

    A couple of questions - Should we link it to email so that you get an email when we post something new?  Any ideas of things you wonder about that we haven't addressed? 

    Some things here are notable and humorous to us but not worthy of an entire post so we thought we'd run through some of them -

• New Aussie word learned this week: stickybeaking (being nosy, a busybody)
• Aussie pronunciation of asphalt = ash-felt   (Sam picked this up from his teacher and we had an interesting time trying to figure it out)
• We rarely hear Australians use the words spouse or husband/wife.  It's usually "partner," for both  married or unmarried couples.
• Some words are spelled differently and take some getting used to:

It looks to me like some 1st graders got the sign making equipment!

•  Mia's tips to me (unsolicited) on how I can look more like an Aussie mum: (1) get longer, blond, straight hair worn in a ponytail (2) wear more bright colors (3) wear more spaghetti straps
• Even common birds can pose a danger:



I love the part about holding a branch over your head or wearing big hat with glasses on backwards so they won't attack.  Very helpful.

• Mia's classmates have asked her: "Do they have Glee in the States?"  "Do you have a pistol at home?" "Do you see celebrities a lot?"  
• Saw this in the confectionery (candy) section of grocery store

 I can't imagine what these taste like. I thought musk was a scent, not a flavor! Maybe I'll get curious enough to try them.

•  Even common greetings are occasionally different.  "How are you going" being the most common rather than "How are you doing" or "How is it going."  When we think about it, none seem more "correct" than the others, it's just different.

Like so much here, just different enough to keep us on our toes!