Remember that post I wrote about the conservation efforts in Australia? Well I have another effort by UOW that cuts down on pollution... they offer free parking to students driving cars carrying three or more passengers. Usually once or twice a week, one of my Aussies friends, Alice, drives me and another girl to uni because we're all in the same Spanish class. So there you have it, Australia rewards those who car pool.
Another thing about Australia that's different... no one says "God bless you" after you sneeze. I can't tell you how many times I've sneezed in class, in the dining hall, or in the library, and NO ONE around me acknowledged it with a "God bless you." The other day, for the first time, someone said that to me after I sneezed at uni. I was immediately surprised because I though, "Oh my goodness, Australians do acknowledge sneezes," but then I remembered that guy might not have been Australian.... he could have been from anywhere around the world.
The other day I said to my roommate "It's ten of 3" and she had no idea what I was talking about. Apparently they only say "It's ten to 3." Also, Australians only say "It's ten past 4," not "It's ten after 4." We both speak English, but the language barrier continues to persist!
One of my good Australian mates, Andrew Griffin, or "Finn" as many of my friends like to call him, walked in while I was writing this post (he looks like the character "Finn" on the show "Glee). Finn is one of the most athletic Australians I know; he plays tennis, footie, and rugby--the three main sports played here. I promised Finn a shout-out in my blog--so here's to you Finn!
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