The Australian industry I worked in has its own culture and terminology.
At the top of the shock heap is the seriously overdone safety rhetoric and compartmentalization of jobs.
Safety requirements can mean hours between the start of the work day and the commencement of actual work. Yes, even to do something really tiny, like replace ten plastic cable ties or change a light bulb.
The food and beverage vernacular of “Australier” (as many citizens say) has given me pause and lots of laughs. Things like:
The sound of flip flops slapping against concrete and beer bottles clinking as they’re tossed into trash cans at sunrise will forever be the soundtrack to my six months of living in the Pilbara.
I thought broken glass caused the reflections. Less than five minutes had passed since we navigated through the night to an FMG Exploration Drill Site and popped our tent up. My quest, sans contact lenses, was to visit nature’s ladies room for the last time that day.
The closest approximation I could extract from Google Images to represent my midnight view.
Flashlight in hand, I took a step. The glittering pieces shifted, like a prism in the wind. Curious, I plunged deeper into the shrubs and waist-high termite mounds. I squinted into the darkness. My attention vacillated between the captivating sparkles and slope-degree estimations (the female equivalent of finding the perfect tree). My eyes landed on an adequate spot just as my brain settled on the source of gorgeous ground twinkles.
Hard-won quince dessert – so good!!
The smell of quinces welcomed me back to the farm.
Americans would call a certain type of men’s underware “tighty whiteys.” Because they are… white. And… tight. In Australia, they are colloquially known as “budgie smugglers.” Why?
It’s time for another edition of Australian cultural lessons! I’ve picked up lots of quirky, hilarious, confusing and new vocab, pronunciation, and how-tos. And had cause to hark back to my novice New Zealand days…
Things that contribute to the rest of the world mixing up NZ and Australia or thinking that they are the same place/country? Both:
“An Evening Tea” – Kangaroo steak, garden beans and slow-roasted tomatoes, local dutch cream potatoes, local wine = happy, happy Jema.
Eat Tea
One of the jolliest and sweetest men I have ever had the pleasure of knowing met me at the baggage claim in Perth. Jim, husband of Glenys and SERVAS host, ushered me out to his Holden Commodore and popped the trunk. It was both empty, and nearly half full… retrofitted with a 20 gallon, metal LPG (liquid petroleum gas) tank. Guess how many kilometers they can drive on one tank…
Quick math – if your printer can turn out seven counterfeit $10 bills in one sheet, you can buy:
a) a night at the Holiday Inn
b) a tank of gas for a mid-size car
c) a fancy-pants dinner for two
d) several days worth of groceries
e) all of the above
Coping mechanisms almost invariably begin to fail at the end of any travel leg lasting longer than eight hours (for me and for most I’ve observed). I left Hawaii for Australia very early Wednesday morning and arrived at dinner time on Thursday night. Did I spend 36 hours on a plane?
Hungry for more? More time? More money? More health? More wholeness?
Hungry for less? Less rushing? Less pressure? Less stress? Less fractured attention?
Please come on in! I’ve been collecting wins and losses for a few decades (and counting). I hope sharing them helps you on your adventure through your one wild and precious life.
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