Honestly, I feel like we live a pretty normal/boring expat life sometimes - I interact with a lot of backpackers at my bar job and it seems like they travel every few weeks since they have casual jobs and are only here temporarily. We really don't live THAT different of a life here for the most part than we did in the US. Things are getting 1000% better though, since daylight savings fell over the weekend and we have warmer weather plus an hour more of daylight now! I'm pretty happy spring is finally here, because we live a much healthier lifestyle when we can go on runs outside, paddleboard, go to the beach, and grill all of our food. Hello, salad season! :)
So I realized the other day that it has been close to two years since we've moved here, which is pretty nuts considering I feel like I am still adjusting to certain things, and still find some of the cultural changes here weird. So basically I think I'm going to outline a few things for you all since I don't have much for you in terms of updates!
- Things I really love
- Things I find weird
- Things I don't like / miss from home
Things I really love
- People here are pretty non-judgemental. It was actually a pretty huge change coming from Charlotte, where 90% of the people were basically the same. I don't feel like you are expected to be fake at all, and people are friendly because they want to be, not because they want to put up a front.
- The food in Melbourne is sooooo good. I am actually worried about going back to the US and eating the food there. There are lots of foods I miss, but everything here is a lot more fresh and a lot less processed. There is also a HUGE variety of what you can choose from restaurant-wise- I have tried countless new things here.
- The public transportation here is so efficient you don't need a car.
- The distinctly different neighborhoods and cultures make it feel a lot larger than one city. In one day, I can walk to my tram stop in Little Vietnam, get to the city in 20 mins for work, eat lunch at a gorgeous park next to the Yarra river, take a different tram home and work in an Austrian pub on a street known for outlet stores that is close to a few huge stadiums and a lot of good music venues, and walk home. Other nights, Regis and I can meet in Chinatown at our favorite bar for after work drinks, we can walk to Little Italy and eat homemade pasta, we can go to my favorite fish and chips shop in Port Melbourne by the beach, honestly the options are endless! We also live in walking distance to three breweries now!
- I did not understand it at first - but the coffee!! <3
- You aren't expected to own a house, get married, have kids, etc at a certain age (In Ohio these days, that # is somewhere in the ballpark of 25, which is asinine to me!) People here live their lives the way they want and it seems like there is not as much pressure about things that are your business.
- To add to to the above, people here seem to enjoy life more - I would imagine because people follow the rule I've always had - work to live, don't live to work! People were pretty career-obsessed in Charlotte, which is fine and all, but at the end of the day, it's your life.
- I feel SO safe here. It is quite normal, even as a female, to walk around the city or go on runs alone. The only time strangers really approach me is to ask for directions, which I'm happy to give. Also, there are no guns here so that's pretty cool too - I've come a long way since playing the game "is that noise gunshots or fireworks?" in Akron!
- My job is realllllly good - I actually pinch myself sometimes now because I don't mind going to work (okay, I did mind today because it was about 80 degrees out, but you know what I mean) - it is so weird to me that I like my job. The people are really laid back and I have a huge impact on my company which is something I have never had working in huge corporations. I've also been tasked with planning all of our social events, which is basically my calling in life apart from bartending and marketing, haha.
- Our new apartment is still amazing - having a huge kitchen is sweet!
- The summer here can't really be topped - and I love having the holidays when it's nice!
Things I find weird
- Most of the Australian people I have met do not seem to appreciate how good they have it here! They really take for granted they have four weeks of paid leave a year, free healthcare and superannuation, which is where your employer pays 9.5% of your salary on top of what you get paid into a retirement account. It's really crazy - they assume every country does that and are shocked to learn people in the US don't get any guaranteed time off the way people here do!
- I honestly have no idea why people eat Vegemite - it is probably one of the more appalling food items I have tried to date. The funny part is, when you tell someone here you don't like it, they insist that it's great, but you're just trying it the wrong way. I have tried it three times now, and each time was gross, so hard pass haha.
- I still struggle with the slang (please watch that linked video, btw - hilarious) sometimes - you can usually understand by the context of what is said in the sentence, but it can really throw you off at times.
- Not sure if there is crack or something in the chocolate, but I have seriously never seen people eat so much chocolate as they do here, haha. Like, A LOT of chocolate is consumed here!
- A lot of people I have met here have never been to the US or met people from there. Their only exposure would be in movies/TV, so a lot of the times it's assumed that the way NY/LA are depicted is how people grow up. Sometimes I feel like I have to be extra nice to people when I meet them so they don't think everyone from the states is an asshole haha. No pressure, right? I have actually been told by one of my friends that they didn't think they would like anyone from the US until they met me, which was a pretty huge compliment!
Things that are annoying / things I miss about home compared to here
- This is probably due to growing up in a place where the weather is total crap, but people here seem pretty "meh" when it's nice out and almost seem like they avoid being outside. Regis and I were talking about how it is in Ohio - basically you can have a nice day, then it's not guaranteed to be nice again for a few weeks at a time sometimes, so you are almost programmed to make the most of nice days. People here will go to the movies or go shopping on nice days here and it's so weird. You will see me at the beach!
- There seems to be a national shortage of both ketchup and ice here. You have to ask for either item if you go out to eat, and about 50% of the time, you will actually have to pay for ketchup!
- $13 for a pint of beer. No explanation required here.
- I always wondered what people meant when they would say "nanny state" when I was first here, but I totally get it now. There are SO MANY rules here and the fines are pretty steep if you get caught not following them. A great example is I assumed bike helmets were only required on streets, but found out by getting yelled at by a police officer that they are required at all times, even if you are slow and on a pedestrian/bike path.
- It can be hard to make friends with people that are from here. A ton of people in Melbourne grew up here, so they have friends from childhood and aren't necessarily trying to branch out. The majority of my friends here are other people that have moved here from somewhere else
- The level of customer service here sucks - people don't really care about that at all. A great example is when we got our keys to our new apartment, we were not able to get in the front door. The real estate company would take hours to respond via email and were not apologetic at all. They insisted we must not be opening the door correctly and it took three days for them to even acknowledge it as a problem. It turned out they had not given us the proper key to get in. Were we refunded any money or compensated for being inconvenienced? Did they apologize for us not being able to move for three extra days? Haha, no because that's just how everything is here.
- Stuff in general is pretty pricey - groceries aren't bad, but any clothing/makeup/etc is usually about twice what I am used to paying. Also, hair appts are appalling - I think the norm for a haircut here is about $100. Don't ask how much it was when I bleached my hair and got it colored purple a while back :(
- If I could have two stores from home exist here, hands down they would be Trader Joe's and Express.
- TURKEY BACON. Luckily a co worker found they sell it at Costco, so looks like we are getting a Costco membership in the near future!
- It's weird constantly feeling foreign. Like, no matter how long we live here or what we do, we will never not have accents. Just strange/unsettling to think about at times. Sometimes it gets annoying getting asked where I'm from/why I'm here when I'm not feeling super extroverted!
Anyway, I think that's a pretty decent brain dump for today - I am so tired. It's almost 10pm and I haven't relaxed since I got home from work!
Until next time, guys. Here are some photos!
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| I have business cards! |
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| our awesome back patio! |
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| brekky! |
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| bike ride season! (no helmet again - whoops) |
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| Regis and his "dirt scooter" |
