November 18, 2010

Blog:

I've written most of the Los Angeles blog, but I wanted to do this first cause it's a little more fun. Been thinking about how I've been adjusting to being back in the US or the things I've missed here or things from Oz I've missed.. just randomness.

Getting used to the right hand side of the road was much easier than I thought. When crossing the street I actively think about where I'm looking, but as far as being in a car, it hasn't weirded me out having cars driving on the other side. It might help that I've been in a huge city that has like a million lanes instead of two. I used to see cars driving toward me in what appears to be my lane and I'd freak thinking I was about to get in an accident. Harder to do with pools of cars flowing at me with a divider in the road. I've been trying really hard to walk on the right hand side too but still sometimes end up on the left. Or, when I'm going around people I swerve left instead of right, which throws people off. I've gotten close to collision a time or two.

I know it's autumn, but the sun seems weak. Yeah, yeah, yeah, we don't have a hole in the ozone layer above us, but it just seems like a bit of a wuss here. I was outside for most of the day on numerous occasions with the sun in full swing and never felt like I was burning. If I stood outside waiting to cross the street in Oz I'd be fried. Strange.

I knew, but clearly didn't think about it at the time, but a large at Starbucks here is much larger than a large in Australia. I wanted a lot of coffee to fight my jet lag, but WHOA! I did not want it THAT big. Same went for Wendys. They don't even have an option for a small meal; it's regular or large hahah! In Oz it's S, M or L. We are fat!

Seagulls seem to be massive here. I don't remember them being that big back in MI, so maybe it's just a Cali thing, but every time I saw one I feared for my life! It could have bit off my head or cut off my arm with one swoop of it's wings! It was like the size of a small house cat! I wish I could compare to the size of the Oz birds, but all I can think is that it looks like the size of a NORMAL bird… Anyone with specifics about that let me know. I may just have to wait until I get to MI to see how these stack up to other US birds.

Guys in the US are so much more vulgar. I've had random guys screaming things at me in the streets, homeless guys getting close in my face saying I make them horny, and a tour guide giving me his number. I've also had random guys tell me how beautiful I am… most salesmen so I'm taking that as a sales pitch and not a compliment. A guy in Oz liked me for close to 4mo knowing I was into him too and didn't say a word. I know I haven't gotten more attractive since I've been gone.. pretty sure it's gone the other way, so that's not it. Guys in the US are just crazier. Probably a good thing to an extent, but still a little strange.

Lastly, I noticed as soon as I arrived in Australia that the toilets use MUCH less water. That and they have a half flush or full flush button… much more environmentally friendly. I don't usually stare in toilets or anything, so getting back to our wasteful toilets wasn't a huge change, but I must say that the first time I flushed it, I freaked out thinking the thing was broken because it just KEPT RUNNING! Sooo much water was being wasted! I just kept thinking, "stop flushing, stop flushing, stop flushing!" Random, but now I feel like I'm wasting so much water when I flush. We need European toilets.