When in Australia...

I've been in Sydney, Australia, for 5 days and here is a sampling of what I've learned thus far:

Ask at least two different people for directions. "Just up the road" or the variation "just around the corner" probably means a few miles, while "too far to walk; you may as well take the train" is probably referring to a 5-minute walk down the street.

If this mild weather is as cold as everyone keeps saying, Australians wouldn't last a winter in Flagstaff or Minnesota. Pardon me for saying, but Aussies seem to be about as wimpy in the cold as Arizonans.

Ausralians shorten everything! Thankfully, someone told me right away that "this arvo" means "this afternoon." Basically, just shorten everything and add "ie" or "o" to the end. (chockie = chocolate, hollies = holidays, uni = university, milko = milkman) I could go on and on but I won't. Sometimes it's best to smile and nod and hope you later come to understand what you actually nodded to.

If you want to dress like an Australian, buy a few pairs of tights. They seem to be all the rage right now. (But guys, please leave this fashion to the girls. Thank you.)

EVERYBODY has TEA here! And they offer it to me wherever I go. I feel like I'm in England - it's awesome!!!