Some observations

After 4 days here in Adelaide, I have jumped to several undoubtedly correct conclusions about Australia. They come in two categories. Well, that’s not entirely true. One doesn’t really fit into a category, but just makes me laugh. It’s the word debut, and the way they pronounce it here. Instead of saying ‘day biew’, they say ‘dah boo’. You really have to hear it for the full effect, but I heard it several times on the news, and I can’t help but smile when I hear it. Like when they were talking about the new baby elephant at the zoo that is getting ready to make his dah-boo.

But, back to the two categories. The first is that Australia feels like it did 20 years ago in the US. And the second is that it seems like Australia is 20 years ahead of the US.

First, flying from Sydney to Adelaide on Qantas, the national airline, they fed everyone dinner. It didn’t cost extra, and they even offered complimentary beer and wine to the entire plane. I was floored. Then, when we arrived in Adelaide, people were waiting right at the gate to meet people as they came down the ramp. It reminded me of when it was actually a pleasant experience to fly, and you weren’t worried about forgetting to put your toothpaste in a quart-sized bag, and hoping you packed enough food for the plane to avoid spending $20 on a bag of chips.

My other observation that fits into this category relates to youth fashion, though I’m not sure I can honestly say that Australia’s youth fashion today is akin to any fashion style in any country at any time. Mostly, I’ve been incredibly confused by some of the outfits we’ve seen. I saw one pair of jeans that looked like a pair of tights, and even had little heel loops to help keep them on the feet. Actually, I’m not sure there was any denim at all in those ‘jeans’. I wasn’t close enough to get a good look, but I wouldn’t be surprised if she had taken some gold puff paint and drawn some pockets onto a dark blue pair of spandex tights.

Many of the teenage boys have rat tails, some of which are braided. One girl was wearing bright purple heels that looked as if they weighed 5 pounds. Maybe it’s just that I haven’t spent enough time around teenagers lately, but I have to say that I’ve raised my eye brows more than a few times.

Australia, or at least Adelaide, is also far ahead of the US in at least one important way. Environmental awareness and behavior. Most homes I’ve seen have rain barrels to collect water. All the toilets have half flush and full flush options. The explanatory document for our granny flat notes that we should limit water use, shower at night to reduce the need for washing sheets, and reduce energy use. It even says that if we use too much energy or water, we’ll have to pay extra for utilities. And today, I saw a large display in the library about water, and using it efficiently. Now, this could be because South Australia is the driest state in the driest continent on the planet. It’s hard not to be aware of water here. But, there are definitely some pretty dry places where people are not at all aware of the need to conserve water.

Everyone here carries around reusable shopping bags. In fact, if you want a plastic bag from the grocery store, it costs 10 cents. Doesn’t seem like a terribly large fee to pay, but no one uses plastic bags. It’s really something.

The other thing that makes me feel like it is 20 years ahead are the prices. I can’t say I have any idea how much inflation causes prices to go up in 20 years, but the cost of living here is definitely higher than in the US. It was actually a bit surprising, but we’re adjusting. It’s possible to live on a budget here, but I was shocked when I went to buy a thank you card and it cost $6. (The Australian and US dollars are nearly one-to-one.) We saw a Subaru wagon that must have been at least 25 years old going for $3970. What?! How about a $4 can of tuna or a nice ice coffee for $6? (I found out that ice coffee here is more like a frappuccino, with milk and ice cream. I felt slightly better after learning that.) At least you don’t tip when you go out to eat.

I think the sticker shock is wearing off to some degree. Perhaps that’s just because we’re going to be here for a year, so we're telling ourselves things aren't that expensive. For those of you thinking about coming for a visit, don’t worry. Just give us some time and we’ll find all the best deals in town. And, we’ve agreed that we’ll treat anyone who comes to visit us to dinner, so book your tickets soon!!