Australia Day 5 - How to Speak Australian
Today was the last day of the conference. Since I had completed all my hours, I was free to attend sessions and work through some hands-on labs. It was good to connect with people and enjoy their company.
After lunch I slipped across the street to the Pacific Fair, a mall with some interesting sites. While there I picked up a few souvenirs, but not too many - not much room in my luggage this time. Shopping complete, I said my goodbyes to my new "mates", boarded a bus for the airport and flew down to Sydney, where I'm spending the night. My flight leaves Saturday morning at 9:25am and arrives in Los Angeles Saturday morning at 6:15am. Yep, the "Sunday" I had slept through on the way here comes back to me.
What to make of my last blog entry from Australia? I thought to share some of the phrases I learned while I was here:
"G'day" = "Good morning/afternoon"
"flat out" = busy --> "We've been flat out trying to get ready for the conference."
"way out" = exit --> "Follow the 'way out' signs to the baggage claim area."
"How are you going?" = "How are you doing?"
"set down" = "drop off" --> "The passenger set down area is on the north side of the building."
"no worries" = "you're welcome"
"layby" = "layaway" --> "I'll put this dress on layby."
"Good on you" is a special phrase that often sounds like, "G'donya", and expresses a congratulatory sentiment. The city of Melbourne is pronounced, "Melbin". And the peculiarities abound. Of course, there were a few phrases I heard that will not be repeated here. Yes, Australia is a colorful place.
Overall, I deeply enjoyed the people here. Aussies are a fun-loving bunch who work hard and don't take themselves too seriously. They enjoy good-natured teasing, and the friendly banter only serves to lighten the mood. I felt very comfortable here, and I would love to come back with the family and spend a month or two seeing the country. Remember, while Australia may only have a population of twenty million, its land mass is almost equivalent to the forty-eight contiguous United States.
I've also posted a bunch of unrelated photos here. I couldn't tie them together thematically, but they each contribute a memory of my time here.
After lunch I slipped across the street to the Pacific Fair, a mall with some interesting sites. While there I picked up a few souvenirs, but not too many - not much room in my luggage this time. Shopping complete, I said my goodbyes to my new "mates", boarded a bus for the airport and flew down to Sydney, where I'm spending the night. My flight leaves Saturday morning at 9:25am and arrives in Los Angeles Saturday morning at 6:15am. Yep, the "Sunday" I had slept through on the way here comes back to me.
What to make of my last blog entry from Australia? I thought to share some of the phrases I learned while I was here:
"G'day" = "Good morning/afternoon"
"flat out" = busy --> "We've been flat out trying to get ready for the conference."
"way out" = exit --> "Follow the 'way out' signs to the baggage claim area."
"How are you going?" = "How are you doing?"
"set down" = "drop off" --> "The passenger set down area is on the north side of the building."
"no worries" = "you're welcome"
"layby" = "layaway" --> "I'll put this dress on layby."
"Good on you" is a special phrase that often sounds like, "G'donya", and expresses a congratulatory sentiment. The city of Melbourne is pronounced, "Melbin". And the peculiarities abound. Of course, there were a few phrases I heard that will not be repeated here. Yes, Australia is a colorful place.
Overall, I deeply enjoyed the people here. Aussies are a fun-loving bunch who work hard and don't take themselves too seriously. They enjoy good-natured teasing, and the friendly banter only serves to lighten the mood. I felt very comfortable here, and I would love to come back with the family and spend a month or two seeing the country. Remember, while Australia may only have a population of twenty million, its land mass is almost equivalent to the forty-eight contiguous United States.
I've also posted a bunch of unrelated photos here. I couldn't tie them together thematically, but they each contribute a memory of my time here.
