since i've been in the southern hemisphere, i've noticed a few differences between australia and the states.

*the metric system. you measuring soda in mL, roads in km, and temperature in god knows what. hahahahahah!!

*driving on the WRONG side of the road. i thought it would be really weird to get used to, but it doesn't seem that off. i try to notice where james will drive when he's changing lanes, making turns, etc. i of course haven't tried it since i've never driven a stick before and that seems to be all they drive down here.

*on a sort of related note, there are roundabouts everywhere. it's such a brilliant idea because it keeps traffic flowing, but it is something we have in the US...just not so much in the bay area. get on that!!

*australian money is color coded. no seriously, it is. all the different notes are different colors so you can "quickly" see how much money you have. or so they tell me. cause it's so hard to see that i have a 5 and a 10 note and know that it's $15. oh, and coins they have coins for $1 and $2, and no quarter, just a 20 cent coin. random!!

*taxes are included in the price. so anywhere you go to buy something, it's already been factored in, you just pay what it says to pay without multiplying by .0725 or whatever the rate is. :)

*no tipping necessary at restaurants. it's already included in the price of food, and waiters don't rely on tips as part of their income.

*they honestly say "no worries" as a reply for everything. that and "it's okay" which i don't like as much. i say, "it's okay" when someone steps on my foot, and apologizes to me. they say it for everything!!

*odd tv shows. so they carry some american tv shows, but really weird stuff!! like sabrina the teenage witch, the nanny, and hogan's heros. i'm not sure if they're not allowed to get any cool stuff, or maybe it's just too expensive to carry. sure is an odd mix!!

*toilets. they have two settings of flush here, and it's basically a lot of water, or a lot more water. james thinks it's less water here than in california, but there's no way. it's pretty much niagara falls coming through on the low setting. and these guys are in a drought right now!!

that's it for the moment. i'll update again when i remember more hilarious differences. :)