Australians like Texas Accents. (Warning: VERY LONG POST)

Jet lag is worse than being kicked by a kangaroo. I have come to this conclusion not by being kicked by a kangaroo but rater by experiencing jet lag to its fullest. How do I know this then? Well I’ve seen kangaroos and I have seen their feet which leads me to wonder if I would trade in the feeling of jet lag for the sensation of being kicked by a kangaroo. I might change my mind if for some reason a kangaroo ever actually decides to be so kind as to kick me but for now I’m going to go with that. I usually do not write such strange things in a blog post nor do I really think of such things on a regular basis. However, I think I’ll go ahead and blame it on jet lag. In fact, I’ll go ahead and blame every crazy thing I’ve done these past few days on the awful, awe-inspiring feeling of jet lag.

I have attempted more than half a dozen times to get into the drivers seat when someone takes me for a drive. (Aussies drive on the left side and therefore the steering wheel is on the right side) I have also let out a high pitched yell and covered my face when my friend proceeded to drive on the left side of the road. Why did I do this? Um….jet lag? Less than 24 hours after arriving to Australia I was asked to say a few words in front of the whole church. Everyone was sitting in silent anticipation waiting for the American to say something thought provoking. Um… did I mention I was jet lagged? I actually ended up rambling on to the congregation about how I lived in Louisiana for many years (this had nothing to do with what I was supposed to talk about). I believe I used the phase “I’m really excited to be here” about 13 times during my talk. Right before I was called to talk I had to leave the congregation because of a spontaneous coughing fit. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the last time I had a crazy coughing fit. I also did it on the first day of classes. Yep, jet lag.

The other day I decided to take a train home from the camp that I went to for a week (very good camp btw). Granted I have never used the train before as transportation system but it did seem to be a good idea at the time. It wasn’t. Long story short I took the wrong train, ended up in some random town that had graffiti all over the walls, all the while carrying a 45 pound bag on my back and accidentally knocking over anyone crazy enough to get in my way. But a few hours later I was safely back in the home that I was supposed to be in. In the end it was a good experience for me because it taught me how to get around and rely on myself. Jet lag? Um…yep sure. I also attempted to tell my youth minister and his family a joke from America. Note here that the same meaning applies for the slang term “crabs” in America as well as in Australia (do I really have to explain further?). I’m sure everyone knows this joke. Why don’t crabs share? Because they are shellfish! Well that’s not exactly how I said it. Nope. I proceeded to ask the youth pastor “why don’t we share crabs here?” Jet lag!!! Unfortunately, I’m only able to milk the excuse of jet lag for so long. By the time my next post comes along I would have already recovered and would then have to be fully accountable for my actions. Well I suppose I can always use the justification of “oh that’s just what we do in America” for every single embarrassing thing that I end up saying or doing. Eventually though they are bound to figure out that most of the stuff I do is just because I’m Hannah Wagley.

Since I’m an observer I have found some random tidbits of knowledge during my first week here that I hope you find interesting:

~ Australians are tough, Texans are wimpy. Not really but I have found this to be true when it comes to warming houses in the winter. It is so cold everywhere I go (it’s winter here now). Australians don’t really heat their house very much. I don’t believe many houses have central heating. In fact the normal temperature in most houses is around 50-58 F. This is nuts! And they leave windows and doors open all the time! It’s winter here! Winter!

~ Don’t get excited (like I did) when you weigh yourself on a scale and find the number is 53. This is not pounds! It’s kilograms. Australians also use KJ instead of calories, litters instead of gallons; centimeters instead of inches (ask someone how tall they are. It’s in centimeters!), kilometers instead of miles, and probably most importantly, Celsius instead of Fahrenheit. So again, don’t get excited like I did when you see the speed limit is 100.

~ When someone says “would you like to have tea at my house tonight” this means that they have invited you for supper. Not tea. When someone says “we didn’t get any morning tea” this means that they missed breakfast. However, when someone says “lets have a cup of tea” (which they do quite often) then this means lets have a cup of tea. But sometimes this means lets have a snack and no tea is ever actually served. Very confusing.

~Iced tea is unheard of. Chicken fried steak is unheard of. Fried catfish is unheard of! Ahhhhh! No one that I have talked to yet has ever actually heard of fried okra or even okra for that matter.

~ I’ve never seen so many cyclists and runners in my life. These people are crazy. I live close to the beach and at certain times of the day cars can hardly get past the cyclists on the roads. They are everywhere! I love it.


~ Australians seem to drink from the tiniest cups I’ve ever seen. During a meal I’ll get up several times just to refill my cup. For the most part, Australians don’t really drink with their meals. There’s been many meals that I’ve had were I was dying of thirst and there didn’t seem to be any cups or liquid around.

~ Apparently it rarely rains where I live. And the city of Melbourne doesn’t have many water reservoirs. This means they have very little water to spare. It is strongly suggested by the government that we can only have three minute showers. I’ve noticed how people here go to great lengths to conserve the water. I’ve never seen so many dirty cars. My host family will take the water from the bathtub they used via bucket and put it in their garden. I have yet to see a sprinkler in the yard. Hmmm….maybe this explains why they have such small cups?

~ Australians don’t tip (for the most part). Not even in restaurants. Most waiters make more than $15 an hour so it’s not necessary. This is the way to go!

~ “How did you go? or “How are you going” This was a confusing phrase b/c it wasn’t used in the context I was familiar with. When Aussies say this it means “how did you do?” or “how are you”

~ If you meet a girl in Australia there’s a 50% chance that her name is Kate. Well I’m exaggerating quite a bit but I’ve never met so many girls named Kate (Kat, Katharine, Katy, etc…) than I ever have before.

~Austrian coffee is so much better than American coffee. I’m a bit of a coffee addict and much to my extreme delight I have found that Australian coffee shop coffee is much better tasting than American coffee. However, when they make coffee within their houses it is much different and worse than drip coffee in America. Everyone does powder coffee instead of the real stuff from coffee machines.

~ Australians love Texas accents! I thought they might.


I love Australia and the differences in culture. Australians are some of the nicest, friendliest people you will ever come across. I look forward to my time here and writing about everything I have learned and observed.