I’ve been in the Southern Hemisphere for a month already?! It really doesn’t feel like it. Here’s my first month, by the numbers:
It’s been a busy month! I feel a lot more settled in now, I’ve started staying up past 9 p.m. (wild, I know). I’ve been getting requests from schools I’ve previously worked at, and being able to show up and not have everything new to me is really a calming feeling. I’m still having some surprises as I notice things that are different compared to back in Canada. Here’s a list of them (very on-brand for me, hey):
1. The light switches! You toggle the switch down to turn the lights on. I’m still getting caught up with this one, turning on a second light instead of turning them off.
2. Single pane windows are the norm – I guess that’s what happens when you don’t get winter. It really makes a difference too – overnight lows in the single digits mean you wake up feeling chilly and making that much harder to get out of bed.
3. They’re crazy for banana bread. It’s on the menu at McDonald’s (Macca’s) and everywhere else you look, too. I haven’t tried from McDonald’s yet (I actually haven’t eaten there at all) but it is on the list!
4. Walking (and driving) on the left, and standing on left of escalator. I am constantly finding myself drifting to the right side of the sidewalk, then having the realization that I’m the one in the wrong when I get in a near collision with someone. I’ve taken to looking both ways even when I cross one way streets, cause the extra half a second it takes is worth it to know I won’t be turning into a Kate pancake.
5. Pushing the ‘push to exit’ button. There’s been a handful of times where I thought I was locked in a building, only to realize that you need to press a button to release the exit door? Seems like it could make for a bad time in the event of a fire.
6. EVERYTHING is in metric. I was shopping for a throw blanket and had to pull up the conversions because I didn’t know how long 1.27 m is. Turns out, it’s 50 inches. And cooking too! The oven in the apartment only goes up to 250°C, but that’s 482°F. It’s so weird seeing recipes telling me to cook something at 180°C (356°F).
7. No window screens! Mosquitos are a thing here, but certainly not to the extent that we have at home. Want a bit of fresh air? Open the window, and you’ll get in unimpeded.
8. They’re not lines, they’re queues. That doesn’t stop me from telling the students to line up if I have to deliver them somewhere, though.
9. It’s not an elevator, it’s a lift. Luckily, elevator is a common enough term that people get what I’m saying.
10. Lastly, it isn’t called parchment paper, but baking paper. This one makes perfect sense and I don’t know why Canadians don’t take to the more practical name for it.
Now to see what September has in store!
– Kate
I can’t wait to hear about a visit to McDonald’s, this banana bread must be pretty darn good. And oh, yes I do not want you to turn into a Kate pancake!!
Love the math stats!!! Sounds like a great month, love hearing all about your adventures! The metric thing, I think, would be the most tricky to get used to, but you’ll be converting that stuff like a human calculator in no time!
In Japan, I used a blank cook book page and wrote down all the temperature conversions. Of course that was still in the days before smart phones. Lol
Do you drive over there? That was tricky too. Always an adventure pulling out onto a busy street only to realize you are going the wrong way.
My licence is valid for six months without me transferring it over, but I’m not sure if I will! So far, public transit has been meeting my needs just fine 🙂 I really don’t know if I would trust myself to remember to keep left, either!
Wow. Love the blogs. Glad to see you embracing this adventure. Sounds like a lot of fun. Do take care and remember to look both ways always. It is definitely something to get used to. Take care
Glad you like them! It is an amazing experience for sure 🙂 I’m starting to get the hang of it – my dreams are now featuring cars on the left side of the road… is that the same as how when you start to dream in a second language it means you are really getting the hang of it? Hope so!