Reverse culture shock

So I'm back in the States safe and sound and I have to be honest, it's a little bit weird! It seems like I spent way longer than 7 months away. Here is a list of a few things that are strange to me:

-American money. I've realized through traveling that money in pretty much every country than America is a lot easier to figure out. Different values are different colors and sizes, instead of everything looking exactly the same except for the number, like US bills. For example, NZ$20 is larger in size than NZ$5. Makes sense, right??

-Driving on the right-side of the road. There have been a couple times I've been in Abby's car and momentarily freaked out because I thought we were turning into the wrong lane. Ha.

-American accents. I got pretty adept while in NZ at picking out a North American accent from a mile away, because they're so rare. Now I'm surrounded by them! And people are making fun of me because they think now I sound British or something. British?!

-Chain stores. I took the BART from the SFO airport to my friend's house in Oakland, and when we came out from underground, I saw a McDonald's, Taco Bell, Starbucks, Round Table Pizza, Fuddrucker's, TGI Fridays, all in succession. There are a few local NZ and Australian chains, and they have McDonalds and maybe KFC, but that's about it, so it's weird to be so surrounded by fast food chains.

welcome to america!

Australia!

So far since I've been here I have:

-gotten sunburnt by laying on the beach for like 10 minutes (i'm such an Alaskan!)
-wandered around Sydney and sat by the harbour and the opera house
-eaten a lot of peanut butter and jam!
-got a free surfing lesson! and managed to stand up on the board twice in an hour! I'm going for another one tomorrow, I love it.
-Went snorkeling and saw lots of crazy looking fish
-Saw humpback whales
-done lots more laying on the beach
-visited a koala hospital where they take care of koalas that have been burned in forest fires, hit by cars, or attacked by dogs
-went to a wildlife park and got to pet a koala and feed a kangaroo (or maybe a wallaby, I'm not positive)
-drank lots of iced coffee and people watched

I am LOVING it here! I'm sad I only have a couple weeks but it just means that I have to come back someday. Can't believe I leave on Thursday, it's sort of blowing my mind really. I'll be getting back to Seattle exactly 8 months after I left. I can't wait to see anyone but I am so sad to be in the cold again....! :(

More beach time tomorrow!

Reason #451 that I love Australia and New Zealand:

They call all-you-can-eat buffets "smorgasboards". So you see the word smorgasboard on every sign for a Chinese restaurant, which is awesome. That word should be used more often in the States!

austRAIIYYLiyuh

I left New Zealand yesterday and made it to Australia safe and sound. It's not nearly as warm as I would like it to be, but the sun is out and that's nice. My last few days in NZ were lovely, I stayed with very nice people, ate well, played with dogs and goats, and sight-saw. I'm going to be in Syndey for about a week visiting a friend and then will make my way further up the coast in search of sunshine! October 22nd I fly back to the US, crazy! By that time it will have been 7 months since I left the states.