And Bob's Your Uncle!

I’ve been living down under now for three weeks and every day I find myself becoming a little less American and a little more Aussie… I guess one can’t help adapting to one’s environment. The assumption that Australia is a bit more ‘Americanized’ than other countries may stem from the fact that we both speak English (but don’t tell the Aussie’s that – like the British they believe we speak a more vulgar dialect of the Queen’s proper English). But I am finding that life down under is more different than one would imagine.

I won’t even get into the fact that it is August and the Melbourne Winter Festival has started… Now I know the seasons are opposite in the Southern hemisphere but it is still hard to grasp the thought of winter in the middle of what should be summer. [Side note: only saving grace is that I will be here at least until Thanksgiving and will be back at the end of January. Trust me; you will not hear any whining about it being summer in the middle of winter. Just saying.]

For anyone who thinks I’m on some kind of cushy work assignment – it’s not as glamorous as you would imagine. I work long days, staring early in the morning to get caught up with the folks back in the states before the end of their day and then end up working late into the evening to make up for the meetings I was likely in all day. But the good news is I am enjoying the work and I’m getting way outside my comfort zone and my self-confidence is growing. I’m pretty sure I can be CEO of the company by the time my assignment is over (not that I want to be).

This past week, I spent three glorious days in sunny Sydney.  For once, Murphy let his guard down and I showed up just in time to experience a warming trend after they had gone through a week of cold, windy and wet weather. Seriously, that kind of thing rarely happens to me. In fact, did I mention that this is the coldest winter on record for Australia? Do you see what I mean?

Wednesday evening I went to dinner with some colleagues (including one from Reno). We went to a local pub called The Oaks. It’s a great place to unwind after work for a cold beer or glass of wine (or a Coke, which is what I had). What makes it ‘fun’ is you cook your own meal. One goes to the counter, picks out your meat of choice and sides and they send you to the grill. Great concept if one knows how to cook. No need to go down that road either.   With a little help from my friends, I enjoyed a nice steak and baked potato. The conversation was even better and I laughed harder than I had in a long time. We shared a lot of language nuances between the UK, Aussie, South Africa, and the US. It led to some interesting comparisons. I had never heard the expression “and Bob’s your uncle” which Michael (a Brit living in Australia for over 20 years) said meant “everything’s okay” and he proceeded to tell a story of a client from China who didn’t understand the saying. Then Martin pipes up and says it’s like “abracadabra.” HUH? I guess you probably had to be there but at least you will know what the saying means if you ever hear it (and it has nothing to do with magic).

For those of you who were wondering if I have met any Aussie guys, I actually did meet one great guy at the Pahran Market (a place to buy fresh fruit and veggies). I was perusing the produce when a man looked up at me and said “Hi beautiful” (I did look around to make sure he was in fact, addressing me). I should have known better because he followed up with “would you like to buy two mangos for $5? They are on special… normally it’s two for $6 so you save $1” (maybe he could tell that I’m mathematically challenged but I’m fairly sure I would have been able to calculate the savings without getting my iPhone out). Guess he wasn’t making a pass after all. So the answer is no – I have not met a great Aussie yet. Safe to say I won’t be moving down under permanently so no worries there.

On a positive note, I figured out the public transportation system here in Melbourne so I am mobile and not solely reliant on my feet to take me where I want to go. The best news is the closest Starbucks is only a 15 minute train ride away, located right at the Southern Cross station… And Bob’s your uncle (and hopefully he will be your uncle again tomorrow)!