First things first: the above title needs to be explained.

Brock, one of my many new friends here in Orlando, is an Australian ICP (International College Program) with Disney and we have been hanging out quite a bit. During the course of our adventures together, he has been teaching me the Aussie ways, while I explain some American-isms that absolutely baffle him.

It has been a really fun/funny exchanging of cultural differences!

Now, on to the title.

The title has to do with what Brock refers to as "the Aussie chant". If ever an Australian is in a group of people and is looking for other Aussies, he simply says, "Aussie! Aussie! Aussie!" and the proper response is for others from Australia to cry out, "Oi! Oi! Oi!" And apparently that is how you find one another...not sure how often that is used, but he likes to throw it out there quite a bit.

(Sometimes I think he just makes stuff up...he knows I am completely ignorant to Australian culture and I wouldn't put it past him.)

I decided that I needed to keep on on-going list of the terms that he has been teaching me. So, if you are interested, you may want to check this post every once and awhile because this is going to be where I keep track of my learnings.

And yes, I did just say "learnings." Deal with it.

American Australian
Sweatshirt........................................................................Jumper
Sausage.............................................................................Snags
Stroller..............................................................................Trolley
Friend................................................................................Mate
Roommate........................................................................Housemate*
Trail Blazing.....................................................................Bush Bashing
Stereotypical Australian.................................................Bogan**
May look "bad" but really isn't......................................Nothing Suss***

*"Roommate" is reserves solely for the person you share a room with within the apartment, whereas all others are "housemates"...I think this makes a lot of sense and I am going to try to adopt it because it would clear up a lot of confusion when talking to others about my living circumstances!

**When Brock says, "Bogan" he is typically mocking the stereotypical Aussie. He describes a bogan as being that guy who says "G'day, mate!" all the time or just tries to hard to bolster his Australian image. He also compares it to our use of the term "surfer dude" or "valley girl" to describe a particular personality or way of portraying oneself. And again, it is typically used with a dramatic eye-rolling and a tone of voice that indicates deep mockery, hah!

***"Nothing suss" is a bit confusing...and if I were to post the video Brock used to explain it...some may be offended :P Oops. Basically, it is when something at first glance looks to be bad or inappropriate but really is not. Think of certain scenes from Get Smart or Pink Panther and you'll get the idea ;)

And that has been the extent of my cultural training as of today. Again, I will continue to update this as I learn more.

It is so fun talking with Brock! Sometimes I have to stop him mid-sentence by waving my hand up and down in front of my face to indicate a cultural barrier that he needs to stop and break-down before he can continue. It has become quite the joke between the two of us.

Ah, just another fantastic adventure down here in Orlando!

P.S. To celebrate Australian Day (a.k.a. Invasion Day), Brock invited me over to his apartment and we watched the Australian episode of the Simpsons...I gotta say, it is soooooo much funnier when you have an Australian next to you explaining all the jokes you totally missed because you are an American!