Stay left and other lessons from my first month

Though the title of this post makes me seem like a hardcore liberal the content actually has no political agenda. Instead, staying left has a completely different meaning. I have been in Australia for a month and I am using this post to sum up some of my adventures so far and to let y'all know what I have coming up in the near future.

So, let me embellish on staying left. Have you ever been walking down the street or down the hallway and someone is walking in the opposite direction towards you and you kind of play chicken to see who moves to the side first so you don't run into each other? I know you all have. You've done the awkward stutter step and almost run into someone on several occasions. Since being here I discovered the solution! It all comes down to driving. Ok, those who know me are saying right now, what do I know about driving anymore? Well in America we drive on the right side of the road, the up-escalator is on the right, etc. Here, they drive on the left side of the road and the up-escalator is on the left. So when I'm walking up stairs or when walking down the street or when walking down a hallway and someone is coming at me in the opposite direction I just move left and there is no confusion or collision. Brilliant! I must bring that back to America. But the opposite of course. Because I think I would just make things worse if I continued to stay left.

Now I'm going to write a quick note on fashion here. I'll use an analogy:
UVA girls = sundresses
Sydney girls = long sleeve shirt with a dress over it, leggings, and flats. All together.
Guys cannot get into bars wearing shorts or flip flops or sneakers. Not like college bars...
Also, although it is winter here it is still like 65-70 degrees F. I still see people walking around with full out winter coats. I think that is a bit of an overreaction.
It is very interesting. I SCREAM American with my Converse sneakers, jeans, North Face back pack, sweaters, etc. I've given up hope on trying to fit in.

My final note right now is just on food. And I have something very sad to admit. I, Lara Donato, am overwhelmed by food here. Cooking is crazy because I don't know what to make so of course my fallback is just chicken, which is crazy expensive. I've been eating a lot of pasta and, sadly, bottled sauce. It was disappointing. But in better news, food here is awesome. I can get sushi rolls for like au$2. Asian food in general is awesome here. There is a whole Spanish quarter that we haven't yet explored but I am excited for that. And best of all, seafood is AMAZING. Fish and chips is the best. And they have this sweet chili sauce for potato wedges and chips that is incredible too; I'm hooked. Also there is a place in Sydney famous for meat pies and I have yet to try them but I have been told to go there as much as possible.

I could keep going on about my first month here but a lot of it has already been mentioned in previous posts. It is all going by so quickly. This weekend I am going to Newcastle with a few friends and I am heading to Melbourne in a few weeks. So be prepared for some random adventures.

Love from down under,
Lara