Adventures in slang

My first impressions were that Australia is very similar in many ways to the U.S., although I can definitely tell I’m in a foreign country. After over a month here I can understand almost everyone almost all of the time, but I still get caught up on a word here and there. I do run across the occasional person who sounds to me like Woodstock. And that’s not to mention all the different expressions and slang, and Australians love to abbreviate. Much of the language is more similar to british English than American English, colour, mum, stuff like that.

Some of my favorite phrases so far: “How you going,” “That’s okay” (the Australian version of saying “no problem” instead of “you’re welcome, update: "no worries" is a more common phrase), “Happy as Larry” (like “happy as a clam,” and makes just as much sense), “Rug up” (put a jacket or a jumper (sweatshirt) on). Also, goon=boxed wine, Bogans=rednecks, sunnies = sunglasses, brekkie = breakfast, mecca's = McDonalds…you get the idea. The other day I was talking to someone and they said “oh, and bring a doona”

“a what?” I said

“a doona”

“A dooner?”

“Ya”

“Dooner”

“Doona”

“What word are you saying??”

I finally figured out that she was talking about a blanket
(update: according to some real live Australians, a doona means a duvet, or comforter, whereas a regular blanket would be called a blanket). 

Only once have I heard someone say "G'day mate!"

  

After a day or two, I became less alarmed by cars driving on the left side of the road, although I am still extra careful when I cross the street. The thing that does still sometimes catch me off guard is the driver sitting on the right side of the car. I still get a little shocked when I look over at a moving car and see NO ONE sitting in the driver seat – it’s a ghost! Oh, wait, no – the driver is just in the other seat. On the topic of traffic – roundabouts are wonderful, beautiful things and we really should get more of them in the U.S.

What a wonderfully simple sign, no confusion possible

As it is election season, both here and in the U.S., politics have come up quite a bit. I’ve learned a lot about the Australian political and election systems, which is in many ways very different from our own. There are still two major parties, but the prime minister is chosen by whichever party wins the majority of seats in the senate. If the party deems that the prime minister is doing a terrible job of things, they can displace him or her and put in a new candidate from their party. If the entire government is deemed to be doing a terrible job of things, or just not getting anything done, they can dissolve parliament and call for a new election. Also, voting is compulsory! An election was held last Saturday, but it is such a close race that they may be counting and recounting votes for the next few weeks. All the hype is getting me warmed up for November. Speaking of November, heaps of people have commented to me about the sad state of affairs of American politics these days, but almost everyone is sympathetic to our plight. They have several pretty horrible politicians here as well, so I think they understand on some level what we are going through.

Somehow I can't imagine anyone in the U.S.A. buying this brand

A red Capsicum

The food here is also a bit different. Cadbury is the major everyday chocolate instead of Hershey’s, and I daresay it is superior. Lollies are a big thing here, lollies being pretty much any non-chocolate candy. I am convinced that Australians, or at least Tasmanians, are obsessed with marshmallows. Not that I think this a bad thing, mind you. 

Lollies

Another delicious, sweet tradition here is the Tim Tam slam. My friend Emma tipped me off to this when she visited Australia a few years back, and now I’ve experienced it myself. Tim Tams are a chocolate biscuit (cookie), and to perform a Tim Tam slam you bite off each end of the cookie, and use it as a straw for your hot chocolate or tea. This makes the biscuit all melty and gooey, yum!

A Tim Tam Tutorial

I’ve had the chance to eat Wallaby, although not yet Kangaroo. It tastes like…meat. Pretty delicious, and it’s local and native, more feed and water efficient than cattle, and lean meat. They are pretty cute, though. Tasmanian pepperberry is another interesting local food – it’s a native bush whose leaves have a very distinctive spicy peppery flavor.

There is no tipping culture here, which is quite nice, and Aussies are damn proud of it. The other day we ordered pizza and I did not tip the delivery man! It felt so wrong, but it felt so right.

I guess the true test of the cultural differences and my assimilation to them will be when I get back to the US, hopefully I won’t be too obnoxious if I accidentally drop some Australian slang or pronounce a word funny here and there. Then again, this is why we travel, isn’t it? To see a different way of doing things, learn new perspectives, see our home country from afar, and get out of our comfort zones a little bit.

Devil Worshippers

An Australian, a Swiss, and an American drive into the wilderness, looking for Devils…

it sounds like the beginning of a cheesy joke. Last week I was given the opportunity to accompany a PhD student on his fieldwork in Freycinet National Park, to trap and study Tasmanian Devils. He is working on monitoring the local population of Devils to measure the response to Devil Facial Tumor Disease (DFTD), a very interesting but devastating contagious cancer. The Devils transfer the tumor cells to their compatriates when they bite each other around the face, usually during mating season. Over time, the tumors grow so big that the devils can’t eat, or see, eventually killing them. Throughout Tasmania, the Devil population has declined ~85%, but it seems that the remaining Devils may be slowly evolving and developing resistance to the disease. Here’s hoping.

Felicia the Devil

Our three-person team was composed of me, Sebastien (the PhD student, originally from Switzerland), and Mikaela (an undergrad in Ecology from Melbourne). We set 38 traps (baited with meat) in and around the National Park, and spent each morning bouncing and sliding around backroads and fire tracks in our sturdy 4WD “ute” (utility vehicle, aka a pickup truck) checking each one. If we pulled up to a trap and saw that it was closed, the excitement rose – will there be a Devil inside? A Quoll? Often the trap was empty, and sometimes the meat was stolen – they outsmarted us once again. But many times Sebastien would peek inside to find a Tasmanian Devil or a Spotted Tail Quoll, the other prominent marsupial carnivore living in the area.

Checking the trap

We set up our work station: data sheet, calipers for measuring, swabs for microbiology samples, needles and biopsy punches for blood and tissue sample collection, clippers for hair and whisker samples, microchip reader, etc. and set to work. The animal was gently transferred to a heshen (burlap) sack, and scanned for a microchip, weighed, and then gently handled by Sebastien until either the back of its head, or its tail, or its side – whatever part we needed to work with – was exposed, all the while keeping it secure and with eyes covered. A few of the animals were jumpy, or struggled, but most of them stayed remarkably calm. Mikaela and I took turns scribing and assisting with sample collection, and rest assured it was thrilling to be so close to these rare and elusive animals. We were able to look in their mouths, examine their adorable but tough little feet, and a few times get a glimpse at some tiny joeys in the mother’s pouch!

Dumping a devil from the trap into the bag

Sampling

Taking a lip biopsy

Although the main purpose of the research is to monitor the Devils, I was just as excited to see the Quolls. I had never heard of a Quoll before arriving in Tasmania, but they are now one of my favorites! They are so beautiful and graceful, covered in white spots with a tail longer than their body, and an adorable glistening pink nose.

   

After taking all of our data, we unpacked the little Devils and watched them run into the bush. While I’m sure that it is a somewhat to very stressful experience for the animals, for most it probably is not too traumatizing because we had many return visitors. Back for a snack and a massage!

What a sad face!

Adios!

In the afternoons when we finished in enough time, we explored the area, going on several hikes. Freycinet National Park is one of the most visited destinations in Tasmania, so I felt pretty lucky. We saw Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos, Wedge-tailed Eagles and White-bellied sea eagles, Black Swans, Wallabies, Kukaburras, a Southern Right Whale, Dolphins, and Australian Fur Seals. Wineglass Bay is one of the main attractions in the park, and the view certainly is spectacular, especially from the top of Mt. Amos, despite the steep and treacherous hike to get there.

Friendly beaches

Since we were a group of diverse origins, we also enjoyed many conversations on a wide variety of topics, comparing U.S., Australian, and Swiss/French ways and viewpoints, politics, and culture. Did you know that Switzerland does not have a president or prime minister, but instead has seven ministers from different political parties that all have to reach consensus on their decisions? Or that Australia is currently counting every vote in one of (if not) the closest election in history?

Overall it was a very enjoyable, enlightening experience.

Wineglass bay from Mt. Amos