Observations on my first week in Sydney
 

So there we have it, my first week in Sydney over, arrived last Friday morning, rested over the weekend and had a good walk around and started work on Monday!!!!! Had a full week at work already! :eek: No rest for the wicked :p

Just a few general day to day observations on Sydney so far -

I have learnt that Sydneysiders don't like you saying 'morning' or 'good morning' as you pass them on your way to the station :o I come from a small Northern town where by a friendly greeting to a stranger first thing is kind of the done thing. On my way to the station on Monday morning I said 'Morning' to the women I passed and she jumped out of her skin and looked at me like I was going to do something horrible to her. Undeterred I tried the next person I passed and they blanked me :o Everyone seems in such a hurry here.

There was a guy at the station this morning who sprinted past me for a train and ran up to the doors as they were closing and just missed it. He started swearing and calling City Rail everything under the sun, until another train came down the line 3 minutes later FFS :rofl: Amused me anyway.

And I will be dammed if I can understand a word those City Rail train guards say over the PA system. Pulling towards North Sydney the other day and what the guy said sounded NOTHING like North Sydney next stop, maybe it is a language I have yet to learn.

In a meeting at work they put some sweets out on the table. I said 'oh sweets thanks' to which everyone stopped and told me they were in fact lollies, I refuse to call them lollies as that will always be something on a stick.

I also refuse to call crisps - chips and y'oh'gurt - y'OO'gurt.

What a fantastic city though, the harbour is just stunning and the fresh food on offer mind blowing. And the coffee is way better than anything I have had in the UK.

Rant over anyway, settling in ok now after a shakey start. People said starting work so early was a bad idea but I think it helped me focus and get back in a routine.

Re: Observations on my first week in Sydney
 

Glad that you are settling in

Looking forward to you next post after the next week or your 1st month

Hope all goes wel for you

Re: Observations on my first week in Sydney
 

However you would have found the same result if you'd walked down the street in Newcastle, York, Liverpool etc. Small towns are different from cities. Took about 2 years before I found myself saying chips and lollies. Yogurt will always be yogurt though.:D

Keep smiling, it's all good. ;)

Re: Observations on my first week in Sydney
 

I originally come from a small town in NW uk, and strangers saying morning or similar would get the same response of blanking you and swearing under their breath because they had just missed the train.

I think it is due to peoples mindset and whether they are glass half full or glass half empty type people - i regularly go into manchester now and strike up conversations with strangers but cant do it in where i live.

Hopefully wont be long till we are in Sydney as well - my husband will be landing and then straight into work on the monday morning.

Didnt realise that sweeties were lollies in Australia though - I wonder how many times i will get crisps ifn i mean to order fries when i get there?????

Re: Observations on my first week in Sydney
 

I made the mistake of talking to people on the Tube when I first arrived in the UK. I got the hint after only 3 days.

:eek: :unsure:

Re: Observations on my first week in Sydney
 

Ah, but in Australia, chips are crisps and hot chips are chips. Or chips and chips and you have to understand the context!!!

Re: Observations on my first week in Sydney
 

....unless you're a stubborn git like me in which case crisps are still crisps and always will be :) Ands sweets will always be sweets ;)

Re: Observations on my first week in Sydney
 

Yeah but you don't have kids so it's not dripped slowly but steadily into your brain. :lol:

Re: Observations on my first week in Sydney
 

oh i always call them candies

Re: Observations on my first week in Sydney
 

I'm sure it was nothing personal:p

Same, and I have kids:D

Re: Observations on my first week in Sydney
 

I do work for the government though, where its unfortunately impossible to have a meeting without someone dumping bowls of yucky sweets all over the table :D

Re: Observations on my first week in Sydney
 

I started work quick too, landed late on Wednesday night and started work on Monday. I would have liked more time to settle in, but it worked out ok.

Everyone I see in the morning on the way to the busstop says hello to me. I wouldn't say hello to people once I arrive in the city.

I will never call sweets lollies.

Hope your second week goes well.

Re: Observations on my first week in Sydney
 

DIARY OF AN ENGLISHMAN IN NEWMAN , WESTERN AUSTRALIA

August 31
Just got transferred with work from grey old London to our new home in
Newman, Western Australia. Now this is a town that knows how to live!
Beautiful, sunny days and warm, balmy evenings. I watched the sunset from
a deckchair by the pool yesterday. It was beautiful. I've finally found my
new home. I love it here.

September 13
Really heating up now. It got to 31 today. No problem though. Living in
air-conditioned home, driving air-conditioned car.
What a pleasure to see the sun every day like this. I'm turning into a
sun-worshipper.

September 30th
Had the back yard landscaped with tropical plants today. Lots of palms and
rocks. No more mowing lawns for me.
Another scorcher today, but I love it here.

October 10th
The temperature hasn't been below 35 all week. How do people get used to
this kind of heat?
At least today it's windy though. Keeps the flies off a bit. Acclimatising
is taking longer than I expected.

October 15th
Fell asleep by the pool yesterday. Got third degree burns over 60% of my
body. Missed three days of work. What a dumb thing to do!
Got to respect the ol' sun in a climate like this.

October 20th
Didn't notice Kitty (our cat) sneaking into the car before I left for work
this morning.
By the time I got back to the car after work, Kitty had died and swollen
up to the size of a shopping bag and stuck to the upholstery.
The car now smells like Whiskettes and cat shit. I've learned my lesson
though: no more pets in this heat.

October 25
This wind is a bastard. It feels like a giant *****in' blow dryer.
And it's hot as hell! The home air conditioner is on the blink and the
repair man charged $200 just to drive over and tell me he needs to order
parts from *****in' Perth .

October 30th
The temperature's up around 40 and the parts still haven't arrived for the
*****in' aircon.
Been sleeping outside by the pool for three nights now. Bloody $600,000
house and we can't even go inside.
Why the hell did I ever come here?

November 4
Finally got the ol' aircon fixed. It cost $1,500 and gets the temperature
down to around 25 degrees, but the humidity makes it feel about 30.
Stupid repairman.

November 8
If one more smart arse says 'Hot enough for you today?', I'm going to
*****in' throttle him. *****in' heat!
By the time I get to work, the car's radiator is boiling over, my clothes
are soaking *****in' wet and I smell like baked cat!

November 9
Tried to run some errands after work, wore shorts, and sat on the black
leather upholstery in the ol' car.
I thought my *****in' arse was on fire. I lost two layers of flesh, all the
hair on the backs of my legs and my *****in' arse.
Now the car smells like burnt hair, fried arse and baked cat!

November 10
Weather report! It might as well be a *****in' recording. Hot and sunny.
Hot and sunny, Hot and *****in' sunny!
It's been too hot to do anything for two *****in' months and the weatherman
says it might really warm up next week.
Doesn't it ever rain in this damn *****in' place. Water restrictions will
be next, so my $5,000 worth of palms might just dry up and blow into the
*****in' pool..
The only things that thrive in this hell-hole are the *****in' flies. You
don't dare open your mouth for fear of swallowing half a dozen of the
*****ers!

November 20th
Welcome to HELL! It got to 45 *****in' degrees today..
Now the air conditioner's gone in my car. The repair man came to fix it
and said, 'Hot enough for you today?'
My wife had to spend the $2,500 mortgage payment to bail me out of jail
for assaulting the stupid f**ker.
*****in' Newman! What kind of sick, demented *****in' idiot would want to
live here!

December 1
WHAT!!!! The first day of Summer!!!! You are *****in' kidding!

Re: Observations on my first week in Sydney
 

Just say chips and lollies, it'll make life easier as it's no biggie. You can always call them sweets and crisps at home. I still say yog-urt and no one bats an eyelid. Haven't managed light globes yet but again no one bats an eyelid when I say bulb.

Re: Observations on my first week in Sydney
 

My life is not difficult because I say sweets and crisps. :)

I had no idea that light bulbs are called light globes, still learning.