Bingo! That’s the main lesson I took away from my first year here.

I’m glad you’re enjoying your time here, and that you haven’t had to take a lot of guff. For me, most of that was right after the election, and it seems to have died down.

Good luck with the jobs. The interview process is subtly different here but I haven’t been able to pinpoint exact details, so I can’t give you any good tips.

I hope no one gets the wrong idea about our treatment here by the “natives”. The only weird thing is the friendliness (or lack thereof) on the street.

I will say that, even though we figured out the walk on the left deal, people do not yield the right of way. Ever. It’s like a big game of chicken walking down the street. And this applies to men, women, kids, old ladies, whatever. It’s very unusual. People literally expect you to make way for them up until the last possible moment. And they do it to each other as well. They don’t even do that in NYC.

But we haven’t been treated badly by anyone. No smack talk or anything. We have been, in fact, treated extremely well by everyone we’ve actually met. This is a terrific place and we really enjoy being here. I just thought it interesting to contrast what are used to and what is a change. The fact that most things, including food, culture, language, ideals, etc. are similar or exactly the same, makes the things that are different stand out all that much more. It’s as though if things were more dissimilar it wouldn’t seem so peculiar when we come across the little differences.

And so far, our being American has only been a good thing. No snarking, or attitude. May be different outside of Sydney, and with the crap the has been happening in the US, I wouldn’t blame anyone to have strong feelings against us just based on our nationality. But so far so good.

As for fitting in, for me what’s worked is to do the basic stuff, like walking on the correct side of the sidewalk, etc. and not to sweat the details, but also to respect the fact that you’re in a different culture and if you want things like the way they are back home you may well have to explain it and/or get some funny looks. Do remember that in business-type transactions people will be much more formally polite, so structuring your request as “Sorry, I was wondering if you could…” will work wonders in a tough situation. Add a kind of sheepish smile for extra points. Australians sometimes perceive Americans as really pushy and demanding, so you may have to be more polite than a local would need to be in the same situation.

Unfortunately, some folks out there will make generalizations about you based on the accent, or you’ll hear people in the pub talking smack about Americans (oh-so-ironic when they’re wearing a t-shirt for an American band). These people would probably act like jerks even if you were fitting in exactly right. So don’t sweat it. Like my partner always tells me, just be yourself, and you’ll be fine…most people will let you know if you’ve made a big cultural faux pas.

Eric’s right. The Aussies are hugely hospitable and friendly people, and I’m still enjoying my interactions with just about everyone I come across. And so I too am surprised by the civil inattention practiced on the sidewalk, though I find rushhour-on-the-train behavior quite civil. It’s an out-and-out game of chicken navigating the sidewalks every morning. No matter how many people are barrelling toward you from the opposite direction, not a one will step aside and allow you to slip by. This leads to shoves and collisions if you aren’t prepared to jump out to the curb or stop dead in your tracks.

Just surprising behavior from people who otherwise seem very courteous and kind. I also wanted to note that I have reached something of an equilibrium with the coffee shenannigans. I have resorted to patronizing Starbucks (I would much prefer to frequent an independently owned shop), for the simple reason that it is the only place I can get a cup of coffee with a tipple of cream. But it is not without its humiliations. Each day, I explain my coffee order to the person behind the counter, slowly and apologetically, and each day, I suffer a quizzical look and then a bemused look exchanged with one of the other barristas. At least there are a couple of staff who have begun to remember my outlandish coffee preferences and save me the shame of asking for the out-of-the-ordinary day after day. But they never hand over the coffee without a smirk and a tiny, but good natured rolling of the eyes.

You have probably heard all about Hurricane Katrina – lots of damage to the Gulf Coast (AL, MS, LA). Some of the news reports have inflamed the frustration, but it is really devastating and will take a long time, with major repercussions, to get any normalcy for that area.

On a brighter note, gas is now $3 a gallon and rising fast. Meaning many people stay home and watch TV and get fatter. Life, what a shizzle (I am getting hip @ 40!).