quicko: gingerbread -- going, going -- (!!)

I was greeted at work this morning by a shocked American co-worker: the Australians wanted to eat the gingerbread house! They said that was what you were supposed to do with it! What to do! She had staved them off as long as possible, but the outlook was grim. No one approached me until the afternoon when suddenly a small host of teachers wandered over to see if maybe, just maybe, they could begin nibbling the gingerbread now. I was similarly aghast (but! but! how else will we leave it to admire until January!?), but decided that when in Australia I'd do as the Australians do. They insisted I take the first bite, so I hesitantly plucked off a freckle (freckle: n, chocolate candy covered in sprinkles). The floodgates opened and before I knew it hundreds of teachers had descended and shredded the darling house to smithereens -- they did not merely go for the candy as I'd naively assumed they would (I've seen Americans do that, though not usually before Christmas, unless it's not theirs and they're being sneaky), but massacred the entire roof, walls, everything. When I left, there was indeed little left at all.

And I must admit, I've had an idea: I am providing dessert tomorrow for my connect group. I am short on cash. I am going on holiday soon. I have a spare gingerbread house ...

quicko: how much is that dress in the window?

It seems that, like so many other things, dress prices are significantly higher here -- even at markets, where I was hoping I could find things less outrageously priced. Not so. But, I do have a new Easter dress now. And it is gorgeous. And worth a good 30% of its cents.

quicko: church vocabulary

I might have mentioned this before, but the nursery is referred to as creche ("cray-sh") here. Also, greeting is generally called welcoming and the really in name for Bible study groups (home groups, care groups, etc.) is connect groups.

quicko: wheelie bins

These are really what they call trash cans on wheels. I thought they were joking, but then realized I was the only one laughing ...

quicko: gingerbread summer

Awhile ago I cleared up the confusion regarding when Australians make gingerbread houses (Christmastime, not winter), but, having just witnesses upwards of 40 Australians make gingerbread houses, I can state that many (shall we roughly put it at 20%?) included some form of flower design on their house. These designs were gorgeous and lovely and ... summery. So, yes, they do make gingerbread houses in December, and, yes, they put "snow" on top, but, no, they are not restricted solely to conifers.

quicko: all i really need to know about america i learned in the movies

Seriously. The movies are the primary exposure most Australians have to America, aside from the two obligatory three-week treks (one East coast, one West, though both include Vegas and LA).

To summarize then, all Americans live in a two-story white house with a porch and a dog named Beethoven, pray before every dinner, go to school with highly attractive and clique-based students who trek to Miami every year for spring break before spending four party years in a frat house. They then get a job that requires a suit and Starbucks in hand, fall madly in love with a girl from a Republican (or was it Democrat?) family, get married in a church and buy a two-story white house with a porch and a dog named Beethoven. Throughout the cycle they celebrate quaintly bizarre holidays such as Thanksgiving, the Fourth of July and Groundhog Day (do they really??).

The questions I get most generally revolve around my high school experience (no, I was not a cheerleader) and politics (yes, that was a rude question), but anything that expounds upon traditions they've seen on the big screen is generally considering intriguing.

quicko: no christmas tree for charlie brown

Australians don't know the meaning of a Charlie Brown Christmas tree. Why not? They don't have A Charlie Brown Christmas Special. They know the character, but none of his yuletide woes.

Australians, meet a Charlie Brown Christmas tree. Charlie Brown Christmas tree, meet the Australians.