So on my first day in Australia I had a "god I'm an idiot" moment. This moment came to me when I tried to give someone exact change for something I was purchasing. I must admit that coming from the states, I really had to get used to the coins here. First, in Australia, I've noticed that you get a lot of coins back from the teller. They're really starting to pile up. So, I thought I'd stay on top of the game, and try to give as much exact change as I could.
Well, in the states, we have a 1, 5, 10, 25 cent coins. In Australia, there's the 5, 10, 20, 50 cent coins. They also have a $1 and $2 dollar coin. So, the total was something like $20.60. Do I give him 60 cents? Of course not, I give him 25 cents. At this moment, I'm very proud, thinking I'm picking up these new coins fairly fast. The teller just stares at me like I'm a dumb-ass and cheerfully says: "it's 60 cents mate". At that moment, I was extremely embarrassed, and the manager of the complex who was with me just laughed and told the teller that I was fresh off the boat! I had a really good laugh. The 20 cent piece here is larger than the 25 cent piece in the states, so I assumed it was the 50 cent piece. The five cent piece looks a lot like the dime back in the states. I've now know the coins perfectly, but dear god, I think I must have turned pretty red..
Hey! Im back! I definitely have a lot of catching up to di with your blog.. but it sounds like you are doing fine!
I found the same exact thing with the coins... you feel like you have way less money than you do because Americans are used to coins being practically worthless denominations. If you dont feel like carrying around the heavy 1 and 2 dollar coins, start a coin jar by chucking your loose stuff in when you get home... youll be pleasantly surprised in a month when you have $75 in "shrapnel" that you didnt think you had. :)
Posted by: Sarah | February 22, 2006 at 08:52 PM
Oh, and by the way, I am so, so, SO jealous of you right now!!!
Posted by: Sarah | February 22, 2006 at 08:57 PM