Things that are strange here

Here is a list, in no particular order, of things that strike me as different in Sydney:

*People leave their trash strewn throughout shops, especially coffee cups.  It apparently is the case that if there isn't a bin (trash can) beside you when you finish your coffee, you can just put it on the shelf. I always imagine the workers going through the stores after they close, collecting trash, and wonder if they're angry or matter-of-fact.

*The coffee here is very good. I have not had a bad one.

*One afternoon each week, after lunch, the children do nothing but sports.  Tommy’s sport day is Thursday afternoon and Lizzie’s is Tuesday.  The entire school participates in a swim meet (called a "swimming carnival").  If you're young, you play games in a separate pool, but if you're 8 and over, you have to swim.  Even if you're not a swimmer, except that everyone is a swimmer.

*Most grown ups, say 35 and over, and most especially men, call Tommy “matey.”  We test this out quite often because Tommy greets many people as he goes through his day.

*Austrialians hate the letter “r”.  I knew this because of Sid, but even the lady who says the stops on the trains leaves them out.  It’s the classy way to speak. My favorite stop is Burwood, but you say it "buh-wood".

*You don't tip anyone for anything at all. I had a long chat with my only friend here, that sounded like this: "Your hairdresser?" "Go to the counter and pay." "What about a pedicure?" "Go to the counter and pay." "What about a delivery?" "Tell them thank you."

*The word "arvo".  It means afternoon and that is just silly.  It's too hard to say or type "afternoon"?