His: Living in America - Confusion in the Cereal Aisle

On my first visit to a supermarket in America I was a little surprised to see that we had many of the same breakfast cereals. What I wasn't prepared for was even though they looked the same and had the same mascots they had totally different names. Below are some of the more well known ones that have different names.

 Rice Bubbles / Rice Krispies

Snap, Crackle and Pop adorn the front of the box in both countries. In Australia they are known as Rice Bubbles and in America they are called Rice Krispies.

Coco Pops / Cocoa Krispies

In Australia the chocolate coated version of the rice cereal is known as Coco Pops and has a monkey as the mascot. In Americathey are called Cocoa Krispies and have Snap, Crackle and Pop as the mascots.

Frosties / Frosted Flakes

Tony the Tiger has been the mascot for both countries for decades. In Australia they are known as Frosties, probably because we love making names shorter. In America they are called Frosted Flakes.

Sultana Bran / Raisin Bran

The dried fruit that goes into this cereal are known as sultanas in Australia and raisins in America. This is why the cereals are known by different names in the two countries.

Nutri Grain Cereal / Nutri Grain Bars.

Nutri Grain is a popular cereal in Australia but is not found in America. In America the Nutri Grain name is also owned by Kelloggs but is used to market cereal bars and not a breakfast cereal. The cereal in Australia tastes vaguely like Honey Nut Cheerios.

I may be missing others but these are the ones that came to mind. Which names do you like better?  What is your favourite breakfast cereal? 

His and Her TBT: Deadly Animals in the Water

Angela at The Teacher's Desk 6 is hosting a Throwback Thursday linky party. The rules are simple - choose a previous blog post and re-post it. 

Sean loves writing blog posts about the differences between living in the U.S. and living in Australia. The theme of our A-Z Challenge this year was Australia and all the cool places to visit there. I love these posts too because it is fun to compare and contrast the cultures, lifestyles, stores, language, etc. Last year, he blogged about some pretty deadly Australian sea life that we do not have in the waters off our coasts. Enjoy!

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It is pretty well known that Australia is home to some of the most unique animals in the world. It is also home to many of the deadliest animals as well. It sometimes seems that if you watch a nature program on TV you sometimes think that the country is just crawling with them and its only a matter of seconds before something bites or devours you. The truth is that although many of Australia's animals are quite deadly they are normally afraid of humans and you have to do something pretty silly to get attacked. 

   Today's post looks to the coastline of Australia and will highlight some of the nasties that could await you in the water. We will skip the sharks for now even though they do earn an honourable mention, but there are not very many unique species of sharks that live exclusively around Australia that are known to attack humans. Below are a few of Australia's marine creatures that are best avoided and left well alone.

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Blue Ringed Octopus: These little guys are usually found in rock pools along the beach and small enough for a child to pick up. When left alone they often blend in with their surrounding but if they are provoked or feel threatened they will display bright blue rings. If you happen to try and pick one of these little guys up you will likely get bitten and you may not even know as the bite is often painless. Should you get bit you will need to seek medical attention immediately as the venom is very deadly and total paralysis will set in within 10-15 minutes. Breathing will stop within this time and if assisted breathing is not administered death will soon follow. If a bite victim can rushed to a hospital and placed on an artificial ventilator they will likely recover fully as the effects of the venom are usually gone within 24 hours or so. If left alone these guys pose little danger so feel free to look at the pretty blue rings but do not pick it up for a closer look!

Box Jellyfish: These guys are next to invisible in the water and can provide a sting that is more painful than anything you have ever felt. Found in the tropical waters of northern Australia they are so dangerous many beaches are closed to swimmers during the Australian summer. It is one of the larger jellyfish and the bell can be as large as a man's head and the stingers can trail for several feet. Even when dead jellyfish or detached stingers can provide a painful sting. The venom is deadly and has been responsible for the deaths of at least 80 people in the last 150 years. If stung the recommended remedy is to flood the sting area with vinegar as it helps detaches the stingers from the skin and to seek medical attention. Its definitely best to check with the locals or heed the warning signs before heading into the waters in the tropical areas of Australia.

Stonefish: Thankfully these guys are rare but they can deliver a nasty surprise to anyone unlucky enough to step on one. Found along the coast of the top half of Australia, Stonefish are found partially buried in the sand. They do this to camouflage themselves from their prey but sadly this makes them impossible to see. They often will not move even if someone is about to step on them so it is recommended to wear good water shoes and tread carefully. The danger comes from a row of venomous spines that run along the top of the fish that is activated when someone steps on the fish. Although it is not as deadly as some of the other creatures around Australia's coastline these guys will do a number on the bottom of your foot and will make walking quite painful for many days. If you happen to step on one it is recommended to sooth the pain with hot water and to seek medical attention.

These are just some of the dangers along the coastline of Australia. Although they are out there most visitors to Australian beaches never encounter any of these creatures. I did see a Blue Ringed Octopus in a rock pool when I was fairly young and a dead Box jellyfish a few years later but knew enough to steer clear of them. As long as you take the proper precautions you should have an safe and fun time.

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Pretty crazy, huh? Which one do you think is the craziest/weirdest/most interesting? For me it is definitely the stone fish. That little guy seems intense!


Happy Thursday,

His: Living in America - Speed Limit Signs

Many of the road signs in America look very similar to the ones in Australia that is not the case with speed limit signs. The ones in America are black and white and in miles per hour. In Australia it is a number in black with a red circle around it and is in kilometres per hour. I found it difficult at first to see the speed limit signs in America since I was so accustomed to looking for the signs with the big red ring around them. After several years I got used to the black and white signs but I do miss the ones in Australia.

Most highways in Australia have a 100kph/61mph speed limit or 110kph/66mph on more rural areas and freeways. Speed limits in towns and cities are lower and range from 50kph/31kph to 80kph/50mph. They do seem to change the speed limit a lot in towns and cities so it is important to pay attention so you don't get a speeding ticket. Below are a few examples of the speed limit signs in Australia.

In addition to speed limit signs the speed limits are also on the roads in many places. 

 110 looks impressive to people who are used to mph but it only translates to 70mph.

 Better not speed in this area or you will get a nasty surprise in the mail box.

Better obey the speed limits,

or you may get a visit from the boys and girls in blue.

Do you prefer the Australian speed limit signs or the American ones? Do you have different ones where you live?

His: Living in America - Thanksgiving

The turkey was the centerpiece of the meal and was so yummy!

Thanksgiving is without a doubt one of the most important holidays for most Americans. It is a time for families to come together, enjoy each other's company and enjoy a meal together. We did not celebrate Thanksgiving in Australia so this is a relatively new holiday for me.

We normally go over to Amanda's parents' house for Thanksgiving but we had our Thanksgiving meal at our home this year since they went to Amanda's sister's home in South Carolina to meet their brand new grandson. He was born 3 days before Thanksgiving so it was a good way for them to meet their grandson and have Thanksgiving with Amanda's sister which isn't always possible.

          Our plan was to cook the meal at our home and have one of Amanda's friends join us for Thanksgiving. Sadly Amanda got the flu the day before so we weren't able to host her friend. We thought that we may have to postpone the meal a day or two until Amanda felt well enough to enjoy it but thankfully she felt well enough to get out of bed. She also had an appetite so we decided to go ahead and cook the meal. Since Amanda didn't feel well enough to stand up for very long I took over the responsibility of cooking the different dishes we had planned. After 8 hours of preparation and cooking the Thanksgiving meal was complete and we enjoyed a wonderful meal together.

Our menu consisted of a Turkey, twice baked potatoes, stuffing, corn pudding, green bean casserole, home made bread rolls and

Stuffing, corn pudding, twice baked potatoes and green bean casserole.

 

Turkey, home made bread rolls and pumpkin pie

I am so thankful that Amanda was well enough to enjoy the meal as it is one of the days she looks forward to most each year. Being in charge of the food gave me a new found respect of how long it takes to prepare this meal and the work that goes into it. It was a very low key Thanksgiving for us but we both enjoyed it together.

How was your Thanksgiving?

His: Living in America - How is living in America different to Australia?

One of the most common things I get asked is what are the biggest differences between living in America and living in Australia. There are so many little things that makes it a difficult question to answer. The following items would be among the top things that the biggest culture shock

Portion Sizes - When you go out to eat in America you get huge portion sizes compared to the serving sizes in Australia. For example the large drink and fry in Australia are about the size of a small in most fast food places in America. Serving sizes at a sit down restaurant are no different. I remember taking my parents and sister out to an Applebee's when they came over to visit and when they brought out the food my mum asked me how many people are sharing with her since the meal was so big.

Driving on the other side of the road: This took a long time for me to get used to. For months I would forget that the driver's side was on the left and I would end up on the wrong side of the car. I would then have to do the walk of shame around the correct side which was quite embarrasing. When I first started to drive I had a tough time staying in the lane as I was not used to having the bulk of the car on the right of me. I also had trouble when coming out of a driveway onto a road as I would instinctively go to the left side of the road and not realize I was on the wrong side of the road until I saw oncoming traffic. After a few months I got used to driving on the right hand side of the road and now I have to be careful not to make the same mistakes when I am visiting family and friends in Australia.

The Accents and being understood: When I first came over to America I had trouble being understood, especially with new people. Even when I wasn't using Australian words there were many times people would have to ask me to repeat myself. I realized that my accent was quite thick and that I was probably talking too fast for them to understand me. Because of my accent it was nearly impossible to be able to use the drive thru at a fast food place for quite a long time. As the years have gone by my accent is not nearly as strong but I still have a distinct Australian accent that will likely stay with me forever.

There are many other things that were a culture shock to me but these are the ones that most readily come to mind. What has been the biggest difference(s) that you have noticed on your travels?

His: Living in America - Music note value names

Monday's are usually Travel Review days here on the blog, but I wanted another day to get that post organized so I switched. Come back tomorrow for our journey!

I learned how to read music at a young age as I played the trumpet and cornet. One of the quotes that I remember from my bandmaster was "Music is the universal language because anyone who can read music can play the tune even though you may speak different languages". 

I always thought this was true until one night when Amanda was talking about what the kids were doing in band. She used terms like "Whole Note" and "Quarter Note" and I figured it must have been guitar chords since these were terms I was not familiar with and chords were one of the only types of music that I had not studied. I came to find out that she was referring to regular sheet music and I said, "So you are talking about Crotchets and Minims and so forth right?" She was just as lost as I was when I used those terms. 

We soon learned that, like many things in America, music note values have different names to what I grew up using in Australia. Below is a chart of the most common note values and the American and British/Australian names for them.

American and British/Australian Note Value Names

Not a complete list but has the most common note values.

The Americans use a fairly simple system where the name of the note is the value of the note compared to the whole note. So a half note is half as long as a whole note, a quarter note is a quarter as long as a whole note and so forth.

The British (and others including the Aussies) use mostly Latin for the name of the notes. It has some similarities to the American system, but it is a little different. 

Longa - means "long" and is equal to 4 whole notes.

Breve - means "short" and is equal to 2 whole notes.

Semi - means "half" when placed in front of another word. So a SemiBreve is equal to a whole note since it is half of a breve and a Semiquaver is equal to a sixteenth note.

Minim - means "Very short" and is equal to a half note.

Crotchet - was named after the French word for "little hook" which is what the note resembles. It is equal to a quarter note.

Quaver - was named after the quavering from very fast notes. It is equal to an eighth note.

The short notes get even longer and crazier names. For instance a 1/256th note is called a semihemidemisemiquaver. (Try saying that 5 times quickly!). This system seems more difficult to master, but it wasn't too bad since it was all we knew and were taught.

I thought it was very interesting that the names of the notes were so different especially since so many of the other Latin terms used inside sheet music are the same. 

Did you know there were two different sets of names for the note values? Which set you prefer?

His: Living in America - The Race that stops a nation

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The first Tuesday in November is one of the most recognized and important days on the Australian sporting calender. The big event is not a football game, but a horse race called the Melbourne Cup. It is the Australian equivalent to the Kentucky Derby but attracts the attention that the Superbowl does in America. It is known as "the race that stops the nation" and it truly does as just about everyone will stop what they are doing and watch or listen to the race. While it can be compared to the Kentucky Derby this is a much bigger deal to Australians than the Derby is to Americans.

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    Melbourne Cup day is a holiday in the Melbourne area and many others get the day off as well. The Flemington Racecourse, where the Melbourne Cup race is held, will have close to 100,000 attendees. Many other race courses around the country will also have races and other events for people to attend. It is a huge social event and many people look forward to it each year. It is customary to dress up and for the ladies to have extravagant hats when they attend the races on Cup Day.


As you can imagine the betting centers are very busy on Melbourne Cup day as just about everyone will have a bet on the big race, even if its just a dollar or two on their favourite horse. Another popular activity on the lead up to Melbourne cup day is something that is known as the "Cup Sweeps". They are normally conducted at workplaces and most people buy into the sweeps in the hopes of winning a few dollars. In a Cup Sweep, 24 tickets are sold for a set amount, usually $1-5 and then each ticket is randomly allocated a horse from the race. Usually first place gets about 50% of the funds, then 2nd, 3rd and the wooden spooner (last place) gets the rest of the funds. The fun of the sweeps is that it is totally random and you don't have to worry about odds and you could walk away with enough to buy lunch for a $1 investment. Here is a link to sample sweeps form.

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Even if you aren't a big punter (gambler) the Melbourne Cup is a fun day for everyone. I would love to hold a sweeps at our workplace but we don't have enough employees. Even though we are unable to place a real bet on the race Amanda and I usually make our picks for the race. This year our picks are:
Sean:      Horse 3 -  Fawkner
Amanda: Horse 5 -   Protectionist

 Hopefully I have picked the winner this year. Normally my pick will finish in the top 5 but I have never picked a winner. Amanda on the other hand picked the winner a couple of years ago so I need to catch up before she is up 2-0. 

 

His: Living in America: Field Trips/Excursions Part 2

Two weeks ago I started my story about the Central Australia field trip that I took when I was in 10th grade. If you missed that post you can read about by clicking here so you don't miss anything. Here is the second part of the story.

Day 6: After packing up our gear and hoping on the bus we headed to Kings Canyon. It was a few hours from Uluru but it was well worth the trip. The Sides of the Canyon towered above you on each side and in the bottom were plenty of gum trees and thousands of boulders that were perfect for rock hopping. Sadly I didn't make it to the top of the canyon but it still a great experience.

 There were boulders littering the valley floor and it was fun to be able to jump from rock to rock.

The canyon walls tower over you and make you feel smaller than an ant.

From Kings Canyon we headed to Alice Springs which was another 4 hours away. The road from the Canyon to the main highway was a dirt road and one of the bumpiest roads I have ever been on. We were all happy to see the paved highway after 2 hours on the bumpy road. We thought we were headed straight to Alice Springs but the teachers had a surprise for us on the way. We pulled over at what looked like someone's farm but it was a camel farm. We were able to take a short camel ride and we even able to get them to run. I was brave/silly enough to hop on the camel and let the handler run with it. The camel's bouncing made the dirt road feel smooth as glass but i had a good time and glad I had the opportunity to try it. We then hopped back on the bus and headed into Alice Springs for the next two nights.

One of the students and one of the teachers getting ready to try a camel ride.

Day 7: Alice Springs is a fairly small city by most standards but is the only city for hundreds of miles and is the shopping hubs for anyone who lives within a 6-8 hour radius. We spent a short time shopping in the town centre before we went out to see some of the sights around the city.We saw an old telegraph station that kept Alice Springs connected to the rest of the world, Stanley's Chasm and a big canyon with a big pond in it among other things. It was definetely parts of Australia that we would not have seen anywhere near my hometown. It was a long day and it was nice to get back to camp and get a quick meal then off to bed.

Stanley's Chasm has a narrow valley which is under shadow for most of the day.

 I found this Rock Wallaby near the trail at Stanley's Chasm. It was a little nervous so I couldn't get any closer.

An Ochre Pit. The Aboriginal people would use this chalky like material to create cave paintings and for face painting.

Day 8 and 9: The next two days were mostly spent on the bus as we headed north to Tennant Creek and then east towards the Pacific Coast. We were meant to stop at the Devil's Marbles but due to a delay we weren't able to stop. The highlight of these two days was the ceremonial pushing of the bus over the state line and visiting the hotel/pub that was used in the Crocodile Dundee movies.

  Source The Walkabout Creek Hotel

Day 10: We spent the morning at the Australian Stockman's Hall of Fame in Longreach, Queensland. The Hall of Fame is a large museum dedicated to the people that made a living in the Australian Outback. It was really an unique experience and gave visitors a small glimpse on how difficult it was to live in the Outback. From there it was another long ride on the bus to Mount Isa for the night.

 Source The Australian Stockman's Hall of Fame

Day 11: This was another travel day and our last one before getting to the Pacific Coast and the Great Barrier Reef. There was nothing of note to see except a few termite mounds that were taller than us. After more than a week in the desert it was nice to see white sandy beaches and something other than red sand and salt bush. We also got to stay in a bunkhouse, rather than a tent for the first time in a week which made the long day on the bus worth it.

Come back next week to hear about the last few days of the journey including the Great Barrier Reef and the Gold Coast of Australia. What has been your favourite part of the trip so far?

His: Living in America: Field Trips/Excursions Part 1

A map of our route around Australia.

When I was in school in Australia we went on some great excursions (field trips). When I tell my friends in America that many of them were overnight trips they are shocked that that happens as overnight trips are not common in America. 

One of my favourite excursions was the Central Australia trip. This trip was a 2 week journey through the outback and down the east coast of Australia and was almost a rite of passage for many of us. At our school it was taken in 10th grade and most of the students took part. It cost $450 to go but that included all travel, food and entry fees. The only expense we had after that was spending money. 

Day 1-2: 
    Our bus left at 6pm and drove throughout the night to Broken Hill. After breakfast we went to nearby village called Silverton and saw an old silver mine and a few other attractions. We then hopped back on the bus and drove for several more hours to Port Augusta in South Australia. After a day and a half of traveling on a motor-coach it was nice to be able to pitch a tent at the local campground, crawl into your sleeping bag and get a few hours of sleep.

The ruins of the old silver mine at Silverton

Crossing over the border into South Australia.

Day 3: It was another day of spending many hours on the bus, as we headed north into the desert to Coober Pedy. This small town is well known within Australia as one of the main opal mining centers in Australia. Much of the town is underground as it much cooler during the day and is naturally heated to about 21C/72F no matter how hot or cold it is outside. After visiting some of the local attractions and learning about the opal mining industry we headed to our accommodations which in true Coober Pedy style was underground.

Our accommodations for the evening in a underground hotel.

The Desert Cave Hotel which is also underground but is a 5 Star Hotel.

Day 4: Even though we were in the middle of the outback we were a long way from our next stop, Uluru. Also known as Ayers Rock, it is one of Australia's most recognizable natural landmarks. Along the way we stopped at a salt lake and to view Mt Conner at a distance. After several hundred kilometres on the bus we pulled into the campground at Uluru for our first 2 night stop.

The edge of the salt lake. We were able to go out onto the lake but couldn't venture too far as you would start to sink.

Mt Conner. To the untrained eye it looks like Uluru but is a totally different mountain.

Day 5: Uluru was the destination for the day. We hopped back on the bus but it was only for a 30 minute trip to the rock. Uluru is one of the world's largest monoliths and towers over 1100ft over the desert floor. We had the option of climbing the rock or walking around it. I climbed the rock first and when I got back to the ground I had enough time to walk around some of the rock. I preferred the walk around the rock as there were several sign posts telling stories from the aboriginal people. We also got to visit the Olgas which was nearby before returning to the campground

Uluru at sunrise. I went up to the lookout an hour too early to get this photo and got really cold as the desert is really cold at night.

The start to the climb to the summit of Uluru. From the base to the summit is an elevation change of 1148ft/348m.

A view of the desert from the summit of Uluru.

The end of the walk at the summit of Uluru. There is a guestbook here that you can sign. 

 The Olgas. They are made out of the same type of stone that Uluru and is only a short drive from Uluru.

We are only half way through our trip but it's too big for one blog post. Come back next Tuesday to see the rest of the trip, including Kings Canyon, Alice Springs, Walkabout Creek and more! Happy Travels!