Australianisms

Is that even a word? I'm not sure, but it is the most appropriate title for this posting. I returned this morning from a road trip through my home state of New Mexico with a van full of Australians. It was a ratio of six to one. My good friend Fiona and I have often made jokes about how we both (supposably) speak English, yet there are time we don't understand what the other is saying. This was obvious in some of the interactions on the trip so I decided it would be good to capture these exchanges and bridge the language and cultural divide for others. Smile!

One evening Fiona's mom Carol mentioned she left something in her wardrobe. I commented that was the first time I'd heard someone use "wardrobe" in a sentence. She asked what we call it. I told her "a closet." Her husband Gordon clarified that to them a closet is a toilet (bathroom) - a water closet. That interaction is what sparked the following dictionary list. Enjoy!

gob: mouth ("Put it in your gob.")...it gives a whole new meaning to gobstoppers.

skiting: gloating ("That was a skiting comment.")

sultanas: otherwise known to Americans as raisins...imagine looking for sultanas in a grocery store. Nope, we don't have any of those, ma'am.

serviettes: napkins

hoonin': driving fast and erratically ("He was hoonin' down the road.")...I assure you this word doesn't make any more sense if it is repeated five times in a different tone of voice. To me, hoonin' just doesn't mean anything. Despite my protests, I am told it is a legitimate word, not a fabrication.

car park: parking lot

foot path: sidewalk...traveling on a foot path is not taking a hike, just so you know.

boot: car trunk ("Put it in the boot.")...not put the boot in the trunk, the trunk is the boot. Got it?

fairdinkum: are you for real? seriously? ("Fairdinkum!")...this one is fun to say, I recommend reading it aloud.

eskie: cooler ("There is water in the eskie.")...where exactly is that?

rompin'-it-in: easy, no problem ("Do we have enough gas?" "We're rompin'-it-in.")...Must be said fast, with all the words running together to get the full effect. Yet, another saying that does not become any more clear the more you hear it. I asked Gordon to repeat it at least five times, then I still required an explanation and spelling before I got it.

port: not a place to park boats, but rather a hard shelled suitcase. Short for portable. ("Look in the port.")

buckleys: used in a conversation about the World Cup - no chance of winning. ("That team is buckleys.")...I thought buckleys was a person. It was hard to follow the conversation until I discovered otherwise.

My personal favorite:
spit the dummy: throwing a tantrum

For further explanation...
dummy: baby pacifier

chips: as in, fish and chips. Americans call them fries. There is a funny story to accompany this one. Gordon, Fi's dad, had ordered a couple of meal deals at Macker's (a.k.a. McDonald's). They didn't give him the fries. He went up and requested his "chips." He came back with a cup of ice. I guess I wasn't the only one confused by the language barrier.

I hope you enjoyed this cultural lesson courtesy of the 2006 road trip through New Mexico with Fiona and her family. Good times had by all!

NOTE: the spell check on my computer didn't recognize these words either. Carol, Fi's mom spelled them for me prior to this posting...I knew I wasn't alone in my confusion.

Road Trip

This week I made a spontaneous decision to join Fiona and her family (husband, two kids, and parents from Australia) on a road trip in New Mexico. Who knew I'd be back so soon? I'm going to see sights I've never visited - even though I grew up there. We will drive through Kansas to Colorado then in to Northern New Mexico. We will visit Taos and then head in to Santa Fe, my home town. We'll see the sights in Santa Fe and continue on to Albuquerque and Southern New Mexico. I look forward to visiting Carlsbad Caverns and White Sands - two prominent landmarks I'm eager to see. The highlight of the trip will be jumping out of an airplane. That's right, I'll be taking my second flying leap out of an airplane. I will be doing this daring act to commemorate Fiona's 35th b-day. I'm looking forward to it. I describe the experience as the closest a human being can get to flying. Up, up and away!

Rain?

There is a strange weather phenomenon that happens sometimes in the Midwest. It rains with no clouds. Yesterday was the second time in my brief history in Kansas that it happened. The sun was shining. In fact, it was hot. The sky was blue. Raindrops were falling from the air. What?!! It's called "extreme humidity." At some point the atmosphere has so much moisture it rains with no clouds. I'm not a meteorologist, I think it is rather odd and somehow defies the laws of nature as I understand them. As I was standing in the parking lot looking around in awe. I accidentally said out loud, "how strange is that?" A woman walking near me responded, "weird isn't it?" Yup, it is absolutely one of the wierdest things I've seen! I thought those of who you don't live in humidity would find it as fascinating as I do.

Parkville River Jam

Last night a group of about 15 friends attended the Parkville River Jam in Parkville, MO. This is one of my favorite summer festivities. I've attended annually for about four or five years. Parkville is a quaint little city located on the outskirts of KC. It is fun just to walk their main street and look at the shops. They have an excellent mini-golf course. My favorite in the city. It's built in to the side of a large hill for an added athletic challenge. Smile! I visit Parkville at least three times a year; the River Jam, Fourth of July, and Christmas on the River. The River Jam is a Jazz fest, art fair in one. We bring blankets and chairs. Set them in the lawn near the stage with a beautiful view of the river. There are food vendors and booths set up for local artists. We usually bring a picnic dinner to share, then folks wander off to walk main street Parkville or look at the art. It is always a good time. Last night there was some added suspense - was it going to rain? If so, how bad? Should we cancel or brave the storm? I wasn't going to let a little water scare me away from a cherished tradition. We did however pack up about 10 pm, the band announced a large thunderstorm was scheduled to arrive in our area in about 10 minutes. When it arrived, it was like the skies opened up and dumped water, but it didn't ruin our good time. Mark your calendars for next year.

FINALLY!!!

I haven't kept the blog updated on the saga of my car, but I didn't actually have it until yesterday. I've spent the last couple weeks borrowing cars from friends. As of yesterday, I FINALLY have my car. Yipee! I had the dealership add air conditioning to the vehicle (a MUST in this part of the world). It took way too long to install, but it works great. I've decided it was a good transition period. Rather than miss my jeep, I'm just grateful to have my car. It is still lots of fun to drive - zoom, zoom, zoom.