AND THE WINNER SO FAR IS....

It is at this point where I actually have a spare minute to breathe in this whirlwind time the English call Fresher’s Weeks (commonly known as the much cooler sounding O Week in Aus country I must add) that I feel it impertinent to share my feelings regarding the differences between these two great nations. So here it is fellow online readers, Miss Sarah Louise Bown’s official pro and con list!

PRO AUSTRALIA

It only took me a couple of days to realise England has been designed by a boy.

How did I come to this conclusion you ask? Finding a public toilet in England is trying to mine for Gold, increasingly difficult yet incredibly exciting when you succeed! Girls need to pee. A lot. Everybody knows that. Well apparently the English were too preoccupied with David Beckham’s hair and missed that memo. At Uni it has been fine but between Louise and I, any trip into the city means that we spend most of the time searching for a toilet for at least one of us. And if you are lucky enough to find one, often enough you have to pay. I didn’t realise normal bodily functions had become a multi million dollar money making scheme now!

Australian: 1       English: 0

ENGLISH FOOD

It is a well known fact that mothers are right about 99.9% of the time. They tell you to take a jacket when you won’t think you’ll b cold but end up freezing or they tell you its not probably a good idea to go out the night before you have to open at work and then you rock up to work looking like something out of Dawn of The Dead.

So when I asked Mum ‘so what is good about English food?’ and she replied ‘nothing’ I was smart enough after almost 21 years to believe her.

To the English reading this I will apologise in advance. I am not intentionally trying to bag out your food and I’m sure it’s very suited to your culture, climate and tastes.

But that must be because your tastes are to like every kind of food to be brown.

I think the term most commonly used amongst us Australian English-food-haters is ‘stodge’. It looks like something you could fill in the cracks in your ceiling with.

For the St Ann’s crew reading this it’s like AB’S. Every Meal. Every Day.

Let’s just be thankful I’m not in catering.

Only five months until I can have a BBQ and SALAD…. Lord help me now…..

NB: However I do wish to make a comment about sweet English food, they have some good biscuits and yummy lollies so I wish not to include them in the category of English stodge.  

Australian: 2       English: 0

ALCOHOL

Ok so this one is a complete no brainer. English alcohol is so UNBELIEVEABLY cheap that I almost feel it’s a criminal act every time I go to the pub. Cider, Beer, even spirits are an absolute steal. I was with some boys the other night who bought a bottle of gin for – wait for it – 8 POUNDS. Even with the conversion rate that is like $14 Australia. We may have a great drinking culture in Australia but my oh my do we pay for it! And of course me being the lightweight that I am – I can have the best night on 10 pounds! That wouldn’t even cover the door charge at some of the places in Australia.

Pick you feet up Australia!

Australian: 2       English: 1

UNIVERSITY INVOLVEMENT

Compared to Adelaide University, Leeds is massive. With over 35,000 students it’s more than double that of Adelaide University (and don’t bother trying to argue I looked it up, no wannabe journalist would make such a statement without first researching!) And as such the community of Leeds University makes Adelaide Uni look like Tarpeena (for those of you who know where that is!) The student union is nothing short of Amazing, and the facilities they offer to students make Uni Bar look about as classy as Shadows (again for those of you who know where that is!). Everyone is really keen to get involved in activities and there are so many clubs and societies to join. Yes, Adelaide has this but the difference is in the ENTHUSIASM. Here, people actually WANT to join the clubs and societies, and its encouraged way more than back home. I’ve joined the study abroad club which organises social events and weekend trips around Britain especially for exchange students. (For those of you who know my STRONG feelings about the crap state of the exchange office back home, the services here are more exciting than Christmas Day).

I guess part of the reason is that the majority of the University Accommodations are owned by the University, not independently like Ann’s, so the University plays a much bigger role in students lives than just going to class. Whilst there isn’t the rivalry between the colleges like there is back home, I like it this way as well. It’s a better way to meet more people, and I find the attitude more tolerant.

If you want to start a ‘I love Frodo Baggins’ club people would be very encouraging and you would probably get 100 members straight up.  

And not just people who pitied you either.

Australian: 2       English: 2

Well look at that, at this stage it’s a tie. (How convenient that is when I have both nationalities reading this and don’t wanna upset too many people…..)

To sign off here are a couple of quick mentions:

Is Australia weather better than England?

DEFINITELY (so obviously that it didn’t even make the list)

Is the Australian dollar against the English pound going to get any better?

MAYBE (here’s hoping!)

Will the 12 year old English freshers wearing a bucket of fake tan and virtually no clothes ever grow on me?

PROBABLY NOT!

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