10 things about OZ

Officially, I have been in Canberra for almost 6 weeks now..time do fly fast..it was as if I was still in Malaysia..nevertheless, here I am trying to adapt myself in a country called Australia..throughout the time, I have observed a few things that I would like to share:

1. Bus fare
The bus fare back in Malaysia was cheap. RapidKL ticket is only RM 2 while the Metrobus is a lot cheaper (RM 1 if I am not mistaken). Here, a single trip adult fare is AUD 4 (equivalent to RM 12). It is so expensive. Luckily, they have the concession ticket for student and also faresaver 10. The faresaver 10 ticket is a lot cheaper (AUD 12.25 for 10 trips). One good thing is that, within 90 minutes, you can go anywhere by bus to any place with no extra charge.

2. Bus stop


The bus stop here is so horrible. (This is a general observation and thus do not apply to all bus stops in Canberra). I have observed that there a few bus stops like this. Look at the picture. It looks so odd with semi circular shape and the colour, OMG! Not the entire city has this bus stop but the one in College Street (Uni of Canberra) has this particular shape which I just don’t like. It is so out of shape.

3. Free rides
There are no bus conductors to issue the bus ticket but if you have got your bus ticket, just insert it into the machine and it’s done. This is what I like here. If the machine is out of order, you get a free bus ride. Yes, I mean FREE. It happened to me three times so far. How I wish the machine is out all the time so that I can get free bus ride every time.LOL.

4. Bus driver
The bus drivers in Malaysia are all driving like crazy. Here, they are so well menace and very obedient. They drive according to the speed limit. One day, I was in the bus and the bus driver did not notice the traffic light was turning red. He accidentally stop a few metres ahead of the zebra crossing. Guess what he did? He apologized to the pedestrians who were crossing the road. Would you see that in Malaysia?

5. Fuel price
One thing I notice here, the fuel price is fluctuating. Some days it is cheap, some days it is so expensive. Unlike in Malaysia, the fuel price is subsidized and it’s fixed. How lucky are Malaysians and yet we still complain the fuel price is high!

6. Operating hours
The Aussies are so laidback. Their shopping hours is so short. The shopping mall operates from 9 am till 5.30 pm. That is for weekdays and during weekends, it is open from 10 am till 4 pm. Only the supermarkets are open till 10 pm (K Mart is on for 24 hours!). No wonder people said Malaysia is a shopping heaven. The shopping hours is long, and sometimes during the festive season, the mall is open till midnight.

7. Entertain customer
Back in Malaysia, when you as a customer steps into a shop, the shop owner will quickly entertain you and ask what you want to buy. It is completely different in OZ. If you see a customer is being entertained by the shopkeeper, please don’t try to ask. He or she will keep on entertaining the customer until their transaction is done. Only then you can interrupt. What a time to waste! Just walk off and go to other shops or just come back later.

8. The most common sentence uttered
Every time I go to the mall for my groceries, or meet my supervisor or ask someone at the counter, the first thing they say would be, “How are you?” This is the most common sentence uttered by the OZ. Just as Muslim greet each other by “Assalamualaikum”, let’s do it the OZ way. I remembered there were a few occasions that my second supervisor (the old one) asked me “How are you” and I replied him “I am fine”. He was not satisfied with my answer. The next time I met him and he asked me the same question, I replied him “I am good” and he smiled. I am just confused. Isn’t fine and good similar?

9. Cool supervisors
Here in my uni, I have two supervisors. One is Dr Simon Foster and the second one is Prof. Bill Maher. Both are males and so far they are being nice to me. Unlike in Malaysia, where everything has to be formal when addressing someone, here I just call them Simon and Bill (it sounds a bit harsh.like so ill mannered when you don’t call someone with the title that they possess). Anyway, that’s the way here. No one is addressed formally. Everybody is treated equally so long as you respect each other.

10. University accommodation
The university accommodation here is expensive. I am paying like AUD 218 per week for a 4 bedroom apartment with a shared kitchen and bathroom. In total, I am spending AUD 872 a month just for the accommodation (that is equivalent to RM 2616 and I can rent exclusive condominium in the heart of KL or even a bungalow). Luckily, I am getting the university scholarship. If I were to pay on my own, I would prefer staying outside where I can get a relatively cheaper house. Considering that the university is only 8 minutes away from my apartment now, I am fortunate to have the room although I am paying quite a big sum!

p/s: I still prefer Malaysia..it’s never the same here!