“That bloke is a full bogan, rocked up in thongs, coozie, and some Maccas”
Translation
That guy is the Australian version of a vagabond mixed “hippie” and “redneck” who came in only flip-flops, swim trucks, and some McDonalds. I first heard the term bogan when I was walking along the sidewalk with no shoes, wet sandy hair, and only swim trunks and a towel around my neck. An Australian woman told me that I looked like one and it took me lots of cross-referencing with American culture to understand what it meant. Needless to say, learning the Australian accent and slang has been quite a fun journey. After having many encounters where I have to ask “What does that mean”, I realized that most Australians are super nice and willing to teach and share their culture. So if there is a word or phrase you don’t understand, don’t be afraid to ask.
Another thing I have been managing in Australia is the difference in assignments when compared to the University of Pittsburgh’s. In Australia, more of my assignments are open-ended and allow for your own opinions supported by academic resources. I have done this at Pitt but not as frequently as in Australia. Here about 65 percent of all my coursework put together is open-ended. Whereas at PItt about 35 percent is open-ended but has a lot more exam computations. Due to this change, I have learned how to read and pull from academic sources more efficiently to support my argument. Another difference in the classroom is the topics and examples used in class. In Pitt, most of our examples or topics in class take place with American companies, topics, context, examples, etc. In Australia, it’s the same but this Australian example adds another layer of complexity when trying to understand the class material. After four weeks, I am starting to see how they are all connecting and coming together. For anything you don’t understand, just ask the professor and they will likely give you an example in America.
Outside the classroom, I have been adjusting to the new city and living pretty well. It’s relatively the same as before. I share an apartment with roommates who I get along with and take public transport anywhere beyond a 20-minute walk. There has been a slight learning curve with figuring out how to live with new roommates who I never met and new bus routes and grocery stores to learn. Most of this I got down after two weeks and now I am in the swing of things.
Here is a picture of myself and my roommate Aden on a boat in Darling Harbor with the Sydney Opera House behind us.
Here is a photo of myself and my roommate Owen surfing and being “surfer bogans”.
