Springtime in Australia, Tim Tams & Random Musings

Exams are just around the corner and as a result I have spent the past weekend and week frantically at work on some assignments that are due shortly. I will leave you with this collection of observations while I get back to work.

Springtime.

Spring is here in Australia. I was originally a bit disappointed to realise I would be missing my favorite season (fall) back home and the colours that accompany it; however, spring in Queensland more than makes up for it. Instead of fall colours there are bright pinks, yellows, purples and oranges as all of the trees and plants are flowering despite the drought. My favourite trees are the Jacaranda trees: they are bright purple this time of year. I have never seen anything quite like it and they are absolutely beautiful. To make it even better they are every where livening up what was a brown landscape. I imagine if I were to stay around Australia for all four seasons this would be one of my favourite, although winter might be a close second because the temperature is that much more bearable.

Tim Tams.

Erica reminded me in my last post that I have not shared the amazingness of Tim Tams with you yet. I am not sure I will be able to do these cookies justice in words but I’ll try. Tim Tams are the quintessential Australian cookie. They are made by Arnott’s which seem to have a monopoly on the cookie and snack industry in Australia. The basis for the cookie is chocolate and nothing but chocolate: it consists of two chocolate cookie pieces that have a layer of chocolate between them and are covered by chocolate on the outside. They come in many different flavours: original is quite good, although my favourite would have to be the double-coat variety which has been dipped in chocolate twice giving it more structure which is especially beneficial in the current heat when the cookies get a bit soft. Other flavours include: coffee, toffee, caramel, dark chocolate, raspberry and more.

Click here to See the Inside of Tim Tams!

Tim tams are good eaten alone; however, once you have eaten them the Aussie way there is no going back. The experience has many names, but my favourite is teh “Tim Tam Explosion”. You need a hot beverage (tea, coffee or my personal choice hot chocolate) and a tim tam. You bite off a bit from two diagonally opposite corners of the cookie and use the Tim Tam as a straw. The moment you start to taste the liquid it is necessary to shove the cookie into your mouth (unless you desire a huge mess). The melted, gooey cookie is absolutely delicious. The Aussie’s have something going here .

Australian Money

I will miss Australian money, although not Australian prices. The money here is very pretty – it puts our new coloured bills to shame – and interestingly designed. As the domination increases the length of the bill also increases. Not only does the colour help you find the desired bill quickly but the size difference actually is informative when you are busy doing something else (like talking) and aren’t really looking at what you are doing.

Driving Aussie Style.

This past weekend I went to see the movie Michael Clayton with some friends. The movie was pretty good but more significant to me was the numerous driving scenes in the movie. The first time one came up I was quite shocked. The cars were of course driven on the US side of the road and I couldn’t believe how wrong that looked to me. Every time a scene came up I was still caught off guard. I never imagined that the driving on the left would become normal to me but apparently it has sunk in more than I would have thought. It took me 3 months to fully get used to this system, I wonder how long it will take me to convert back to the old system I’m used to. Hopefully not too long — I really didn’t like numerous close calls I had early in the semester .