There is always a time in your experience as an Aussie expat in the UK when you start to put your origins behind you and become a part of the local British community. You forget that ‘the arvo’ is actually pronounced ‘this afternoon’, you have adaptor plugs for an Australia powerpoint, and you know how to mix a wicked Pimm’s at a picnic.
To help you work out if you’ve making the transition from Aussie ocker to British blue blood, we’ve identified the 21 surest ways you can tell you’re becoming a Pom.
1. You spread Marmite instead of Vegemite on your toast in the mornings.
2. You have a soft spot for England in sport (except the Ashes. Never the Ashes)
3. A forcast temperature of 20 degress or above is immediate cause to hit Facebook and rally up a picnic on the Common!
4. You’ve barbequed in the rain, in an aluminium foil tray, and really enjoyed it.
5. You’ve ditched the Country Road tote bag for something a little classier. Longchamp, perhaps?
6. You actually know what’s in a Pimms cocktail and can even make it for your guests on those 20 degree days.
7. It’s Tipex, not White-out or Liquid Paper
8. You’ve learnt it’s quicker to walk between Leicester Square and Covent Garden than catch the tube.
9. You dress for four seasons in a day, and never leave the house without an umbrella (only to leave it on the train).
10. Thongs become flip flops, because the confusion at work just isn’t worth it.
11. Walking down Oxford Street on a Saturday afternoon is no longer sightseeing or Monopoly, it’s torture to be avoided at all costs.
12. A power adaptor is no longer necessary for every appliance you own. Even worse, you buy an Aussie adaptor on the way home for that Christmas visit.
13. Your nightly fix of Home and Away or Neighbours has finally been replaced by Coronation Street or East Enders.
14. You stop shortening words because no one knows what you’re going on about. It’s “this afternoon”, not “the arvo”.
15. You’ve accepted that Hungry Jacks is Burger King, although saying it still doesn’t sound right.
16. No chocolate compares to Galaxy chocolate … not even Darrell Lea.
17. You don’t walk into Argos and wonder where all of the products are anymore. Catalogue shopping has been an institution in your life for some time now.
18. When it comes to airports, you’ve realized Gatwick is the way to go. Whilst Heathrow might have all the shops, and Stansted caters for all your budgeting needs, location and transport ease keeps you going back to good ol’ Gatwick when booking those cheap European flights.
19. You’ve learned that wine at bars comes in two sizes: small and large. You automatically specify large — bucket size, preferably.
20. You now know why your English colleagues and friends give you funny looks when you say ‘pants’ instead of ‘trousers’.
21. You say ‘time’, not ‘toyme’. And you have finally lost that Australian question intonation at the end of your sentences and now have a lovely melodic lilt… and your mates give you heaps for it when you get back home.
