This morning is the beginning of my second full day in Pinjarra here in Western Australia. The people are great and from the minute I touched down in the airport I've been picking up on the easy-going, laid back, conversational nature of folks here. The pastor and wife with whom I am staying are sociable, kind, learned, and hospitable people, and the folks I've met so far at the meeting house (literally called that in this case) are also very friendly.
Yesterday morning when I spoke to the ladies' group I felt the time went reasonably well. I didn't feel as good about the meeting last night, however, as I stuttered and stammered throughout that particular talk, which I was giving for the first time (going too long in the process). Things will go smoother next week when i give it again.
I'm being exposed to a lot of Australian English/slang already. Just a few of the dozen or more new terms I've begun hearing already:
Barrack - cheer or root for a sporting team or someone in general (eg. rugby league or Aussy rules football)
Biscuit: Cookie
Dinky-di : the real thing, genuine
Maccas (pronounced. "mackers") : McDonald's
Mob: Group of person or things (not necessarily unruly).
Rockmelon: Canteloupe
Tomato Sauce: Ketchup
Anyway, in spite of the obvious differences, it'll still be easier to learn some of these terms than my present task of learning the Taiwanese language, which I need to take a little time to tackle now that I'm finished with this blog entry.
