Australia vs. USA (part one)

I was thinking the other day that I should do a US vs. Australia post talking about what I love and hate about back home and my new temporary home. I named it part one because I am sure I will add to and amend this list as times goes on.

I get AWESOME hot water here in my dorm. My showers are incredible. When I want to fill a pan with hot water or make hot chocolate, I turn the hot water side of the faucet on and HOT. WATER. COMES. OUT. It's mind-boggling.... I know. But if you've ever been to my moms house you know it takes 10+ minutes of running the water before it gets mildly luke-warm.
Winner = Australia

Related to the above point is the fact that the tap water here is delicious! I bought a bottle of water the day I got here and I just keep refilling it with the water from the faucet... It's so good! Obviously my mom gets great purified water from the fridge section but the tap water in America just cannot compare.
Winner = Australia

People! I kid you not when I say that every single person I have met here in Australia has been amazing! In the sense that I literally have not met a single mean person... (so far) All of my new friends in the dorms, the people I have met on campus, restaurant employees, every social interaction I have had has been positive. I'm not naive, I know I will eventually run into mean people, but overall I am super impressed at the Australian attitude and how they treat people. Americans are way more crabby, rude, and non-empathetic. (If I had randomly asked someone for help in San Francisco in the way I did in Perth the other night do you think I would have had such a positive experience? I think not...)
Winner = Australia

Eating out... everything is suuuper expensive, and very rarely do you feel like you get what you're paying for. Additionally, they hoard ketchup like its the 'Grand Ketchup Drought of the Century' and most of the time they make you pay for ketchup! Codswallop! In America if you pay $16 for a chicken sandwich its going to be the thickest juiciest chicken breast and its going to be given to you on a golden plate with enough french fries (chips here in aussie land) to clog your arteries in one sitting.
Winner = 'MERICA

Drinks: In Australia people drink two things... Alcohol and water. No joke. A soda is 3.50-4.00 and other drinks are either Red Bull, Coke, milk, or Iced tea. THAT'S IT. If you go to the grocery store you'll see some juices and other energy drink varieties, but its pretty slim pickins' Same with restaurants... Coke, water, or some type of alcohol. Those are your only choices. A cafe at school has coffee, energy drinks, coke, orange soda, milk, and tea and that is the widest variety I have seen.
Winner = 'MERICA

Education: If you need a class and its full, as long as there are 10 or more students that also need that class they will open up another one. You want to change your classes? No problem... just go see a counselor in your Major (called your 'course' here) and they will change it for you! No questions asked. They are much more accommodating and focused on your success. Additionally, they have doctors, tutors, and counselors that are paid for by the university and completely free for you to utilize (I'm sure its in the student fees, but no additional cost if you go to see them) They are very committed and focused on you being a 100% healthy individual and are very determined to see you succeed.
ALSO, I think their system here is much more practical in preparing you for the real world. Your 4 years of college (UNI) are split into 2 parts... the first two years are classes, and the second two years are PRAC (for practical application, like internships) You spend one day a week in a class or two, and the rest of your time in actual physical practice of your study. For example, my friend Callyn is studying to be a P.E. teacher and he spends one day a week in one three hour class, and every other day M-F actually teaching P.E. to high schoolers (under supervision). That makes soooooo much more sense than our broken system where you have to battle to obtain classes, memorize a bunch of useless garbage for tests, then forget everything, graduate and have no real world experience
Winner = Australia


Well, that is all I can think of for the moment! So pretty much to sum it up... the only thing that makes the USA great is its drinks, its love of free fancy ketchup packets and getting food that provides the bang for your buck! Just kidding of course... I guess I should have called this post "Why I love Australia so far" but I already named it so oh well! Deal with it!