Compare and Contrast

As of Thursday, May 20th, 11:25 PM, $1 AUD = $.0.8279 USD

So, since I haven't been updating my blog as of late I decided to put up a post. The main reason I haven't been updating is that I've pretty much not been experiencing anything that out of the ordinary recently, just hunkered down studying and enjoying the good life. This post is a little different though. This post is a comparison of the U.S. of A., land of the free, home of the brave, versus Australia. I've come to find a great many differences in the two countries, and when you read this you'll probably come to appreciate the United States more than ever.

Soda

United States: Three 12 Packs of Coke for $10 (Harris Teeter)
Australia: One 12 Pack of Coke = $24... One time I saw a really good deal! $13.99 for One whole pack!

Alcohol

United States: Fifth of cheap gin = $9
Australia: Fifth of cheapest gin possible = $40

United States: 24 Case of cheap beer = $15
Australia: 24 Case of cheapest beer = $50

Water

United States: Water is cheap (unless you live in Arlington, VA), there is no limit to how much you can use.
Australia: We get to use 200L per day. Now, this may see like a lot but, it is really only 50 gallons. This also may seem like a lot of water but, considering the average shower head pours out 6 gallons of water every minute means showers are short. Also, don't forget flushing the toilet, washing your hands, washing your dishes, brushing your teeth, and drinking during the day. If you go over the 200L mark, well let's just say you'll be receiving a nice bill in the mail with more than one '0' on the end of it.

Internet

United States: We get unlimited Internet to do whatever we want, whenever we want for the low monthly price of around $50.
Australia: We get 3GB for $40/month and then $10 for every GB over that. To give you an idea of what a GB means: The average person around the world uses 12GB per month (which means Americans probably use at least twice as much). But, we'll continue to use the 12GB as an example. This means to use 12GB of Internet you would have to pay about $130 per month. Yeah, this pretty much means you can only download/upload so many pictures per month, no YouTube, no streaming music, no online games, limited file download capacities.

Freedom of Speech

United States: Say whatever you want whenever you want. Except for 'Fire!' in a crowded theater, unless of course that theater is actually on fire... I think?
Australia: Well as a few Australians have said to me, "Yeah, you guys take that free speech thing too far." Hmm, yes, we have to much freedom!

Well, the end of my vacation.. err.. study abroad is fast approaching. I have a little over 5 weeks left until I come back to the States. Am I ready to leave Australia? No. Am I ready to see family and friends in the U.S. and be able to suckle on the teat of Lady Liberty's 24/7 convenient and unlimited lifestyle? Absolutely! Life is so hard, is it not?