Awesome

Most of the Western people I meet in Japan are from Australia and New Zealand. Some are from the UK but there aren't too many Americans. Australians, like my friend Cameron (an English teacher and huge Sopranos fan seen here at his 33rd birthday party held at a beer garden earlier this week) are fabulous, but it's funny how you start to notice things about the way people speak. I get fixated on certain words and then wonder if that person just has a quirk in his speech or does the entire lexicon of a nation, just sound funny? And will I start to pick it up if I'm around it too long? (Bobby seems to have traded in the word "mate" for "dude" since we've been hanging out, a fact that I maybe should feel a little guilty about.) So, what strikes me the most about Australians is the way they say "awesome." When spoken by an Australian the word seems to stretch out for at least eight syllables. Not only is it looooooooong, but they use it...a lot. I'd say throughout the course of a conversation with an Australian (depending, of course, on stature, age, and occasions---birthday parties warrent serious useage), they'll use the word a minimum of 15 times throughout the course of a conversation. It's Awwwwwwwwwwww. Suhhhhhhhhhhhh. Mmmmmmmmmmm.