Vegemite Kids unite!

Finally, after filling out countless papers, collecting stat decs, old photos and letters, bank statements, police clearances, translations, a multitude of signatures and stamps, not to mention a hefty fee… we received the news that Laurent de Schoutheete (or Lozza as he may now be known) has officially been accepted as a resident of Australia!! Yippeeeeeeee…

I can personally attest to the fact that Laurent had, in fact, already passed (& with flying colours) the true test of any future Aussie resident, he:

1. Not only tolerates vegemite, he actually eats it voluntarily (albeit on a baguette, with Belgian cheese)
2. Has already owned a 4WD (AND it was a Holden)
3. Has lived in the “Outback”
4. Uses “mate” in conversations with Aussies
5. Has watched The Castle and found it funny
6. Knows what a Tim Tam is
7. Has watched an entire Test Series on the telly, and enjoyed it

But, of course, there is no denying his Belgian blood. It will probably take a long time to adapt to certain aspects of Aussie life and culture including the:

1. Mere existence of plastic cheese
2. Pre-packaged, pre-sliced supermarket bread
3. Absence of beer with a 12% alcohol content at the corner store
4. Absence of mayonnaise with your “frites” (that’s hot chips from now on)

Laurent has to set foot in Australia before February 2007 for the visa to take effect… In the meantime, we are already stocking up on the BBQ coals and preparing the green and gold face paint for June. Unfortunately, I will be watching the World Cup games from a hotel room in Bangkok, but Laurent has promised to cheer loudly and raucously (in true Aussie style) for both of us!

A deux en walkabout

Ami francophone, ne crains pas.

Contrairement à ce qu'il a pu paraître jusqu'à ce jour, ce blog n'est pas uniquement destiné aux bouffeurs de rosbifs, burgers ou vegemite, mais également aux ardus de la moule-frite, du camembert et de la poutine.

Puisque te voici rassurer sur la capacité linguistique de notre walkabout, il ne me reste qu'à lever un coin de voile sur un mystère qui je soupconne te démange encore les neurones: qu'est ce qu'un walkabout et quel est le lien avec les quelques messages postés ici?

Pour ce faire, laisse moi me référer à l'encyclopédie libre Wikipédia:

Le walkabout y est décrit comme une expression de la langue anglaise qui porte plusieurs significations:

• Walkabout is an Australian pidgin (or perhaps quasi-pidgin) term referring to the belief that Australian Aborigines "go walkabout" at the age of thirteen in the wilderness for six months as a rite of passage.
• This meaning has lead to a jocular modern usage, whereby someone who has unexpectedly wandered off to destination uncertain is said to have 'gone walkabout'. It can also apply to a missing item, for example, "Have you seen my stapler, Doreen? It's gone walkabout again."
• In the UK, a walkabout is a name for organised group meetings in which members of the British Royal Family walk past assembled crowds of onlookers, meeting and chatting with various members of the public.
• Walkabout may be used to refer to a person's desire to travel without a planned itinerary or set destination; the commoner English term is wanderlust.

Bon, entre rite initiatique aborigène, errance inopinée, pavoisement briton huppé, et voyage bohème au petit bonheur la chance, avoue qu'il y a du choix.

On te laisse évidemment le soin de distinguer quelle signification est à la source de la dénomination de notre blog.

A bon entendeur...