So I've been back for a few weeks now. Finally my body has decided to operate on Central Daylight Time. Life is back to normal. And now that I have some perspective, here are some favorites about my time down under, beside the obvious--the great people I hung out with:

Holding a koala was as cool as it looks. The one I got to cuddle weighed about forty pounds and seemed content for me to hold her. Loved it! Want to do it again.Australia has the coolest animals (though I confess I have enjoyed the squirrels in my own yard more since hearing Australia has none). On some highways I saw metal bars to help koalas climb median dividers and cross to the other side. Some cars had kangaroo bars to keep them from getting totaled by clueless creatures attracted to headlights.The first lollies from my suitcase to disappear were the chocolate balls with fruit in the middle. The Tim-Tams are almost gone, too, though I've been disciplined about rationing them. Pitchers are jugs; dinner is tea, friends are mates. Same language, but at times so-o-o not the same. I loved the pasty I had at the airport (pronounced like "pasta" with a "y"). Picture an apple turnover from McDonalds, nix the sugar, and fill it with meat. Yum! I wonder what it would cost to ship some over. I also liked the Aussie fries, which were big and fat, not skinny little wimps. I ate fabulous authentic Chinese food in both Sydney and Adelaide. Lots of good Chinese restaurants around.I loved wearing a scarf and jacket while temperatures hovered near 90 degrees in Dallas. I could get used to spending entire summers (their winters) in the land down under.I firmly believe the best way to see a place is by hanging with the locals. (Walking through Target and an office supply store made it evident what a challenge it is to my international-student friends when they must convert metrics to our quirky system of measures.) The locals knew the best places. And they gave me a look not only at the touristy parts with the best views, but life in homes, on patios, in churches, cooking on the barbie, telling jokes, and having fun in the country that gave us "Shout to the Lord." I'm unsure about whether I could ever get used to driving on the "other" side. Several times when I opened the passenger-side door, I found a steering wheel in front of me. And I always felt like we were bound for a head-on collision on the "wrong" side of the road.I could listen to Aussies talk all day. My big surprise was that several of them said the same of American accents, especially southern ones. I had several requests to "talk southern." I always figured they hated the way we butcher the queen's language. The environmental focus impressed me. People are expected to separate compost from other kinds of garbage. Toilets have two kinds of flushers, depending on the type of waste. I saw solar panels on many rooftops. And when people didn't bring their own sacks, they had to pay a little fee to get plastic ones.  I don't usually cry when I leave a country. This time I did.