What is it about first impressions?

"Don't judge a book by its cover".  Sound familiar? I don't think there are many person who can safely say they haven't been exposed to this phrase one way or another.  As children sitting impatiently in classrooms waiting for recess to begin, we were taught many essentials in a list of common life lessons.  As far as judging books, a cover can say a lot; it gives the title, author and, more often than not, some kind of graphic or photograph that serves as a representation of what the publisher wants a reader to first see when picking up the book.  From there, it is often difficult to actually check a book from a library if the cover and title don't look appealing or wasn't recommended by a friend or family member. But, of course, this simply quoted lesson exceeds the judgement of books themselves.  When first meeting a person, it is understood that we are supposed to keep an open mind and not to jump to any bold conclusions.  Since our sense of sight is the first thing that we use in our environment without any control, it is difficult to filter our judgements and thoughts.  I blame this a bit on engraved stereotypes we live with every day. It takes a broad-minded and progressive person to take these conclusions and throw them out right away.

So, what is it about first impressions? Everyone says they have to make 'a great first impression' and 'its all about the first impression'.  I think that an impression is very different from a judgement.  A judgment  usually holds a negative connotation.  On the other hand, I like to think that an impression should be used when it describes the positive and intriguing aspects of a person or place.  My first impressions of Australia you ask?

Green. My first impression of Australia only having been here for a few days would be that it is very green.  And by green, I don't mean lush in trees and bushes.  In fact, it is quite the opposite due to their peak of hot summer temperatures at the moment.  I'm talking about the tree hugging, eco-friendly, environmentalist appreciating green.

In almost every single bathroom I've used since landing in Australia, there is only the option of using hand dryers rather than paper towels.  In the states, both options are given more often than not.  Here, it is rare to find paper towels to dry your hands.  If there are paper towels, they are usually green.  Yes, the color green.  As seen here, these green paper towels are fully recycled and eco-friendly.

As for the actual toilets, there are two options when flushing.  Not just one but two! By only flushing upwards, you are helping the environment by using less water.  Here, Australians are saving the planet one flush at a time.

As for recycling, it is very important in Australia to abide by the rules of trash.  There are always clearly labeled bins for 'rubbish' and others for 'recycles' (right).  This makes it easy to help the environment without having to search for a recycling bin in public areas since they are always paired next to each other.  Also, refillable canteen water bottles such as Nalgenes are extremely popular.  As bottled water is extremely expensive here, it is much more affordable to reuse bottles or use hard plastic canteens.  At every public place I have traveled to so far, including my campus at Monash Uni, the heart of the city of Melbourne, St. Kildas beach and the Healesville sanctuary, there have been refill stations (left).  A water refill station is a convenient post with a spouting water fountain in the front and refill fountains on the sides.  There are small hose-like spouts with a button above.  As the water flows out, the spout fits perfectly into bottles to fill them up.  This convenient contraption helps add to the easy and eco-friendly Australian lifestyle!