Optometry, Ockas, Swish, and Bats

Tuesday March 28th – Today the optometrist, Ky, returned to teach us all about interpreting visual acuity tests. It was a technical morning with lots of information. We then toured the small optometry clinic on campus and she explained all the equipment for the various tests.

Ron’s Aussie for the Day Our lunch time conversation centered around the three terms for “redneck” type people and if you were to be called one, which would you choose (real intellectual stuff!). Ocka (Ah-ker) a good hearted redneck, Yobbo (yob-bow yob rhymes with job) which is like a chauvinist testosterone filled jock. And the Bogon (Bow-gun) which is a unemployed, trailer trash like person who would readily rob you blind. Naturally everyone decided the Ocker is the nicest of the three.

Also if something is really cool or original it is “Ridgy-Didgy” These people love to rhyme!

In the afternoon we returned to the locations that we had mapped yesterday, traded maps, put on the simulators, and followed them. It was good to see how another person interpreted your map.

This evening we went to the gym again. Afterwards we were craving American junk food, so we replenished all our burned calories with a Big Mac! It was dusk as we were driving to MacDonald’s and as we came to a stop sign Sue looks over and says, “hey, look at that huge flock of birds”. I looked over and said, "are those birds or bats"? As we sat there some people walked past the car so we rolled down the window and asked. “Oh yes” they nonchalantly replied, “they’re fruit bats, they roost in the park all day and fly out to eat in the fruit trees at night”. It was pretty wild, there had to be well over a hundred of them and they are enormous!
Back at the dorm everyone was playing “Swish” which is like table tennis for visually impaired people. The ball has bells on it and the large wooden paddle scrape across the table when you hit, making a ‘swish’ sound. The ball goes under the “Net” which is the large wood board suspended about 5 inches above the table. We ended the day with a rousing game of trivia Men Vs. Women, it was another wonderful vehicle in which to explore Aussie expressions.