Throughout the Ubuntu/Canonical conferences I've become used to hearing some Aussies speaking, and learned a bit about their funny accent (yeah, don't comment about my English accent, that is out of the question). I still have trouble understanding a few words due to the difference in vowel pronunciation, but I thought I was more or less used to the accent.

This morning I went to an Information Desk as soon as the customes dudes let me out, to ask what would be the best way of reaching this hotel at that time. When suggested taking a taxi, the woman said that there would be very little traffic today, as they were celebrating a National Holiday called Insect Day. "Wow, you've got a holiday called 'Insect day', that's cool!", I told her, thinking it's a day these Aussies dedicate to their wildlife, and wandered off to the taxi area. Just before getting there, I thought "good, at least until now I haven't had any problem with understanding their accent"...

During the taxi drive from the airport to the hotel, the taxi driver again started talking about Insect Day, and that many areas in Sydney would be closed for the parade. I asked him why the holiday was called like this, and he said he didn't know the details, but was something related to WWWII (while it's really related to WWWI). This was puzzling: they have a big parade for Insect Day, which is something related to the World War?

A bit before arriving to the hotel I finally saw a traffic panel announcing blocked areas for ANZAC Day, and suddenly everything made a bit more sense (still didn't know what Anzac was, but it obviously wasn't about ants and bees).