Cheers!

Hello readers!
If you come to Australia, one of the first words you will hear is "Cheers" (possibly followed by "man", and I am still wondering why). Well, I was quite surprised when I first heard that kind of weird greeting, because Cheers for me was just a word used when you toast. So, as you can imagine, I didn't really reply properly with my "Thank you!"and I obviously made a fool of myself.
Anyway, now I have luckily improved and I am able to answer back with a loud "cheers man!". Very aussie isn't it? :)

However Australia never ceases to surprise you. Another very common greeting that you can have here is "Hey, how is it going" or better "Hey howisgain" possibly said in a super-extra speedy way, so that you can realize what he/she said just after that person went away. And obviously the sentence doesn't mean that they actually want to know if you are fine or not. So, don't waste your time in answering with a polite "I am fine, how are you?", it's not the case.  Just answer back with a simple "hey how is going" and you will be seen as cool and good-mannered.

I know that probably talking about greetings is not really the most interesting topic, but I think it's really useful when you are approaching a new culture and a new land. Every place has its own customs and traditions and it could be nice at least to know the basic ones for a smooth integration into the society.

But remember that in every place you can go and the language barriers you can meet, nothing can make the difference as a sincere smile and a positive approach. So, if you don't know what to say, don't panic! Just smile! :)