04 March 2014

More Aussie & American Differences


I've been meaning to write a follow up post on differences I've noticed from the US to Australia but I've just been putting it off because life got busy! I love doing all the things I'm doing, but recapping it just never seems to come out how I want it to. Anyways here's my list #2 of differences between the US and OZ!

#1 Trucks.

If you're anything like me and you love to listen to good 'ol country music you know how we American love our pick-up trucks. Case in point: "Something 'Bout a Truck," "Truck Yeah,""We Rode in Trucks" just to name a few. When you listen to these songs you think of a giant truck covered in dirt roaming the country. I for one cannot wait until I'm not in mounds of debt so my first car purchase can be a big pick-up truck. Let me tell you, that is not what you find here...


             vs

On the left is an all-american truck... on the right is... a sedan with a truck bed? I think it's bizarre an can't find any reason why you'd want that thing on the right. I'll stick with my American Trucks.

#2 The Metric System and the letter Z

I know this is America vs. the rest of the world but I still haven't gotten the hang of metric yet. When you tell me it's 30 degrees out I think of snow and New England Winter not a hot summers day. Doesn't 80 degrees just sound so much better and warmer? Yeah I thought so too. Not only Celsius versus Fahrenheit but I have no idea how they measure gas (which is petrol here actually...). I see signs that look like they say one hundred something dollars for whatever they are measuring in, thank goodness I don't drive here. The grocery store is another huge issue, when I try to buy deli meet I never know how much to get, 1 kilogram 17 kilograms? What's a girl to do? Ive figured it's about a 2 pound conversion so 1 kg is about 2 pounds so I haven't made the mistake of buying way too much lunch meat and it going bad again thankfully. I think I must have been the only person in the world to not know that everywhere but the US pronounces "Z" "Zed"... How does that in anyway make sense!? You can't spell out any other letters sound... try to spell H to me... you can't. So why make Z sound like a word?? We may be wrong with our weird measurements but I think America is right on this one and everyone should follow us with how to say "Z" and I'm not letting that one go.

Good 'ol America

#3 PDA

Oh PDA, everyones favorite topic. Maybe this is because I haven't been to Europe because I've heard it's pretty bad there, but the PDA here.... OH LORD. The amount of people who I've seen getting real frisky in train stations or on the street is incredible. I feel like I'm the only one who finds it bizarre and totally inappropriate, as well. I dont wanna see your tongue out and you getting your feel on, on this 10 minute train ride. Can you keep it down for just a few more stops?

Too much- please get a room!!


#4 Dogs, Dogs everywhere!

It's my own little paradise here in Sydney, there are dogs everywhere you go. They're walking down every single street and tied outside of all the shops. Most of them are small little dogs and they are almost all incredibly well-trained! It would put my poor Coop to shame, that big lug. It's nice to see that most dogs here aren't stuck sitting in the house all day and are allowed in most public places even if they have to be tied outside. When they are waiting around they all sit nicely or lie down, no crazy barking and no excessive pulling, I'm amazed. I should have brought Cooper here to learn some manners that crazy pup.

No worries, you're still my favorite Coop!

#5 Slang

I've mentioned this before but Australian English is vastly different than American English. Not only the accent (swoon), but also the choice and usage of words. I hear: "keen," "heaps," "mate," "cheers" and "as well" so much more than I've ever heard it in my whole life back in the US. I'm trying to pick it up and I definitely say as well way more than I used to but I just dont wanna feel like a phony, we'll see, I've still got a month and a half! Aside from word choice some words mean different things. If you say fanny here you are not talking about your backside, you're talking about a different inappropriate body part- vagina. If you say something about tooting your horn... whoops you're talking about an erection. And don't you dare say you root for the Red Sox! Root means sex. You better watch your mouth here!


#6 Voting

You know how very few Americans really know a lot about politics, here voting is compulsory so you better take an interest so you don't vote for someone you don't support. Not only is voting compulsory but it's heavily finable if you don't participate. Do I know a lot about Australian politics now you ask? Of course not.


So many memes/gifs
#7 Celebrity/Stardom

With the Oscars just taking place, there's been a lot of talk and focus on celebrities. I guess I've always taken for granted that most of the celebrity world is based in the US and all of the biggest award shows are ours. When I saw a re-run of the Oscars on Monday night (because it was on at like 8am OZ time) they called it "Australia's Biggest Night!" Because 3 Aussie's won Oscars. It was crazy to hear about the award show from another country's perspective. All of the emphasis was on their three winners rather than the show as an entirety because of how much that mean to their country. I know celebrity's come from world-wide but their basis and the film industry is the biggest in the US so I've never noticed other countries biases.

That's all I've got for now! Hope I've helped you learn so more about my Aussie life here and differences between countries who I've always thought were so incredibly similar!

Cheers Mates!

PS: Still bitter for Leo about him STILL not winning an Oscar.

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