Moving to another country can be really challenging because of language and cultural barriers. However, migrating to another place is a pretty common thing nowadays, especially when we have all the means to prepare for it: learn the language, learn more about the place, ask for recommendations or find people who can help us through our journey. The possibilities of finding out more about a certain country are endless. However, people cannot be prepared for everything, and that’s where the fun begins. Getting lost and experiencing culture shock is how people learn to adapt to a new place.
Living in another country means that you find something new every day and it is exciting to share your findings with others. Having this in mind, American TikTok user @kayywuerf started sharing videos of what differences she has experienced since she moved to Australia.
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i once asked (on BP?) why you put on a price without taxes and someone told me, so you can compare prices without the changing taxes in the differnt states.. but if a product costs 5$ with taxes and 6$ with taxes in a different state, i don't gaf that the taxes are different? it is just more expensive in state b? wth?
Kaymie Wuerfel is a 23-year-old American who has moved to Australia. She moved to Sydney from Florida in 2020 after she got married to an Australian. On her TikTok, she shares funny and short videos where most of the time, she recreates everyday situations. For example, one of her video series is called “Things I Had To Learn Working At An Aussie School”. Since she’s a school teacher, Kaymie shared how she first struggled with understanding certain things kids say.
Yep, still pretty common, even in places where the weather is not great, like the UK, because the cost of running a tumble dryer is excessive.
umm..not to a be a greenie or anything, but it's better for reducing carbon emissions, too.
Load More Replies...Better for the environment as well, Less electricity. And the sheets smell like grass!
Like grass only in some places, depending on where you live.
Load More Replies...i only understand dryers in countries were it rains frecuently. And even in that case (for example in Ireland or UK) they still dry their clothes outside when it is warm and dry. In Spain we obvioulsly don't have these, if it rains we hang them indoors.
In other wet places we hang them inside (for days!), for example in Paris.
Load More Replies...i'm 35 and never used a dryer, outside works pretty well (central europe, not oz though)
what '? Americans dont use the FREE sunshine to dry your clothing:? you'd rather waste money and energy? what a waste
No, this is hyperbole. I grew up with a line outside to dry the clothes and I have one again now as an adult. It may not be common in cities, but most of America is rural and a lot of us DO hang the wash outside.
Load More Replies...In México city its common to have rains from march to august, yet we hang the clothes. We even has this bad joke about aztec god of rain liking our clothes as sacrifices, once you hang the clothes it star to rain (jajajaja pretty funny!! I know it doesn't make sence for you but belive me is funny)
I’m American and still hang my laundry outside. Then again, I live in Phoenix where it’s 110 in the middle of the summer so clothes dry faster outside than in the dryer.
Midwesterner here who hangs out my clothes even if there's just a drip of sunshine.
Load More Replies...I absolutely love the smell of "sun kissed" sheets, so I hung a line up in our side yard. It is completely enclosed & not in view of the public. But my neighbor is a complete c*nt & reported it to the HOA, who told us we would be fined of it were not removed. Seriously? How am I bothering you? She would literally have to stand on a step stool to see over the fence. Power trippin' f*****g bitch.
Hoa are the worst. I would look at their g fine print and check if it is truly not allowed. Fight them.
Load More Replies...After sleeping in sun dried sheets you'll never want to put them in the drier again (they smell like sunshine!)
I only use the tumbledryer for towels and bedsheets because if I let them dry on a clothes rach outside, they will turn out very hard/rough.
Living in an apartment now I so miss being able to hang the washing outside. Luckily we have lines on the glassed in balcony.
I'm beginning to think this woman is stupid. People in America line-dry their clothes too, the issue of paying waitresses a living wage is well known, and Americans have known that other countries have better healthcare for years. This is not "culture shock", this is "person who lived under a rock decides to move across the globe, and is amazed by all the normal things she's seeing for the first time ever"
My mom used to hang our clothes outside. They were stiff + scratchy esp. when all the detergent wasn't properly rinsed out. I'll stick to using the dryer, thanks.
Tbh in my family we use the washing line MORE than we use the dryer. We only use the dryer for when we need to dry stuff rlly fast
We're not allowed clotheslines in the city anymore🙄🙄. Man I wish I lived in the country.
Renewable energy.......The Sun....for as long as that lasts....teehee.
A good environmentally friendly idea, but some people with allergies can't (pollen will bond to wet fabric). Also, many suburbs & cities have bylaws against hanging laundry, as it is considered an eyesore.
Most Australian families who have a garden dry their washing on a clothesline! It's called a Hills Hoist and kids love swinging from it. Also, a good place to hang solar lighting!
Hang them inside out. Easiest way is to turn them inside out before you wash them.
Load More Replies...I always check the weather to see if it's going to not rain. If not, washing goes outside. I only use the tumble drier in the winter and if it's rainy spring and autumn. Plus, I so love the smell of air dried washing!
In some places, like Salem, OR, it's illegal to hang the wash outside. Not sure how it's enforced though. I used low level drying racks and didn't have a problem.
It take me 30 minutes or less to dry my clothes in a dryer in the US. It took 3 hours to wash the same clothes and 2 to dry them and I still had to hang them up to finish drying in Europe.
So? Yes it takes longer, it's also infinitely better for the environment. Unless your house is off the grid, dyers use a ton of electricity
Load More Replies...Regardless of the cost, why would anyone dry their clothes in a machine if you can hang them out in the fresh air.? That´s just braindead.
We have so many 'flying spiders' here in my state. They make little balloons with t their webs to get from one place to another, and they're tiny, super tiny. But you still swell up from their bites...in your clothes, on your sheets, IN YOUR PANTIES! NOPE, sorry, I remember how nice my stuff smelled as a kid from line drying, but I also remember the many welts that added onto the mosquito, deerfly, horsefly blackfly bites all summer. If i could stop one way of getting bitten, I was pleased, and I have arachnophobia from years of fresh air sheets
Also happens in many other countries, that's the best way to dry clothes.
This American does not even own a clothes dryer. Hang outside, or not at all
for people with allergies, drying it outside may not always be a possibility. Even then, a drying may not be required if you have the time
Dryers play havoc on clothes and linens. Nothing like drying outside in the fresh air.
This isn't uncommon in the states. Granted I am older then most commenting but I prefer to hang my clothes to dry except my towels.
Oh, please. Why would this represent USA vs Australia? I've lived CA. + WA (USA) and always hung my laundry outside. Except when it's raining then I wait until the storm passes. My mom lived FL, WI, MA, AZ, CA, WA, and AK and always hung her laundry outside. She said even if it's freezing weather as long as it's not raining or snowing the laundry will dry.
Countries like Australia and India do not need dryers... Put the clothes on the drying line and tadaaa... they are dried within mins... Only the monsoon season plays havoc..
Same in New Zealand! I once moved out of a rental place because it didn’t have an area that got sun but was also sheltered from the rain.
I hate clothing dried on the line and don't get me started on towels...yuck.
Wait, what? Americans don't hang their laundry outside? I knew it was the land of wastrels (wasting money, electricity, etc) but that's just mental.
The chance that a bird poops on your laundry is really small, but if it happens, you just need to wash it again. In the 40 years I've hung clothes outside, it happend maybe 2 or 3 times.
Load More Replies...In her video series “Culture shocks: moving to Australia from America”, Kaymie shares her reactions to things that are considered normal in Australia and are handled differently in the United States. Besides learning some new meanings of words, she also had to adjust to the fact that refills are not free and grocery bags and sauce at a fast-food restaurant cost something, too.
She is probably talking about soft drinks aka soda coz tap water refills are free in Australia.
Through her journey of getting to know her new home, the woman shared some positive things she learned throughout time. Kaymie was pleasantly surprised to find out that in case a person needs medical help, their bills are covered by Medicare—a national health insurance program. In the United States, there is no one health care program as it consists of private and public health coverage. In one of her videos, she also revealed that she didn’t know Australians don’t leave tips for waiters as they get a proper salary.
These TikTok videos became viral as people were very interested in the differences between Australia and the United States. It is also a great way to see things from a different perspective and learn something new in an entertaining way. Which one of these “shocks” is your favorite? Leave your thoughts in the comments down below!
It's a no. The yeah is to say we heard what your saying and the nah is to disagree with what you said. I am terrible with this and say it all the time. But also for another reason, indecisiveness lol.
This is the only Australian reference i know! (They’re flip flops ;) )
Many people don't realise that US Target has absolutely no affiliation with Australian Target in any way.
Just like in Pennsylvania. Only recently is beer available in some supermarkets. Not in 7 eleven, CVS or gas stations.
Business at the front, party in the back. I personally think mullets look bloody awful. But each to their own.
Culture shock is real. I remember going from Zimbabwe (when it was the land of pretty much nothing) to the United States (land of too much of everything) and just standing like a deer in headlights every time I went into an American store. The choice was just overwhelming.
I'm from Australia and felt like that in an American supermarket. So. Much. Everything.
Load More Replies...Australia is a wonderful country, most of the folks are really friendly and it's just a chill atmosphere, 10/10 would recommend
There’s a lot of overlap with New Zealand too, unsurprisingly.
Load More Replies...This was quite funny, the f word is a noun, consonant and vowel in this country 😂 ( yes I know what I said)
did this woman actually do any research before she moved countries? like the fact with the health care? i would research things like that before moving?!
I always like reading these articles until the comments get all LoL aMeRiKa BaD LoLllLoL like it's the height of hilarity. Trust us we *know* universal healthcare would be amazing, but politicians do basically whatever they want to line their pockets so it's really hard to make changes even when votes go the way they should
The phrase "3rd world country" has absolutely NOTHING to do with wealth or citizen health. It is simply the term given to all the countries which did not take a side during the cold war. It has now become a derogatory term for lower-income and less-developed countries.
Load More Replies...She didn't have to pay for plastic bags in the US? In California, we have for a long time...maybe her state never passed it. Honestly, all of these do not sound very shocking. Like maybe everyone yelling c*nt all the time, but other than that, did she not already know that most other countries don't do added tax or tips? Seems like it's just taking normal stuff and making posts about it just for the likes and follows, not because it's actually shocking.
This reminds me of the movie 'Heaven and Earth" that was a beautiful yet tragic movie...just the recipe for a good ole culture shock
I would love to go but based on someone else's experience even the magpies want to kill you. This dude wasnt even provoking them! They're just mean!
I want to move to New Zealand. I would be happy to be in a beautiful place where nothing happens except for looking at the beauty.
Load More Replies...Oh don't start these again BP. Oh look different countries have different practices, woohoo.
My mum came from England to the States when she was a teenager. She says there was a lot of culture shock, but pizza made up for a fair amount of it!
We have pizza and a lot of it, in the UK! It's a very popular meal/ take away...
Load More Replies...Culture shock is real. I remember going from Zimbabwe (when it was the land of pretty much nothing) to the United States (land of too much of everything) and just standing like a deer in headlights every time I went into an American store. The choice was just overwhelming.
I'm from Australia and felt like that in an American supermarket. So. Much. Everything.
Load More Replies...Australia is a wonderful country, most of the folks are really friendly and it's just a chill atmosphere, 10/10 would recommend
There’s a lot of overlap with New Zealand too, unsurprisingly.
Load More Replies...This was quite funny, the f word is a noun, consonant and vowel in this country 😂 ( yes I know what I said)
did this woman actually do any research before she moved countries? like the fact with the health care? i would research things like that before moving?!
I always like reading these articles until the comments get all LoL aMeRiKa BaD LoLllLoL like it's the height of hilarity. Trust us we *know* universal healthcare would be amazing, but politicians do basically whatever they want to line their pockets so it's really hard to make changes even when votes go the way they should
The phrase "3rd world country" has absolutely NOTHING to do with wealth or citizen health. It is simply the term given to all the countries which did not take a side during the cold war. It has now become a derogatory term for lower-income and less-developed countries.
Load More Replies...She didn't have to pay for plastic bags in the US? In California, we have for a long time...maybe her state never passed it. Honestly, all of these do not sound very shocking. Like maybe everyone yelling c*nt all the time, but other than that, did she not already know that most other countries don't do added tax or tips? Seems like it's just taking normal stuff and making posts about it just for the likes and follows, not because it's actually shocking.
This reminds me of the movie 'Heaven and Earth" that was a beautiful yet tragic movie...just the recipe for a good ole culture shock
I would love to go but based on someone else's experience even the magpies want to kill you. This dude wasnt even provoking them! They're just mean!
I want to move to New Zealand. I would be happy to be in a beautiful place where nothing happens except for looking at the beauty.
Load More Replies...Oh don't start these again BP. Oh look different countries have different practices, woohoo.
My mum came from England to the States when she was a teenager. She says there was a lot of culture shock, but pizza made up for a fair amount of it!
We have pizza and a lot of it, in the UK! It's a very popular meal/ take away...
Load More Replies...