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.
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.
I’m a New Zealander and I always get the ones with the thingy.
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Maybe I can help with some explanation. My mother used tampons without an applicator, with no issue. I absolutely have to have them because shoving a bare wad of ultra absorbant material up a sensitive damp hole literally scrapes me raw. Just so those who are mystified by the applicator concept have another pov. It also helps with keeping hands clean and keeping bacteria that was on your hands less likely to now be up in your business.
I agree, I've been spending my entire life inserting tampons without applicator but it's painful every time
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"Thingy"? What are we talking here, a catapult? (Not being American or a woman, I'm at a disadvantage)
This maybe tmi but the "thingy" is an applicator that helps insert a tampon without needing to insert your finger to put a tampon in.
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When I visited London I started my period way too early, so I had to buy tampons since I did not bring any with me. And that one supermarket only had ones with applicators. Took me a while to figure out what to do. And it was even messier than just using my finger to get it in. I just do not understand applicators.
There is only like 2 brands of tampons with applicators, they aren't that popular here. Don't know why coz I only ever buy the ones with applicators.
22 years of period, never needed thingy, tried only once and was confused as hell :D
In my country we don't have tampons with applicators. It's your body, you should not be disgusted to touch yourself. Wash your hands before and after :-D
I'm more worried about the bacteria on my hands before insertion. Yes, you should wash your hands, but you still have to touch stuff on the way to the toilet unless it's a room and not a stall.
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I hate applicators. As soon as I discovered tampons were available without I switched and never looked back. I can remember having SO MANY issues with them like struggling to push through the plunger, pinching myself with it, etc. It's SO MUCH easier to just use the "cotton bullet" and you can widen the bottom using the string for extra protection. Turns out I feel very strongly about this preference.
The thingy is gross. Who wants some nasty damp cardboard sitting in their bathroom trash. (And NO, tehy don't flush).
I JUST learned that those things are not flushable like 2 months ago. I’m reproductively male so I’ve never used one. I tried to dispose of my gf’s tampon after it fell out of the trash. Much plunging ensued. (I’m freaking 40 years old and I just learned this)
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In America a large majority of the tampons are sold with plastic applicators. The version with applicators exists in other countries but to a much smaller extent. Less plastic waste and smaller packages made the version inserted with your digits more popular in most places.
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Did she just hand her a loose tampon? We have tampons without the "thingy" in the US, but they are generally wrapped in something to keep them sanitary.
I never understood how to use the bloody things in the first place. With or without the applicator thingamajigy
I hate Tampons. I use adult diapers. Cuz tampons never worked right up there, and pads didn't cover enough so I wrecked my underwear, and I got horrible rashes from my pads despite my attempts to stop it. Was complaining about it to a friend in High school and she showed me her adult diapers and said "This is better then tampons or pads! She and I were both super heavy bleeders. No more waking up to bloody sheets and underwear, no more rash, and no one has ever noticed I was wearing one.
I've been using tampons for almost 20 years now and to be honest I had no idea they came with applicators, I had to look up what did she mean by "thingy".
It's called an applicator because some of us don't want to stick our hands in our vaginas.
My wife was terrified, every tampon had its own applicator, you use plenty of tampons, waste plenty of plastic each. Come on
last time i saw a tampon with an applicator was at that discussion with a gynecologist at our elementary school. i wonder if they still sell them in my country. as far as i know pads and normal tampons are more preffered here. i dont even remember how that applicator works
I never liked the applicator. I always used O.B. brand tampons which don't come with applicators.
In high school that was my tampon of choice because of its convenient size and portability. I don’t understand how anyone would be confused by it.
Should I be ashamed as a woman that I don't even know what the " Thingy " is??
Never understood how people use tampons without the thingy. In public restrooms you would literally have to sort out your clothing, open the door, go find the basins walking across half the room in front of other people to go wash blood off your fingers. Thingies are much more hygienic and less messy.
just wipe it off with toilet paper and dont touch anything with that one "contaminated" finger until the sink?
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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...
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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...
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