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Woman Shares 21 Things That She Didn’t Realize Were “American” Until She Moved Abroad
Kaymie Wuerfel relocated from Florida to Sydney after getting married to her Australian partner and has been learning to live in the Land Down Under.
To pass the extra free time that came with the pandemic, she began documenting the differences between life in the US and Australia in a series of TikTok videos which have grown her audience to 242.8K followers.
In a recent clip, for example, Wuerfel admitted that she realized garbage disposals and ranch dressing were quintessential American symbols only after she moved abroad and saw that other places don't really care about them. Who could've known!
Continue scrolling to check out what other cultural nuances the TikToker has noticed.
Kaymie Wuerfel left her home in Clearwater, Florida for Sydney to be with her Australian husband
Image credits: kayywuerf
She adjusted to Aussie life quite well and is now working on a TikTok series, naming all the things she realized are super American
@kayywuerf Come Say Hi On IG: kayywuerf 🌸 #fyp #american #america #usa #cultureshock #travel #australia #straya #expat #traveltiktok #learnontiktok
♬ Castaways - The Backyardigans
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Pharmaceutical Ads Everywhere
Especially the ones where people look super happy while they list the 25 ways it might kill you
This! "Live a better life while (and the voice goes into super-speed) risking coma, oily discharge and death. Consult your doctor if you suffer one of those side effects." OK, I'm dead. Do I ouija board the doctor or what?
"I moved to Australia in November 2019 and I've adapted quite well," Wuerfel told Bored Panda. "The first six months or so were a huge adjustment period as you can tell from my comedic skits. Now it feels like home to me."
The content creator came up with the idea for the series in Spring 2020. "I had just canceled a trip that had been scheduled for that March to visit my family in America (due to Covid) and I was really down and missing home. I decided to make a [sketch] about what it's like being an American in Australia to make light out of the situation. It was my first viral video!"
Interestingly, Kaymie almost didn't post it because she thought it was silly. But now she's glad she did!
Buying Cigarettes At The Pharmacy
"Hi! I'm here to pick up my medication & the cigarettes I shouldn't be smoking while I'm taking it..."
Doing Math At Check Out To Calculate Sales Tax
The Ice Obsession
We put TONS of ice in practically everything. We probably get away with this because we have free refills. But before I moved abroad I literally wouldn't drink something unless it had lots of ice
Of course, Australia and the USA have many things in common, too. Both are large land masses, both predominantly English speaking, both with an ancient native population, and both relatively recently settled by European cultures. Both are democracies and both are meritocracies. Both cultures tend to be fairly materialistic and both tend to be open to new ideas and risk in business. Besides, Australians, like Americans, are usually hard-working and results-orientated.
But as you can see from Wuerfel's videos, there are also differences between the two. (It's important to note, however, that they don't make one better or worse than the other.)
"Australians can have a dry and perverse sense of humor and will often deliberately say the exact opposite of what they actually mean," Sue Bryant, a writer and editor specializing in global business culture and travel, wrote in Country Navigator. "Americans, on the other hand, have a very explicit communication style and irony can fall flat on its face. Each side should bear these differences in mind."
Halloween
"For Halloween!!! It's in 43 days, 7 hours and 2 minutes"
".. are you being serious?"
"Yes. 100%"
"Halloween is for kids.."
Bathroom Stall Gaps. (We Are The Only Country This Silly)
I have literally been conditioned to look down the entire time I'm inside
"Australians believe firmly in 'mateship', showing loyalty to friends, family and colleagues," Bryant explained.
"Australians working in teams may be more loyal to the team than to their employer. Americans, on the other hand, may be more loyal to the concept of performance and profit and for many, covering their own back, in a culture where hiring and firing can be extremely rapid."
Bryant said the differences between Australians and Americans are visible even in the way they talk. The former, for instance, "are great lovers of abbreviation and informality in speech; much more so than Americans."
The traveler said Australians tend to shorten words wherever possible and some regional accents, combined with this, can make people difficult to understand at first.
Root Beer & Dr. Pepper
"Sorry we don't have that"
"Dr.Pepper then?"
"We don't have that either"
Ranch Dressing. Because It's A Salad Dressing.. But We Put It On Everything
We flavor chips with it. Put it on potatoes. Use it as a veggie dip. Chicken wing dip. Some people even put it on pizza
Currency That's Pretty Much All The Same Color
Much better to have different coloured money - especially when it's dark and you're drunk!
But even if you get something wrong, an Aussie will probably just say "no worries, mate."
Maybe it's all the sunshine, the miles of beaches, or the excellent quality of life, but nothing much seems to get under their skin. Even when something does go awry, there's another phrase you'll hear Australians say that keeps things nice and chill: "she'll be right, mate."
Sorority Girls + College Parties/Sports
I *am* American and have never understood the sorority/fraternity/parties thing.
Garbage Disposals(Other Countries Just Don't Usually Have Them)
They will never be terrorized by the sound a spoon makes when it's left inside when you turn it on
24 Hours Diners
I could really go for some 2AM pancakes. "Yeah, which of the ten 24 hours places nearby do you want to go to?"
Where in the US did she live? B/c I can't get 2 AM pancakes anywhere I've lived unless I make 'em. :-(
Red Solo Cups
It's not just a thing in the movies.. You'll see these at almost an American party
College Sports Being A Huge Deal
College sport is a way for colleges to earn loads of money and attract more students who will also bring in loads of money. Everything in the US is about money, from religion via education via charity to health care.
Putting Cheese On Everything
Broccoli, potattoes, salads, eggs, fries
The 7-Eleven Big Gulp
The big gulp is 3.785 ML (McDonald's Large in Australia is 650ML) And we still get free refills
It's either 3.785 litres or 3,785 ml. 3.785 ml is less than a spoon of cough medicine! (US uses the same separators as the UK - decimal point is a dot - Europe is reversed, so Europeans will wonder what I'm moaning about).
Wait, are you saying that in the US there's a drink option that's nearly 4 litres? How can a plastic cup withstand the pressure of that much? That's like 8 pints.
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3.7L ? How do you carry it ? How long does it last you ? Is it only for you or do you share it with the neighbourhood ? Does it have wheels ? I have so many questions.....
Her math is bad. The biggest "Big Gulp" in America is the Double Gulp at 64oz, which turns into about 1.89 liters. So just less than a 2 liter bottle. There's been special limited edition 100oz (just under 3 liter) ones, but those are large heavy plastic cups shaped like a large travel coffee cup. I can make a Double Glup, when I used to drink soda, last all day, depending on where I was working.
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3 3/4 liters! All for one person? My family of four would use the entire weekend to drink that much soda.
Here in Germany, a large softdrink usually is 500ml (about 16 ounces), while a small one would usually be around 200ml (7 ounces). I do not think anybody would even entertain the theoretical idea of an 128-ounces-drink - especially not with free refills!
My God that is huge!! I would need three days to drink it!!! How can they take so much sugar?
They can't, and that's why obesity and diabetes is such a huge problem in the US. Just keep drinking nearly 4 liters of fluid sugar and if you want you can have a refill for half price.
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I Googled it. Big Gulp is around 945 ml to 1.9 liters. 3.785 ml would be less than a teaspoon.
Soda is the worst! I gave it up years ago and am so happy. The unlimited free refills are so bad, so so so bad!
I very rarely ever see this. Most people just get the 20 oz bottle. But….why does the US abbreviate ounce as oz?
"The abbreviation oz came later from the cognate Italian word onza." I just wikeed that up.
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The regular Big Gulp is "only" 30 oz. Then comes the Super BigGulp, which is 44 oz, and then there's a 64oz size, known as the Double Gulp!! And two more even larger sizes! Go ahead, I'll wait while you do the math!!!
I did the math and in terms of sugary drinks and her double double gulp it ads up to 1360 empty calories. If you drank water that would mean you could have a nice burger and at least get some proteine, fats and a fraction of vitamins from the salad, ketchup and pickle on it, to go with your carbohydrates.
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I think this is an exaggeration but you don't actually have to buy a large soda. You don't have to go to 7/11. I don't remember the last time.
As someone who has been caught in a major traffic disaster and spent 5 hours to go 10 miles, I go nowhere without a "big gulp" cup in my car - ha, ha, ha!
Calling Everyone Mr. & Mrs.
family, friends, teachers, neighbors,
Grocery Shopping At Target
Cheap Breakfast Combos
That's not to say other places don't have breakfast combos... But in America you'd get all of this for like $12
Apparently, TikTok is meant for people to whine about stuff. I'm sure the Chinese agents are getting bored with this.
Don't be surprised if a Chinese "tourist" comes at your door with a Double Big Gulp and a can of whipped cream and ask if you want to go to that fast food place to get some waffles at 4 am. Just testing how their intel integrates with day to day ops.
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Enough with these s**t posts and the stupid faces of uninteresting people craving attention!
If you think that's bad, uninteresting people are even craving attention in the comme... oh, wait.
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Oh cool. Some wanna-be influencer made a tiktok of the 1,000 identical lists that are posted here/Buzzfeed/PJ/Cracked every single day and is passing it off as original content. Please don't encourage this type of stolen material. And stop with the crap-on-America posts. They don't hurt my feelings or anything, it's just the same dang list over and over.
Another shittoker that is obsessed with their own appearance/face...Did she lipsync and dance to that stupid stuff?
I'd like to see something like this but with other countries besides america.
Being asked 10 questions while at the cashier during shopping. Drove me crazy. "Who helped you today? Was everything ok? Would you like to donate? Would you like to give your e-mail address? Would you like to have some kind of brochure? Would you like a bag? " Oh my God, please just let me pay!
Most of this is not universally American nor exclusively American. Why do so many people not understand their personal experience is not universal? You are also not the center of the universe.
Another American thing: Claiming everything is about them. --- Lots of those things are in Canada too. So it is a North America thing not a just USA thing.
Cream in a can thing is pretty much everywhere, but the rest, for sure :)
The tax thing is in every f g state in the US! How can you not know that??
They were saying that tax is typically already added to the the price of the item...so you don't have to figure it out once you get to the register. Also not all states have tax on certain things, like there's no tax on clothing in Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire, and Oregon.
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So whats wonderful about the internet is no one is forcing you to read anything. If you clicked on it you made a cognitive choice to do so. Just let people have stuff.. Its okay if you don't like it. If they aren't hurting anyone just let it go guys. Happiness is an important emotion, it's okay to let people be happy. Even you.
Apparently, TikTok is meant for people to whine about stuff. I'm sure the Chinese agents are getting bored with this.
Don't be surprised if a Chinese "tourist" comes at your door with a Double Big Gulp and a can of whipped cream and ask if you want to go to that fast food place to get some waffles at 4 am. Just testing how their intel integrates with day to day ops.
Load More Replies... Enough with these s**t posts and the stupid faces of uninteresting people craving attention!
If you think that's bad, uninteresting people are even craving attention in the comme... oh, wait.
Load More Replies... Oh cool. Some wanna-be influencer made a tiktok of the 1,000 identical lists that are posted here/Buzzfeed/PJ/Cracked every single day and is passing it off as original content. Please don't encourage this type of stolen material. And stop with the crap-on-America posts. They don't hurt my feelings or anything, it's just the same dang list over and over.
Another shittoker that is obsessed with their own appearance/face...Did she lipsync and dance to that stupid stuff?
I'd like to see something like this but with other countries besides america.
Being asked 10 questions while at the cashier during shopping. Drove me crazy. "Who helped you today? Was everything ok? Would you like to donate? Would you like to give your e-mail address? Would you like to have some kind of brochure? Would you like a bag? " Oh my God, please just let me pay!
Most of this is not universally American nor exclusively American. Why do so many people not understand their personal experience is not universal? You are also not the center of the universe.
Another American thing: Claiming everything is about them. --- Lots of those things are in Canada too. So it is a North America thing not a just USA thing.
Cream in a can thing is pretty much everywhere, but the rest, for sure :)
The tax thing is in every f g state in the US! How can you not know that??
They were saying that tax is typically already added to the the price of the item...so you don't have to figure it out once you get to the register. Also not all states have tax on certain things, like there's no tax on clothing in Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire, and Oregon.
Load More Replies... So whats wonderful about the internet is no one is forcing you to read anything. If you clicked on it you made a cognitive choice to do so. Just let people have stuff.. Its okay if you don't like it. If they aren't hurting anyone just let it go guys. Happiness is an important emotion, it's okay to let people be happy. Even you.
