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Zainab Zaman

Differences Down Under 

Four cultural contrasts from an American living in Sydney 

by Zainab Zaman


Graphic by Emily Carmichael

When moving to the other side of the world and the opposite hemisphere, I assumed there would be some adjustments—I just wasn't quite sure what they would be. Landing in Sydney felt no different than landing in any other Airport, besides the 15-hour time difference from Boston. 


After two days of fighting off jetlag and adjusting my ears to the Australian drawl filled with "G'day Mate," "What'd ya reckon," and "How ya going this arvo," I began to pick up on some cultural differences that might seem off-putting. 


Shortening Everything 

Australians love to shorten or nickname every word imaginable. It takes a while to adjust, but once you do, you'll never want to use full words again. Rather than saying afternoon, they say arvo, thank you becomes ta, and aggressive is agro. Australians also love giving people nicknames, so don't be shocked if your name has been nicked after just meeting someone; it's part of the culture! Even the Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, has been deemed "Albo” by the public. 


Emphasis on Trade

After speaking with several Australians, I found that their post-high school road map differs from the U.S. For starters, it's common for Australian students to commute to school and live at home while they complete their education. This is surprising to someone from the United States as most people going to college move to another state. 


Trade practice is also much more prevalent in Australia than in the U.S. When speaking with people around town, I see that most individuals either seem to be "tradies" or have worked in a blue-collar field for a significant amount of time. In the U.S., college is often an expectation for most students, so seeing the rise in tradies in Australia shows a cultural difference in society's expectations. 


Bit of Banter 

Here in Australia, everyone is more relaxed. With that relaxation and carefree feeling comes a brazen attitude towards conversations that seem taboo in the United States. For example, Aussies are fascinated by U.S. politics, and with the election around the corner, people will simply ask you who you're voting for. Not only this, but political opinions are shared soon after meeting someone, and there is nothing taboo about it.  


Sometimes, Australians' relaxed attitude comes head to head with Americans' fast-paced get-it-done-now mindset. Aussies prefer a soft opening with small talk, banter, and chit-chat before getting to the nitty gritty. It can often be seen as aggressive when Americans come 'guns blazing' skipping the pleasantries, whereas, in the U.S., this is simply just being more efficient. 


Aggressive vs Assertive

This brings me to the last key cultural differences. Americans tend to be quite assertive with their behaviors, like sending food back to the chef if it's cooked incorrectly. However, in this hemisphere, it's seen as aggressive and rude. 


These are just some cultural differences you'll encounter down under. Australia is filled with new mates ready to engage in a bit of banter. These minor differences are nothing compared to the similarities between the two countries on the other end of the world. If you ever plan on visiting this wonderful continent, don't be scared; just chillax and have a nickname ready! 






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