Woman Shares 21 Things That She Didn't Realize Were "American" Until She Moved Abroad

"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!

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."

"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.

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."