An Australian woman who moved to the UK last year shared a long list of the strange and peculiar differences she has noticed since she was here.
Kate Heaslip, 22, moved to Manchester with her friend Sarah, aiming to stay for around five months.
From accents to food, she took to social media to reveal the little things she finds different about life in the world.
His TikTok, posted under his handle. @kate.heaslipIt’s already been viewed by over 25,000 people, with other Australians quickly flocking to the comments to share their own experiences.
Filming the video on a train, Kate told viewers: ‘Sarah and I have just moved, a month ago, from Australia to the UK. Let’s talk about the differences we’ve noticed since we’ve been here.’
An Australian woman who moved to the UK last year has shared a long list of the strange and peculiar differences she has noticed since arriving here.
crossing the road
She revealed that the first thing she “notices a lot” has to do with crossing the street.
The 22-year-old explained: ‘The little green man who tells you when you can cross the road doesn’t beep.
“He’s next to you too, so you have to turn your head like this to know when he’s going, you can’t even look across the street.”
However, a British commentator warned: ‘At intersections there is usually also a green man in front. Some intersections beep and others don’t, it depends on the type of intersection, I think but not 100 percent.’
The TikToker responded: ‘Yes, I’ve seen some that beep. The beeping isn’t so cute though,” along with a laughing emoji.
No seasoning
Moving on to the food, Kate expressed her disappointment at the lack of condiments in the UK.
Kate Heaslip, 22, moved to Manchester with her friend Sarah, aiming to stay for around five months.
She said: ‘They don’t put salt on the chips. None of the chips at any food place have salt in them, especially chicken salt, but I guess that’s South Australian, right?
This point struck a chord with other Australians who also made the decision, with one person commenting: “OMG their chips have no salt.” The whole time I was in Europe I just wanted chicken salt on fries.”
Another added: ‘I cried when I bought Maccas (McDonald’s) crisps for the first time and they didn’t have salt. I felt very homesick and I just cried and cried.’
Meanwhile, a third wrote: ‘I’m a Kiwi in Ireland and the salt thing is the same here! What do these people have against seasoning?
Stay on the left side of the street.
The third difference on the TikToker’s list is the way British people walk down the street, without staying to the side.
She revealed: ‘When you walk down the street it annoys Sarah, no one stays left or right.
He added that it should always be “left-wing” and people should “stick to their left.”
In the comments, another Australian agreed, insisting: “Without cause, literally, stay left.”
Someone else chimed in: “It’s a London thing they stay in Manchester,” to which Kate replied: “I can tell you first hand they don’t do it at all lol I’m dodging all day.”
Drink sizes
Kate continued: ‘One thing that strikes me is that Sarah doesn’t care at all – coke cans or any type of fizzy drink can weigh 330ml instead of 375ml.
“Which isn’t a huge difference, but it’s the difference in the last sip once you finish your meal.”
Annoyed, the Australian joked that it “always kills her.”
I greet people and accents.
Next, a common difference that baffles people from other countries is British slang and greetings.
The TikToker said: ‘Where we would say ‘Hi, how are you?’ They said ‘Are you okay?’ or ‘Are you okay?’
She admitted: “I just don’t know how to respond to that.”
Similarly, the 22-year-old was also baffled by the variety of accents in the UK.
Kate told her followers: ‘This is something I find really fascinating. In Australia, everyone except the east coast basically sounds exactly the same.
“Some people have a more Australian accent, but it’s basically the same across the country.”
Speaking of the UK, he explained: “You go down the road two kilometers and someone has a completely different accent.”
Litter
Speaking of the bedding, he added: “I haven’t noticed this one, but Sarah said there’s no top sheet, people don’t use top sheets, random.”
A fellow Aussie in the comments commented: “No top sheet is that bad,” and another person added: “OMG, not the top sheet.” Like they shouldn’t hahahaha.’
Puzzled, she also adds that she thinks it’s “intelligent” that supermarket workers sit on a chair, instead of standing.
Brits and Australians flocked to the comments to share their own experiences and advice.
The weather
Another surprising element of living in the UK was the weather.
Kate said: ‘Another thing that surprised me when I got here is that it’s not cold.
‘You know what I mean? It gets really cold sometimes, but I thought I would need more coats. “Actually, it might be cold, I’m not going to curse that.”
One viewer joked: “You say it’s not cold lol it’s not even winter yet,” to which the TikToker responded: “I know I’m not ready for it.”
Despite the long list of quirks, Kate admitted that she “loves it here.”
Adding: “The differences are really strange, but that’s the coolest part, is seeing the differences here and at home and I love it.”
One viewer wrote: ‘No way! These are so accurate! I moved from New Zealand this year and the green man who didn’t whistle surprised me!’
Meanwhile, a second joked: “I learned the salt thing living with Brit before I came here, so I knew I needed salt in everything.”
A third added: “The differences are the best thing about other countries,” and a fourth revealed: “I would love to move to Australia! I find it so fun when Australians come here.”
Other Australians commented: ‘I agree with every one of these’ and ‘Yes to kids having accents! “It’s strange to hear it at first.”