An American woman who ‘used to go her own way’ reveals the huge reality check she got when she landed in Australia
- An American woman reveals Australian culture shock
- She was always used to getting what she wanted
- Now you know how to “go with the flow”
An American woman revealed the biggest personality change she experienced after packing her bags and moving to Australia.
Keren Taylor, from Washington, moved to Perth for work seven years ago.
And you quickly learned to “go with the flow” and subscribe to the “cozy” Australian culture of adapting to your surroundings rather than demanding special treatment.
The marketing expert admitted that it was difficult to part with some of her American assets.
But when I felt like it was a complete transformation.
Keren Taylor (pictured), an American woman, revealed the biggest personality change she experienced after packing her bags and moving to Australia
“One of the things about living in Australia as an American is how little I care about getting things my way,” she said in the video.
She continued to explain life and expectations in America.
“The States is a culture where you can customize anything—you can change up any menu, make any drink or meal exactly the way you want it, no matter how it’s presented on the menu.”
Keren also said that most American restaurants are open 24 hours a day.
After moving to Perth, she realized, “Australia is very different.”
Cafes will close at 2pm, restaurants won’t open between lunch and dinner sometimes, and they generally don’t ask to change things on the menu either.
“All those everyday little things mean I can’t have things exactly as I want them when I want them.”
The biggest shift came when she realized how little she cared about taking things away from her after a life of appropriation – and how much personal time Australian employers give their employees
Another thing that shocks Kirin is the amount of time she is out of work.
“I really feel like every time we have a public holiday, there’s another close by.”
The American was also surprised by the annual leave.
“It feels like we get a huge amount of time off from work every year,” she said.
“When I talk to people who aren’t originally from Australia but live here now, we all feel like it’s too good to be true.”
Keren admitted to feeling a great deal of “residual guilt” about the “American business comes first” standard.
I also realized that whenever I experienced any inconvenience – like not opening a restaurant – it was because of someone else’s work-life balance.
Many agreed that the Australian culture was much better when it came to employment and relaxation.
One woman writes, “The truth about the ‘comfort’ offered by corporate America is that it is only possible through the exploitation of low-wage workers.
“It’s also because we don’t wait and wait for employees to get paid properly – so they don’t feel like they need to do what the customer wants.”
“Australia does not stand for American individualism – we are all buddies here.”
