A young American woman who has lived in Australia for a year has shared the ‘strangest’ things she has noticed about life Down Under.
Tate Duane, who is originally from California and now living in Melbourne, said she was surprised by how her opinion of Australians has changed over the past 12 months.
The 23-year-old expat has adjusted her vocabulary, palate, and taken part in various culture traditions she never knew existed – such as bush doofs.
‘I recently found a list of ‘takeaways’ I wrote down after living in Melbourne for a week, I want to see how they’ve changed,’ she said in a video.
Tate shared her opinions on Aussies’ heights, the winter, Asian food, and music festivals.
‘I originally thought that everyone was really tall – but I don’t necessarily think it’s true anymore,’ she said. ‘I’m 6’1″ and I’m taller than all of my friends and a majority of the guys.’
Tate was confused about why everyone was so friendly.
‘Everyone in Australia is so nice and loves to chat,’ she said. ‘I’ve made so many friends just standing at the corners of coffee shops.’
She also had reservations about the weather – originally claiming that ‘Australian cold isn’t real cold’.
‘I stand corrected, Melbourne cold is freezing,’ she said. ‘When compared to the States it does’t snow or anything – but I was not prepared.’
Tate was surprised to find the abundance of Asian food easily available, even at coffee shops.
‘I think it’s similar to having Mexican food everywhere in California, but I’ve been loving all the Asian food here.’
In a similar vein, most Americans refer to spaghetti as ‘noodles’, something that is reserved for Asian cuisine in Australia.
‘I’ve been vigilant about not calling pasta noodles,’ she said.
Moving Down Under has also brought a new range of experiences – such as her first Australian music festival at Beyond The Valley.
Tate Duane, who is originally from California and now living in Melbourne, said she was surprised by how her opinion of Australians has changed over the past 12 months
Many were amused by Tate’s video and shared their thoughts.
‘It really threw me the first time I heard an American refer to pasta as noodles,’ one said.
‘Our houses are freezing in winter because they are generally designed for keeping cool in summer!’ another added.
‘Melbourne and Tassie get those icy Antarctic winds,’ a third wrote.