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What is the main difference between living in The United States and Australia? |
Travel Info I've lived in the United States my entire life. I'm now 23 years old and find that I do love it here but I need to live somewhere else for awhile. What are some of the main differences in laws and such between the two? Also, is it an easy or moderately hard culture to absorb into? Are jobs available? Is the cost of living less or more when comparing the two nations? I would love to go to college there and live there. I just have no IDEA where I need to start. So please, anyone that has done this or know what steps to take, please get with me. I have so many questions. Thanks in advance. Travel Tips I moved from Australia to the US in December after spending about 6 months before that in the US...there are some huge differences between the US and Australia, but that also depends on where you live in the US and where you move to in Australia... I moved from Cairns, Far North Queensland which is paradise on earth...seriously...I had the best beaches in the world 15 minutes away, the World Heritage Daintree Rainforest a few hours drive away and the beauty of Fitzroy Island and the Great Barrier Reef less than an hour away. It was a lifestyle where I lived, slow and laid back with lots to do, new people to meet...paradise on my doorstep every morning I woke up... I moved to the south...right in the middle of it and its sooo different...I live in Phenix City, Alabama which is just over the Chattahooche River from Columbus, Georgia and about an hour and a half from Atlanta, its all a totally different world to what Im used to... I have to get used to the stares from people when Im with my husband who is African American (yes, there is still a thing here about inter-racial couples), the speed of the cities around me, the different people, the culture and just the whole vibe of the south...its very different to anything that I have experienced. Im not saying that its bad, just different to me... The whole driving thing, the food and the weather are not really a concern as they are all things that are easy to adapt to.... As a whole, it really depends on where you are moving to, and where you are moving from...give me some more information and Ill be glad to give you more detail. Ive travelled all over Australia as a child and an adult and Ive been quite a few places in the US (east and west coasts, to the north and of course the south)... If you asked me now to make a decision about where I had to live the rest of my life...its no decision....Australia all the way! We have it made over there and I argue with Americans constantly about how good they think they have it here, honestly its kind of dumb cause they know nothing about how anyone else lives anywhere else in the world...Australians have it made... Others We drive on the other side of the road, we play contact sports without protection, we play cricket instead of basball and our food & wines are of a higher quality than the states. In reality there isn't a lot of difference apart from some cultural differences where Australia has evolved as an English colony decended by convicts (and they were not all axe murderers) whereas the states was settled by puritans. Oh! And we call the English Poms and you call them Limys. To help with your research www.letsgotoaustralia.com has a free e-book that will give a great overview of Australia. Australia is a fantastic place to start your travels! Its a very easy culture to join. The cost is equivalent to the USA but there are lots of inexpensive options for housing and travel. www.australia.com has good info. also. yeah I would have to agree with Mark - spot on. oh and the food is different from what I have seen the americans cook on tv... more beautiful beaches, plenty of space and peace besides the rat races like sydney. I'm like the opposite of you in a way except I'm just 16 years old. I have lived in Australia my whole life and I would really like to live in the USA for a while. Australia's population is about 21 million while the USA's population is just over 300 million. That makes Australia's population about 1/15th the population of America's. The cost of living varies greatly all over Australia as does the cost of living in different parts of the USA. Sydney has expensive accomodation. The city of Perth (population of 2 million) has just been through a major boom so its rental prices etc are crazy (really expensive like Sydney). Melbournes cost of housing is moderate, still pretty expensive. Brisbane and Adelaide are affordable (obviously depends on the area etc). The fresh food (fruit, vegetables etc) prices aren't too different with the different states (Queensland has some cheap fruit). International students pay a greater amount at our Universities unless you get a scholarship which is pretty rare. I'm not sure about exchange programs with universities. I know that from a few universities in WA (Western Australia) , I'm not sure about the other states, we can do a program where we go and live with a family or on campus at a chosen university (state university I think) in the USA for a term to a full semester (up to 1/2 a year)I think someone comes over from the USA as well (like an exchange program). You might want to find out about that. I don't know about jobs for international workers. The demand for workers in certain fields is high all over Australia. The mining industry and labour jobs (electricians, plumbers, tradesmen) are really booming in WA (Perth is the city of Western Australia). I personally wouldn't choose to live in Adelaide. I have been there, it is quite a pretty city but I don't really like it very much. I would recommend Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane and Sydney. I love Melbourne. Sydney is a bit too polluted but I would recommend visiting Sydney. It is an amazing city I just wouldn't want to live there. I love Australia but I would love to experience living in America. I have travelled all over Australia (even to Uluru in the centre of Australia) etc. I would love to hear about life in the USA. So feel free to email me with a few bits of information about life in the USA (in the state you live in or have travelled to etc). Good luck! Also, I might be going to the USA for a holiday/vacation in July this year. We are planning on going to Los Angeles briefly (we have limited time), flying to Austin Texas and then driving out to Schlitterbahn water park (the original one). We are then planning on driving to Houston, flying to Chicago. Visiting museums, art galleries etc and then driving or flying to Cleveland to get to Sandusky, Ohio. We are planning on going to Cedar Point (best amusement park in the world with the rollercoasters etc). We would be going there for about 2 or 3 full days and then flying to Boston where we will explore and then head down to New York City. We will be in New York for a few days erxploring different places etc and then heading down to Washington DC. We will then drive an hour to Busch Gardens Europe (formally called Busch Gardens Williamsburg) for a day. There is a new floorless coaster being built which should be completed for the beginning of the 2007 season. We will then of course fly from Washington DC and back to Los Angeles and then fly back to Australia (there are 3 teenagers, 2 parents). Does this sound good? What places can you recommend in these cities etc? Tips? Should we catch the train or fly from Boston to New York and New York to Washington DC? Experiences? Please email me with suggestions etc. Thankyou. Lot of things are similar, a lot of things are different. Australia has warmer weather and stronger beer. We have Coca-Cola but not Oscar Meyer. We drive on the left and give way at intersection to traffic on the right. We drive long distances in middling to large cars but pay more for petrol, not gasoline. The countries are about the same size but Australia has a fifteenth of the US population. Australia is three quarters desert, the USA is about three quarters fertile land. About half the population is nominally Roman Catholic. Australia calls it's retail places shops, the US calls them stores. Australia uses dollars and cents but they are different in size, colour and value to the US dollar and cents, so we do not accept the US dollar in our shops. The US uses 110Volt 60Hz power, Australia uses 240Volt 50Hz power. Australian light switches are down for on. We understand a lot of US phrases and slang, American understand little of ours and most of what they do is long obsolete here. We don't all talk like the late "Crocodile Hunter", in fact, few do. To find out how to get here, either as a tourist or a migrant, contact an Australian consulate near you. If you search "Australian consulates" on the net you will find a few in the USA with contact details. Look at the Wikipedia articles on Australia and Australian cities like Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Hobart, Perth and Darwin. The states are Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and Western Australia, The Territories are Northern Territory, Australian Capital Territory, Australian Antarctic Territory. The most important offshore islands are Lord Howe, Norfolk and Cocos. Look at these sites. http://www.aussie-info.com/tourist/index... https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/fac... http://www.koalanet.com.au/australian-sl... http://www.dfat.gov.au/missions/... Here are some old houses in a subtropical town http://dkd.net/maryboro/qhouses.html... http://www.crikey.com.au/ That should keep you busy for a while. For a quick tongue in cheek comparison, get your hands on a copy of Bill Brysons "Down Under" book. Again, read it tongue in cheek as some of the content is a little over the top, but I have learnt some things about my country that I didnt realise, and I thought I had a pretty good grasp on Australian history. The major differences we have here would definately have to be our way of life. Nothing is too much of a hassle. Our food is alot less processed, and better if I may say so. We have great towns and cities, each one diverse from the other. |
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