Hello there. I am a Junior in High School (that is 11th grade) and I am moving to Sydney, Australia for good with my family to live with my aunt and uncle and cousins there. I will be going to last year of High School in Australia, and of course college as well! I was hoping you would answer my questions! 1) Generally how are American's treated and is there like a stereotype for Americans or is that just cheap talk? 2) Are Australian guys ok with American girls? What do they think of them. (sorry just had to ask!) 3) Do australians know american words or am I going to have to learn their language, and different spelling habits? 4) Do dentists make 100k a year or less or more? because in America they make that much, sometimes even more. 5) Will I have a problem talking with people or making friends 6) ANY ADVICE WOULD BE GOOD! THANK YOU! oh yea and i dont know ANYTHING abut australian history.....so am I gonna have to learn that???
Sydney - 9 Answers
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1 :
1) Stereo type Americans are loud attention seekers (but that's just stereotype it doesn't mean you will be thought of like that) 2)Guys like girls regardless of where they are from, it's nature 3)We speak English, and know how to spell properly 4)If you're a good dentist, you get more money 5) You will make plenty of friends if you just be yourself 6)Be yourself
2 :
First welcome when you get here. 1) Some people may say that Americans are no more than arrogant loudmouths and ignorant of the rest of the world, but generally we like Yanks (aussie slang for Americans). 2) You are a teenage girl, honestly hormones will overcome anything haha. Seriously though no dramas. 3) We speak English as, some of our slang may confuse you, but generally all is good. Also most schools and Universities will accept American spelling. Just a warning the term fanny in Austraila refers to the vagina not the bottom, hence a "fanny pack" is referrred to as a bum bag. 4) Dental wages vary based on where you work and who you work for. You can earn potentially more than 100K/year, though the average is about $67k. 5) If you are generally a nice person you should have no issue making friends, just like anybody else anywhere else. You will be doing the HSC in Year 12 (12th grade) which will determine your score for University entrance. Most undergraduate degrees are 3 years in length. The public transport system in Sydney is not the best but will generally get you to where you need to go. On another side you can go to clubs and drink at 18. If you have anymore questions feel free to email me.
3 :
It's great you're moving here! 1) It's pretty much all cheap talk, but there might be some people you don't get along with, but everyone has that! 2) I'm pretty sure they're okay with them, but I'm not a guy so... 3) Australians will know pretty much everything you say. We spell mom "mum" over here. And don't get freaked out if we start talking about thongs, thats our word for flipflops. 4) I'm not sure. Sorry! 5) You shouldn't have a problem, just be friendly, and again what I said with question one, there will be some people you get along with, and some you don't. 6) Don't worry! Don't come along as worried, but try not to act all stuck up either. Not that you would! We love meeting new people!
4 :
1) If you're a nice, friendly person and not a loudmouth, you won't have any problems. As a general rule, Australians are very accepting of Americans but we don't like it when they come here and find fault with everything as sometimes happens. If everything in the States is bigger, better, faster, cheaper etc, we won't appreciate hearing about it all the time. 2) When my American granddaughters come here they don't seem to have any problems finding boys to go out with. If anything, I'd say that you'll have something of an advantage over Australian girls because you're a bit different. 3) Australians have a huge amount of exposure to American television, movies and books and I think they'll understand every word you say. Not too sure though about whether you'll have trouble understanding their Aussie slang but never be afraid to ask - they'll love explaining it to you. I'm not sure about school attitudes to spelling these days. As you probably know, we use British spelling here i.e. colour rather than color, humour/humor, realise instead of realize, tyre/tire etc but if you set your spell checker to Australian/English, it will pick up most of them and you'll soon get the hang of it. I actually doubt if most teachers will care though some will probably be pedantic about it - have a word to each of them about it. 4) Good dentists earn more than 100k per year here and orthodontists MUCH more if you were thinking of specialising. 5) If you're friendly and have a sense of humour (and don't take yourself too seriously), you won't have any trouble making friends. Australians are very easy going and friendly and usually take an interest in new people. You will however need to get a handle on our quirky sense of humour - Americans sometimes take offence (another spelling difference) at things where no offence was ever intended. 6) Don't try too hard! It sounds like you have the right attitude to settling in a new country - just relax and be yourself and you'll be fine. Don't worry about the Australian history thing - Australian kids tend to know less about their history than Americans do about theirs and I wouldn't expect it to be a problem unless you actually do an Australian history subject which is unlikely in year 12.
5 :
1) Yes, there is a stereotype regarding Americans. Americans are seen as pushy, loud, bossy, ignorant and boastful, with no respect for the culture of others. People will generally be nice though, just refrain from talking about how you think America is the #1 country ever, and how everything you have is bigger.better/more exciting etc. 2) Australian guys are fine with any girl, providing she looks like she looks after herself, and she's a fun person. 3) Australian's speak English. Our English is actually closer to original British English than the English spoken in America is. One main difference is that Australians don't cut all of the "u"'s out of their words, so you might see words like 'color' and 'flavor' spelled as 'colour' and 'flavour'. 4) I think the income of dentists vary. Some make a lot of money, but most don't quite make $100,000 P/A. However, I'm no expert on dentist wages, so i may be wrong. 5) We speak English here. You will have no problem communicating with people. You'll think we have an accent, and we'll think you have an accent. That's about it. You'll have no trouble making friends if you're a friendly person. We gravitate towards friendly, happy, easygoing people. 6) Advice? If you're planning on walking outdoors in any long grass, wear enclosed shoes. We have more poisonous snakes and spiders than anywhere else. Don't boast about things like how rich you are or how great you are. Most Australians really don't like that, and will go out of their way to knock you off of your pedestal. Just try and be relaxed. The culture here is rather relaxed, and if you're nice and easygoing, you'll fit right in and be welcomed with open arms. As for Australian history, you may need to learn it if you plan on graduating here, but don't worry, it's nothing serious. Under the current grading scheme, to pass the final year of high school, all students must do a unit of Australian studies. This could just be a project with something to do with Australia, or it could be a few essays/projects with lesser but still present references to Australian culture or history. I obtained my Aus Studies unit by making a few political comics relating to Australia's involvement in the Iraq war. If you end up having to do Australian Studies, don't stress. You won't be required to learn the entire history of our country, you'll probably just focus on one historical or current event. If you choose to do a subject like Politics, or Legal Studies, you may need a more in depth understanding of Australian history. If you're planning on doing something like this, and you're worried, read this wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Australia It's pretty basic and all, but it's a good overview. Good luck. I'm sure you'll do fine.
6 :
Hello there America Girl... my North Carolina fiancee loves life here in Australia. We have been in Perth since November 2006. She has had amazing opportunities for work, some of which were directly because of her being trained at American universities. The Australians do have a silly stereotype for Americans, but it is not as bad as people in London or other parts of Europe have... so that should not be a worry for you. Australians use a mix of American and English terms, but primarily you are going to have learn a lot of Australian slang, and you will have to stop putting zees in your words. I know quite a few dentists who have hit 150,000+ a year within a few years of starting work... it depends on how good you are and if you get into a good surgery / practice. The fact that you are American will not be the factor in you being able to talk to people or make friends... Australians are typically VERY relaxed and friendly. You should be very excited about coming to Australia as there is SO much for you to see and do and explore and learn... it is an amazing country. Good luck ;-)
7 :
1) Stereotypically, Americans are seen as loudmouth idiots who know nothing about anyone but America (and even then...) It is just a stereotype though. There are some cultural differences which should be noted... Australians tend to be more humble than Americans. They do tell tall tales, but Australians don't big note themselves. There is a difference between being proud of what you do and taking credit and excluding others in being there. 2) You'll do fine 3) We spell the English way so colour not color, favour not favor. There are pronounciation difference eg buoy is pronounced boy not boo-ey Some Amercan slang is known here and may or may not be used. Others are completely different. For example "fanny" is not the back side, it is derogatory slang for something else nor do we "root" for a team as rooting is slang for sex. 4) A dentist would not start out at that but maybe eventually 5) Nope - Australians are generally really friendly 6) Don't try to do Steve Irwin or Croc Dundee impressions - most people are not like this. Don't try to imitate the accent. It can be taken as insulting. It would be like someone doing a southern slack jawed yokel as being the representation of all Americans... Learn about Australia and it's people and be willing to try. Start repeating "But in America we...."- it could be read as America is better than Australia...
8 :
Look , all the stuff written by the contributors above is no doubt useful but really all you need to know is contained on this site..... http://www.koalanet.com.au/australian-slang.html All that is except a dentist's salary....trust me , there are NO poor dentists in this country ! They make a motza but then there's no way I would want to explore the average gob unless there was a humungous quid in it too ! Now I hope you can understand that last sentence ....consider it a test ! lol
9 :
Aw, such great answers by everyone else so far. I hope that helps reassure you. Here are some tips for conversation starters, though I'm sure many people will be curious to talk to YOU and get your impressions on your new country. http://blog.6rounds.com/questions-ice-breakers-conversation-starters/
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