American Who Moved To Australia Reveals The Major Culture Shocks That Left Her ‘Blown Away’

Relocating abroad will probably bring about a lot of changes, some of which may be more severe than others in terms of cultural shock.

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Setting off for new pastures may be both a thrilling and frightening idea, particularly for those who have never left their native country.

Approximately two years ago, Ashleigh Fay, a YouTuber, moved from New York to Australia. She believes that she will always get culture shocks from down under, despite this.

Fay relocated to Hobart, Tasmania so she could attend university, and she frequently updates her social media accounts with her adventures.

Though the primary focus of her internet presence is undoubtedly on how an American lives abroad, she is training to be a biologist and physiologist.

Fay talked about some of the biggest differences between her life in the US and Australia in a recent YouTube video.

The content creator talked extensively about money in a viral video, covering topics like bank transfers and salary, and naturally, she brought up the contrasts around Christmas.

"I was blown away when I lived in New Zealand and then when I moved here to Tasmania how cheap phone plans are relatively obviously all of this is just relative in my experience," Fay began.

Then Fay talked about pay, which surprised the Americans no doubt.

She said: "I'm not inventing anything here but I'm still reminded very frequently throughout my week of how grateful I am to live in a country that pays their workers more than $8 an hour.”

"Casual rates here being sometimes upwards of almost $30 an hour Australian but then when you convert it that's still like $22 - $23 USD."

Regarding money, Fay observed that bank transfers function quite differently in Australia.

"In the US I was taught like to hold [bank details] dear to your heart," she said. 

"'Do not share that with anyone,' but here it's just so casual, it's just like 'Oh yeah here's my account details.'"

Even while money is undoubtedly the most crucial element in day-to-day living, Fay was equally taken aback by the variations in tomato ketchup in the US.

Her review of American ketchup is probably more accurate than that of Australian, calling it "watery and flavorless."

"[US] ketchup has like more sugar and um it's a little bit thicker and normally is a bit more like vinegary," she said.

"Whereas tomato sauce [in my] experience is a lot more watery, there's not as much flavor I'm sure there's some sugar in some of them but yeah they are different and I much prefer ketchup."

Ashleigh Fay's move from New York to Australia shares the real-life story of adapting to a new culture, from dealing with money differences to discovering everyday surprises.