Spin-off: American and Australian/New Zealander culture thread.

[Buzz Rules]

American and Australian/New Zealander culture thread. This is a spin-off thread to my other successful culture thread. We Americans have a special relationship with the Australians and New Zealanders. I believe like our similar culture with Canadians and British people, the same things could be said with our “down under” allies. We have a shared history in both an economic and military alliance. We also hold shared democratic values and freedoms. But I’m also interested in learning about some of our differences, instead of just relying on what we hear probably inaccurately based on stereotypes. I’m sure you have some questions about us Americans as well. I can’t wait to see your questions on this thread Aussie and Kiwi disboarders. Let’s make this thread a fun and informative one. Happy posting.

 

[Buzz Rules]

Okay, first question. What do the stars represent on your flag? Are they states/provinces like in the USA or the region in general?

 

[PollyannaMom]

We (in America) get two different stereotyped impressions of Australian animals -
1) "Oooh, koalas - how cute!!!" and
2) "Every animal here is out to kill you."

Which one is closer to the truth?

 

[zanzibar138]

Aussie DISer here! Just saw this thread pop up on my 'suggested threads'. I'll play along

Okay, first question. What do the stars represent on your flag? Are they states/provinces like in the USA or the region in general?

The stars represent the Southern Cross, our most iconic constellation.

We (in America) get two different stereotyped impressions of Australian animals -
1) "Oooh, koalas - how cute!!!" and
2) "Every animal here is out to kill you."

Which one is closer to the truth?

It's actually pretty similar to the US. We have a variety of cute animals and dangerous ones. And some are both (like koalas, who have deadly claws). There's lots of animals in the US I'd be nervous about coming across on a hike!

 

[Buzz Rules]

Aussie DISer here! Just saw this thread pop up on my 'suggested threads'. I'll play along


The stars represent the Southern Cross, our most iconic constellation.


It's actually pretty similar to the US. We have a variety of cute animals and dangerous ones. And some are both (like koalas, who have deadly claws). There's lots of animals in the US I'd be nervous about coming across on a hike!

Thank you so much for responding to the thread. I honestly didn't know how many Australian/NZ disboarders had seen the thread. I'm happy that we now have participants for the thread to continue. Okay next question. Is your country excited hosting the FIFA Women's World Cup next month? Also, do you have a question about Americans?

 

[Buzz Rules]

How's the weather "down under"?

 

[zanzibar138]

Thank you so much for responding to the thread. I honestly didn't know how many Australian/NZ disboarders had seen the thread. I'm happy that we now have participants for the thread to continue. Okay next question. Is your country excited hosting the FIFA Women's World Cup next month? Also, do you have a question about Americans?

I'm probably not the right person to be answering any sports related questions - not really a fan of sports in general. I wasn't even aware that Australia is hosting the FIFA Women's World Cup Although that in itself may mean it's not considered a big deal... I would have thought I'd see something about it in the news or at least the facebook grapevine.

Most of the Aussie DISers on this board are pretty familiar with the US and have been multiple times, so the US is probably far less mysterious to us than Australia is to you

A few things that spin me out (school and college are pretty front of mind because we see it so much in TV shows and movies)...

• That kids over there don't have to wear school uniforms. Also, we don't use freshman/sophomore/junior/senior. Over here, school years are just referred to as year 1-12. We only have 2 school levels - primary school which is year 1-6, and then high school which is year 7-12. For college students (we call it 'uni'), we just say first year, second year etc.
• That you can drive at 16. Over here, we don't get our license until 17. When you first get your license it's a red 'P' (provisional driver). After you've been driving for a year, you go onto a green 'P' for another 2 years. There are lots of additional rules for P-platers. Do you have a system like that over there?
• That you're legally considered an adult at 18, but you can't drink until 21. Our legal drinking age is 18 nation-wide. It's a bit of a downer for young people who travel to the US and are suddenly not allowed to drink anymore! Nothing really happens over here when you turn 21, but it's still considered a milestone birthday for some reason and people have big 21st parties.
• That school and college sports and cheerleading are such a big thing over there. We have physical education in school, but it's more about exposing kids to various types of sports and physical activity, teaching them foundational skills and encouraging fitness. When I was at school we used to focus on a different sport each term. Cheerleading isn't really a thing over here, and kids who want to play sport more seriously just join the local community team.
• Uni students don't really live on campus unless they're international students or from the country. Most kids just live at home and commute. Actually, I'm not sure whether that's something that's actually the case in the US too, but movies just make it seem like everyone lives on campus? Frat (or sorority) houses are definitely NOT a thing over here.
• The word 'fanny' means something different over here - it refers to the um... front part for women. Takes some getting used to hearing it used in general conversation

How's the weather "down under"?

We're getting into the depths of winter down here, although for us that just means cooler temperatures and rain. In Australia it really only snows in the highest alpine regions of the Great Dividing Range between Melbourne and Sydney and in the higher alpine areas of Tasmania. Sometimes when the conditions are absolutely perfect (not even once a year), you might get an overnight snowfall in the smaller mountains closer to Melbourne, Sydney or Hobart. Unless you actually live there though, you'd struggle to get there before it melts. For most Australians, seeing snow requires a multi-day vacation, often involving air travel. I live in Perth at the moment, which is pretty similar to LA weather (although we've been getting an unusually large amount of rain recently!). I lived in Melbourne for a long time and that gets very dreary in winter with lots of cloud cover and drizzle and sometimes very little variance between minimum and maximum temperatures.

 

[Buzz Rules]

I'm probably not the right person to be answering any sports related questions - not really a fan of sports in general. I wasn't even aware that Australia is hosting the FIFA Women's World Cup Although that in itself may mean it's not considered a big deal... I would have thought I'd see something about it in the news or at least the facebook grapevine.

Most of the Aussie DISers on this board are pretty familiar with the US and have been multiple times, so the US is probably far less mysterious to us than Australia is to you

A few things that spin me out (school and college are pretty front of mind because we see it so much in TV shows and movies)...

• That kids over there don't have to wear school uniforms. Also, we don't use freshman/sophomore/junior/senior. Over here, school years are just referred to as year 1-12. We only have 2 school levels - primary school which is year 1-6, and then high school which is year 7-12. For college students (we call it 'uni'), we just say first year, second year etc.
• That you can drive at 16. Over here, we don't get our license until 17. When you first get your license it's a red 'P' (provisional driver). After you've been driving for a year, you go onto a green 'P' for another 2 years. There are lots of additional rules for P-platers. Do you have a system like that over there?
• That you're legally considered an adult at 18, but you can't drink until 21. Our legal drinking age is 18 nation-wide. It's a bit of a downer for young people who travel to the US and are suddenly not allowed to drink anymore! Nothing really happens over here when you turn 21, but it's still considered a milestone birthday for some reason and people have big 21st parties.
• That school and college sports and cheerleading are such a big thing over there. We have physical education in school, but it's more about exposing kids to various types of sports and physical activity, teaching them foundational skills and encouraging fitness. When I was at school we used to focus on a different sport each term. Cheerleading isn't really a thing over here, and kids who want to play sport more seriously just join the local community team.
• Uni students don't really live on campus unless they're international students or from the country. Most kids just live at home and commute. Actually, I'm not sure whether that's something that's actually the case in the US too, but movies just make it seem like everyone lives on campus? Frat (or sorority) houses are definitely NOT a thing over here.
• The word 'fanny' means something different over here - it refers to the um... front part for women. Takes some getting used to hearing it used in general conversation

We're getting into the depths of winter down here, although for us that just means cooler temperatures and rain. In Australia it really only snows in the highest alpine regions of the Great Dividing Range between Melbourne and Sydney and in the higher alpine areas of Tasmania. Sometimes when the conditions are absolutely perfect (not even once a year), you might get an overnight snowfall in the smaller mountains closer to Melbourne, Sydney or Hobart. Unless you actually live there though, you'd struggle to get there before it melts. For most Australians, seeing snow requires a multi-day vacation, often involving air travel. I live in Perth at the moment, which is pretty similar to LA weather (although we've been getting an unusually large amount of rain recently!). I lived in Melbourne for a long time and that gets very dreary in winter with lots of cloud cover and drizzle and sometimes very little variance between minimum and maximum temperatures.

I'll try to answer all your questions. It will just take a couple of minutes to respond.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_FIFA_Women's_World_Cup

https://www.matildas.com.au/

 

[Buzz Rules]

I'm probably not the right person to be answering any sports related questions - not really a fan of sports in general. I wasn't even aware that Australia is hosting the FIFA Women's World Cup Although that in itself may mean it's not considered a big deal... I would have thought I'd see something about it in the news or at least the facebook grapevine.

Most of the Aussie DISers on this board are pretty familiar with the US and have been multiple times, so the US is probably far less mysterious to us than Australia is to you

A few things that spin me out (school and college are pretty front of mind because we see it so much in TV shows and movies)...

• That kids over there don't have to wear school uniforms. Also, we don't use freshman/sophomore/junior/senior. Over here, school years are just referred to as year 1-12. We only have 2 school levels - primary school which is year 1-6, and then high school which is year 7-12. For college students (we call it 'uni'), we just say first year, second year etc.

We call grades 1-6 elementary, before that is pre kindergarten and then kindergarten. Grades 7 and 8 is junior high school and 9-12 is high school and we also call each level just 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th grade in addition to the nicknames. We don't sing like in Grease or HSM (unfortunately). Each state does have different regulations/requirements in regards to education however.

• That you can drive at 16. Over here, we don't get our license until 17. When you first get your license it's a red 'P' (provisional driver). After you've been driving for a year, you go onto a green 'P' for another 2 years. There are lots of additional rules for P-platers. Do you have a system like that over there?

We get driving permits before a U-21 liscense. When we turn 21 we get a full one.

• That you're legally considered an adult at 18, but you can't drink until 21. Our legal drinking age is 18 nation-wide. It's a bit of a downer for young people who travel to the US and are suddenly not allowed to drink anymore! Nothing really happens over here when you turn 21, but it's still considered a milestone birthday for some reason and people have big 21st parties.

We have had too many teenagers abuse drinking, which is why it was changed.

• That school and college sports and cheerleading are such a big thing over there. We have physical education in school, but it's more about exposing kids to various types of sports and physical activity, teaching them foundational skills and encouraging fitness. When I was at school we used to focus on a different sport each term. Cheerleading isn't really a thing over here, and kids who want to play sport more seriously just join the local community team.

Athletics make colleges (and later pro leagues) tv money which gets reinvested into school programs. College is more expensive here than in most other countries. People commute to college if they live close by (I did that). Others that go to colleges far from their home live on college campuses. Greek life varies on the college and state's culture.

• The word 'fanny' means something different over here - it refers to the um... front part for women. Takes some getting used to hearing it used in general conversation

Fanny has that same slang meaning here, but fanny pack means a waist front carry sack.

We're getting into the depths of winter down here, although for us that just means cooler temperatures and rain. In Australia it really only snows in the highest alpine regions of the Great Dividing Range between Melbourne and Sydney and in the higher alpine areas of Tasmania. Sometimes when the conditions are absolutely perfect (not even once a year), you might get an overnight snowfall in the smaller mountains closer to Melbourne, Sydney or Hobart. Unless you actually live there though, you'd struggle to get there before it melts. For most Australians, seeing snow requires a multi-day vacation, often involving air travel. I live in Perth at the moment, which is pretty similar to LA weather (although we've been getting an unusually large amount of rain recently!). I lived in Melbourne for a long time and that gets very dreary in winter with lots of cloud cover and drizzle and sometimes very little variance between minimum and maximum temperatures.

It amazes me how different and similar our countries' weather can be.

 

[Moliphino]

We call grades 1-6 elementary, before that is pre kindergarten and then kindergarten. Grades 7 and 8 is junior high school and 9-12 is high school and we also call each level just 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th grade in addition to the nicknames. We don't sing like in Grease or HSM (unfortunately). Each state does have different regulations/requirements in regards to education however.

There can be some regional differences. I'd say K-5 is elementary, 6-8 is middle school, 9-12 is high school.

We get driving permits before a U-21 liscense. When we turn 21 we get a full one.

The only difference is in how the license looks, though. Makes it easy to tell when IDing someone if they can drink or not.
Driving age can vary by states. In MA you can get a permit at 16 and your license at 16.5. There are some restrictions until 18, but after 18 everyone is the same. Some states allow you to start driving younger (more common in rural areas and farming areas where you can't do anything without a car or need to be able to help on the farm).

Fanny has that same slang meaning here, but fanny pack means a waist front carry sack.

Fanny is more equivalent to butt here. Not the front side.

 

[PollyannaMom]

That kids over there don't have to wear school uniforms. Also, we don't use freshman/sophomore/junior/senior. Over here, school years are just referred to as year 1-12. We only have 2 school levels - primary school which is year 1-6, and then high school which is year 7-12. For college students (we call it 'uni'), we just say first year, second year etc.

It can definitely vary, even to the town level, here. If the early grades happen to be broken up into two buildings, I've known one town to call the K-3 building the primary school and 4th-6th grade the elementary school, while another calls the K-3 building the elementary school and 4th-6th grade the "intermediate" school. It can get a little confusing.

Some schools do have uniforms, but most don't.

That you can drive at 16. Over here, we don't get our license until 17. When you first get your license it's a red 'P' (provisional driver). After you've been driving for a year, you go onto a green 'P' for another 2 years. There are lots of additional rules for P-platers. Do you have a system like that over there?

There are some restrictions in my state (Massachusetts) when you first get your license. (copied from mass.gov) ~

The Passenger Restriction prevents a Junior Operator from carrying passengers under the age of 18 (except for siblings) during the first six months that the driver has his/her license. This restriction was designed to reduce the number of distractions that an inexperienced driver may face while driving.

The Night Restriction prevents a Junior Operator from driving between 12:30 am and 5:00 am, unless accompanied by a parent or guardian. Accident rates for young drivers are higher late at night when they may be drowsy or tend to speed or take more risks because there are fewer cars on the road. This restriction was designed to prevent driving during these dangerous hours.

 

[Buzz Rules]

I should say my answers are based on where I live in the USA compared to the above posters. So this can give you some insight on how the USA varies from state to state.

 

[zanzibar138]

I should say my answers are based on where I live in the USA compared to the above posters. So this can give you some insight on how the USA varies from state to state.

Thanks all! Very interesting to have some of those things clarified. Things over here vary a bit from state to state too, although the schooling system has been mostly standardised now. In Perth, kids used to start kindergarten in the calendar year they turned 4. Now it's based on what time of year they turn 4 in line with the other states. When I was going to school, we also didn't start high school until year 8. Now it's year 7 in line with the other states. Perth is a bit of an odd ball compared to some of the other states because it's so isolated from the rest of Australia.

 

[Buzz Rules]

Thanks all! Very interesting to have some of those things clarified. Things over here vary a bit from state to state too, although the schooling system has been mostly standardised now. In Perth, kids used to start kindergarten in the calendar year they turned 4. Now it's based on what time of year they turn 4 in line with the other states. When I was going to school, we also didn't start high school until year 8. Now it's year 7 in line with the other states. Perth is a bit of an odd ball compared to some of the other states because it's so isolated from the rest of Australia.

Do you have any more questions?

 

[zanzibar138]

Do you have any more questions?

Not at this point. I know where to come though if I think of anything!

 

[Buzz Rules]

Not at this point. I know where to come though if I think of anything!

How's the weather in Australia this week? Also, has any fanfare for the FIFA Women's World Cup been on display where you live yet? I hope all is well.

 

[zanzibar138]

How's the weather in Australia this week? Also, has any fanfare for the FIFA Women's World Cup been on display where you live yet? I hope all is well.

It's coolish but not freezing at the moment - day time temps around 18-20 Celsius, which is mid-high 60's Fahrenheit, with rain. We're due for some cold nights coming up when the rain clears, down to around 5 Celsius, which is more around 40 Fahrenheit. So far it's been a pretty wet winter for Perth.

I actually saw some ads for the Women's World Cup on TV the other day. Haven't noticed anything else, but like I said, not a huge sports fan so I'm probably not in the right places to see a lot of fanfare around it. It may be a bigger deal in other cities where they actually have finals matches - looks like Perth only has group matches. Perth often misses out on large sporting/music tours due to our isolated location and smaller population, so it's nice to be included at all really!

Perth has a population of about 2 million people. Our closest major city (with a population of more than about 100,000) is Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. It's about 1300 miles away - about a 29 hour drive (non-stop) or nearly a 3 hour flight. Adelaide has a slightly smaller population of about 1.3 million, but is not as isolated as Perth, being about an 8 hour drive to Melbourne.

Within Western Australia, there is only 1 other city with a population nearing 100,000, and that is Bunbury, about a 2 hour drive south of Perth. Our other major 'cities' are Kalgoorlie (approx. 30k, approx. 6.5 hour drive), Geraldton (approx. 40k, approx. 4.5 hour drive) and Albany (approx. 40k, approx. 5 hour drive). There are only 4 other 'cities' with a population of more than 10k, and they are all mining towns up north, at least a 15-20 hour drive away.

 

[Buzz Rules]

It's coolish but not freezing at the moment - day time temps around 18-20 Celsius, which is mid-high 60's Fahrenheit, with rain. We're due for some cold nights coming up when the rain clears, down to around 5 Celsius, which is more around 40 Fahrenheit. So far it's been a pretty wet winter for Perth.

I actually saw some ads for the Women's World Cup on TV the other day. Haven't noticed anything else, but like I said, not a huge sports fan so I'm probably not in the right places to see a lot of fanfare around it. It may be a bigger deal in other cities where they actually have finals matches - looks like Perth only has group matches. Perth often misses out on large sporting/music tours due to our isolated location and smaller population, so it's nice to be included at all really!

Perth has a population of about 2 million people. Our closest major city (with a population of more than about 100,000) is Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. It's about 1300 miles away - about a 29 hour drive (non-stop) or nearly a 3 hour flight. Adelaide has a slightly smaller population of about 1.3 million, but is not as isolated as Perth, being about an 8 hour drive to Melbourne.

Within Western Australia, there is only 1 other city with a population nearing 100,000, and that is Bunbury, about a 2 hour drive south of Perth. Our other major 'cities' are Kalgoorlie (approx. 30k, approx. 6.5 hour drive), Geraldton (approx. 40k, approx. 4.5 hour drive) and Albany (approx. 40k, approx. 5 hour drive). There are only 4 other 'cities' with a population of more than 10k, and they are all mining towns up north, at least a 15-20 hour drive away.

Thanks for all the information. I love learning about your country. I hope hosting the FWWC is a wonderful experience for you and your family. Who knows, maybe you will buy a Socceroos/Matilda's jersey/soccer scarf this month. This tournament is the third most important in the world (just behind the men's world cup and summer Olympics). It should be a joyous occasion full of fun and appreciation for all cultures.

 

[zanzibar138]

Thanks for all the information. I love learning about your country. I hope hosting the FWWC is a wonderful experience for you and your family. Who knows, maybe you will buy a Socceroos/Matilda's jersey/soccer scarf this month. This tournament is the third most important in the world (just behind the men's world cup and summer Olympics). It should be a joyous occasion full of fun and appreciation for all cultures.

Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm really not into sports. I don't really care about the Olympics either - when it came to Australia in 2000 I was quite happy to get away from all the madness on an international vacation and not watch a single second of it

I'm glad that Australia has got our turn to host though. We are a country full of sports nuts so I'm sure there will be lots of very appreciative people who thoroughly enjoy the experience!

 

[kyton]

Sorry Buzz but whilst soccer / football is the world’s game, it’s dwarfed here in Australia by NRL (Australian rugby league), AFL (Australian Rules football) and cricket. At present Australia is over in England playing cricket and our football season is in full swing. Our first grade soccer comp plays in our soccer months whilst local comps play in winter alongside football.

NSW and Queensland as well as Victoria to a lesser degree are NRL dominated states. Victoria, WA, SA then QLD & NSW to a lesser degree are more AFL dominated. NT and TAS are still aimed more towards AFL.

If you asked a large percentage of Aussies about the Matildas they could probably name Sam Kerr but not many more. The Socceroos I personally (52yo female) couldn’t name any. However we are a massive sporting nation so when there is an Australian team playing whatever there will be a bit of press coverage and national pride.

We are fortunate to travel to the US at present almost monthly plus we have a family member living in Tennessee so we get our fill of questions and information first hand from friends in our chosen sporting team. We just had a great chat last week about the massive differences in Federal governments / Bureaucracy / voting policies etc between Australia and the US.

Weather today in mid-coast NSW is gorgeously sunny, little to no wind and reaching a top of 69’F however it currently feels more like late 50’s early 60’s. Massive change to our temperates in Ohio last week which were around the 80’F.