I’m Australian (Italo-Australian to be exact) and I went to the US in 2006. I stayed for 3 months with my then boyfriend, the intent being that if I liked it there (and if money held out) I might extend my visa to six months. Needless to say things didn’t work out, (we’re still great friends though and keep in touch all the time), so I left at the end of three months. However, one thing he just couldn’t understand that I talked about constantly was culture shock. In the coming weeks it actually took me by surprise how different living was there. It was overwhelming and I was surprised to be so homesick so quickly, even within days to be exact. Just not being… used… to things, was so jarring, and when I explained being culture-shocked to him, he of course wondered how it could be possible since Australia and the US share a similar culture. But of course, it really is, and I don’t think people understand unless they visit each place, and ‘live’ there (i.e. not in a touristy/hotel setting) for a little bit.

Also, being Italian-Australian (and having traveled) I completely get what you’re saying when you say ‘no where’s perfect’ and ‘I’d love to take the best of each place and combine it’ I often tell my (current) boyfriend this, who is also American (hence my worry about 60 hour weeks).

As for the differences… I wasn’t there long enough to notice big things. However, things like instant coffee… somehow, they all tasted like dirt to me compared to my Nescafe Gold I have in Australia. And in Vegas where I was, two things stood out– the complete feeling of isolation (looking around and being in the middle of a desert) and it being 40C every single day in summer. My boyfriend said, ‘Australia is hot anyway isn’t it?’ but it’s really not… THAT hot every day. Another thing that I found odd, but I guess in hindsight isn’t that weird– in Australia, our grocery stores are separate to our department stores. They’re never ever together. I don’t know if it’s this way in the UK, but where I am in Aus, there are no combined grocery/department stores. So to come across Walmart, and have clothing on one side, and lettuce across from it, it was definitely weird.