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What does everyday life in America actually feel like? In this episode, I share a week that started with representing Australia at a school international night in Tennessee… and unfolded into a series of small moments that say a lot about living in the United States as an Australian.

From sausage rolls, Vegemite, and Tim Tams at an American school event… to watching kids grow up in a naturally multicultural environment… to the small everyday differences you don’t really notice until you do — like ice in drinks, mailbox flags, and even how Easter quietly passes here.

There are also moments that feel a little heavier — rising gas prices, school lockdown drills — and how those realities sit alongside a very normal, routine day-to-day life that often looks nothing like the version of America seen on the news.

This is a reflection on the difference between seeing America from the outside… and actually living here.

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After living in America for eight years, there’s one small phrase I’ve come to appreciate more than I expected.

“You’re welcome.”

It’s such a simple response. But the way different cultures handle gratitude says a lot about rhythm, acknowledgement, and how we close small moments.

In Australia, we tend to say “no worries.” It minimises the act. Keeps everything level. There’s humility in it.

In parts of America — especially in the South — “you’re welcome” feels like something else. It receives the gratitude. It completes the exchange.

Neither is better. But they feel different.

In this episode, I reflect on what happens after you say thank you — and why that tiny half-second can change how an interaction lands.

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This week in America, I started noticing how everyday life works a little differently.

Living in the United States as an Australian, it’s often the small things that stand out — like how many everyday tasks become services. From lawn care crews moving house to house, to businesses built around things most people don’t want to do, there’s a strong sense of opportunity in everyday life here.

After our fridge broke down, a trip to a local appliance store also highlighted how commission-based sales shape customer service in America — something that feels quite different compared to Australia.

Later in the week, a family night out for Mexican food (or Tex-Mex, depending on who you ask) became a reminder that “authenticity” often depends on perspective. Watching Brianna dance along to the music said more about the experience than any label ever could.

School yearbooks arrived as well — a small but familiar part of life in America — and like many things, came with a cost that makes you pause, even if you still choose to buy them for the memories.

And then a simple interaction with the Australian Embassy brought something unexpected. Living overseas, even small gestures can reconnect you to home in ways you don’t anticipate.

This episode reflects on everyday life in America, cultural differences between Australia and the US, and what it means to live between two countries.

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Living overseas stretches you.
It expands your perspective. It changes you.

But it’s not free.

In this episode, I reflect on what it really means to live between two countries — Australia and America — and how moving across the world shapes not just you, but your children as well.

From magpie calls in Canberra to aircraft overhead in Tennessee… from supermarket aisles in Coles to raising kids who grow up belonging to more than one place… this is a quiet reflection on the cost of building a bigger life.

And the question that sits quietly underneath it all:

Would we make the same decision again?

#LivingOverseas #ExpatLife #BetweenTwoCountries #AustraliaToAmerica #AustralianAbroad

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What feels “normal” when you live in another country… isn’t always what you expect.

In this week’s episode of This Week in America, I found myself in two very different situations — standing beneath a Saturn V rocket that took people to the Moon… and sitting in a safe room at midnight during a tornado warning.

And somehow… both felt like just another part of the week.

That’s the shift you don’t really see coming when you move overseas.
Not the big differences — but the small, gradual ones.
The way unfamiliar things become familiar… and familiar things start to feel distant.

From extreme Tennessee weather swings…
to unexpected language overlaps like “reckon”…
to walking through American space history in Huntsville…
to spotting Australian lamb in a Costco aisle…

This episode is a quiet reflection on what changes… what stays the same…
and how living between two countries reshapes your sense of normal.

There’s also a bit of sport, a bit of Buc-ee’s, and a reminder that some parts of home never really leave you — they just show up differently.

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Why do American goodbyes feel so different to Australian ones?

After years of living in the United States, there’s still one small social moment that catches me off guard — the way conversations end. In Australia, goodbyes tend to wind down slowly. There’s a rhythm to them. A soft warning. A gradual exit.

In America, it can feel much more efficient. Direct. Sometimes abrupt.

In this episode, I explore the cultural differences between American and Australian social norms — what those goodbye rituals reveal about communication styles, politeness, timing, and everyday etiquette.

It’s a small detail, but like most cross-cultural differences, it says something deeper about how we connect, how we signal closure, and how culture shapes even the most ordinary moments.

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This Week in America: Tornado Season

The first time you hear a tornado siren in the American South… you don’t forget it.

For many people living in Australia, tornadoes feel like something distant — dramatic footage from the news somewhere in the American Midwest. But living in Tennessee, you quickly learn that severe weather isn’t something that sits in the background of life.

It’s something you pay attention to.

In this week’s reflection I talk about the moment tornado season became real for our family — when an EF-4 tornado passed just two streets away from our home, and the following year another storm crossed directly over our house. I also share the strange memory of driving through Nashville with tornado sirens echoing across the city… on the way to the hospital for the birth of our daughter.

But the story isn’t just about storms.

It’s about the way communities respond when disaster hits. Pickup trucks arriving with chainsaws. Neighbours helping neighbours. Thousands of volunteers showing up to clear roads and rebuild lives — a reminder of why Tennessee is known as the Volunteer State.

Living overseas teaches you that every place has its own rhythms.

In the American South, tornado season is one of them.

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After eight years living in the United States, one thing still quietly fascinates me — not how polite Americans are, but what they’re polite about.

From apologising for existing…
To holding doors from impossible distances…
To saying “sorry” before giving a compliment.

These are moments that, back home in Australia, wouldn’t even register.

This isn’t a criticism. It’s an observation.

A look at how politeness shows up in different places — and what that says about culture, comfort, and the assumptions we don’t realise we’re making.

If you’ve ever moved countries — or simply noticed how small social moments feel different depending on where you are — this one will probably sound familiar.

==============================================
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