Overcoming Cultural Difference
Anytime you travel to or live in a new place, you're almost definitely going to encounter cultural difference. Sometimes these are really large differences, and sometimes they are minor, but amusing.
However the big mistake that people make when going to another country where they speak the same language is thinking that everything is going to be the same. Maybe this is only true for english-speaking people - I'm not sure how many Bolivians think they're going to go to Spain and be able to order mate tea and chew cocoa leaves.
In any case Australians make a big deal of how Americans don't realise they are coming to a different country with a different culture when they come to Australia, and not just an outlying outpost of the good ol' US of A (despite the fact our tv is full of US shows, our movie theatres packed with Hollywood blockbusters and you can find dozens of white suburban homeboys dressing and speaking like they shop on 145th st and roll in the hood.)
When we go to the US, we think we're pretty savvy at knowing what the differences are from Australian culture. We know that we can't call Sprite 'lemonade', that taps are called 'faucets', that flatmates shall now be known as 'roommates' and that what we call mobiles are 'cell phones'.
But no-one talks about pop cultural difference. You know all those little things that everyone knows because they form part of the culture, and are a reference to a specific shared cultural experience.
In Australia someone can refer to themselves jokingly as a 'skip', and most people will know it refers to them being of white, anglo-saxon decent (from Skippy, the Bush Kangaroo.. oh it's to difficult to explain - check out the video below). Or I can ask someone what they did on Invasion Day, and they'll know I'm talking about Australia Day (being the day Captain Cook rocked up to Australian shores and claimed the land on behalf of England, declaring it terra nullius or 'there's nothing here' ignoring 40,000 years of Aboriginal culture).
There's also the dozens of tv shows that people reference back home that no-one would 'get' here like The (Australian) Late Show, Monkey, tv ads and so on and so on. Funnily enough, I really didn't think there'd be all that many things like that I wouldn't get here - I mean the world's a lot smaller now, and American culture is all-invasive - surely I'd know most of the references? I've seen the hit tv shows when they screened back in Oz - I'd know the references...
Well gradually I've been discovering that isn't actually the case - so shame on me for making assumptions, especially when that's something that really bugs me when other people do it to me. Especially when it involves Steve Irwin or Fosters..
Here are some of the references I'd missed:
Referring to dating:
"You ate the food, you drank the wine"
this refers to a date from an online dating website that went horribly wrong - unbelievable - but you need to read about it here. Make sure you listen to the audio samples too - seriously worth it.
A Special Xmas Present
"Step 1: Cut a hole in the box
Step 2: Put your junk in that box
Step 3: Let her open the box"
this refers to a Saturday Night Live sketch with Justin Timberlake
If you're easily offended, or have no sense of humour, just don't click on the link (mind you, can't think of anyone I know reading this who would fit into that category!)
The Chronicles of Narnia
another Saturday Night Live (snl) sketch, which in itself is a big pop culture reference..
There have been lots of others, but these are the ones that immediately spring to mind. Of course America is a big place - even NY is a big place, and not all cultural references translate even across the island of Manhattan or across different cultural groups here. The other day I was talking to someone about people who busk on the subway, and she mentioned kids who danced and then asked for donations. For once I knew what she was talking about! "Oh, like those kids who are doing the Chicken Noodle Soup dance?" She looked very puzzled - maybe the Chicken Noodle Soup dance didn't made it that far out of Harlem..
And now we bring you Skippy:
and just because I can - from one of my fave Australian tv shows:
I wish they had some of the more classic sketches here, but guess I'll have to wait till someone uploads them
However the big mistake that people make when going to another country where they speak the same language is thinking that everything is going to be the same. Maybe this is only true for english-speaking people - I'm not sure how many Bolivians think they're going to go to Spain and be able to order mate tea and chew cocoa leaves.
In any case Australians make a big deal of how Americans don't realise they are coming to a different country with a different culture when they come to Australia, and not just an outlying outpost of the good ol' US of A (despite the fact our tv is full of US shows, our movie theatres packed with Hollywood blockbusters and you can find dozens of white suburban homeboys dressing and speaking like they shop on 145th st and roll in the hood.)
When we go to the US, we think we're pretty savvy at knowing what the differences are from Australian culture. We know that we can't call Sprite 'lemonade', that taps are called 'faucets', that flatmates shall now be known as 'roommates' and that what we call mobiles are 'cell phones'.
But no-one talks about pop cultural difference. You know all those little things that everyone knows because they form part of the culture, and are a reference to a specific shared cultural experience.
In Australia someone can refer to themselves jokingly as a 'skip', and most people will know it refers to them being of white, anglo-saxon decent (from Skippy, the Bush Kangaroo.. oh it's to difficult to explain - check out the video below). Or I can ask someone what they did on Invasion Day, and they'll know I'm talking about Australia Day (being the day Captain Cook rocked up to Australian shores and claimed the land on behalf of England, declaring it terra nullius or 'there's nothing here' ignoring 40,000 years of Aboriginal culture).
There's also the dozens of tv shows that people reference back home that no-one would 'get' here like The (Australian) Late Show, Monkey, tv ads and so on and so on. Funnily enough, I really didn't think there'd be all that many things like that I wouldn't get here - I mean the world's a lot smaller now, and American culture is all-invasive - surely I'd know most of the references? I've seen the hit tv shows when they screened back in Oz - I'd know the references...
Well gradually I've been discovering that isn't actually the case - so shame on me for making assumptions, especially when that's something that really bugs me when other people do it to me. Especially when it involves Steve Irwin or Fosters..
Here are some of the references I'd missed:
Referring to dating:
"You ate the food, you drank the wine"
this refers to a date from an online dating website that went horribly wrong - unbelievable - but you need to read about it here. Make sure you listen to the audio samples too - seriously worth it.
A Special Xmas Present
"Step 1: Cut a hole in the box
Step 2: Put your junk in that box
Step 3: Let her open the box"
this refers to a Saturday Night Live sketch with Justin Timberlake
If you're easily offended, or have no sense of humour, just don't click on the link (mind you, can't think of anyone I know reading this who would fit into that category!)
The Chronicles of Narnia
another Saturday Night Live (snl) sketch, which in itself is a big pop culture reference..
There have been lots of others, but these are the ones that immediately spring to mind. Of course America is a big place - even NY is a big place, and not all cultural references translate even across the island of Manhattan or across different cultural groups here. The other day I was talking to someone about people who busk on the subway, and she mentioned kids who danced and then asked for donations. For once I knew what she was talking about! "Oh, like those kids who are doing the Chicken Noodle Soup dance?" She looked very puzzled - maybe the Chicken Noodle Soup dance didn't made it that far out of Harlem..
And now we bring you Skippy:
and just because I can - from one of my fave Australian tv shows:
I wish they had some of the more classic sketches here, but guess I'll have to wait till someone uploads them
