Kaymie Wuerfel relocated from Florida to Sydney in early 2020 after getting married to her Australian partner and has been learning to live in the land Down Under.
To pass the extra free time that came with the pandemic, she began documenting the differences between life in the US and Australia in a series of TikTok videos which have grown her audience to 242.8K followers.
In a recent clip, for example, Wuerfel admitted that she realized garbage disposals and ranch dressing were quintessential American symbols only after she moved abroad and saw that other places don't really care about them. Who could've known!
Continue scrolling to check out what other cultural differences the TikToker has noticed.
Kaymie Wuerfel left her home in Clearwater, Florida for Sydney to be with her Australian husband
Image credits: kayywuerf
She adjusted to Aussie life quite well and is now working on a TikTok series, naming all the things she realized are super American
@kayywuerf Come Say Hi On IG: kayywuerf ? #fyp #american #america #usa #cultureshock #travel #australia #straya #expat #traveltiktok #learnontiktok
♬ Castaways - The Backyardigans
#1 Buying Cigarettes At The Pharmacy
"Hi! I'm here to pick up my medication & the cigarettes I shouldn't be smoking while I'm taking it..."
Image credits: kayywuerf
#2 Doing Math At Check Out To Calculate Sales Tax
Image credits: kayywuerf
#3 Ranch Dressing. Because It's A Salad Dressing.. But We Put It On Everything
We flavor chips with it. Put it on potatoes. Use it as a veggie dip. Chicken wing dip. Some people even put it on pizza
Image credits: kayywuerf
#4 Sorority Girls + College Parties/Sports
Image credits: kayywuerf
#5 Pumpkin Spice Latte
And pumpkin flavored everything...
Image credits: kayywuerf
#6 The Ice Obsession
We put TONS of ice in practically everything. We probably get away with this because we have free refills. But before I moved abroad I literally wouldn't drink something unless it had lots of ice
Image credits: kayywuerf
#7 Halloween
"For Halloween!!! It's in 43 days, 7 hours and 2 minutes"
".. are you being serious?"
"Yes. 100%"
"Halloween is for kids.."
Image credits: kayywuerf
#8 Currency That's Pretty Much All The Same Color
Image credits: kayywuerf
#9 24 Hours Diners
I could really go for some 2AM pancakes. "Yeah, which of the ten 24 hours places nearby do you want to go to?"
Image credits: kayywuerf
#10 Garbage Disposals(Other Countries Just Don't Usually Have Them)
They will never be terrorized by the sound a spoon makes when it's left inside when you turn it on
Image credits: kayywuerf
#11 Bathroom Stall Gaps. (We Are The Only Country This Silly)
I have literally been conditioned to look down the entire time I'm inside
Image credits: kayywuerf
#12 Red Solo Cups
It's not just a thing in the movies.. You'll see these at almost an American party
Image credits: kayywuerf
#13 Pharmaceutical Ads Everywhere
Especially the ones where people look super happy while they list the 25 ways it might kill you
Image credits: kayywuerf
#14 Grocery Shopping At Target
Image credits: kayywuerf
#15 College Sports Being A Huge Deal
Image credits: kayywuerf
#16 Root Beer & Dr. Pepper
"Sorry we don't have that"
"Dr.Pepper then?"
"We don't have that either"
Image credits: kayywuerf
#17 The 7-Eleven Big Gulp
The big gulp is 3.785 ML (McDonald's Large in Australia is 650ML) And we still get free refills
Image credits: kayywuerf
#18 Calling Everyone Mr. & Mrs.
family, friends, teachers, neighbors,
Image credits: kayywuerf
#19 Putting Cheese On Everything
Broccoli, potattoes, salads, eggs, fries
Image credits: kayywuerf
#20 Cheap Breakfast Combos
That's not to say other places don't have breakfast combos... But in America you'd get all of this for like $12
Image credits: kayywuerf
#21 Canned Whipped Cream
And canned anything actually
Image credits: kayywuerf
