I am going to let you know right away this post is not particularly serious. I have been in Australia for two weeks and I love it here. The city of Adelaide is gorgeous and there is a lot of things about the country I can really stand behind. The struggles I have been experiencing are what you would call first world problems.
- I am sitting here writing this post with the weirdest tan lines ever, so my number one struggle has to be the sun. What irks me the most is that I swear no one here is sunburnt; everyone has perfect tans! They must be able to pick out tourists right away since they are the only people getting sunburnt.
- Relating to their perfect tans, it also seems all Australians have an amazing fashion sense and just look very put together all the time. I am struggling with what to wear to different places because it is hard to read the vibe here. Like I said, it seems the majority of people just look great all the time, and me not so much. The other part of this stuggle would be that I am struggling not to spend all my money on new clothes (so I can look as put together as everyone else).
- You know how not being able to have something makes you want it more? I am experiencing that here with Kraft Dinner. I don’t even like it that much but knowing it is hard to find in stores here is making me crave it. In addition to Kraft Dinner, another food you can’t buy here is maple and brown sugar oatmeal, so I am craving that as well.
- Last thing about food, but this is a big one. Maynards Candy is not a thing here! My roommate back home and I ate one of those packs of family sized sour patch kids probably every two days and I think I am in some kind of sugar withdrawal now. My family should be impressed by how healthy I’m eating though.
- My last struggle is not being able to understand some Australian slang. There have been multiple occasions where I was talking to someone and I didn’t even understand what I didn’t understand! Then I just have to proceed with a smile and nod. If you want a good laugh watch this video on how to speak Australian. People actually talk like this here!
To be serious for a second, as I mentioned above my struggles are first world problems, and I am actually lucky to have these stuggles because they mean I am getting opportunities. Every day I am thankful for the opportunities I get.
To finish this post, I am curious if anyone else has any foods they can get at home but not worldwide that they miss when traveling. Let me know in the comments below!
Welcome to my World 
I use to stop at Harvey’s whenever I cam back to Ottawa while living away from Canada
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hahaha! This is like when I studied abroad in Italian and couldn’t find bbq sauce…oh the struggle was real. Also there are so many Australians hanging out in Canada, so I’m glad you’ve turned the tables!
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That was a refreshingly humorous take on living in a foreign land. I’m sure we all have such crazy problems when we live in a foreign country. enjoyed reading your post.
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Thank you!
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Hope you’re adapting well! I’m not sure how those Canadian snacks taste like but you can try finding some Australian alternatives. I know tim-tams and pods are popular there, maybe you can try those?
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I have tried Tim Tams and love them! The chocolate snacks here are great, it is just the candy options that are lacking.
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Heh, I think Canada and Northern Europe have many similarities. I would probably feel quite similar to yours if I move to Australia. I am from Finland 🙂
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Great post! To be honest I assumed Canadians and Aussie frees had more in common. But it’s funny to read about the differences.
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Weather always plays a key effect on oneself when moved from one place to another, appreciate your honesty and not mentioning only about the green pasture in your trip. This would be really helpful for first time planners.
As always when it comes to travel Adapt yourself to the real world 😀
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I love reading about this kind of articles 🙂 I though Canadians and Australians would have more in common but I guess I was wrong. Thank you for sharing and keep up the great work
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That language problem we face in India also. Whenever we visit any remote location, it becomes difficult to communicate due to language differences.
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I know what you mean with the Aussie slang. When I was in Darwin, a guy asked me if I wanted a root. I honestly thought he meant a root beer! Apparently, that’s not what it meant lol. By the way, I always thought Canadians dressed a lot better than the Australians lol.
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Canadian style and australian style are just different I think!
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I totally get where you are coming from. I’m an Irish expat now living in Portugal after 15 years in the UK and I really struggle with life here. Convenience foods are rare as pink chickens, and any on sale in supermarkets are seriously overpriced. We cannot get a huge range of food from home here and either do a 120km round-trip to a UK supermarket for certain things or I import them whenever I return to Ireland. Soda bread, white pudding, Irish sausages and teabags are top of the list!
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Being an expat in any country is not easy. I have struggled along in 5 different countries over the years, but it makes for an interesting life, The biggest lesson I learnt is just be yourself and enjoy the experience.
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Being an expat is never easy. I have now done it 5 times. The lesson I have learnt is just to be yourself and enjoy the experience.
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Figuring out what to wear! I have been in this dilemma so many times at so many places I have visited. I always feel that I an either under dressed or over dressed! In spite of all these struggles, you are staying in Australia and having a good time writing about it. More power to you. Happy vacations.
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Right figuring out what to wear is hard!
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I loved reading your post as something I too relate with you. Like getting sunburnt in Australia is very common and even I too get very badly affected. Understanding their slang is also another big challenge.
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This is really funny! There are so many things you would never think of and about….thanx for sharing your ‘struggles’ in such a hilarious way.
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I experienced this too. Cultural and language differences can hinder effective communication.
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