23:44 hahaha, oh that was funny, it'd say it was a Huntsman? Leaving the rocks and branches on the ground and you'll be right avoiding bad bugs (& snakes)… Love Burleigh btw.
Ahaha, yes it probably was 😅 I can not believe how scared I was the first time I saw one and how ignorant I am now 😅 you get used to spiders being big quite quickly. But again, you don't see them that often. I love it here as well. Absolutely stunning. 😍
@@HELENAMNR. If you travel west of the Great Dividing Range, there is fewer and fewer cockroaches. Cockroaches love warm temperature and wet forest. I never had cockroaches living in western NSW and Albury-Wodonga and Canberra ... but when I lived in Wollongong (1 hour south of Sydney on the coast) there was SO MANY cockroaches.
In regard to #10. I am Rromani. In Europe we are despised and pushed to the outside. Then when you are there on the outside you get blammed for being on the outside. But here in Australia, nobody cares. They only care if you are a good person. It means that we are not on the outside. It IS relaxing.
I really do hope we Aussie have made you feel at home. Aussie are not racist, but we like our culture, and we are protective of it. So if you are friendly, and try to fit in, you'll have no issues at all with Aussie people. Cheers.
I was born in France and immigrated with my parents in 1976. If you think Australia is safe now, imagine how it was for us also from Paris. In Perth people would leave the windows down in their cars while at the beach or shops, often with the keys in the ignition. Literally nobody locked the front door of their home. If you fell over or your car broke down people would instantly come to you to assist. People were insanely honest, caring and respectful. Australia is still a good country to live in but it was once truly amazing.
I remember those days. I grew up in Bunbury in the 1980’s and 90’s when it was genuinely like that. It’s changed a lot, but still significantly better than overseas
I live in rural NSW. We have never locked our house, even when going away on holidays. I doubt that even know where the keys are. We leave the car keys in each car, that way they don't get lost. We lock them when we drive into town, but they're never locked at home. It used to be similar in town, even by the 70s or 80s, but that wouldn't be true anymore, sadly.
My grandparents never locked their doors. Like ever. You could turn up to their house in the middle of the night and just open the back door (no one used the front door except for weddings or funerals). It's not the same, sadly, but that was once what this place was like. We're still generous and trusting people, but the extent of trust is reduced somewhat.
The thing that shocked me when I came 45 years ago " people call you by your Christian name straight away in Australia " back home in our culture we only called people by Christian names when we know them well after quite a while ! Today I have embrassed the Australian way in everything. Australia is a wonderful place !.
I didn’t realise how judgemental people could be in other countries until I visited France. As an Australian I grew up with a “live and let live” attitude, so feeling the judgement in France (to be fair this was really only pronounced in the cities) was a real shock and undermined my confidence. I loved France and would love to visit again, but I was very glad to come home.
As an Aussie I had a long stay visa for France and lived in Paris for some time, in the 7th District, Rue St-Dominique. I thought the supermarkets in Paris were well stocked with a large variety of fruits, vegetables, etc much more variety than Germany, Belgium, Switzerland and many other European and Scandinavian countries. I was surprised that every night tankers would wash down the streets with high pressure water and capture all the rubbish in large nets. I was surprised at the lack of public rubbish bins and public toilet facilities, compared to Australia in the city and suburbs. I was surprised that people would line up outside restaurants and wait to to invited and escorted into the premises. I was surprised that the French like Aussies would gamble on just about anything, how loud they were in supporting their team, horse, frog, what ever they were gambling on. One thing I really noticed was the air quality in Australia is so much cleaner than France and Europe. I found once local people realised you where an Aussie and not English they were a lot more talkative and friendly. Thanks for sharing.
On the topic of alcohol, Australians had an awful relationship with alcohol. Our entire identity was alcohol. These restrictions have improved quality of life for so many Australians. Sure, its annoying when you're 18 and want to get wild, but Australians typically dont have a mature relationship with alcohol.
@@Djr67 It also wasn’t like that for me and my high school friends, but once I attended uni, I witnessed this culture. The broad brush might not fit our anecdotal experiences, but it is still applicable.
I moved to France from Australia when I was 18. So the reverse of what you did. I lived there for 12 months. I’m really glad you are enjoying living in Australia. 🥰🐬
Ooh what an experience that must have been. I am sure you must have been shocked by so many things that we do differently in France. Thank you for you comment. I hope you had a great time in my country 😇
@@HELENAMNR. yes it was a culture shock but I loved it. In particular I loved the French attitude towards food. It was normal to have multiple courses every night for dinner. Salad, main, cheese and dessert courses. The delicious sauces you could mop up with baguette 🥖 and the wine - bien sûr. I found most people were friendly and welcoming. I think it helped that I could speak some French and they could see I was making an effort. Unfortunately sometimes I’d make embarrassing mistakes, for example the time I told my host family that bread in Australia lasts longer and doesn’t go hard because we use preservatives. I didn’t know the French word for preservatives so I just said ‘preservatives’ with a French accent and hoped for the best. It didn’t go down well 😳🤭
😅😄 that was excellent. Thank you so much for sharing this. But it's the kind of "mistakes" we would find absolutely adorable. I do realise that culture shock around food. That's something that surprised me so so much here. There's no free bread on the table at the restaurant, and people don't have salads and desserts automatically. I have changed the way I eat for sure now that I've been here for so long, but it was very different at first. 😊 (I can definitely say that making the effort to speak a couple of French words in France goes a long way, people are very appreciative of that)
I was in Paris with a tour group some years ago and we constantly had people coming up to us asking for money. Four women came up to our group and approached a few of us, when they got nothing they asked where we were from - we said Australia. They instantly gave up and started chatting 😂 i guess we are not known for our generosity! Your English is amazing, your accent is very easy to understand - i work with a French woman who has lived here for decades and her English is still not quite where yours is. Also i love your energy, it's infectious and i couldn't help but smile 😊
Good evening! I'm sorry that was your experience in Paris.. it's not so great to hear, but sadly, it's just a reflexion of the reality. (I doubt anyone would question Australians' generosity, or they just don't know Australians). Oh! Thank you so much for your very kind words. I was so insecure about my English when I first started making videos. I was so convinced no one would want to listen to me. I'm very touched, thank you. Also, I couldn't be happier to hear that I have put a smile on someone's face, someone that I never met. It really is my whole purpose here. Thank you for sharing your thoughts with me. It's greatly appreciated!! 😇
My French friend here in Brisbane made similar comments about the constant judgement in France and how much better it was in Australia. She also mentioned freedom from male harassment/comments on the streets as a big difference.
Absolutely ! The difference it massive... honestly, just for that last reason alone, I won't be living in France anymore. After living here, it was too hard and triggering to deal with it in France, even on holidays...
The "laid back" thing always puzzled me before i spent time in France. I honestly thought it was a myth akin to the "bronzed aussie" but it really is true. I've watched in amazement in France and the UK where people get so wound up over small things and are so impatient, often to their own detriment. The most obvious thing in the French national sport of tailgating because they are in such a hurry to get anywhere. Groceries......certainly more choice in Europe, for example, our local LeClerc has over 200 metres of shelf space just for yoghurt (35 metres long, 6 shelves high). Not sure its really that much of a problem not to have that in Oz......... On the other hand, far more healthy ('ish) cereal choices in Oz, most of whats on the shelf in France is closer to confectionery. Ooh, did I mention the cost of food is generally much cheaper in rural France.
I'm not sure why this video was recommended to me but it was so sweet to hear your experience from an outsider perspective. It made me feel so proud to be Australian *wipes tear* I'm really glad you enjoy living here as much as we do! I've just done a 6 month trip around Australia in a campervan and this country is honestly HUGE and wild and majestic. The cities are such a small part of it. I hope everyone who comes here gets out and has some fun adventures too 😄 On that, I'd add one more surprising thing to your list for people that don't know: Australia has all kinds of ecosystems; desert, tropical rainforest, alpine, beaches and islands, forests, cool climate rainforests, tropical reefs etc. Aboriginal people have been such great caretakers for these areas ❤
I am so happy my video was recommended somehow to you, and that you enjoyed watching it. Thank you very much for letting me know this. Australia is such an incredible country. Your trio must have been amazing. That's the absolute dream to travel around. There is so much to see and do. All of my favourite parts are in places most people have never even hear about. You are absolutely right! That is a fact. It's basically (and technically) a continent on its own. One day, I can only hope to see all with my own eyes. Thank you for taking the time to share this with me. 😇❤️
I moved here from Malaysia when I was 13. Kids are mean here. They grow out of it pretty quick, but if you're going to school don't be expecting it to be all sunshine and rainbows. I was personally fine, probably because I was quick to throw down, but some of the other kids had it very rough.
Thank you for sharing this. I really don't have any idea about it as I didn't grow up here... it makes me sad to hear this. Unfortunately, I think these types of things happen everywhere.. in France, it was very difficult as well. Very judgemental..
I enjoyed this video. Although I’m not Australian I have lived here a long long time and your what seemed even heart felt appreciation of this big land made me emotional and I’m not sure why? There is some dark sides to this country as a whole, but you are right. There is so much more to appreciate about this country and in my case so many more opportunities it will give you. Thank you for such a positive video. UA-cam can be full of such negative selfish commentary sometimes but you have brightened my mood.
Very cool video. Shows Oz from a very realistic perspective. Well done, and enjoy your time in Oz, however long you are here. You know that once you start using Aussie slang without thinking bout it, you are an honorary Aussie! 👍🇦🇺
Ahaha thank you so so much! I'm so glad you enjoyed it and felt that I was genuinely speaking with my heart. I wonder which slang I have used, because ad you said it, I definitely didn't realise 😅
Wow I always love hearing from those who have moved to Australia! Thanks so much for your content! I moved to Norway before COVID, but I still call Australia home. No matter how much I love travel, I’ll come back home one day.
Helena, thank you for loving and enjoying our country as much as we do! Everyone's already mentioned that each and every state have their own unique attributes. Any time you miss Europe, come to Melbourne. We were voted the most liveable city in the world for 6 consecutive years for a reason. Enjoy your life in Australia and we wish you the very best.
Good evening, Thank you so much for your beautiful message. I am very touched by words. I definitely would love to see more of Australia and see it for what it is. I truly love it here, for everything the country and people have to offer. I didn't get your name, but I also wish you all the best. 🙏😇
@@mattcorcoran7082Melbourne winters are mild. Rarely goes below zero. People from the inland find it very mild. Sydney weather is not as good as Sydneysiders say. Moisture levels are high with high temperatures. Really knows how to rain. Compare rainfall with Melbourne.
@@HELENAMNR.Yes, Melbourne is great to visit. Adelaide is very quiet in comparison. I learned French in school for four years...l can still speak it after 40+ years, but l rarely come across French people. I hope your stay here is good for you!! Mrs Kerry Parker
Side note... Aussie here.. I wouldn't leave my bags etc on a beach unless someone else was staying with them... Not that I expect it stolen, but that the risk isn't zero... and it costs too much to lose your wallet etc...
Absolutely. I didn't mean to sound like I was recommending people to do that. I hope people understood that they always have to be cautious. But on the Gold Coast, the beach is so large, and there are only a few people per "between the flags" areas, that it honestly feels safe to do so. But we should all be cautious at all times. I completely agree. My mistake. 😊
The only beaches I would worry about my phone or watch are Bondi and Manly. I’ve literally never worried anywhere else. It would be such a dog act to steal from someone enjoying precious time swimming at the beach.
That's also how I feel. People aren't desperate here to act this way. I feel it would either be someone who uneducated or a tourist. But certainly not someone who's coming to the beach to enjoy the beach themselves.
I moved to Brisbane from Ireland 7 years ago, on my own. Didnt know a single soul. so I had to leave my stuff on the beach. Unlike Europe i have never lost anything. It's nearly disrespecting Australia itself to steal a fellow beach goers stuff lol. Also Australians are great at looking after their beaches. There is bugger all litter. In comparison European beaches are filthy. Particularly in the UK. Australians are awesome. I love it here.
I worked for a French company for many years (Pechiney) in Australia, in France and in other countries around the world. We still have lots of French friends and although we try to maintain contact with them as the years pass it becomes a little harder. We have a shared experience they lived with their families in Australia and got to experience the Aussie lifestyle and we did the same in France. We also spent time with them as part of an expat community in places like Mozambique, South Africa and in the middle east so we got to party together a lot. You reckon Australians asking you how you are going is strange I find that the French saying 'bon jour ca va' everyday while shaking your hand is a little bit of a culture shock.. I am retired now and its unlikely that we will get to see our French friends again but the experiences we shared will always be a pleasant memory hopefully your experience of moving to Australia is going to be the same for you.
Thank you so much for sharing this with us. It seems like you have had quite an incredible life in terms of experiences and cross-cultural moments. It makes me happy to hear about others experiencing my culture across the globe. I am very grateful to be here in Australia. And yes, shaling hands and :la bise" are two things you quickly forget here. 😅
My friend is from Dieppe in Normandy he’s been here for 25 years he called himself a Fraussie he’s one of my best friends.He went back to France for the first time in 10 years this year and was amazed how much it changed
Normandy is such a beautiful region. I have always loved going there growing up. I would agree with that. Doing back after 5 years last year, it was a total shock, and not always for the better sadly...
Nice, it's not very often you get a persons perspective other than American, so it's good to hear another point of view and hear about your experiences.
Good morning Justin, Thank you for your feedbacks. I am very happy you were interested in hearing what I had to say about my experience in Australia so far. I am happy you enjoyed the video. Have a beautiful day 🌸
What a lovely video from a lovely person! I walked over to the coffee shop over the road just now in my dressing gown and moccasins. This is inner city Melbourne mind you. Nobody cared, I actually got a few smiles. And a coffee… 😂
I’m really glad to hear you’re experiencing Australia and it’s positive attributes Relaxed and safe Great things that I love about this beautiful place :)
Glad you love living in our beautiful country 😊 A few things to add: alcohol laws change depending on which state you live in. In NSW, some alcohol laws became more strict ('lockout laws') after a number of youg ppl were king-hit and killed by ppl who were drunk. Here in Victoria you can buy alcohol in supermarkets; usually in a separate section of the shop. BTW, I grew up in Qld and our family used to go camping at Tallebudgera. Gorgeous place 😊 As for cockroaches, Brisbane has way more of them, and they're huge 😅 I don't see them much in Melbourne.
Hi Helena,how are you going ? Love your video and your lovely bright attitude. You are the exact type of person that we need to move here. So positive in your outlook. Keep up the good work. PS beautiful accent (with a hint of Aussie in the vowels)
Hello! I'm doing very well, thank you for asking 😊 (what is your name by the way?) Thank you so much for your feedback and very kind words. I'm very touched. I honestly am so grateful to be here, and didn't realise I had been influenced by the aussie accent in the way I speak. That will always surprise me to hear this. Thank you again x 🥹🙏
It’s so interesting to me when you talk about the culture in Australia. I live in QLD more so southeast QLD and there’s sooo many black and brown people here it became the norm for me . When I moved to the sunny coast though it’s almost like I moved to another country because there’s not many coloured people there . Interesting because I guess it depends on where in the country and state you live
S.E. Qld is much nicer than further north, i lived near toowoomba for awhile, i got my drivers licence at 17 from a local copper by driving around the block in my HK GTS monaro with him. he reckoned i could drive cos he'd seen me on the road plenty of times. little place called goombungee. better times.
Love your video style. Having just returned from Europe, first time overseas, the one thing I wish Australia had is supermarkets like in France and Italy. And it was so easy to purchase really healthy grab and go food options everywhere.
Thank you so much Megan 😊 I'm very happy you enjoyed the video. It is true that the variety of food items is pretty incredible and qualitative. Now I also understand why it would be difficult to get these types of products in Australia. 😁
I am not missing being a Frenchman even not a little bit. I love Oz for all you said, but most of it for allowing me to be what I am. And I couldn't be what I am if was Ozzy true and true. Go figure!!! Here you can reinvent yourself....
If you think Australian greetings are weird, try Australian goodbyes, it is common and always appropriate to say "See you later", you might never be going to see that person ever again but it is still good as a goodbye. Good warnings about spiders etc. Warning about Vegemite missing. The trick to Vegemite is to smear the smallest thinnest possible smudges on a piece of buttered toast. At least until you build up a tolerance.
Thanks for being conscious and aware of the great things in Australia. The many fast food outlets here have to do with our lack of reverence for most things, including food. We are a lazy bunch and eating quickly and indiscriminately is a common thing. Hunger is like an itch - just scratch it and get over it - not a big deal. Now just party, swim, surf, drive, etc.
I'm so glad you've had such a good experience here. Yep, we are very casual people. Look at how beautiful it is outside, look at how good the weather is - we need to go enjoy ourselves! Life is too short to judge people or get worked up over small things. 😊
Très bonne, interesting and complimentary comparison. We who were born here often overlook our advantages. You and Sven look like the perfect people to enjoy Aussie life to the full. The “how are you” is a general expression of hope that you are ok. It’s genuine in most people. More often pronounced like in German- banging words together: “Owyagaan .. Orite?” (How are you going, are you alright) “How-ja-be?”(how would you be) “Ya right mate?” (Are you alright friend)
Hello David, thank you so much for your feedback. I'm happy to hear you enjoyed it. You made me laugh when I read "Sven" ahaha you must have guessed he was Swedish. Thank you for your kind words and clarifications. 🙏😊🌸
This is a lovely video and you do have an Aussie accent in some of your speech. If we were in France (I have been to Paris) and I met you my ears would pick up the Aussie language influence. In Melbourne, where I live, we are heavily into good coffee, wine and food in restaurants and cafes. Melbourne is the Arts, Culture, Academic and Sports city of Australia. There are over 200 ethnicities who live here There are over 1,000 suburbs. It's a marvellous, beautiful city that surrounds Port Phillip Bay and has the Yarra River running through it to the bay that has beaches, and mountains to the east and north. The bay empties into Bass Strait, with more beaches, not too far away. Our weather can be fickle and we can experience four seasons in one day. The weather can go from the day temperature approximate extremes of 11 degrees Celsius in winter to 40 plus deg, C in summer.. My favourite season is Autumn with warm, crisp and toasty days. The aboriginal/first nations people who lived in this area believed that there were 7 seasons here. Melbourne has the most extensive tram system in the world along with trains and buses to get around. Saying,' G'Day/Hi/ Hello, How are you?/ How are you going?' is mostly just making contact and being friendly and not really enquiring about your emotional/mental//physical welfare. Enjoy our 'Lucky Country!'
First off, thank you so much for your message. I absolutely loved reading how much you seem to love the city you live in. It honestly really made me want to go to Melbourne again. I have to admit that I found the suburbs around Melbourne, so charming and inviting. I have understood indeed that asking "how are you doing?" is just part of.a friendly manner (which I have now adopted 😊). My friends back in France did look at me weirdly doing the same in fremch with strangers. It really is different. But such a nice thing to do as well. Thank you again for your feedback x I truly appreciate!!
Oh my goodness, you're amazing - you're STILL responding to comments DAYS later. Well done 👌. Salut 🖐 and welcome to Australia. The more diversity the better! I am Australian born and raised (of convict heritage), and I went to university in the early 90s. I studied French, and worked as an Au Pair briefly in a town near Rouen. I was 18 when I was in France and whenever I had contact with people my own age they seemed SO much more 'wordly'. They had travelled so much, and stayed in other countries many times (so easy when you live in Europe), and seemed so much more independent, informed and mature. After a little time I realised something that you mentioned; that people approach young women for many many reasons - frequently! And when I was in Paris especially, this happened alot - I felt unsafe most of the time. So I figure that young people in France have HAD to learn how to deal with unwanted advances, requests for money, cigarettes etc. They have had to learn to navigate through and negotiate with PEOPLE and their behaviours, and to manage and cope with risk. I was SO overwhelmed! I'm not surprised that you notice the difference now you're in Oz. Now I DO have a question. I wonder how you cope with the fairly common Australian behaviour/belief of NOT talking about politics or religion (or anything controversial) when in a group, like when you're eating dinner with friends, at a coffee shop or the beach? I was brought up with this; so that just expressing a different opinion was considered rude, and that one was 'starting an argument'; that it would cause disharmony or even conflict. I remember trying to understand it, and I noticed the French word "Argumentation". To an Australian it looks and sounds like the English word Argument, but they are quite different concepts. I don't think the average Australian even HAS a concept of 'a friendly, lively dispute/discussion' - to most people it sounds like the beginnings of a 'fight'. My understanding has been that the French comfortably have discussions/debates about issues. Would you say that that is still true? I feel that even today in 2023, about 3 decades after I left university (and my short stay in France), Australians STILL seem fairly reluctant to genuinely pull apart an issue they believe in, and debate and discuss it whilst remaining friends. Seems crazy to me. 😊What's been your experience - talking to Australians about politics or religion or other controversial topics??
Wow, first of all, thank you for introducing yourself a little more. It was a pleasure to read more about you. Secondly, I loved hearing about your experience in France, although wish you had not gone through was us women in France have to grow up and deal with. I truly appreciate Australia for that matter. Your question is actually very interesting, and you are very right. In France we actually enjoy argumenting, as in debating and finding arguments to express our opinions on various subjects. It is extremely popular to debate, thankfully never with the intention of getting into fights. We learn to listen and respect each other's opinions as we are all entitled to feel or think differently. In France, I reckon it would be quite disappointing to see people fighting trying to get their views in. It's all about conversating. (Now again, there are people that don't know their limits).
Another thing that shocked me is I went into a cafe, and as I went up to the counter to peruse the options, the owner came out to the table to ask my wife what she wanted, and she goes "oh nothing, my husband is just after a coffee". She mistook this for an order and immediately brought out the world's tiniest shot of black coffee, while I was still at the counter trying to figure out how you ask for "Half a litre of takeout latte like at starbucks".
Look around your garden closely and you will see the cutest little spiders ever, jumping spiders😊 The idea of jumping spiders may freak out arachnophobs, be t honestly they are adorable. Have you noticed the little fence skinks? When the flying ants swarm they all come out for a feast in my back yard. Super cute as well!
Great video. Your bubbly personality shines through and the video was really engaging. I hope you continue to enjoy our country and all it has to offer.
Good evening 😊 I would like to honestly thank you for your feedbacks. It might have made me shed a tear.. seeing that my personality was accepted and that my French accent wasn't in the way really makes me feel better. Thank you very much 🙏
Living on the Gold Coast gives you a different perspective to our country. Our state does deserve the Sunshine state name. If you lived in Melbourne, you would think the climate was similar to what you had back home.
Thank you for your feedback 🌞 I assume you are Australian? I am definitely grateful to be here. France is also a beautiful country, I just feel like some things stay untold.
@@HELENAMNR. Over the last 50 years, I have been to Paris a number of times and it was always bleak and overcast or snowy. I thought that was due to the fact I was always there in your Winter. I must try to go there sometime in their Summer to see what it is like then too.
I think you're comment about the diversity here is interesting. In regards to people of African heritage, or curly hair as you say, you're exactly right. But I'd argue that we have a far greater population of South East Asian and Sub Continental people than in France
Thank you so much for you honest assessment of Australia (and I am from another country). I've spent some time in France recently and I can relate to most topics you have raised. Keep enjoying your stay :-)
Welcome to Australia, glad your 7 years have been so great, this is the first video of your i have watched by the way, i live in Tasmania, if you haven't been here yet, please do, its a totally different experience, but you wont regret it. Subbed due to your passion and making this fun.
Hello! Thank you very much for your feedback. I actually recently came back from a trip in Tasmania. It was absolutely beautiful. Really loved it there, and will go back one day. I didn't quite get your last sentence, if you wouldn't mind explaining "subbed". 😇
Oh! I didn't understand. I'm so sorry 😅 thank you very much for doing so. I hope you will enjoy my future content. Don't hesitate to let me what you would be interested to watch 😇
I’ve just come across your blog and I must say I really enjoyed it ..your personality is infectious ..I hope you enjoy your life in Australia ..cheers 😊
Good morning 😇 I would like to honestly thank you for sharing your opinion with me and for your kind words. I am very touched by them. Honestly, from the bottom of my heart, thank you 🙏
You're at my favourite place Burleigh. Visit our unit up there a couple times a year for the last 20 years. Its changing and not the country town feel it once had, but still love it
It is definitely a beautiful place. It's crazy, I was just saying this to my partner the other day, just imagined how it must have been when there was nothing there, when it was just wild 😍
Wow, came upon your vidios by accident, damn girl you nailed it, Cudos. I went to France/Paris in 2013 but was forwarned what to expect especialy around Paris, and absolutly loved the city, spent a week walking around all the attractions and being forwarned ignored the harassment, as you would have. spent 2 weeks in the countryside and could not fault the french people, they were polite and curtious to my lack of french. I loved my time there.
Hello!! Thank you so much Peter for your feedback, I really appreciate 😊 I am so happy to hear you and a great experience in Paris and were rightly informed on what to do as well. It makes me happy to know you had a great time there. And happy you enjoyed the video!
Always remember cockroaches are looking for water. Keep your bathrooms, sinks and laundries dry all the time and they mostly don't bother you. Of course don't leave left-over food around either. Just good housekeeping. I went to Fiji many years ago and their cockroaches were monsters, much bigger than those I've seen in Australia.
Burleigh *waves* just down the road from me. There are a lot of smaller towns with very little in the way of fast food. This year I did a road trip to Cairns, there were several towns along the way where the only food was at the supermarket or the 7-11.
We don't get a lot of cockroaches down in Melbourne due to how cold it is most of the year round. A few show up in summer, but most of the time you rarely see them. It's also worth noting that the Australian native cockroaches are not like the imported ones. The native cockroaches mostly live in the bush and eat leaves and aren't very interested in rubbish, so they're not dirty the way the introduced ones are.
I am finding out about that everyday, a couple of people have mentioned it. Thank you for making me aware of it. I really appreciate. I'm learning everyday 😊
Please remember that the different states of Australia are as distinct as visiting different countries in Europe or of different States in America. The culture and cuisine preferences can differ and accents differ too. Grocery stores in Queensland are very different to say Victoria. I have lived in and operated Italian restaurants in both places. Victoria is very multicultural with a high Mediterranean European migrant population that emigrated since the 1950’s and Asian population since the 1970’s therefore the variety and choices for European, Asian style and international foods is much bigger. They have a very european coffee culture too. In Queensland it is not as multicultural and slower paced it feels more like a country town. My kids were shocked when they moved primary schools because the culture was so different and not as diverse in their background of nationality. I used to have to get my Victorian relatives to bring a big round wheel of pecorino Cheese on the plane when they came to visit me on the Gold Coast because you couldn’t get any there from the restaurant suppliers, this applied to other delicacies that were commonly available back in Melbourne. For example South Australians have some interesting things like meat pies served with mushy peas that a Victorian in the next state across would likely have never seen in their life 😂
Thank you so much for sharing all of this. It definitely opened my eyes on a lot of subjects. And I am happy to hear that some of the things I have mentioned differ depending on the state. It makes me want to explore more, and see things for myself. Many comments have been mentioning Melbourne, it might be a sign for me to head there again, the next time I get a chance. I also actually really love Queensland and the Gold Coast. I like it a bit more slow paced, by the beach. But you are right, it can feel like a coastal country town at times. 😊
South Asian-Australians are, amongst others, very well represented in our great state of Queensland, not that it should be a competition. Victorians are the winners in pretension, hands down. So, some people moved to your state in the Fifties and Sixties...😒
You are a really relaxed good cook .In Sydney you can buy alcohol at the supermarkets but it they are not in the isles . They are in a shop attached to the supermarket .
Great video.. I'm Australian and yeah some things we take for granted, like the weird scams you get all over the world.. I was in Italy and a guy gave me a bracelet then demanded money.. that doesn't happen here.. Dunno why.. maybe a high minimum wage gives everyone a chance.. maybe the fact we say yeah nah f off mate...
Yes it definitely is the reason. Thieves here only mainly happen when people are uneducated or want to be silly. It is rarely because they need it and can't afford things themselves. Thank you so much for sharing your opinion. And thank you for watching, I'm very happy you enjoyed it. 😊
Its interesting. I watched an American channel and their observations on Australia and they were commenting about the lack of big chain restaurant options.
Welcome to the lucky Country....as a proud Aboriginal woman from Perth Western Australia its always beautiful to see people from different nations see how beautiful country is...♥️🖤💛 much love from Perth Western Australia 🦘🦘
Good morning Rosie. Thank you very much for your beautiful comment. Your country is indeed extremely beautiful. Perth is on my bucket list. 🫶🙏 take care 😇
@@HELENAMNR. Western Australia has so much to see and it tends to be forgotten about due to most people living and moving to the East of Australia but yeah Perth is beautiful itself then u have our beautiful country... I'm a Noongah woman and my people are from the South West region of Western Australia and as much as I love my Country here in the South West region... the Kimberleys is a whole different experience which u will definitely love... some of the most beautiful country in Australia is up north and u will love it ♥️🖤💛...so yeah come over u will be more than welcome
Lovely video and glad I stumbled across it. I’m from Sydney, but currently live in the United States and I hear you on the safety thing… here in the US homelessness and crime are just so much more front of mind and I miss the lower psychological load of back home where you just don’t think about a lot of that stuff as much. Yes, cockroaches suck in Sydney but they’re manageable if you get pest control in once a year. On Supermarkets etc, part of it is because it’s something of a duopoly with Coles and Woolworths, but I think the limited range issue is very much a Queensland thing - if you moved to the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney you’d find there’s a lot of quite large super markets and also a lot more small/organics focused ones like Harris Farm or Maloney’s as well that offer a lot of great stuff. Anyway, great video and glad to hear you’re enjoying life in Aus!
Thank you so so much! I'm very happy to hear you enjoyed it. We hear so many about the US, as much as when I last went there 10 years ago, I didn't feel unsafe, unfortunately I do know that it is.. going there from Australia would definitely be an adjustment.. I hope you are enjoying your life there. Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts.by the way, I lived in sydney for 6,5 years. I just recently moved to Queensland 😇
@@HELENAMNR. ah fair enough! I only spent a limited time in Paris, and thought it was similar to the part of Sydney I am from the supermarket scene was pretty similar - with one very big caveat for dairy and cured meats, which was just WAAAY more varied in Paris and probably even more so in the Italian cities I’ve been to. On the US, i think the fentanyl crisis has just turned all the problems up to eleven, but it’s also simultaneously thriving in other ways that’s quite energizing.
We live in a suburb in Sydney's Upper North Shore, and area known for the retention of much bushland as well as English style gardens. As well as being a home for us, it's also home to a wide variety of birds, animals , insects and reptiles. Insects in this answer includes spiders, bugs, and so forth. There are 2 really dangerous species of spider - funnel-webs and red-backs. One glance at a funnel-web and you know that it's dangerous. You have to be especially careful not just in gardening but also simple tasks such as cleaning the swimming pool filter - funnel-webs love swimming. A bite from either of these can be fatal, but there have been no recorded deaths in decades. There are anti-venenes for both these spiders. We catch a funnel-web or 2 each summer. We leave these at a nearby public hospital from where they are collected and taken to a works 40 or so kms away. They are milked for their venom which becomes the base for the anti-venene. In short, you don't have to be worried about spider bites. Snake bites are very rare but the answer of quick attention is just as effective for them. So be careful, watch what you're dpoing in the garden, check shoes before putting them on, and you'll be right. Magpies can be dangerous in nesting season. Wearing a hat seems to deter the birds, or even just carrying a rolled up umbrella over your shoulder
Helena various states have different laws...maybe Queensland doesn't allow alcohol on beaches. If you were to come to Melbourne, we have up to 200 nationalities living here, very multicultural.
Thank you so much for giving me feedback. I had absolutely no idea it depended on the state.. in NSW alcohol in public was always prohibited. I have come to Melbourne but not for long enough. You made me want to come back 😊
I'm from qld. If your drinking in a large group then ya might get pulled up by the coppers. But majority of the time if ya just chilling having a coldie ya normally fine. Police just don't want it to turn into a party and people leave thier rubbish everywhere
Drinking alcohol in public in NSW isn’t prohibited as a general rule. It depends on the each city councils regulations. I think you’ll find alcohol restricted public places are in the minority across the state as a whole.
Before 1980 Australia was virtually a British/Irish ethnostate. It was very safe, very easy to survive and own a house. Since then it has been multicultralised and the economy has been globalised. Food is better and like everywhere lots of consumer products are much cheaper to buy. Everything else is worse.
I think your comment about the grocery stores not having much choice is because you were in an Aldi store. Their business model is different - small choice and lower cost. Try a Coles or Woolworths and you'll get more brand choice and variety. Also, we have delicatessens as well where you'll get lots of great cheeses. (Side note: Aldi is one of the grocery stores where you can buy alcohol along with your groceries just like in Europe.)
Hello! I think it must have been misleading for me to be Aldi when I was talking about the that comment. But I just happened to be there. I was talking about woolworths and Coles. There is everything you need, just not the same range as in Europe. (And nothing wrong with that at all 😊). I love Aldi. But the alcohol is available in NSW but only from the first cashier, and an ID is necessary. :)
I saw a more than a dozen spiders today. Some very big, some not so big. I live in the bush, so they are everywhere. But they don't bother us, so we leave them alone. Australia has a lot of fast food places because Aussie spend a lot of time outdoors, and, we travel long distances on a regular basis. So being able to buy food while away from your home is pretty convenient. Australians probably cook at home more than most countries do. But when we are away from home, takeaway food is important. I lived in Burleigh Heads for a long while. Great place. Not a lot of work at that time, and not great pay, so we moved back to Darwin. We Aussie are very, very proud of our country. I'm so pleased you found it to be a nice place and that you feel safe. Cheers.
Aldi in Australia isn’t a full range supermarket. You world be better off going to Coles or Woolworths Supermarkets to experience a bigger more comprehensive range. I’m in Melbourne and some new Coles supermarkets are huge in size and range. Love your bright and happy approach to your videos. Happy to subscribe.
Good morning 😊 You are absolutely right, woolworths and Coles do offer a lot more than Aldi. I just happened to be at aldi because it was what was on my way home that day. But I was definitely thinking of the two main chains. But I really agree with the fact that we have everything that we need. I do struggle using the right words. "Range" is probably more adequate. It was just something that really surprised me back then. I am totally used it now. But when I went back to Europe last year after 5 years, it really stood out. 😊 I would really love to go back to Melbourne. 😍 Finally, I would like to thank you for your kind words and taking the time to leave me feedbacks. I am very touched by what you said. Have a beautiful day. 🌸
@@HELENAMNR. I wouldn't know what you mean about the big supermarkets except that on holiday in Phuket (Thailand) we went into Tesco, a British chain. Yes it was huge and with a range of goods we'd never seen in Perth or Sydney.
I loved when visiting Paris, in the market, we could buy stuffed tomatoes as a meal of convenience. The stall owner gave us some fois gras to try etc. quick ready healthy food. I loved that. I wish we didn’t have so much fast food, I think it’s the same in England, just different companies. Spiders are definitely around…..lol
Just watched your video tonight while staying down in Burleigh for the weekend down from Brisbane. I'm an old bloke born and bred Brisbane who's been going to the Gold Coast since the dawn of time. Should have seen it in the 60/70's, so much more wild and beautiful the landscape. Used to surf at Duranbah, Kirra and up north at Noosa in those days.
I used to live on the Gold Coast (I’m now in Tasmania) and Burleigh Heads is one of my favourite places. Beautiful little nugget of preserved nature next to the beach and the restaurants. I did almost step on a snake once, but it was super chill and didn’t attack me. Gotta be careful of the eastern browns though! If you’ve never been to Maleny then I recommend the drive to visit their fromagerie and the surrounding countryside and vineyards. Tambourine is also great (and closer to the GC). It’s so interesting to hear what it’s like to experience Australia as an immigrant. My dad migrated in his early 20’s from east London (1960’s) and he still loves the weather. He also moved specifically for the opportunities away from class segregation. It’s easier to make your life your own in a place which is a melting pot of many people from humble backgrounds.
From what I know technically it's illegal to drink alcohol in parks, the beach etc. However usually when your having a BBQ in a park as long as your not being a pest or drunk or abusive the local authorities look the other way. I think its more that the law is there so if you are being abusive or obnoxious when drunk, the police can charge you with an offence.
I absolutely agree with all the rules around alcohol and honestly would not change them at all. In Paris you can be sure that every Friday and Saturday night, there are a lot of drunk people out in the middle of the night, bottles everywhere. I surely do not miss that. I was also so surprised by NY in Sydney. So controlled. Absolutely incredible (which also explains the safety I feel here) 😊
Now if course, one drink or two would be nice at times with a picnic. But some people do it. As long as it's not obvious, police officers can sometimes look past.
The disappointing thing is there is a lot of racial prejudice when it comes to public drinking - at least up where I was (Logan, just south of Brisbane). You could bet money that if two groups had alcohol and one was primarily Anglo and the other primarily PoC, the former would be ignored for the latter who would get fined even if neither were being problematic.
With regard to you slow cooker, I've found the first one I bought was round, white and still works great with no cracks. Since then I've bought at least four of the larger oval, dark coloured ones and they've all cracked across the base after a few uses of them. How is your oval one fairing Helena? Have you seen a change in the weather in your time living on the east coast? Being a weather watcher since probably before you were born, I seen the changes though they are gradual. Living in Castlemaine, Central Victoria for about 40 years, it certainly has changed. Not seen snow fall here since my children were little but still love living in a 2 traffic-light town that offers everything I need though not everything I just 'want'.
Your quite right ,about food .there are more choices in Europe for food , I was in England a few weeks ago and the choices for pate from France as an example fabulous so enjoyed it every day , but Australia does not import a lot of stuff , to far and cost is extremely expensive so I make my own . Come to Melbourne and honestly we are lucky , we have such a multicultural population and culture . I just love it . Yesterday I found Horlick in an Indian grocery store , not able to find it anywhere else lol even in England ,so hard to find . And they were so kind and we my daughter and I were the only Aussie in the whole store , so inclusive , they chatted and smiled , and polite such a good time and they have picked up our easy ways , I love the diversity of Aussie , all over is brilliant . We are spoiled here , I’m English and children Aussies and grandchildren Aussies , the cockroaches only like clean houses lol . I’m glad you are happy here ,and you do live in a beautiful area , enjoyed your content ,
Bonjour mon cherie. Enchante. J'parle l'francais, un petit peu. G'day! Welcome to Australia, Been to France many times, Paris and northern France, Love France and the people of France.
Bonjour 😊 Enchantée également. Ça me fait très plaisir d'entendre ça. Merci beaucoup pour votre joli commentaire. (Thank you so much for your beautiful comment) 🙏
Thanks for sharing your thoughts Helena. I will start to appreciate my home more now. Keep up the good work. We have indoor Gecko's in the North. They live around the fly screen windows and survive off the moth's and other assorted bugs they can catch at night. They may even be heard chatting sometimes. Yep, she's a Bonza place alright.
Thank you for your ten "shocks". It was interesting to to hear about French Grocery stores and the diversity of goods but I couldn't help noticing that you were videoing in an Aldi store a German company which are renowned for limited choice.
Hello, Thank you for your feedback. Yes I was in Aldi indeed. I happened to be there, I was not talking about Aldi when I mentioned that point. I was referring to the big chains. Sorry for the confusion. 😊
Hello, Thank you for your feedback. Yes I was in Aldi indeed. I happened to be there, I was not talking about Aldi when I mentioned that point. I was referring to the big chains. Sorry for the confusion. 😊
I was familiar with most of this, but the weekly wage/rent was something I knew about but didn't really get until you described the difference. Also the judgementalism. Yes, we're pretty relaxed here. I've travelled a lot and seen many different cultures. There are things I wish we had more of here - like the hospitality of the South of the US, or the sub-continent, the simpatico with sexuality of South America, the low crime rate of Japan (although our crime rate is not a thing to get stressed about), the respect and passion for the arts they have in Europe. I've never forgotten how good it is here, but it's good to have your view of it to give more colour to what that goodness is. Thanks for your thoughts. x
The weather does vary a lot depending in where in Australia you are, though. In the tropical north you'll definitely experience long periods of intense, continuous storms, while cities like Hobart and Melbourne can be pretty rainy at times. Similarly, regulation of alcohol sales varies from state to state.
Hello Richo, thank you for your feedback. I do completely agree with you on that. But in majority of the time, where I have lived at least, I have been positively surprised by the weather 😇
True. I met some Melbourneians around 12 months ago and they didn't believe that Perth was wetter than Melbourne, at least in total rainfall. We get all of our rain out of the way in winter. It barely ever rains in summer at all
You might try visiting Melbourne for greater diversity (and no cockroaches). Love the accent by the way. Thanks for the great review, great outsider's perspective.
I am British & have lived in France for the last 20- years, I have during that time visited Australia 4 times, spending 6 months each visit. I love both Countries & consider myself very lucky! As for the UK - Ugh!
Hello Michael! I'm so surprised to hear you don't like the UK, it really is a place I wish to visit one day. I absolutely love British people. Love the sense of humour and my favourite accent in English. 20 years in France, vous devez surement très bien parler français 😊 Merci d'avoir partagé votre ressenti.
I'm an Aussie,It's funny I did some sub contract work for a commercial cabinet maker here in Perth,I am not a cabinet maker,but was doing other specialized work relateted to furniture,and they pay fortnightly,it was the first time in my life,and will be my last time,and I own my house cars and everything else I have,but still don't like the idea of fortnightly pay,I thought to myself this is bullsh*t no way LOL I am used to weekly pay.
Aw 🥹 thank you so much, you have no idea how much it means to hear that. And I'm so surprised to hear that not all beaches ban alcohol. I really want to learn more. I really love this country. ❤️
yeah was about to say, about this alcohol ban... in context if you are in a problem prone area with locals abusing alcohol and if the social economic situation... come to nice part and you can pop champagne and bear while having picnic or bbq.
Great video! Thanks for taking us to the beach and sharing your life/personality with us. (For the first few minutes I thought you were naked!) Re alcohol, yes, you can usually only buy it at bottle shops, but these are everywhere! And there's also the supermarket chain Aldi that sells alcohol. And re drinking in public, most popular shopping or recreational areas are alcohol-free zones, yes. But if you're at a park or beach away from those busy areas, I don't think alcohol is illegal there.
Aussies spend most of their time outdoors. Whole generations of kids were shooed out of the house after school and expected not to return until dinner time. Populations of kids making up their own fun across the neighbourhood and racing home before the streetlights came on. As long as there were no broken bones or fires then nobody got in trouble.
(:42 I am fairly sure that the furthest point you can see in that shot is Byron Bay, the most easterly point in Australia. To get an idea of how isolated Australia is, if you go exactly due north from Byron Bay, the next country is Russia (although you narrowly miss the Solomon Islands) and the next country to the east is Chile in South America. South is Antarctica of course.
Fast food outlets have proliferated in Australia bcos of the outdoor lifestyle but it probably started due to the number of massive trucks moving various things about.
Aldi has maybe 1/3 to 1/4 of the grocery lines that the two major grocery chains carry. The two biggest are Woolworths and Coles. There is a fourth chain IGA/Metcash, and it has about the same number of SKU's (Stock Keeping Units) as Aldi does. What does this mean in practice? Aldi usually offers one type of product (eg Penne Pasta) and carries 1 SKU. It's that product or you're buying Spirals or Tagliatelle or something else, where you have one choice also. Woolworths or Coles will offer a cheap "Home Brand" item to compete with Aldi on price, then a brand name version or two at a premium price, maybe one is lower carb or organic or something. Depending on the product there may be 3 or 4 brand name competitors, and two levels of "home brand", a cheaper one and a better quality one - compare that to Aldi's one. Aldi sometimes but not always offers a local competitor who has such brand recognition or the local version is so different to the budget alternative they were losing too many sales from people walking out because they couldn't buy say Vegemite. Aldi offers about double the options they did when they first came here, but still far less than the big two. They had to learn and adapt to the market. There are not really any food shortages. Except during peak covid panic.
I love your hair. My grandmother had thick tight curly hair that looked like she had been electrified. When she was old her hair looked like a white fluffy dandelion seed head. The fast food chains are everywhere and I am only speaking for Melbourne, but we have a huge coffee shop/cafe/restaurant culture in our over 1,000 suburbs. Unfortunately with the growth of our newer suburbs, the “High Streets” of our older Suburbs just were missing in the planning and Shopping Malls became the reality. I think the Shopping Malls provide the food courts to cope with the number of people wanting a quick snack when out shopping, but a lot of the Shopping Centres in the East of Melbourne (probably elsewhere too) have a Restaurant Dining precinct attached that adds a better dining experience for everyone. Love your accent and wish I could have spent more time in Paris, maybe in the warmer months though, not January 🥶 😆
Hello! 😇 thank you so much for your kind words. I love learning about who happens to watch my videos. Where about are you writing from? You made laugh about your grandmother's looking like she had been electrified. I would definitely be interested in going back to Melbourne and see all of this for myself. I didn't stay long enough last time. You do make me want to go back 😍
@@HELENAMNR. Hi, I live in Melbourne’s outer Eastern Suburbs but I have lived all over Melbourne from West to East. Surprisingly no one inherited my grandmother’s hair. Our extended family has very mixed nationalities. Early generations from early 1800’s were from the UK. My son-in-law has Japanese heritage and his older brother is married to a French girl he met here in Australia. They have lived in France for many years now but everyone travels back and forth to keep in touch. Interestingly when my daughter worked for an International company based in London she had to dress the Louvre for a function. I like your open, honest style of reviewing. I hope Australia continues to be a place you enjoy living in.
You CAN drink alcohol in public in Australia (at least in NSW). There have to be signs up in places where you specifically cant. Its the USA where you can't.
The video was fun and I reckon accurate. One of my close family is married to a French lady and you remind me of her. I'm going to address the cockroach topic because in the comments you are going to get alot of people who live in Sydney and never see cockroaches and they might be negative but you are right. I've lived in Sydney all my life and I've lived everywhere, south, east, west, north. Here is the thing, are you near water? Are you in the eastern suburbs? Are you close to bushland? I've lived in places in Sydney where my clock radio stopped working because it was infested with cockroach eggs, that hatched. But for the last 20 years I've lived in a house where I haven't seen one cockroach. I believe it's like rats in New York, it really depends where you are.
23:44 hahaha, oh that was funny, it'd say it was a Huntsman? Leaving the rocks and branches on the ground and you'll be right avoiding bad bugs (& snakes)… Love Burleigh btw.
Ahaha, yes it probably was 😅 I can not believe how scared I was the first time I saw one and how ignorant I am now 😅 you get used to spiders being big quite quickly. But again, you don't see them that often. I love it here as well. Absolutely stunning. 😍
@@HELENAMNR. If you travel west of the Great Dividing Range, there is fewer and fewer cockroaches. Cockroaches love warm temperature and wet forest. I never had cockroaches living in western NSW and Albury-Wodonga and Canberra ... but when I lived in Wollongong (1 hour south of Sydney on the coast) there was SO MANY cockroaches.
Not many cockroaches in Melbourne, but not many beaches like that either.
Born in Burleigh and now live in Melbourne. Wish I was in Burleigh...
It's the jellyfish I worry about.. 😂 Sea wasps...
In regard to #10. I am Rromani. In Europe we are despised and pushed to the outside. Then when you are there on the outside you get blammed for being on the outside. But here in Australia, nobody cares. They only care if you are a good person. It means that we are not on the outside. It IS relaxing.
Yes true, we generally give people a go. I hope you have a good life here!!
I really do hope we Aussie have made you feel at home. Aussie are not racist, but we like our culture, and we are protective of it. So if you are friendly, and try to fit in, you'll have no issues at all with Aussie people. Cheers.
There is definitely a lot of ignorance though, I dont think Australian has a lot of knowledge know much about Romani people
@@dragoneer121 l know of the Romani people and I'm Australian. I looked into this years ago..
@dragoneer121 ok? Why would they? It's weird enough that we know British history.
The safety you experienced in Australia from a young lady's perspective is most gratifying.
And I can assure you that this is also exactly how I feel about it. I am so happy to call Australia home. 😇
I was born in France and immigrated with my parents in 1976. If you think Australia is safe now, imagine how it was for us also from Paris. In Perth people would leave the windows down in their cars while at the beach or shops, often with the keys in the ignition. Literally nobody locked the front door of their home. If you fell over or your car broke down people would instantly come to you to assist. People were insanely honest, caring and respectful. Australia is still a good country to live in but it was once truly amazing.
I remember those days. I grew up in Bunbury in the 1980’s and 90’s when it was genuinely like that. It’s changed a lot, but still significantly better than overseas
I live in rural NSW. We have never locked our house, even when going away on holidays. I doubt that even know where the keys are. We leave the car keys in each car, that way they don't get lost. We lock them when we drive into town, but they're never locked at home. It used to be similar in town, even by the 70s or 80s, but that wouldn't be true anymore, sadly.
In the 1950's and 1960's, I grew up in a house in a country town where the front & back entrances were permanently open, with no actual doors!
My grandparents never locked their doors. Like ever. You could turn up to their house in the middle of the night and just open the back door (no one used the front door except for weddings or funerals).
It's not the same, sadly, but that was once what this place was like. We're still generous and trusting people, but the extent of trust is reduced somewhat.
Unfortunately immigration and social media is destroying this
The thing that shocked me when I came 45 years ago " people call you by your Christian name straight away in Australia " back home in our culture we only called people by Christian names when we know them well after quite a while ! Today I have embrassed the Australian way in everything. Australia is a wonderful place !.
I didn’t realise how judgemental people could be in other countries until I visited France. As an Australian I grew up with a “live and let live” attitude, so feeling the judgement in France (to be fair this was really only pronounced in the cities) was a real shock and undermined my confidence. I loved France and would love to visit again, but I was very glad to come home.
I spent a week at Nice on the French Riviera and they are more laid back there.
As an Aussie I had a long stay visa for France and lived in Paris for some time, in the 7th District, Rue St-Dominique. I thought the supermarkets in Paris were well stocked with a large variety of fruits, vegetables, etc much more variety than Germany, Belgium, Switzerland and many other European and Scandinavian countries. I was surprised that every night tankers would wash down the streets with high pressure water and capture all the rubbish in large nets. I was surprised at the lack of public rubbish bins and public toilet facilities, compared to Australia in the city and suburbs. I was surprised that people would line up outside restaurants and wait to to invited and escorted into the premises. I was surprised that the French like Aussies would gamble on just about anything, how loud they were in supporting their team, horse, frog, what ever they were gambling on. One thing I really noticed was the air quality in Australia is so much cleaner than France and Europe. I found once local people realised you where an Aussie and not English they were a lot more talkative and friendly. Thanks for sharing.
On the topic of alcohol, Australians had an awful relationship with alcohol. Our entire identity was alcohol. These restrictions have improved quality of life for so many Australians. Sure, its annoying when you're 18 and want to get wild, but Australians typically dont have a mature relationship with alcohol.
yeah, rum was once a currency
You generalise too much, you're painting all Australians with the same brush.
@@Djr67they're right though our culture around alcohol fucking sucks it's all about getting as sloshed as possible, especially if you're young
@@user-ts2ny8jg9d not all young people, I have 6 nephews and non of them were ever like that, I wasn't like that, but I know some people are.
@@Djr67 It also wasn’t like that for me and my high school friends, but once I attended uni, I witnessed this culture. The broad brush might not fit our anecdotal experiences, but it is still applicable.
I moved to France from Australia when I was 18. So the reverse of what you did. I lived there for 12 months. I’m really glad you are enjoying living in Australia. 🥰🐬
Ooh what an experience that must have been. I am sure you must have been shocked by so many things that we do differently in France.
Thank you for you comment. I hope you had a great time in my country 😇
@@HELENAMNR. yes it was a culture shock but I loved it. In particular I loved the French attitude towards food. It was normal to have multiple courses every night for dinner. Salad, main, cheese and dessert courses. The delicious sauces you could mop up with baguette 🥖 and the wine - bien sûr. I found most people were friendly and welcoming. I think it helped that I could speak some French and they could see I was making an effort. Unfortunately sometimes I’d make embarrassing mistakes, for example the time I told my host family that bread in Australia lasts longer and doesn’t go hard because we use preservatives. I didn’t know the French word for preservatives so I just said ‘preservatives’ with a French accent and hoped for the best. It didn’t go down well 😳🤭
😅😄 that was excellent. Thank you so much for sharing this. But it's the kind of "mistakes" we would find absolutely adorable. I do realise that culture shock around food. That's something that surprised me so so much here. There's no free bread on the table at the restaurant, and people don't have salads and desserts automatically. I have changed the way I eat for sure now that I've been here for so long, but it was very different at first. 😊
(I can definitely say that making the effort to speak a couple of French words in France goes a long way, people are very appreciative of that)
@@laurenhepp4681 I can see why saying that Australian bread has preservatives didn't go down well, as in French, "preservatives" means "condoms".
@@ktipuss yes I know 🫣 oops
I was in Paris with a tour group some years ago and we constantly had people coming up to us asking for money. Four women came up to our group and approached a few of us, when they got nothing they asked where we were from - we said Australia. They instantly gave up and started chatting 😂 i guess we are not known for our generosity!
Your English is amazing, your accent is very easy to understand - i work with a French woman who has lived here for decades and her English is still not quite where yours is. Also i love your energy, it's infectious and i couldn't help but smile 😊
Good evening! I'm sorry that was your experience in Paris.. it's not so great to hear, but sadly, it's just a reflexion of the reality. (I doubt anyone would question Australians' generosity, or they just don't know Australians).
Oh! Thank you so much for your very kind words. I was so insecure about my English when I first started making videos. I was so convinced no one would want to listen to me. I'm very touched, thank you. Also, I couldn't be happier to hear that I have put a smile on someone's face, someone that I never met. It really is my whole purpose here. Thank you for sharing your thoughts with me. It's greatly appreciated!! 😇
As an Aussie I went to Bali pretty young with my parents and that taught me all about street sellers and scammers.
My French friend here in Brisbane made similar comments about the constant judgement in France and how much better it was in Australia. She also mentioned freedom from male harassment/comments on the streets as a big difference.
Absolutely ! The difference it massive... honestly, just for that last reason alone, I won't be living in France anymore. After living here, it was too hard and triggering to deal with it in France, even on holidays...
The "laid back" thing always puzzled me before i spent time in France. I honestly thought it was a myth akin to the "bronzed aussie" but it really is true. I've watched in amazement in France and the UK where people get so wound up over small things and are so impatient, often to their own detriment. The most obvious thing in the French national sport of tailgating because they are in such a hurry to get anywhere. Groceries......certainly more choice in Europe, for example, our local LeClerc has over 200 metres of shelf space just for yoghurt (35 metres long, 6 shelves high). Not sure its really that much of a problem not to have that in Oz......... On the other hand, far more healthy ('ish) cereal choices in Oz, most of whats on the shelf in France is closer to confectionery. Ooh, did I mention the cost of food is generally much cheaper in rural France.
I'm not sure why this video was recommended to me but it was so sweet to hear your experience from an outsider perspective. It made me feel so proud to be Australian *wipes tear* I'm really glad you enjoy living here as much as we do!
I've just done a 6 month trip around Australia in a campervan and this country is honestly HUGE and wild and majestic. The cities are such a small part of it. I hope everyone who comes here gets out and has some fun adventures too 😄
On that, I'd add one more surprising thing to your list for people that don't know: Australia has all kinds of ecosystems; desert, tropical rainforest, alpine, beaches and islands, forests, cool climate rainforests, tropical reefs etc. Aboriginal people have been such great caretakers for these areas ❤
I am so happy my video was recommended somehow to you, and that you enjoyed watching it. Thank you very much for letting me know this.
Australia is such an incredible country.
Your trio must have been amazing. That's the absolute dream to travel around. There is so much to see and do. All of my favourite parts are in places most people have never even hear about.
You are absolutely right! That is a fact. It's basically (and technically) a continent on its own. One day, I can only hope to see all with my own eyes.
Thank you for taking the time to share this with me. 😇❤️
I moved here from Malaysia when I was 13.
Kids are mean here. They grow out of it pretty quick, but if you're going to school don't be expecting it to be all sunshine and rainbows.
I was personally fine, probably because I was quick to throw down, but some of the other kids had it very rough.
Kids are mean everywhere. All kids cop it.
I’m sorry you experienced that x
Thank you for sharing this. I really don't have any idea about it as I didn't grow up here... it makes me sad to hear this. Unfortunately, I think these types of things happen everywhere.. in France, it was very difficult as well. Very judgemental..
There was a big push a number of years ago to get rid of bullying in schools. I can only hope things are getting better.
I enjoyed this video. Although I’m not Australian I have lived here a long long time and your what seemed even heart felt appreciation of this big land made me emotional and I’m not sure why? There is some dark sides to this country as a whole, but you are right. There is so much more to appreciate about this country and in my case so many more opportunities it will give you.
Thank you for such a positive video. UA-cam can be full of such negative selfish commentary sometimes but you have brightened my mood.
Aussies have really kind hearts and accept people for who they are.
Very cool video. Shows Oz from a very realistic perspective. Well done, and enjoy your time in Oz, however long you are here.
You know that once you start using Aussie slang without thinking bout it, you are an honorary Aussie! 👍🇦🇺
Ahaha thank you so so much! I'm so glad you enjoyed it and felt that I was genuinely speaking with my heart. I wonder which slang I have used, because ad you said it, I definitely didn't realise 😅
Wow I always love hearing from those who have moved to Australia! Thanks so much for your content! I moved to Norway before COVID, but I still call Australia home. No matter how much I love travel, I’ll come back home one day.
Helena, thank you for loving and enjoying our country as much as we do! Everyone's already mentioned that each and every state have their own unique attributes. Any time you miss Europe, come to Melbourne. We were voted the most liveable city in the world for 6 consecutive years for a reason. Enjoy your life in Australia and we wish you the very best.
Good evening,
Thank you so much for your beautiful message. I am very touched by words. I definitely would love to see more of Australia and see it for what it is. I truly love it here, for everything the country and people have to offer. I didn't get your name, but I also wish you all the best. 🙏😇
Nobody migrates to live through a Melbourne winter.
@@mattcorcoran7082Melbourne winters are mild. Rarely goes below zero. People from the inland find it very mild.
Sydney weather is not as good as Sydneysiders say. Moisture levels are high with high temperatures. Really knows how to rain. Compare rainfall with Melbourne.
@@HELENAMNR.Yes, Melbourne is great to visit. Adelaide is very quiet in comparison. I learned French in school for four years...l can still speak it after 40+ years, but l rarely come across French people. I hope your stay here is good for you!! Mrs Kerry Parker
@@mattcorcoran7082Are you kidding? Melbourne's winter would be pissweak compared with where she's from.
Side note... Aussie here.. I wouldn't leave my bags etc on a beach unless someone else was staying with them... Not that I expect it stolen, but that the risk isn't zero... and it costs too much to lose your wallet etc...
Absolutely. I didn't mean to sound like I was recommending people to do that. I hope people understood that they always have to be cautious. But on the Gold Coast, the beach is so large, and there are only a few people per "between the flags" areas, that it honestly feels safe to do so. But we should all be cautious at all times. I completely agree. My mistake. 😊
The only beaches I would worry about my phone or watch are Bondi and Manly. I’ve literally never worried anywhere else. It would be such a dog act to steal from someone enjoying precious time swimming at the beach.
That's also how I feel. People aren't desperate here to act this way. I feel it would either be someone who uneducated or a tourist. But certainly not someone who's coming to the beach to enjoy the beach themselves.
I moved to Brisbane from Ireland 7 years ago, on my own. Didnt know a single soul. so I had to leave my stuff on the beach. Unlike Europe i have never lost anything. It's nearly disrespecting Australia itself to steal a fellow beach goers stuff lol. Also Australians are great at looking after their beaches. There is bugger all litter. In comparison European beaches are filthy. Particularly in the UK. Australians are awesome. I love it here.
I worked for a French company for many years (Pechiney) in Australia, in France and in other countries around the world. We still have lots of French friends and although we try to maintain contact with them as the years pass it becomes a little harder. We have a shared experience they lived with their families in Australia and got to experience the Aussie lifestyle and we did the same in France. We also spent time with them as part of an expat community in places like Mozambique, South Africa and in the middle east so we got to party together a lot. You reckon Australians asking you how you are going is strange I find that the French saying 'bon jour ca va' everyday while shaking your hand is a little bit of a culture shock.. I am retired now and its unlikely that we will get to see our French friends again but the experiences we shared will always be a pleasant memory hopefully your experience of moving to Australia is going to be the same for you.
Thank you so much for sharing this with us. It seems like you have had quite an incredible life in terms of experiences and cross-cultural moments. It makes me happy to hear about others experiencing my culture across the globe. I am very grateful to be here in Australia. And yes, shaling hands and :la bise" are two things you quickly forget here. 😅
My friend is from Dieppe in Normandy he’s been here for 25 years he called himself a Fraussie he’s one of my best friends.He went back to France for the first time in 10 years this year and was amazed how much it changed
Normandy is such a beautiful region. I have always loved going there growing up. I would agree with that. Doing back after 5 years last year, it was a total shock, and not always for the better sadly...
I'll remember that! "FRAUSSIE"
Nice, it's not very often you get a persons perspective other than American, so it's good to hear another point of view and hear about your experiences.
Good morning Justin,
Thank you for your feedbacks. I am very happy you were interested in hearing what I had to say about my experience in Australia so far. I am happy you enjoyed the video.
Have a beautiful day 🌸
Can hear a bit of Aussie in that beautiful French accent.
😅 ahaha, that's one feedback I definitely never expected, but thank you calling my accent beautiful 😇
@@HELENAMNR. You're welcome. Some of your vowels are getting a hint of Aussie creeping in.
Well I would have never known. But I'd like to thank you watching. 😊
What a lovely video from a lovely person! I walked over to the coffee shop over the road just now in my dressing gown and moccasins. This is inner city Melbourne mind you. Nobody cared, I actually got a few smiles. And a coffee… 😂
Ahaha, you have completely proved my point. Even in a city like Melbourne. Absolutely love that. Thank you for your very kind words. 🌸😊
I’m really glad to hear you’re experiencing Australia and it’s positive attributes
Relaxed and safe
Great things that I love about this beautiful place :)
Not much safety hear hey take a plane back to the frogs
Thank you for your feedback. It is exactly how I feel. 😇
Glad you love living in our beautiful country 😊 A few things to add: alcohol laws change depending on which state you live in. In NSW, some alcohol laws became more strict ('lockout laws') after a number of youg ppl were king-hit and killed by ppl who were drunk. Here in Victoria you can buy alcohol in supermarkets; usually in a separate section of the shop. BTW, I grew up in Qld and our family used to go camping at Tallebudgera. Gorgeous place 😊 As for cockroaches, Brisbane has way more of them, and they're huge 😅 I don't see them much in Melbourne.
Hi Helena,how are you going ? Love your video and your lovely bright attitude. You are the exact type of person that we need to move here. So positive in your outlook. Keep up the good work.
PS beautiful accent (with a hint of Aussie in the vowels)
Hello! I'm doing very well, thank you for asking 😊 (what is your name by the way?)
Thank you so much for your feedback and very kind words. I'm very touched. I honestly am so grateful to be here, and didn't realise I had been influenced by the aussie accent in the way I speak. That will always surprise me to hear this. Thank you again x 🥹🙏
It’s so interesting to me when you talk about the culture in Australia. I live in QLD more so southeast QLD and there’s sooo many black and brown people here it became the norm for me . When I moved to the sunny coast though it’s almost like I moved to another country because there’s not many coloured people there . Interesting because I guess it depends on where in the country and state you live
S.E. Qld is much nicer than further north, i lived near toowoomba for awhile, i got my drivers licence at 17 from a local copper by driving around the block in my HK GTS monaro with him. he reckoned i could drive cos he'd seen me on the road plenty of times. little place called goombungee. better times.
Love your video style.
Having just returned from Europe, first time overseas, the one thing I wish Australia had is supermarkets like in France and Italy.
And it was so easy to purchase really healthy grab and go food options everywhere.
Thank you so much Megan 😊 I'm very happy you enjoyed the video.
It is true that the variety of food items is pretty incredible and qualitative. Now I also understand why it would be difficult to get these types of products in Australia. 😁
I am not missing being a Frenchman even not a little bit. I love Oz for all you said, but most of it for allowing me to be what I am. And I couldn't be what I am if was Ozzy true and true. Go figure!!! Here you can reinvent yourself....
If you think Australian greetings are weird, try Australian goodbyes, it is common and always appropriate to say "See you later", you might never be going to see that person ever again but it is still good as a goodbye.
Good warnings about spiders etc. Warning about Vegemite missing. The trick to Vegemite is to smear the smallest thinnest possible smudges on a piece of buttered toast. At least until you build up a tolerance.
Thanks for being conscious and aware of the great things in Australia. The many fast food outlets here have to do with our lack of reverence for most things, including food. We are a lazy bunch and eating quickly and indiscriminately is a common thing. Hunger is like an itch - just scratch it and get over it - not a big deal. Now just party, swim, surf, drive, etc.
I'm so glad you've had such a good experience here. Yep, we are very casual people. Look at how beautiful it is outside, look at how good the weather is - we need to go enjoy ourselves! Life is too short to judge people or get worked up over small things. 😊
Hello! Thank you for your message. I absolutely agree with all of it !!
Très bonne, interesting and complimentary comparison. We who were born here often overlook our advantages. You and Sven look like the perfect people to enjoy Aussie life to the full.
The “how are you” is a general expression of hope that you are ok. It’s genuine in most people. More often pronounced like in German- banging words together:
“Owyagaan .. Orite?”
(How are you going, are you alright)
“How-ja-be?”(how would you be)
“Ya right mate?” (Are you alright friend)
Hello David, thank you so much for your feedback. I'm happy to hear you enjoyed it. You made me laugh when I read "Sven" ahaha you must have guessed he was Swedish. Thank you for your kind words and clarifications. 🙏😊🌸
This is a lovely video and you do have an Aussie accent in some of your speech. If we were in France (I have been to Paris) and I met you my ears would pick up the Aussie language influence. In Melbourne, where I live, we are heavily into good coffee, wine and food in restaurants and cafes. Melbourne is the Arts, Culture, Academic and Sports city of Australia. There are over 200 ethnicities who live here There are over 1,000 suburbs. It's a marvellous, beautiful city that surrounds Port Phillip Bay and has the Yarra River running through it to the bay that has beaches, and mountains to the east and north. The bay empties into Bass Strait, with more beaches, not too far away. Our weather can be fickle and we can experience four seasons in one day. The weather can go from the day temperature approximate extremes of 11 degrees Celsius in winter to 40 plus deg, C in summer.. My favourite season is Autumn with warm, crisp and toasty days. The aboriginal/first nations people who lived in this area believed that there were 7 seasons here. Melbourne has the most extensive tram system in the world along with trains and buses to get around. Saying,' G'Day/Hi/ Hello, How are you?/ How are you going?' is mostly just making contact and being friendly and not really enquiring about your emotional/mental//physical welfare. Enjoy our 'Lucky Country!'
First off, thank you so much for your message. I absolutely loved reading how much you seem to love the city you live in. It honestly really made me want to go to Melbourne again. I have to admit that I found the suburbs around Melbourne, so charming and inviting.
I have understood indeed that asking "how are you doing?" is just part of.a friendly manner (which I have now adopted 😊). My friends back in France did look at me weirdly doing the same in fremch with strangers. It really is different. But such a nice thing to do as well.
Thank you again for your feedback x I truly appreciate!!
my wife moved from France ( Brittany ) 40 years ago and still loves it here. Only goes back for holidays
I absolutely understand how she must have felt 40 years ago 🌸😇
Oh my goodness, you're amazing - you're STILL responding to comments DAYS later. Well done 👌.
Salut 🖐 and welcome to Australia. The more diversity the better! I am Australian born and raised (of convict heritage), and I went to university in the early 90s. I studied French, and worked as an Au Pair briefly in a town near Rouen. I was 18 when I was in France and whenever I had contact with people my own age they seemed SO much more 'wordly'. They had travelled so much, and stayed in other countries many times (so easy when you live in Europe), and seemed so much more independent, informed and mature. After a little time I realised something that you mentioned; that people approach young women for many many reasons - frequently! And when I was in Paris especially, this happened alot - I felt unsafe most of the time. So I figure that young people in France have HAD to learn how to deal with unwanted advances, requests for money, cigarettes etc. They have had to learn to navigate through and negotiate with PEOPLE and their behaviours, and to manage and cope with risk. I was SO overwhelmed! I'm not surprised that you notice the difference now you're in Oz. Now I DO have a question. I wonder how you cope with the fairly common Australian behaviour/belief of NOT talking about politics or religion (or anything controversial) when in a group, like when you're eating dinner with friends, at a coffee shop or the beach? I was brought up with this; so that just expressing a different opinion was considered rude, and that one was 'starting an argument'; that it would cause disharmony or even conflict. I remember trying to understand it, and I noticed the French word "Argumentation". To an Australian it looks and sounds like the English word Argument, but they are quite different concepts. I don't think the average Australian even HAS a concept of 'a friendly, lively dispute/discussion' - to most people it sounds like the beginnings of a 'fight'. My understanding has been that the French comfortably have discussions/debates about issues. Would you say that that is still true? I feel that even today in 2023, about 3 decades after I left university (and my short stay in France), Australians STILL seem fairly reluctant to genuinely pull apart an issue they believe in, and debate and discuss it whilst remaining friends. Seems crazy to me. 😊What's been your experience - talking to Australians about politics or religion or other controversial topics??
Wow, first of all, thank you for introducing yourself a little more. It was a pleasure to read more about you. Secondly, I loved hearing about your experience in France, although wish you had not gone through was us women in France have to grow up and deal with. I truly appreciate Australia for that matter. Your question is actually very interesting, and you are very right. In France we actually enjoy argumenting, as in debating and finding arguments to express our opinions on various subjects. It is extremely popular to debate, thankfully never with the intention of getting into fights. We learn to listen and respect each other's opinions as we are all entitled to feel or think differently. In France, I reckon it would be quite disappointing to see people fighting trying to get their views in. It's all about conversating. (Now again, there are people that don't know their limits).
Your video just popped into my youtube and after watching it we in Australia are lucky to have such a lovely young woman live here.
Thank you so so much! That is so kind of you to say 😇🙏
Another thing that shocked me is I went into a cafe, and as I went up to the counter to peruse the options, the owner came out to the table to ask my wife what she wanted, and she goes "oh nothing, my husband is just after a coffee". She mistook this for an order and immediately brought out the world's tiniest shot of black coffee, while I was still at the counter trying to figure out how you ask for "Half a litre of takeout latte like at starbucks".
Look around your garden closely and you will see the cutest little spiders ever, jumping spiders😊
The idea of jumping spiders may freak out arachnophobs, be t honestly they are adorable.
Have you noticed the little fence skinks? When the flying ants swarm they all come out for a feast in my back yard. Super cute as well!
Great video. Your bubbly personality shines through and the video was really engaging. I hope you continue to enjoy our country and all it has to offer.
Good evening 😊 I would like to honestly thank you for your feedbacks. It might have made me shed a tear.. seeing that my personality was accepted and that my French accent wasn't in the way really makes me feel better. Thank you very much 🙏
Living on the Gold Coast gives you a different perspective to our country. Our state does deserve the Sunshine state name. If you lived in Melbourne, you would think the climate was similar to what you had back home.
Yes it is true, I think I've been in such a bubble since I moved here. It's just so incredible 🌸
Enjoyed hearing your perspective and learning a bit about Paris as well. Australia really is an awesome Country :)
Thank you for your feedback 🌞 I assume you are Australian? I am definitely grateful to be here. France is also a beautiful country, I just feel like some things stay untold.
Yes. I'm Australian and so grateful to live here. Love this amazing Country.,@@HELENAMNR.
I am so glad to hear this. I hope most Australians feel this way (which I believe they do). It is so important to realise what we have.
@@HELENAMNR. Over the last 50 years, I have been to Paris a number of times and it was always bleak and overcast or snowy. I thought that was due to the fact I was always there in your Winter. I must try to go there sometime in their Summer to see what it is like then too.
I think you're comment about the diversity here is interesting. In regards to people of African heritage, or curly hair as you say, you're exactly right. But I'd argue that we have a far greater population of South East Asian and Sub Continental people than in France
You are absolutely right, I honestly couldn't agree more. And it completely makes sense when you think of our location on the map. 😇
Thank you so much for you honest assessment of Australia (and I am from another country). I've spent some time in France recently and I can relate to most topics you have raised. Keep enjoying your stay :-)
Thank you so much for your feedback! That is so kind of you to say. I'm happy you understood my points of view and share similar opinions. 😇
Welcome to Australia, glad your 7 years have been so great, this is the first video of your i have watched by the way, i live in Tasmania, if you haven't been here yet, please do, its a totally different experience, but you wont regret it.
Subbed due to your passion and making this fun.
Hello! Thank you very much for your feedback. I actually recently came back from a trip in Tasmania. It was absolutely beautiful. Really loved it there, and will go back one day. I didn't quite get your last sentence, if you wouldn't mind explaining "subbed". 😇
@@HELENAMNR. Subscribed to you channel haha
Oh! I didn't understand. I'm so sorry 😅 thank you very much for doing so. I hope you will enjoy my future content. Don't hesitate to let me what you would be interested to watch 😇
Cooking and adventuring while talking made this a really fun watch. Thanks for your time and effort
And just like that I feel so privileged to be Australian
I’ve just come across your blog and I must say I really enjoyed it ..your personality is infectious ..I hope you enjoy your life in Australia ..cheers 😊
Good morning 😇
I would like to honestly thank you for sharing your opinion with me and for your kind words. I am very touched by them. Honestly, from the bottom of my heart, thank you 🙏
About the relaxed attitude, have you ever gone to the grocery store in bare feet, that's the best feeling
It has happened indeed. Specially on a hot summer day, after going to the beach. No one would ever look at you weirdly. Love it
You're at my favourite place Burleigh. Visit our unit up there a couple times a year for the last 20 years. Its changing and not the country town feel it once had, but still love it
It is definitely a beautiful place. It's crazy, I was just saying this to my partner the other day, just imagined how it must have been when there was nothing there, when it was just wild 😍
Wow, came upon your vidios by accident, damn girl you nailed it, Cudos. I went to France/Paris in 2013 but was forwarned what to expect especialy around Paris, and absolutly loved the city, spent a week walking around all the attractions and being forwarned ignored the harassment, as you would have. spent 2 weeks in the countryside and could not fault the french people, they were polite and curtious to my lack of french. I loved my time there.
Hello!! Thank you so much Peter for your feedback, I really appreciate 😊 I am so happy to hear you and a great experience in Paris and were rightly informed on what to do as well. It makes me happy to know you had a great time there. And happy you enjoyed the video!
Always remember cockroaches are looking for water. Keep your bathrooms, sinks and laundries dry all the time and they mostly don't bother you. Of course don't leave left-over food around either. Just good housekeeping. I went to Fiji many years ago and their cockroaches were monsters, much bigger than those I've seen in Australia.
Thanks for the tips! 😊
Burleigh *waves* just down the road from me. There are a lot of smaller towns with very little in the way of fast food. This year I did a road trip to Cairns, there were several towns along the way where the only food was at the supermarket or the 7-11.
We don't get a lot of cockroaches down in Melbourne due to how cold it is most of the year round. A few show up in summer, but most of the time you rarely see them.
It's also worth noting that the Australian native cockroaches are not like the imported ones. The native cockroaches mostly live in the bush and eat leaves and aren't very interested in rubbish, so they're not dirty the way the introduced ones are.
I am finding out about that everyday, a couple of people have mentioned it. Thank you for making me aware of it. I really appreciate. I'm learning everyday 😊
Please remember that the different states of Australia are as distinct as visiting different countries in Europe or of different States in America. The culture and cuisine preferences can differ and accents differ too. Grocery stores in Queensland are very different to say Victoria. I have lived in and operated Italian restaurants in both places.
Victoria is very multicultural with a high Mediterranean European migrant population that emigrated since the 1950’s and Asian population since the 1970’s therefore the variety and choices for European, Asian style and international foods is much bigger. They have a very european coffee culture too.
In Queensland it is not as multicultural and slower paced it feels more like a country town. My kids were shocked when they moved primary schools because the culture was so different and not as diverse in their background of nationality.
I used to have to get my Victorian relatives to bring a big round wheel of pecorino Cheese on the plane when they came to visit me on the Gold Coast because you couldn’t get any there from the restaurant suppliers, this applied to other delicacies that were commonly available back in Melbourne.
For example South Australians have some interesting things like meat pies served with mushy peas that a Victorian in the next state across would likely have never seen in their life 😂
Pie floaters...
Thank you so much for sharing all of this. It definitely opened my eyes on a lot of subjects. And I am happy to hear that some of the things I have mentioned differ depending on the state. It makes me want to explore more, and see things for myself. Many comments have been mentioning Melbourne, it might be a sign for me to head there again, the next time I get a chance.
I also actually really love Queensland and the Gold Coast. I like it a bit more slow paced, by the beach. But you are right, it can feel like a coastal country town at times. 😊
South Asian-Australians are, amongst others, very well represented in our great state of Queensland, not that it should be a competition. Victorians are the winners in pretension, hands down. So, some people moved to your state in the Fifties and Sixties...😒
Oh okay, I am definitely learning more everyday. Thank you for clarifying 😊
@@chadjcrase poor Queensland is awash with self funded retirees from the southern states. They can definitely be a bit uppity 🤦♀️😂
You are a really relaxed good cook .In Sydney you can buy alcohol at the supermarkets but it they are not in the isles . They are in a shop attached to the supermarket .
Great video.. I'm Australian and yeah some things we take for granted, like the weird scams you get all over the world.. I was in Italy and a guy gave me a bracelet then demanded money.. that doesn't happen here.. Dunno why.. maybe a high minimum wage gives everyone a chance.. maybe the fact we say yeah nah f off mate...
Yes it definitely is the reason. Thieves here only mainly happen when people are uneducated or want to be silly. It is rarely because they need it and can't afford things themselves. Thank you so much for sharing your opinion. And thank you for watching, I'm very happy you enjoyed it. 😊
Its interesting. I watched an American channel and their observations on Australia and they were commenting about the lack of big chain restaurant options.
😅 any country compared to the US would be lacking something 😅
Welcome to the lucky Country....as a proud Aboriginal woman from Perth Western Australia its always beautiful to see people from different nations see how beautiful country is...♥️🖤💛 much love from Perth Western Australia 🦘🦘
Good morning Rosie. Thank you very much for your beautiful comment. Your country is indeed extremely beautiful. Perth is on my bucket list. 🫶🙏 take care 😇
@@HELENAMNR. Western Australia has so much to see and it tends to be forgotten about due to most people living and moving to the East of Australia but yeah Perth is beautiful itself then u have our beautiful country... I'm a Noongah woman and my people are from the South West region of Western Australia and as much as I love my Country here in the South West region... the Kimberleys is a whole different experience which u will definitely love... some of the most beautiful country in Australia is up north and u will love it ♥️🖤💛...so yeah come over u will be more than welcome
Lovely video and glad I stumbled across it. I’m from Sydney, but currently live in the United States and I hear you on the safety thing… here in the US homelessness and crime are just so much more front of mind and I miss the lower psychological load of back home where you just don’t think about a lot of that stuff as much. Yes, cockroaches suck in Sydney but they’re manageable if you get pest control in once a year. On Supermarkets etc, part of it is because it’s something of a duopoly with Coles and Woolworths, but I think the limited range issue is very much a Queensland thing - if you moved to the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney you’d find there’s a lot of quite large super markets and also a lot more small/organics focused ones like Harris Farm or Maloney’s as well that offer a lot of great stuff. Anyway, great video and glad to hear you’re enjoying life in Aus!
Thank you so so much! I'm very happy to hear you enjoyed it. We hear so many about the US, as much as when I last went there 10 years ago, I didn't feel unsafe, unfortunately I do know that it is.. going there from Australia would definitely be an adjustment..
I hope you are enjoying your life there. Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts.by the way, I lived in sydney for 6,5 years. I just recently moved to Queensland 😇
@@HELENAMNR. ah fair enough! I only spent a limited time in Paris, and thought it was similar to the part of Sydney I am from the supermarket scene was pretty similar - with one very big caveat for dairy and cured meats, which was just WAAAY more varied in Paris and probably even more so in the Italian cities I’ve been to. On the US, i think the fentanyl crisis has just turned all the problems up to eleven, but it’s also simultaneously thriving in other ways that’s quite energizing.
We live in a suburb in Sydney's Upper North Shore, and area known for the retention of much bushland as well as English style gardens. As well as being a home for us, it's also home to a wide variety of birds, animals , insects and reptiles. Insects in this answer includes spiders, bugs, and so forth. There are 2 really dangerous species of spider - funnel-webs and red-backs. One glance at a funnel-web and you know that it's dangerous. You have to be especially careful not just in gardening but also simple tasks such as cleaning the swimming pool filter - funnel-webs love swimming. A bite from either of these can be fatal, but there have been no recorded deaths in decades. There are anti-venenes for both these spiders. We catch a funnel-web or 2 each summer. We leave these at a nearby public hospital from where they are collected and taken to a works 40 or so kms away. They are milked for their venom which becomes the base for the anti-venene. In short, you don't have to be worried about spider bites. Snake bites are very rare but the answer of quick attention is just as effective for them. So be careful, watch what you're dpoing in the garden, check shoes before putting them on, and you'll be right.
Magpies can be dangerous in nesting season. Wearing a hat seems to deter the birds, or even just carrying a rolled up umbrella over your shoulder
Helena various states have different laws...maybe Queensland doesn't allow alcohol on beaches.
If you were to come to Melbourne, we have up to 200 nationalities living here, very multicultural.
Thank you so much for giving me feedback. I had absolutely no idea it depended on the state.. in NSW alcohol in public was always prohibited. I have come to Melbourne but not for long enough. You made me want to come back 😊
I'm from qld. If your drinking in a large group then ya might get pulled up by the coppers. But majority of the time if ya just chilling having a coldie ya normally fine. Police just don't want it to turn into a party and people leave thier rubbish everywhere
Drinking alcohol in public in NSW isn’t prohibited as a general rule. It depends on the each city councils regulations. I think you’ll find alcohol restricted public places are in the minority across the state as a whole.
Before 1980 Australia was virtually a British/Irish ethnostate. It was very safe, very easy to survive and own a house. Since then it has been multicultralised and the economy has been globalised. Food is better and like everywhere lots of consumer products are much cheaper to buy. Everything else is worse.
I’m shocked at some of the things that shocked you 😂😂. Great video.
This definitely the comment I have been waiting for 😄 thank you so much, I'm happy you enjoyed it!!
I think your comment about the grocery stores not having much choice is because you were in an Aldi store. Their business model is different - small choice and lower cost. Try a Coles or Woolworths and you'll get more brand choice and variety. Also, we have delicatessens as well where you'll get lots of great cheeses. (Side note: Aldi is one of the grocery stores where you can buy alcohol along with your groceries just like in Europe.)
Hello! I think it must have been misleading for me to be Aldi when I was talking about the that comment. But I just happened to be there. I was talking about woolworths and Coles. There is everything you need, just not the same range as in Europe. (And nothing wrong with that at all 😊). I love Aldi. But the alcohol is available in NSW but only from the first cashier, and an ID is necessary. :)
I saw a more than a dozen spiders today. Some very big, some not so big. I live in the bush, so they are everywhere. But they don't bother us, so we leave them alone. Australia has a lot of fast food places because Aussie spend a lot of time outdoors, and, we travel long distances on a regular basis. So being able to buy food while away from your home is pretty convenient. Australians probably cook at home more than most countries do. But when we are away from home, takeaway food is important.
I lived in Burleigh Heads for a long while. Great place. Not a lot of work at that time, and not great pay, so we moved back to Darwin.
We Aussie are very, very proud of our country. I'm so pleased you found it to be a nice place and that you feel safe. Cheers.
Aldi in Australia isn’t a full range supermarket. You world be better off going to Coles or Woolworths Supermarkets to experience a bigger more comprehensive range. I’m in Melbourne and some new Coles supermarkets are huge in size and range.
Love your bright and happy approach to your videos. Happy to subscribe.
Good morning 😊
You are absolutely right, woolworths and Coles do offer a lot more than Aldi. I just happened to be at aldi because it was what was on my way home that day. But I was definitely thinking of the two main chains. But I really agree with the fact that we have everything that we need. I do struggle using the right words. "Range" is probably more adequate. It was just something that really surprised me back then. I am totally used it now. But when I went back to Europe last year after 5 years, it really stood out. 😊
I would really love to go back to Melbourne. 😍
Finally, I would like to thank you for your kind words and taking the time to leave me feedbacks. I am very touched by what you said. Have a beautiful day. 🌸
@@HELENAMNR. I wouldn't know what you mean about the big supermarkets except that on holiday in Phuket (Thailand) we went into Tesco, a British chain. Yes it was huge and with a range of goods we'd never seen in Perth or Sydney.
I loved when visiting Paris, in the market, we could buy stuffed tomatoes as a meal of convenience. The stall owner gave us some fois gras to try etc. quick ready healthy food. I loved that. I wish we didn’t have so much fast food, I think it’s the same in England, just different companies. Spiders are definitely around…..lol
Just watched your video tonight while staying down in Burleigh for the weekend down from Brisbane. I'm an old bloke born and bred Brisbane who's been going to the Gold Coast since the dawn of time. Should have seen it in the 60/70's, so much more wild and beautiful the landscape. Used to surf at Duranbah, Kirra and up north at Noosa in those days.
Thank you for your insights, and WELCOME 🎉😊
Thank you so much! That is so kind of you 😇🥰
I used to live on the Gold Coast (I’m now in Tasmania) and Burleigh Heads is one of my favourite places. Beautiful little nugget of preserved nature next to the beach and the restaurants. I did almost step on a snake once, but it was super chill and didn’t attack me. Gotta be careful of the eastern browns though!
If you’ve never been to Maleny then I recommend the drive to visit their fromagerie and the surrounding countryside and vineyards. Tambourine is also great (and closer to the GC).
It’s so interesting to hear what it’s like to experience Australia as an immigrant. My dad migrated in his early 20’s from east London (1960’s) and he still loves the weather. He also moved specifically for the opportunities away from class segregation. It’s easier to make your life your own in a place which is a melting pot of many people from humble backgrounds.
From what I know technically it's illegal to drink alcohol in parks, the beach etc. However usually when your having a BBQ in a park as long as your not being a pest or drunk or abusive the local authorities look the other way. I think its more that the law is there so if you are being abusive or obnoxious when drunk, the police can charge you with an offence.
I absolutely agree with all the rules around alcohol and honestly would not change them at all. In Paris you can be sure that every Friday and Saturday night, there are a lot of drunk people out in the middle of the night, bottles everywhere. I surely do not miss that.
I was also so surprised by NY in Sydney. So controlled. Absolutely incredible (which also explains the safety I feel here) 😊
Now if course, one drink or two would be nice at times with a picnic. But some people do it. As long as it's not obvious, police officers can sometimes look past.
The disappointing thing is there is a lot of racial prejudice when it comes to public drinking - at least up where I was (Logan, just south of Brisbane).
You could bet money that if two groups had alcohol and one was primarily Anglo and the other primarily PoC, the former would be ignored for the latter who would get fined even if neither were being problematic.
With regard to you slow cooker, I've found the first one I bought was round, white and still works great with no cracks. Since then I've bought at least four of the larger oval, dark coloured ones and they've all cracked across the base after a few uses of them. How is your oval one fairing Helena? Have you seen a change in the weather in your time living on the east coast? Being a weather watcher since probably before you were born, I seen the changes though they are gradual. Living in Castlemaine, Central Victoria for about 40 years, it certainly has changed. Not seen snow fall here since my children were little but still love living in a 2 traffic-light town that offers everything I need though not everything I just 'want'.
Your quite right ,about food .there are more choices in Europe for food , I was in England a few weeks ago and the choices for pate from France as an example fabulous so enjoyed it every day , but Australia does not import a lot of stuff , to far and cost is extremely expensive so I make my own . Come to Melbourne and honestly we are lucky , we have such a multicultural population and culture . I just love it . Yesterday I found Horlick in an Indian grocery store , not able to find it anywhere else lol even in England ,so hard to find . And they were so kind and we my daughter and I were the only Aussie in the whole store , so inclusive , they chatted and smiled , and polite such a good time and they have picked up our easy ways , I love the diversity of Aussie , all over is brilliant . We are spoiled here , I’m English and children Aussies and grandchildren Aussies , the cockroaches only like clean houses lol . I’m glad you are happy here ,and you do live in a beautiful area , enjoyed your content ,
Bonjour mon cherie. Enchante. J'parle l'francais, un petit peu. G'day! Welcome to Australia, Been to France many times, Paris and northern France, Love France and the people of France.
Bonjour 😊 Enchantée également. Ça me fait très plaisir d'entendre ça. Merci beaucoup pour votre joli commentaire. (Thank you so much for your beautiful comment) 🙏
Thanks for sharing your thoughts Helena. I will start to appreciate my home more now. Keep up the good work. We have indoor Gecko's in the North. They live around the fly screen windows and survive off the moth's and other assorted bugs they can catch at night. They may even be heard chatting sometimes. Yep, she's a Bonza place alright.
I love that! Thank you for sharing this. I love geckos 😊
Thank you for your ten "shocks". It was interesting to to hear about French Grocery stores and the diversity of goods but I couldn't help noticing that you were videoing in an Aldi store a German company which are renowned for limited choice.
Hello, Thank you for your feedback. Yes I was in Aldi indeed. I happened to be there, I was not talking about Aldi when I mentioned that point. I was referring to the big chains. Sorry for the confusion. 😊
Hello, Thank you for your feedback. Yes I was in Aldi indeed. I happened to be there, I was not talking about Aldi when I mentioned that point. I was referring to the big chains. Sorry for the confusion. 😊
I was familiar with most of this, but the weekly wage/rent was something I knew about but didn't really get until you described the difference. Also the judgementalism. Yes, we're pretty relaxed here. I've travelled a lot and seen many different cultures. There are things I wish we had more of here - like the hospitality of the South of the US, or the sub-continent, the simpatico with sexuality of South America, the low crime rate of Japan (although our crime rate is not a thing to get stressed about), the respect and passion for the arts they have in Europe. I've never forgotten how good it is here, but it's good to have your view of it to give more colour to what that goodness is. Thanks for your thoughts. x
Hello Barry,
Thank you very much for taking the time to share your thoughts with me 😊 I'm glad you enjoyed hearing about my point of view!
The weather does vary a lot depending in where in Australia you are, though. In the tropical north you'll definitely experience long periods of intense, continuous storms, while cities like Hobart and Melbourne can be pretty rainy at times. Similarly, regulation of alcohol sales varies from state to state.
Hello Richo, thank you for your feedback. I do completely agree with you on that. But in majority of the time, where I have lived at least, I have been positively surprised by the weather 😇
True. I met some Melbourneians around 12 months ago and they didn't believe that Perth was wetter than Melbourne, at least in total rainfall. We get all of our rain out of the way in winter. It barely ever rains in summer at all
You might try visiting Melbourne for greater diversity (and no cockroaches). Love the accent by the way. Thanks for the great review, great outsider's perspective.
I am British & have lived in France for the last 20- years, I have during that time visited Australia 4 times, spending 6 months each visit. I love both Countries & consider myself very lucky! As for the UK - Ugh!
Hello Michael! I'm so surprised to hear you don't like the UK, it really is a place I wish to visit one day. I absolutely love British people. Love the sense of humour and my favourite accent in English. 20 years in France, vous devez surement très bien parler français 😊 Merci d'avoir partagé votre ressenti.
I'm an Aussie,It's funny I did some sub contract work for a commercial cabinet maker here in Perth,I am not a cabinet maker,but was doing other specialized work relateted to furniture,and they pay fortnightly,it was the first time in my life,and will be my last time,and I own my house cars and everything else I have,but still don't like the idea of fortnightly pay,I thought to myself this is bullsh*t no way LOL I am used to weekly pay.
Alcohol is not banned from all beaches,it depends on the local government. Loved watching your vid❤❤❤❤
Aw 🥹 thank you so much, you have no idea how much it means to hear that. And I'm so surprised to hear that not all beaches ban alcohol. I really want to learn more. I really love this country. ❤️
yeah was about to say, about this alcohol ban... in context if you are in a problem prone area with locals abusing alcohol and if the social economic situation... come to nice part and you can pop champagne and bear while having picnic or bbq.
Thank u for reminding me of how wonderful the country am living in is!
It was my pleasure! (And really not hard to do 😉)
Great video! Thanks for taking us to the beach and sharing your life/personality with us. (For the first few minutes I thought you were naked!)
Re alcohol, yes, you can usually only buy it at bottle shops, but these are everywhere! And there's also the supermarket chain Aldi that sells alcohol.
And re drinking in public, most popular shopping or recreational areas are alcohol-free zones, yes. But if you're at a park or beach away from those busy areas, I don't think alcohol is illegal there.
IT IS OUR DUTY to keep it beautiful.. and every Australian cares about it
Absolutely!!
As a 62yo Aussie I have drunk in parks, and on beaches, in front cops, all my life. Never arrested or fined.
Aussies spend most of their time outdoors.
Whole generations of kids were shooed out of the house after school and expected not to return until dinner time.
Populations of kids making up their own fun across the neighbourhood and racing home before the streetlights came on.
As long as there were no broken bones or fires then nobody got in trouble.
Loved your insect reaction - how true.
Thank you for agreeing with me 😅 I hope I didn't offend anyone, it was so not my intention
(:42 I am fairly sure that the furthest point you can see in that shot is Byron Bay, the most easterly point in Australia. To get an idea of how isolated Australia is, if you go exactly due north from Byron Bay, the next country is Russia (although you narrowly miss the Solomon Islands) and the next country to the east is Chile in South America. South is Antarctica of course.
Fast food outlets have proliferated in Australia bcos of the outdoor lifestyle but it probably started due to the number of massive trucks moving various things about.
Actually that is such a good point that I would have never thought about !! Thank you. That made me think 🙏
Aldi has maybe 1/3 to 1/4 of the grocery lines that the two major grocery chains carry. The two biggest are Woolworths and Coles. There is a fourth chain IGA/Metcash, and it has about the same number of SKU's (Stock Keeping Units) as Aldi does.
What does this mean in practice? Aldi usually offers one type of product (eg Penne Pasta) and carries 1 SKU. It's that product or you're buying Spirals or Tagliatelle or something else, where you have one choice also. Woolworths or Coles will offer a cheap "Home Brand" item to compete with Aldi on price, then a brand name version or two at a premium price, maybe one is lower carb or organic or something. Depending on the product there may be 3 or 4 brand name competitors, and two levels of "home brand", a cheaper one and a better quality one - compare that to Aldi's one.
Aldi sometimes but not always offers a local competitor who has such brand recognition or the local version is so different to the budget alternative they were losing too many sales from people walking out because they couldn't buy say Vegemite.
Aldi offers about double the options they did when they first came here, but still far less than the big two. They had to learn and adapt to the market.
There are not really any food shortages. Except during peak covid panic.
Living in Australia, you need an Akubra to keep the sun off your skin! Head to The Hattery in Katoomba!
I agree with you ahah. Thank you :)
I love your hair. My grandmother had thick tight curly hair that looked like she had been electrified. When she was old her hair looked like a white fluffy dandelion seed head. The fast food chains are everywhere and I am only speaking for Melbourne, but we have a huge coffee shop/cafe/restaurant culture in our over 1,000 suburbs. Unfortunately with the growth of our newer suburbs, the “High Streets” of our older Suburbs just were missing in the planning and Shopping Malls became the reality. I think the Shopping Malls provide the food courts to cope with the number of people wanting a quick snack when out shopping, but a lot of the Shopping Centres in the East of Melbourne (probably elsewhere too) have a Restaurant Dining precinct attached that adds a better dining experience for everyone. Love your accent and wish I could have spent more time in Paris, maybe in the warmer months though, not January 🥶 😆
Hello! 😇 thank you so much for your kind words. I love learning about who happens to watch my videos. Where about are you writing from?
You made laugh about your grandmother's looking like she had been electrified. I would definitely be interested in going back to Melbourne and see all of this for myself. I didn't stay long enough last time. You do make me want to go back 😍
@@HELENAMNR. Hi, I live in Melbourne’s outer Eastern Suburbs but I have lived all over Melbourne from West to East. Surprisingly no one inherited my grandmother’s hair. Our extended family has very mixed nationalities. Early generations from early 1800’s were from the UK. My son-in-law has Japanese heritage and his older brother is married to a French girl he met here in Australia. They have lived in France for many years now but everyone travels back and forth to keep in touch. Interestingly when my daughter worked for an International company based in London she had to dress the Louvre for a function. I like your open, honest style of reviewing. I hope Australia continues to be a place you enjoy living in.
You CAN drink alcohol in public in Australia (at least in NSW). There have to be signs up in places where you specifically cant. Its the USA where you can't.
The video was fun and I reckon accurate. One of my close family is married to a French lady and you remind me of her. I'm going to address the cockroach topic because in the comments you are going to get alot of people who live in Sydney and never see cockroaches and they might be negative but you are right. I've lived in Sydney all my life and I've lived everywhere, south, east, west, north. Here is the thing, are you near water? Are you in the eastern suburbs? Are you close to bushland? I've lived in places in Sydney where my clock radio stopped working because it was infested with cockroach eggs, that hatched. But for the last 20 years I've lived in a house where I haven't seen one cockroach. I believe it's like rats in New York, it really depends where you are.
You forgot the main one. Aussies find French accents irresistible. Glad you are enjoying our country and enjoy!
I didn't know that was a thing, but if you are Aussie, and you are saying it, it must then be the absolute truth 😉
Thank you 🙏
@@HELENAMNR. i am and it is. It also applies for French men on Aussie women
Yes, that's actually quite right as well 😅
The grocery store she went to was an Aldi, a European store!, that is smaller than the average grocery store in Australia, like Coles or Woolworths.
I know I was in Aldi, but I wasn't talking about Aldi. 😅 I'm sorry it was confusing ...