The author of the blog, The New Australian, Jaime is the expat sharing her experiences with us today. After you read her interview, take a look at her blog where she has lots of great information and videos about her expat life in Australia.

Also, on a more serious note, you are probably aware of the terrible fires that have been happening in Australia recently. Well, “Australian Brush fire Assistance” and “Please Help Brush fire Victims” are two posts that Jaime has written about this that you should really check out. Jaime said to me in an email, “Victoria is going through a horrific time right now and we really need all the support we can get”. If you are a victim or just want to help out, she has gathered some great resources.

So read on to find out if Fosters is really Australian for beer! :)

When you’re in Australia, most people ‘back home’ (in the northern hemisphere) are likely to ask you the big question: “Does the toilet water really go down the other way?”
~Jaime

1.Where are you from originally, where are you now and what brought you there?

I’m originally from Wisconsin, United States. I’m now happily living in the Melbourne suburbs in Australia. What brought me here is the fantastic food… Just kidding. I had an Aussie bloke to meet and I needed to get away from my old life, simply put.

2.What do you like/dislike about your new home overseas?

LIKES: The food! If you consider yourself even a halfway foodie, you must try the food in Melbourne.

The scenery. Australia is a gorgeous place. Absolutely gorgeous. Though much of rural Victoria has been devastated recently by bushfire, I will forever love this place, and all the other places in Australia that I have visited.

The people. Australians are just… different. There is a way of looking at - and enjoying life - within the people here that is just beautiful. Not to mention most of them have the most rotten sense of humor you’ll ever come across. It’s great!

Strine. Possibly the funnest slanguage out there.

DISLIKES: No pumpkin pie (you can home make it, but Aussies will think you’re weird) or graham crackers.(Can you tell I’m a foodie?)

The occasional rude comment. I’ve encountered only one guy who seems to have a problem with ’septics’ (Americans), so it’s certainly no reason to keep you from coming, but I do want to kick the guy in the shins and tell him to grow a pair when he gets all nasty.

3.Do you have any advice for someone who wants to get a job in a foreign country or for someone who wants to get a job in the country you are now living in? What was your experience with getting a visa/job? Was it difficult?

If you want to get a job here, declare that before you come over. Get the correct visa. I imagine it’s the same for most countries… State clearly what you want/plan to do before coming over.

Another piece of advice is to make sure your resume is up to date and has *phone numbers*. (Went I went for a job, they advised me that my resume could be improved if I had the phone numbers listed. Silly me thought they wouldn’t want to call internationally.)

I work from home for people back in the States, so I can’t really get into much more detail… I would advise you to get out and volunteer until you get a job. That’s what I do, and I love it.

4.What was the most challenging part of living in a foreign country when you first started out as an expat? Do you have any advice for those facing similar challenges?

For me, I didn’t have to deal with homesickness. I imagine that’s the number one difficulty for some people. Personally, I struggled a bit with changing my reference points. The change from US measurements to metric was… quite interesting. But I only ordered way too much ham at the deli a couple times before I learned that 500 grams is plenty and a kilo of it means some gets wasted.

In that regard, sit down with a conversions book or website and get used to the new weights and measurements. Same goes for currency. Stay updated with the currency you’ll be using and how it’s rating against the currency you did use. That way you’ll be more likely to know if you’re paying too much for things.

While some may argue that I am well past being a ‘new’ Australian – I have long since stopped calling all petrol ‘gas’ and calling the boot ‘the trunk’ – there is still much more for me to learn and discover here.
~Jaime

5.If you were to do it all again (moving to and living in another country), what would you do different?

Pack differently. Truly. If there is one thing I smacked my head over, it’s what I packed. There were plenty of little things that I later thought, “I wish I would have sent/brought that over.”

6.Do you want to move back to where you came from? If not, what is it about the expat life that makes it all worth it to you?

Oh no. Never. When I stepped off the plane in Melbourne and took a deep breath… I knew I was home. I felt a relaxation settle in me that has never left. What makes it all worth it is that feeling, the feeling of home. If you can’t feel like the place you’re living in is truly your home, you’ll never be 100% settled. You’ll always look over your shoulder to what was.

7.What are some of the good, the bad, the ugly…and the funny things you have experienced living overseas?

- There is a thing over here about how “you never ask if they are American - always ask if they are Canadian. An American won’t care either way, but a Canadian will be insulted if you mistake them for an American.” I always found that funny because I’ve been asked if I’m American way more than I have been asked if I’m Canadian. Even over two years on, I get asked about my accent.

- Coming over here, I adopted the attitude of ‘try anything once’. Then I tried VB (the beer of Australians - FYI Australians don’t drink Fosters). After trying VB, I adopted the attitude of ‘try almost anything once’. Bleck.

8. Did you experience culture shock when you moved? What was that like? How did you overcome it?

I didn’t really experience ’shock’… I fell in love with Australia from the get go, but I had a truly wonderful introduction and a lot of perfect strangers who accepted me with open arms and are now my good friends. I found that the best thing you can do is ask questions. You might get called ’silly’ every now and again, but in general people love talking about their country and the way it works.

I guess I did have one shock - with the prices. Everything seemed so expensive (a lot of it actually is) and I had to keep reminding myself of the exchange rate. Like I said above, keeping up with an exchange rate site can help you shift over your thinking about how much things should be priced. I barely glace at the currency exchange rate anymore unless I’m converting directly.

9.Any practical tips for the new expats out there?

Most important rule of all: Don’t judge too quickly. Don’t expect to love a place the first day - or even the first week - and refrain from hating it for at least as long. One spot, one visit, one group of people - none will tell you about the real country. Wander around. Go to small town pubs (you meet the ‘real’ people there), make friends, move to a different area if you have to. Take your time and don’t judge straightaway or you could miss out on wonderful places.

10.Where do you think you’ll go next?

Oz is home from now on, but the husband and I would like to travel around the world. (Wouldn’t we all?) We’ve been a couple times to New Zealand, and we’d at least like to get to Canada to visit a friend.

11. Anything else you want to add or share about expat life or culture shock?

*Don’t judge too quickly or too harshly.

*If you’re feeling homesick, ‘cut the apron strings’ for a while and immerse yourself in the local culture.

*There are plenty of sites out there for getting food specific to certain countries out to other countries. (Graham crackers. Mmm.)

*Get a microphone headset and an internet connection. “Calls” (voice chat) through Yahoo Messenger is free, free, free.

Have you ever been to Australia? Would you like to live there too? Tell us what you think in a comment below!