The best thing about having an American accent in Australia is that cool conversations arise from the the most mundane questions. Like, “Can I order a Belgian waffle with ice cream?” (They were out, unfortunately.) Unlike in the U.S., the conversations don’t end after the simple exchanges necessary to conclude the normal dealings of two strangers. As often as not, my very obviously American accent, combined with Australians’ prevailing friendliness and curiosity, results in the question, “Where are you from?”
For the first month or so of our trip, we were mostly in remote places and interacted almost solely with members of our own group. The Australians we interacted with were our professors, tutors, and the support staff of the places we stayed. I still learned a lot about Australian culture (lots of slang 🙂 ), but it has been cool to interact with people outside the program. The people I’ve spoken with have all been very friendly, helpful, and interested in hearing about our study abroad program. Most of them have said they’re hoping or planning to visit the U.S. soon. Talking them has given me small, interesting insights into parts of Australian culture I would never learn from a textbook, and has been really enjoyable. It’s making me wonder if I would be able to keep it up when I get back to the U.S. It’d be harder without the help of an interesting accent, but it’s been a treat to see the enthusiasms and interests of the people whose lives intersect tangentially with my own.
jackalopeabroad 