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I also think friendliness levels is a city vs country thing.
Exactly, and that spans international borders as well. My sister moved to a small town in Northern California and when I visit her I'm somewhat taken aback by how chatty the staff tends to be in stores and restaurants. As in talk my ear off. Much more so than in the San Francisco Bay Area. Odd thing about where I live - people in San Francisco seem to be more friendly than suburbanites. Maybe its from us all being jammed together in a smaller space. I've actually never been to either Canada or Australia, but California sees a lot of them either visiting or living here.
1. I've known three different "Quebecois" here and they all told me that French Canadians are more friendly than English speaking. I must admit I they were quite likable people. I've dealt with a number of other Canadians with my job and they seemed more or less like any Midwest or Western US resident (hopefully they won't get upset my saying that ).
2. Australians I've met or dealt with in the course of my work have been almost uniformly nice. I did meet one Australian tourist who spent ten minutes telling me what a filthy concrete jungle San Francisco was and how anything nice we did have in California they had in spades back home (and how she couldn't wait to go). I prided myself on being polite to her in spite of her tirade. All in all, most Aussies (and Kiwis) seemed more at home in California than any European travelers I met. I guess its familiar enough to them in lifestyle and attitude they quickly adapt.
One startling difference I did see between Americans and Aussies is in discussing personal information. When you meet one of us we tend to share WAY too much about our personal lives. Withing 15 minutes you know our marital status, number of kids, job and salary and any medical conditions we have or medications we're on. And this makes an overly private Australian VERY uncomfortable!
One startling difference I did see between Americans and Aussies is in discussing personal information. When you meet one of us we tend to share WAY too much about our personal lives. Withing 15 minutes you know our marital status, number of kids, job and salary and any medical conditions we have or medications we're on. And this makes an overly private Australian VERY uncomfortable!
Hmm...
Canadians generally aren't like that, but I think my extensive travels to the USA has made me more like Americans in that respect.
People in the GTA are just so quiet with strangers (afraid of hello? ) that I might have spent more time chatting to strangers
while on vacations in the USA than I did the entire time I lived in Canada. (some of my comfort with forewardness is likely "learned" from Americans )
Location: The western periphery of Terra Australis
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Originally Posted by ColdCanadian
Hmm...
Canadians generally aren't like that but I think my extensive travels to the USA has made me more like Americans in that respect. People in the GTA are just so quiet with strangers (afraid of hello? ) that I might have spent more time chatting to strangers while on vacations in the USA than I did the entire time I lived in Canada. (some of my comfort with forewardness is likely "learned" from Americans )
I appreciate people with a casual, natural chatiness to them. As if striking up a convo is natural for them.
Exactly, and that spans international borders as well. My sister moved to a small town in Northern California and when I visit her I'm somewhat taken aback by how chatty the staff tends to be in stores and restaurants. As in talk my ear off. Much more so than in the San Francisco Bay Area. Odd thing about where I live - people in San Francisco seem to be more friendly than suburbanites. Maybe its from us all being jammed together in a smaller space. I've actually never been to either Canada or Australia, but California sees a lot of them either visiting or living here.
1. I've known three different "Quebecois" here and they all told me that French Canadians are more friendly than English speaking. I must admit I they were quite likable people. I've dealt with a number of other Canadians with my job and they seemed more or less like any Midwest or Western US resident (hopefully they won't get upset my saying that ).
2. Australians I've met or dealt with in the course of my work have been almost uniformly nice. I did meet one Australian tourist who spent ten minutes telling me what a filthy concrete jungle San Francisco was and how anything nice we did have in California they had in spades back home (and how she couldn't wait to go). I prided myself on being polite to her in spite of her tirade. All in all, most Aussies (and Kiwis) seemed more at home in California than any European travelers I met. I guess its familiar enough to them in lifestyle and attitude they quickly adapt.
One startling difference I did see between Americans and Aussies is in discussing personal information. When you meet one of us we tend to share WAY too much about our personal lives. Withing 15 minutes you know our marital status, number of kids, job and salary and any medical conditions we have or medications we're on. And this makes an overly private Australian VERY uncomfortable!
This is soo true. I have a couple of good friends from Australia and they are truly great friends and a blast to be around. However, I find this trend when being around Australians they tend to quite literally portray Aus as paradise. According to them everything is bigger, better, more beautiful, yadda, yadda. If you say the US is a diverse place, they say Australia is more so (yeah right, 90% of the pop is from Great Britain). If you mention a beach in Hawaii, they'll go on a tirade about the absolute best beaches in the world are in Aus. If you bring up wine, food, sports, you name it, Aus has the best of everything. I remember Katie Couric reporting from Sydney at the 2000 Olympics, and she stated that after the closing ceremonies, Aussies approached her and said things like, "your Atlanta Olympics can't compare, what do you think of that..." things like that were said to her, enough that she took the time to report on it.
I'm sure Aus is beautiful and has many great things going for it, but the boastfulness of Australians gets to be too much. Me thinks they have a slight chip on their shoulder about their isolation and the fact that if Aus disappeared tomorrow the world wouldn't flinch an inch.
This is soo true. I have a couple of good friends from Australia and they are truly great friends and a blast to be around. However, I find this trend when being around Australians they tend to quite literally portray Aus as paradise. According to them everything is bigger, better, more beautiful, yadda, yadda..
This is soo true. I have a couple of good friends from Australia and they are truly great friends and a blast to be around. However, I find this trend when being around Australians they tend to quite literally portray Aus as paradise. According to them everything is bigger, better, more beautiful, yadda, yadda. If you say the US is a diverse place, they say Australia is more so (yeah right, 90% of the pop is from Great Britain). If you mention a beach in Hawaii, they'll go on a tirade about the absolute best beaches in the world are in Aus. If you bring up wine, food, sports, you name it, Aus has the best of everything. I remember Katie Couric reporting from Sydney at the 2000 Olympics, and she stated that after the closing ceremonies, Aussies approached her and said things like, "your Atlanta Olympics can't compare, what do you think of that..." things like that were said to her, enough that she took the time to report on it.
I'm sure Aus is beautiful and has many great things going for it, but the boastfulness of Australians gets to be too much. Me thinks they have a slight chip on their shoulder about their isolation and the fact that if Aus disappeared tomorrow the world wouldn't flinch an inch.
I think some of this "boastful" attitude is motivated by our competitive natures, but also by insecurities about our lack of import in the world arena, as you say. We aren't a major power, and our influence is limited.
I guess some of us can be a little over zealous in "convincing" other people about how good it is down under. I'm sure most people don't mean anything by it, but I can understand why others may perceive it as egotism. I do hate when people make it a competition, about whose country is "better". That's so subjective, and I'm sure it has been touched on in many CD posts that every country has it's good and bad aspects.
Also just finally, I think it's a different kind of nationalism/pride we have here in Australia. Americans show how patriotic and proud they are by flying the American flag and singing America the Beautiful etc..not so much here, we just like to say how great we are, and we also like for other people to tell us that too lolol
Location: The western periphery of Terra Australis
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Originally Posted by IrmaVep
I think some of this "boastful" attitude is motivated by our competitive natures, but also by insecurities about our lack of import in the world arena, as you say. We aren't a major power, and our influence is limited.
I guess some of us can be a little over zealous in "convincing" other people about how good it is down under. I'm sure most people don't mean anything by it, but I can understand why others may perceive it as egotism. I do hate when people make it a competition, about whose country is "better". That's so subjective, and I'm sure it has been touched on in many CD posts that every country has it's good and bad aspects.
Also just finally, I think it's a different kind of nationalism/pride we have here in Australia. Americans show how patriotic and proud they are by flying the American flag and singing America the Beautiful etc..not so much here, we just like to say how great we are, and we also like for other people to tell us that too lolol
I don't think Aussies care that much that they're not one of the 'G7' nations or anything like that. Our pride isn't derived from world achievements, it's derived from the high quality of life and relative lack of danger and insecurity we enjoy.
I haven't found Aussies more boastful than other nations. We have our fair share of unpatriotic types as well as flag-wavers.
... when being around Australians they tend to quite literally portray Aus as paradise. According to them everything is bigger, better, more beautiful, yadda, yadda.
Yeah, I notice that too. And Americans and Canadians are opposite. When they come here, they'll gush about Australia being paradise and great and beautiful and everything. If we talk about how fantastic we think their countries are, it's almost as if they have to be convinced of it before they reluctantly agree on some points. One thing they don't need any convincing of is how expensive it is here. What would your friends say to that, I wonder?
Reminds me when we were in Utah at a B&B. At breakfast there were 5 couples. One other couple from Oz. Bit embarrassing how they yapped on about the terrain being similar to the northwest of Oz but not nearly as nice/good/etc. And they went on to list, ad nauseum, all the "better" things about Australia. Okay, different, but better is very subjective ... Gawd!
Another time in Italy, at a restaurant, Australian foursome, typically too much to drink, loudly going on about all the "old things" and how boring & dirty it all was, and crap wine & beer & food, and shyte beaches. And how they should have gone to Bali instead.
You've heard of the Ugly American Tourist? Well, we've got our own version. Maybe even uglier. Especially when pickled.
Location: The western periphery of Terra Australis
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Vichel
Yeah, I notice that too. And Americans and Canadians are opposite. When they come here, they'll gush about Australia being paradise and great and beautiful and everything. If we talk about how fantastic we think their countries are, it's almost as if they have to be convinced of it before they reluctantly agree on some points. One thing they don't need any convincing of is how expensive it is here. What would your friends say to that, I wonder?
Reminds me when we were in Utah at a B&B. At breakfast there were 5 couples. One other couple from Oz. Bit embarrassing how they yapped on about the terrain being similar to the northwest of Oz but not nearly as nice/good/etc. And they went on to list, ad nauseum, all the "better" things about Australia. Okay, different, but better is very subjective ... Gawd!
Another time in Italy, at a restaurant, Australian foursome, typically too much to drink, loudly going on about all the "old things" and how boring & dirty it all was, and crap wine & beer & food, and shyte beaches. And how they should have gone to Bali instead.
You've heard of the Ugly American Tourist? Well, we've got our own version. Maybe even uglier. Especially when pickled.
Yeah alot of Aussies you meet act like jackasses to both the locals and the backpackers.
I love Oz but there are tons of things we lack. Like proper mountains.
Not to keep going on and bashing Aussies, cuz I do love em. But a few years back myself and a group of my friends went to Ireland. While there a middle aged Aussie women kind of latched onto us. We noticed that everything we saw as far as landscape and so forth she continually compared in a negative light to Oz. At one point we stopped at a grocers and were checking out fruit and stuff and we bought some oranges. She said something like, "you call those oranges, you should see the oranges in OZ, etc, etc. At that point we said to ourselves enuf is enuf and promptly ditched her. I do wonder sometimes why we Americans get the bad rap abroad when some Aussies truly are complete boors when going on and on about the "lucky country" and how they are on top of the world not the bottom, etc. etc.
I mean not to boast too much (and I'm not that type) but America was a rich and bountiful enough land mass to enable the country to grow to 300M people while Oz has huze swaths of desert and at the most could barely support 60M people, if that. That's amazing to think about when you look at the size of Oz in land area. And you're right about the mountains, Oz is the flattest continent on the planet.
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Much more so than in the San Francisco Bay Area. Odd thing about where I live - people in San Francisco seem to be more friendly than suburbanites. Maybe its from us all being jammed together in a smaller space. I've actually never been to either Canada or Australia, but California sees a lot of them either visiting or living here.
).
All in all, most Aussies (and Kiwis) seemed more at home in California than any European travelers I met. I guess its familiar enough to them in lifestyle and attitude they quickly adapt.
And this makes an overly private Australian VERY uncomfortable! 
