Shadowing Practice: Australian CULTURE SHOCK!? 10 x WEIRD Things About LIFE in AUSTRALIA! - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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What's going on, guys?
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I'm Pete from Aussie English.
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Welcome to this episode today where I'm going to be talking about culture shock in Australia.
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Let's get into it.
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Alright, so I was recently chatting to my wife, trying to come up with a list of things that she had culture shock with when she came to Australia.
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So if you don't know, my wife is originally from Brazil.
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Hey, Hakel, if you're watching.
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And so, she came to Australia, and obviously, Brazil is a different country, different culture.
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When she got to Australia, there were a bunch of different things that she found strange, cultural aspects of Australian life that she found different, weird, strange.
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So I made a list, and now let's go through 10 of those things, okay?
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And let me know in the comments below if you found them weird as well.
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All right.
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Number one.
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Cars are incredibly cheap secondhand in Australia.
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So cars in Australia are actually really expensive when they're new, at least as far as I know, comparatively speaking, especially if you get into luxury cars like European luxury cars like Mercedes, BMW and Audi.
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In Australia, we used to have the Ford and Holden manufacturers here building the cars in Australia.
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They no longer do that.
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When they did that, though, the government put tax on any cars that were luxury cars more than $60,000.
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And so, you'll find that a lot of these cars from overseas that are luxury cars, especially those from Europe, will be very expensive compared to other places in the world.
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She also found that secondhand cars were incredibly cheap.
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In Brazil, cars, whether new or secondhand, are apparently much more expensive, relatively speaking, than they are here.
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For instance, when I bought my second hand Ford Falcon that I got recently, I recently gave it away though, but when I bought that second hand, it was about 12 years old and it cost me $3,000.
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When I bought my first Holden wagon, again, it was about 18 years old and it cost me $2,500.
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So it wasn't very much at all.
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So there you go.
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cars, if they're secondhand, can be incredibly cheap.
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Number two, cuts of meat.
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This is one that totally caught me by surprise.
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I had never thought about this, but the cuts of meat in Australia are very different from how they are in Brazil.
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One example was when I was looking up how to do Brazilian barbecues in Australia.
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I wanted to buy some meat and I wanted to try and do them authentically Brazil style, churrasco, I tried to get the cut of meat for picanha.
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Picanha is a style of Brazilian barbecue where they buy the rump part of the beef, right, from the bull, right?
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And they put salt on it.
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There's fat on the beef and they do it on a barbecue.
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I tried to go and get this and I couldn't find it anywhere.
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I couldn't find the picanha cut of meat at any different butchers that I went to.
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So, I had to specifically ask them to get the entire part of the cow that they normally chop up into different cuts and remove that part for me to then use.
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Because actually for them, they would chop it up and use it as porterhouse steaks, which were cut through that slice of meat usually, like this, as opposed to taking out the whole section, the rump section, and using that instead.
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So I had no idea that the cuts of meat in Australia are very different from those in Brazil.
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And if you want to get the certain cuts of meat that you want to use from other cultures, other countries, you might have to go and specifically ask a butcher to cut them for you.
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Number three, toilet paper.
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Toilet paper.
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So, I was aware that toilet paper isn't a universal thing when I went to Southeast Asia for the first time.
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I went to Indonesia, where some of the motels and hotels would have toilet paper, because I guess they were used to foreigners from the West coming to Indonesia.
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But a lot of the time, they had a hole in the ground and a bucket of water that you would use to wash yourself.
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Makes sense.
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But in Australia, we use toilet paper.
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One thing that was shocking to Kel was the fact that in Australia, you can flush toilet paper down the toilet.
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Because in Brazil, the sewer system isn't set up to be able to handle flushing of toilet paper.
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So, instead of flushing it, you have to put it in a bin next to the toilet and empty that every day.
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So, there you go.
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Toilet paper was one of those strange things in Australia that you can flush down the toilet.
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Number four, coffee culture in Australia.
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Any of you guys who have come to Australia and spent a significant amount of time in some of the big cities in particular, like Sydney and Melbourne, will know that we are mental.
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We are crazy about our coffee.
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We take that stuff seriously.
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There are probably hundreds of cafes in the CBDs of Sydney and Melbourne alone.
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The quality of the beans that are used, the variety of different coffees that you can get and the artisanry that is used,
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the skill with which people are trained up to make the coffee is pretty much as good as it ever gets anywhere in the world.
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At least I'm told, right?
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I used to work in a cafe and that was one of the things they prided themselves most on, the quality of their coffee.
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So it may be a shock when you come to Australia that the coffee is very, very good.
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Not everywhere, but in a lot of places.
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Probably not very good if you go to Starbucks, because that's American style, and Americans, they have their own way of doing coffee.
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Number five.
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Barbecues at camping grounds and at the beach.
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So again, I grew up in Australia.
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I used to go camping all the time, several times a year with my parents.
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We would go to places in the bush, you know, forests, national parks, places like Wilson's Prom, Wilson's Promatory in Victoria.
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Every time you go to those places, there tend to be places where you can barbecue food.
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You can cook food.
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Quite often they have gas.
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You might have to put some money in there to be able to use the gas.
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Maybe you have to bring your own fuel for the barbecue.
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You know, there might be some places, campsites where you have to make the fire yourself.
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But pretty much every campsite you go to will have some kind of barbecue for you to cook food.
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And it's the same for a lot of beaches that have tourist spots where people come in large numbers and they want to have food.
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So, there's barbecues everywhere.
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This was something that Kel found really strange, and it wasn't the cultural norm in Brazil for you to go to camping grounds or to beaches and find places to just barbecue your own food.
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If you wanted to do that, you'd have to bring your own.
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BYO Barbie.
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In Australia, you don't have to.
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Number six, and this is one that Brazilians always tell me whenever I meet them.
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Our second-hand culture in Australia is different from Brazil, probably elsewhere in the world as well.
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So, what happens if I have a couch in my house that I don't want anymore?
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I don't just throw it out.
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I don't just give it away to friends, although, you know, you could do that if you wanted.
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Quite often what will be done is it'll be taken outside, put on the nature strip with some cardboard that says free.
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And so, people know that if they see junk or chairs, TVs, furniture, all that sort of stuff, if they see that in the nature strip out the front of someone's house, they know that it's free.
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Someone can take that.
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That it's free to a good home.
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That anyone can come and pick that up and take it home.
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And we do that all the time.
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A lot of the stuff that we have in our house is either bought secondhand online through places like Gumtree or Facebook, or we've seen it on the side of the road and thought, we don't want to waste that.
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We want to use it.
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So, let's just bring it home and use it.
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So that's something you'll notice in Australia quite a lot.
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When you drive around the streets, there'll be furniture on nature strips.
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There'll be secondhand stuff and it's free to be picked up.
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Number seven, drinking water from the tap.
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This was another one that shocked me quite a lot because it's something I take for granted that the water in our water system that gets brought to our houses is drinkable.
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You can drink the water out of the shower when you're having a bath.
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You can drink any of the water that comes out of the pipes in your house generally, right?
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Should be all good.
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That is not the case elsewhere in the world.
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Quite often when I was travelling in Southeast Asia, that would definitely not be something
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that foreigners like me should do because we would quite often end up with sickness, end up on the toilet riding the porcelain throne for quite a few days with a digestive illness.
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In Australia, it tends to be fine.
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We put chlorine in the water to kill everything.
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There's fluoride in there too for your teeth.
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So, that was something that really shocked me.
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Elsewhere in the world, you may not be able to drink out of the taps.
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I know that in Brazil they quite often have purifiers for their water right next to their sinks in their kitchens.
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In Australia you won't see those things.
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There may be purifiers on the taps themselves, or people may have some kind of equipment in the fridge, you know, a jug that purifies the water.
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But generally anywhere in Australia that has flowing water that comes out of taps, it's fine to drink, unless it says otherwise.
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Number eight, and I'm totally guilty of this, leaving things unlocked.
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So we live in Ocean Grove, which is a seaside town down the coast about an hour and a half away from Melbourne.
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And quite often I leave the doors unlocked in the house.
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I leave my car unlocked.
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It tends to be a very safe place.
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There's very little robbery.
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There's very little criminality taking place in Ocean Grove.
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Most places in Australia tend to be pretty safe and you won't see things like massive locks on doors, grills protecting windows and doors, and people leaving their cars and their houses unlocked.
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Don't get me wrong.
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I definitely lock it from time to time when I'm going away or I'm going out for a long period of time and no one's at home.
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But this was something that my wife, Kel from Brazil, found very strange that you would just leave doors open or, you know,
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you would go to bed and have the gauze doors shut at night, which could just be opened, to let air in, she would find that very strange that they would not be locked and also that you wouldn't lock your car.
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Number nine.
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Walking the streets at night.
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So when I met my wife, I was living in Melbourne, in North Melbourne, and quite often I would be busy during the day studying and then I would go to the gym,
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I would go and do jujitsu, I would come home and at maybe 10 or 11 o'clock at night, I would go for a run or I'd go for a walk, listen to a podcast and just walk around the streets.
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I would walk through some of the parks like Royal Park or Princess Park and I'd be like, you know, it's not a problem.
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That was a massive no-no for Kel.
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That was something that she would never, ever, ever do because in Brazil, it's relatively unsafe to walk around by yourself at night, especially in places like parks where there's no light.
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So that was something that kind of shocked me as well.
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I was like, well, you know, it's Australia.
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It's pretty safe here.
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You can sort of walk around anywhere and it's, you know, you're fine.
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Obviously, we have our own fair share of crime and sometimes bad things do happen to people.
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But usually you can walk around at night, especially in somewhere like a CBD, you know, a city like Melbourne or Sydney, and you're perfectly safe.
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So that was something that she found very strange.
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That was a big culture shock for her when she found out that I would sometimes go for a walk around midnight throughout Melbourne, throughout the parks, with music in my ears or listening to a podcast, you know, for an hour or so, and it was no big deal.
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But yeah, there you go.
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Number 10, guys, the very last one for this episode in Australia is that there is very little rubbish or littering in Australia compared to a lot of other countries.
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Culturally, this is a big no-no.
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So, I cringe every time I see someone smoking who throws their cigarette butt on the ground because usually there's a bin within walking distance that they could just put the cigarette out and throw it in the bin.
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The same with throwing newspapers or, you know, any kind of rubbish, bottles, whatever it is, on the ground.
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That tends to be a very big social no-no.
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You don't do that.
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You put it in the trash.
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We have bins all over the country in parks, on streets, where you can throw your rubbish out.
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I'll tell you, littering, it occurs, people definitely litter, but it is a social no-no.
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You will quite often be yelled at or people will say something if you do that in front of people, okay?
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So that's it for this episode, guys.
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I hope you enjoyed it.
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Make sure to let me know down in the comments below if you have another piece of cultural shock,
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another thing that shocked you about Australian culture when you came here, because I'm sure that I haven't included everything that is a bit shocking about Australian culture.
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So I'll see you in the comments guys, and for everything else about Australia, Australian English, history and culture,
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make sure to subscribe to my channel, press the notification button and also check out aussieenglish.com.au where you'll get access to my podcast, my courses and all my other content related to Australia.
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Thanks for joining me and I'll chat to you soon.
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Thank you.
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Context & Background

In this engaging episode, Pete from Aussie English delves into his personal experiences with culture shock when his wife, originally from Brazil, moved to Australia. This dialogue presents intriguing insights into the various aspects of Australian life that might appear strange or different to those from other cultures. A remarkable part of learning English involves understanding cultural contexts, and Pete emphasizes the importance of recognizing these differences through relatable anecdotes about everyday items and social norms.

Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication

  • "What’s going on, guys?" - A casual greeting that sets a friendly tone.
  • "Let’s get into it." - An invitation to start discussing a topic or activity.
  • "I had never thought about this." - Expressing surprise at new information or experiences.
  • "You might have to specifically ask." - Suggesting that certain things may not be readily available, encouraging communication for clarity.
  • "Let me know in the comments below." - Engaging the audience and inviting interaction, a great phrase to use in conversational English.

Step-by-step Shadowing Guide

If you're looking to improve your English speaking skills through shadowing, Pete's video provides an excellent resource. Here's a simple step-by-step guide to help you utilize the content effectively:

  1. Watch the Video: Begin by watching the video without pausing. Focus on Pete's intonation, pronunciation, and rhythm.
  2. Listen & Repeat: Play segments of the video and mimic Pete's speech. Try to imitate his tone and pace as closely as possible. Utilize a shadowspeak technique where you speak immediately after hearing each phrase.
  3. Practice With Context: Take the phrases you learned and practice them in similar contexts. Use them in conversations or even write dialogues that reflect your daily experiences.
  4. Engage with the Content: Write down your thoughts in a journal or engage with peers about the cultural aspects discussed. This will enhance your ability to articulate ideas in English.
  5. Use a Shadowing App: Consider using a shadowing app to record your voice and compare it with the original audio, identifying areas for improvement.

By following these steps, you can enrich your knowledge and fluency while learning English with YouTube. Embrace the concept of shadowspeaks as you practice, allowing the cultural nuances discussed to deepen your understanding and appreciation of the language.

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

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