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What I Learned From The Australians Relocating to Jacksonville, FL

By
Real Estate Agent with Watson Realty Corp, Jacksonville, FL FL 3255173

Over the past couple of months I have had the pleasure of working with a number of Royal Australian Navy families relocating to Jacksonville, FL. Several of these families had arrived in the United States just a few days before we went out looking at homes so they were still identifying and processing the differences between the American and Australian cultures. I thoroughly enjoyed chatting with them about their observations both serious and light-hearted and here are just a few of the things I learned:

  • Squirrels: There are no squirrels in Australia so the Aussie children took special delight seeing squirrels dart across yards and up into trees. The children would squeal with delight whenever they saw one and ask their parents to take a picture. I suspect I would do the same if I were in their country and saw kangaroos hopping about.
  • Guns: Several of the Aussie moms told me that they are fearful of living in Florida since citizens are permitted to carry concealed weapons and assault weapons are readily available in the US. They had two fears in particular: that an armed intruder would enter their home while the family was there defenseless and that a gunfight would break out in a public place and the australia from spacefamily would be caught in the crosshairs. In the Australian state they came from, only police officers and firefighters were legally permitted to carry weapons and there is also a federal law banning certain weapons. This blog is not the place to debate gun control but it was clear to me that several of the families that I worked with felt safer with their country's gun laws than ours. 
  • Pride in Children: As we viewed available homes one of the moms told me how much she liked seeing how American families display photos of their children, awards and trophies won by them and their artwork throughout the home. She said that while Australian families of course love their children and are proud of them, they do not display symbols of that pride in their homes the way that Americans do.
  • Dogs: "Why do the dogs all live inside?" I heard this over and over again. The families were particularly perplexed by this on warm, sunny days when we were in homes with fenced yards and the dogs would be inside, either curled up on a sofa or bed or in a crate. It seems that all of the dogs they know in Australia are outdoor dogs who live comfortably in doghouses, even in urban and suburban areas.
  • "Crikey that's a lot of power points for one room!" In addition to their delightful accents, I enjoyed hearing the words the Australians used. Their  country's British influence mixed with their own colloquialisms as they talked about things such as having "an esky in the boot of the hired car with fruits and icy poles for the kids." Oh, and those power points? Here we call them electrical outlets

I spent a great deal of time helping these families from Oz find homes and was constantly learning from and amused by them. Now if only I could find a way to immerse myself in their culture for a month or two. Hmmm, I think I hear a beach chair and a Victoria Bitter calling my name all the way from Australia...

 

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Are you relocating to Saint Johns, FL? I would love to help familiarize you with the area and find the perfect home for your family. Whether you are seeking new construction or an existing home I am happy to guide you through the process. Call me!

 

Julie Bentley, REALTOR®, Watson Realty Corp., Jacksonville, FL (904) 421-7936

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Comments (14)

Anonymous
Bobbie King

Loved reading your blog Julie and found it amusing as I had exactly the same comments when I moved here From The United Kingdom 18 years ago! There are definitely a lot of similarities between the UK and Australia. It's amazing how time and conveniences change you though!

* The squirrels, not so crazy about those, we had them in the UK, although the grey squirrels ate the red ones! If I saw a red squirrel I would definialty squeal!

* I used to hate guns and felt the same way when I first came here.  Now I'm desperate to keep my Second Amendment Rights! It's all about what you're exposed to I guess.

* Pride in Children, yes I know what they are saying.  In the UK and in OZ modesty is a very desirable quality and it is not nice to "Blow Your Own Trumpet"  I struggled with this one and over time I have changed and realised this country was founded by a lot of "Go getters" from all over the world and it was a fight for survival. That created  a nation of historically competetive people, I would say. I have learned that to get on here you have to be vocal and willing to speak up for yourself, or your children, confidence is a desirable quality.  I also think there is great pride in family here and people are more vocal about it or more apt to display family achievements.

* Dogs, now there's an interesting one.  Dogs in the UK are indoor/outdoor. Mainly outdoor so I understand what they were saying. They would often roam the streets.  The UK doesn't have rabies but I'm not sure about Australia, so I guess that makes it less of a concern. Cats are always let out in the UK, but since i've had cats here in FL, they are NEVER let outside.

*Power Points - Heck Yes!!!!  You were lucky to get one in a room where I grew up in Wales, but now I have them every few feet apart!!  Love it!

I hope your Australian Buyers will be very happy here Julie,  I'm sure they had a great time working with you!

Bobbie:0)

PS. I have family in Melbourne, Australia, so when you go can I jump in your suitcase please?

 
Apr 15, 2013 04:26 AM
#1
Anonymous
Donna Overman

Julie,

So glad you wrote about your experience in helping the Royal Australian Navy folks settle in to the Jacksonville area.  I had the pleasure of meeting a few of them and found them to be so charming!

You are a great ambassador for our area and a dedicated professional Realtor!  Thanks for being on our team!

Apr 15, 2013 06:18 AM
#2
Anonymous
Tammy Vlah

Julie,

This blog is amazing and a great read.  I too have enjoyed learning differences within our culture and trying to "figure out" what they were talking about at certain points.  I love learning from them and even seeing a new take on what is important to them. 

Thank you for all of your help getting these families acclimated and settled into their temporary homes.   These families were giving us raving reviews about your commitment and service to their needs and other will be very luck to call you 'their' Realtor.

Cheers mate!

 

Apr 15, 2013 06:32 AM
#3
John Juarez
The Medford Real Estate Team - Fremont, CA
ePRO, SRES, GRI, PMN

Julie,

What an enjoyable post this was. It was enjoyable reading about the differences in our everyday lives from those of your clients but that is to be expected. Just because we speak the same language (sort of) doesn’t mean that we have the same cultural background, traditions, and habits. We already know that, of course, but your experience just reinforces those differences.

I think that your Aussie clients were fortunate to meet a Realtor who is open to having new experiences while serving her clients well.

 

Apr 15, 2013 10:35 AM
Jimmy Faulkner
Florida. Homes Realty & Mortgage - Wantagh, NY
The Best Of St. Augustine

What a great & informative blog on Australians & how they view us. I am in the Navy league here in St. Augustine & I find the Aussies very smart & caring people. They are very upbeat. I like the dog part & our children photos.

Apr 15, 2013 10:47 AM
Christine O'Shea
Christine E O'Shea Broker - Naples, FL

We have a Global networking group here in Naples through our board, but it does not cove Aussies.  This was very informative and entertaining as well.  Best of luck for a lot more international sales!

Apr 15, 2013 10:58 AM
Kathy Streib
Cypress, TX
Home Stager/Redesign

Julie- this was truly interesting... to see how others view us. I guess I'd never thought of others not having squirrels.  And we try so hard to treat our dogs as our other children, we forget to let them be dogs.  

Apr 15, 2013 11:12 AM
Karen Anne Stone
New Home Hunters of Fort Worth and Tarrant County - Fort Worth, TX
Fort Worth Real Estate

Julie, I find it very disappointing that the things you remarked about after being thei the Aussies for a few days... were things that might be called "charming."  Unfortunately, too many of the things your guests saw were just plain SCARY.. like the over-abundance of guns.  How truly sad.

Apr 15, 2013 11:28 AM
Christine Donovan
Donovan Blatt Realty - Costa Mesa, CA
Broker/Attorney 714-319-9751 DRE01267479 - Costa M
Julie - this is a fun read and interesting to see the differences between the cultures.
Apr 15, 2013 11:47 AM
Fernando Herboso - Associate Broker MD, & VA
Maxus Realty Group of Samson Properties - Clarksburg, MD
301-246-0001 Serving Maryland, DC and Northern VA

A great representation of what make us different in the world. .refreshing to learn of new perspectives from our clients 

Apr 15, 2013 11:19 PM
Chris Lewis
Gracious Living Realty - Front Royal, VA
I want to SELL your home, not LIST it!
Like a previous poster, I came here from the UK so I recognize many of the thoughts and phrases. The thing that struck me most about Australia, apart from the kangaroos running wild, was the flocks of budgerigars. In the UK they are only seen as cage birds.
Apr 16, 2013 12:58 AM
Julie Bentley
Watson Realty Corp, Jacksonville, FL - St Johns, FL
Saint Johns, FL REALTOR

Bobbie, I loved reading your take on the guns, kids, dogs, etc. as well! Having never lived anywhere but in the US I am particularly struck by your thoughts on the basis of Americans’ pride in their children. I suspect there is a very fine line between being proud and supportive of our kids and being downright boastful; hopefully most of us fall in the former category. Oh, and I’ll save some room for you in my suitcase!

Donna, thanks for reading my blog; as always I appreciate your support. I agree that the Australian families were charming and I have continued to stay in touch with several of them. Several of my colleagues have also mentioned how they enjoyed hearing those great Aussie accents in the office over the past couple of months as well.

G’day Tammy. Thank you for checking out my blog and for your kind words. Working with the RAN families was an unforgettable experience and I appreciate the opportunity to have been part of the team. I also gained a deeper appreciation for the challenges that military families face when relocating, particularly to another country.

John, “sort of” the same language indeed! As much as I was bemused by some of the words the Aussies used, they were puzzled by some of mine as well. When I spoke of a home having a living room, they let me know that was a lounge. Also what I call a range they know as either a microwave or an exhaust fan, I can’t remember which. And the list goes on… Thank you for stopping by and reading my blog.

Jimmy, hello neighbor, and thanks for reading my blog. I agree with your assessment of the Aussies; I also found them upbeat and cheerful. I was working with them at a stressful time for them – new to the country, young children in tow and desperate to find housing, schools, doctors, etc. in a short period of time – yet they were calm, optimistic and even laid-back. I doubt that I could have handled it as well as they did.

 

Apr 16, 2013 10:09 PM
Julie Bentley
Watson Realty Corp, Jacksonville, FL - St Johns, FL
Saint Johns, FL REALTOR

Hi Christine O, We have a Global Business Council here as well. This was the first opportunity I had to work with Australians and I am really looking forward the next one as it was a great experience. Thanks so much for reading my blog.

Kathy, I am one of those guilty of treating my dog like a child and have never even considered having him live outside. Our “tough love” with the dog is not allowing him on furniture and beds. That’s some life he’s living! Thanks for stopping by my blog and commenting.

Karen Anne, I was only with the families for a few days each and wasn’t with them when/if they observed some of the less pleasant or undesirable aspects of American life. I was fortunate that the things they were discovering/observing while we were together were more amusing than anything else so that’s what I wrote about. I appreciate your comments and thank you for stopping by.

Thank you, Christine D, I’m glad you enjoyed reading this.

 

Apr 17, 2013 05:20 AM
Julie Bentley
Watson Realty Corp, Jacksonville, FL - St Johns, FL
Saint Johns, FL REALTOR

Fernando, Agreed, it is always refreshing to see how people from other countries view our lifestyles/culture, etc. There is so much we can learn from each other in this world even if some of it is just anecdotal. Thank you for reading and commenting on my blog.

Chris, your comment sent me right to Google to look up budgerigars! It must be neat to see them flying freely in flocks as opposed to being in cages like here in the US and the UK. Perhaps that is another reason I should head to Australia soon - to see them for myself! Thank you for reading my blog!

 

Apr 20, 2013 12:34 AM