By Kate Wood
During one of their final days in America, I met with Australian exchange students, Sybella Lenehan and Stella Davies to hear about activities they enjoyed, cultural differences they noticed, and their comparison of Lovett to their school in Australia.
When I asked them how their experience has been at Lovett, they both gave very positive responses. “I loved it, everyone was very nice and welcoming,” Syb said, “but it has been different since we go to an all-girls boarding school and this is a co-ed non-boarding school.”
Stella’s favorite thing about her time here was her trip to Los Angeles over Thanksgiving break. “It was so cool, we went to Beverly Hills and we got to go see Kim Kardashian and Khloe Kardashian’s houses,” she said.
Meanwhile, Stella enjoyed shopping and trying the famous fast food restaurants she had heard about that they do not have in Australia. The most notable ones for Stella included Chick-fil-A, Raising Cane’s, In-N-Out, Chipotle, and Crumbl cookies. “I actually didn’t like Cane’s,” Stella said (which was beyond my understanding). However, she told me she didn’t get the Texas toast, so I think that might have been the problem.
And she had some hot takes about the golden arches. “You guys need to try the Australian McDonalds, it is just so much better,” Stella said. “I feel like Chick-fil-a is your thing and Mackers is our.” When she said this, I was quite confused, but she clarified that “Mackers” is how Australians refer to McDonald’s, which I found very interesting.
In Australia, one of Syb and Stella’s favorite dishes includes “bangers and mash,” a classic Australian dish that includes sausage, mashed potatoes, and peas. Another thing that Syb mentioned was Pavlova. “It is a dessert with a meringue base and cream on top, and it has lots of berries. We typically have it around Christmas time,” she said.
Then they mentioned a food we’d never heard of. “You can’t forget about Vegemite,” Stella said. After looking it up (because they actually did not know what was in it either) we learned what the ingredients were: yeast extract, salt, malt extract, and vegetable flavorings. Sounds amazing, right? Well, Stella and Syb enjoy it, but Stella also said that, “Oftentimes when Americans try it, they have a whole spoonful, and even I can’t do that. You need to put a small amount on toast with butter, and it is really good.” (BTW, vegemite is so singularly Australian it’s in the lyrics of the Men At Work song “Land Down Under.”)
On the topic of food, a difference that both girls noticed was that the staff in supermarkets or restaurants here are a lot nicer. “I think it’s because you have tips in America while we don’t have that in Australia, so the staff are always very friendly,” Stella said. “They’re nice in Australia, but America is just more energetic.”
When I asked if they noticed that people in general are the same or different in Australia as in America, they said they were the same, but there are some different social norms. “I reckon if Stella and I were to go on a walk in Australia and pass by some people we would say hi, while I feel like that does not really happen here as much,” she said.
Along with shopping, visiting the Kardashians, and trying new foods, they also got to come with us (the juniors) to PDC! They really enjoyed the dance, especially the band. “I feel like they were good entertainers and had good song choices,” Syb noted, and I would have to agree with her. She also explained that PDC was great because the two of them were able to meet everyone from our grade for the first time (including me)!
As I previously mentioned, the girls went to Los Angeles over Thanksgiving break, but they came back to Atlanta for the actual holiday to celebrate with their hosts, Mary and Amelia Wonder, and their extended family. “We had a big dinner with their whole family, it was exciting, but the food is definitely different from Australia,” Syb said. “We don’t really eat a lot of mac and cheese, but I did like the turkey.”
Then, I asked them if they have any holidays like Thanksgiving that are unique to Australia. “We have Australia Day, which is like your 4th of July,” Syb said. “It’s during summer, so everyone meets up at the beach and we usually have a barbecue.” When I asked them what day it was, I have to say I was a little stunned when they said January 26th, before I remembered that we have opposite seasons since we’re in opposite hemispheres of the world.
Next, I would like to address some common stereotypes associated with Australia. “So one of the big ones is no one really says g’day,” Stella said. “Or shrimp on the Barbie.” Syb chimed in, “And also animals, like yes there are snakes and spiders, but they’re more so just in the country, and even then, you’re not just going to see big ones casually.”
However, some true differences between the U.S and Australia that we discussed together included the following: Australians say bubbler instead of water fountain and chips instead of french fries, and they also abbreviate some words like saying “arvo” instead of afternoon.
I also wanted to learn about Syb and Stella’s preconceptions they had about America before coming here. Stella did not think that everyone would be so nice; “I thought Americans were actually supposed to be the opposite,” she said. “I also thought everyone’s accents would be a lot stronger, like the southern accents I have heard about.”
When Mary and Amelia visited Syb and Stella, they enjoyed showing them their everyday lives and also taking them to see famous landmarks. “It was fun having them stay in our dorms, and on the weekends we also took them to the Harbour Bridge, the opera house, and the countryside, where they got to see kangaroos.” (And no, according to Syb and Stella, people don’t box them.)
All in all, Syb and Stella really enjoyed their experience of hosting in Australia and visiting America, having many memorable moments and making lasting memories. And they each travelled home with an American flag signed by all their new friends here.
