An American expat has revealed the everyday things she once thought were unusual – but now considers ‘normal’ after four years of living in Australia.
Kendall Wheeler shared the cultural differences that initially shocked her after relocating from Texas to the Sunshine Coast, explaining that many things Aussies consider ordinary still fascinate her.
At the top of the list was something many Australians often forget is extraordinary to outsiders: seeing kangaroos in everyday life.
‘I see kangaroos almost every single day,’ the 26-year-old said.
Kendall explained she regularly spots them while driving past large open fields in the early mornings or late afternoons.
Even after four years, she admitted the novelty has not completely worn off.
‘If I see one up close, I’ll still take a photo,’ she said.
For many Australians, kangaroos exist in a strange space between national icon and mild inconvenience. Depending on where you live, they can feel either wildly exotic or about as remarkable as spotting pigeons.
Kendall explained she regularly spots kangaroos while driving past large open fields in the early mornings or late afternoons
That disconnect often surprises visitors, particularly Americans raised seeing kangaroos mainly through zoos, cartoons, or tourism advertisements.
Kendall also admitted Australia’s road signs initially felt strangely intimidating.
‘On most highways, the speed limit is 100 kilometres an hour,’ she explained.
Although she understood it was not especially fast in terms of miles, seeing three-digit speed limits still felt psychologically dramatic after growing up in the US.
‘In my mind, it just seemed so fast,’ she said.
‘When I first got here, I thought, “Oh my gosh, that’s crazy – three digits”.’
But perhaps the biggest adjustment was Australia’s wildlife sounds.
Kendall said she was stunned by the constant noise of cockatoos, kookaburras, and native birds when she first arrived.
‘I remember the first day I was ever in Australia and I heard a kookaburra,’ she said.
‘I did not know what it was. I thought it was a monkey.’
At the time, she had been staying in Sydney and assumed the strange calls meant she was surrounded by jungle wildlife.
While Australians often tune out the sounds of native birds, many visitors describe the country as unusually loud compared to North America or Europe – particularly at sunrise and sunset when flocks of lorikeets, cockatoos, and kookaburras become especially vocal.
For many expats, the sounds eventually become part of the emotional texture of Australian life.
Kendall admitted the cockatoos can still become ‘a little annoying’ in the evenings, but said she now genuinely loves the atmosphere created by the wildlife around her.
Kendall said she was stunned by the constant noise of cockatoos, kookaburras, and native birds when she first arrived
The video resonated with many Australians, who said it reminded them how unusual parts of everyday life here can appear to outsiders.
While other Aussies agreed with Kendall’s observation, many said they also find native animals fascinating – despite having lived here their whole lives.
‘I’ve lived in Australia my whole life, we go on family walks to see the kangaroos at dusk and we still get excited for them,’ one said.
‘I’ve been here for 40 years today, I still get a buzz when I see a kangaroo, it never gets old,’ another shared.
‘I’m Australian and still love seeing kangaroos,’ one added.
It also highlighted something many expats slowly experience after moving abroad: the gradual shift where once-exotic moments become routine.
The wildlife, the roads, the sounds, the slang – all the things that initially feel surreal eventually fade into the background of ordinary life.
Still, many Australians admitted there was one thing in Kendall’s video they envied.
After years of seeing kangaroos, she still gets excited every single time.
