differences can be fun!

“I know there is strength in the differences between us. I know there is comfort where we overlap"

- Ani Difranco

Last night, Mr. Aussie and I went to a concert for this Canadian rock band called the Tea Party. I'd never heard of them but I ended up having a good time and enjoyed the music. That got me thinking: Mr. Aussie and I are very different people. Aside from the fact that he's Australian and I am American, we have some very different interests. The most important things are the same: values, morals, both want kids, yada yada yada. However, the smaller things are quite different.

For example, we have polar opposite tastes in music. We have some music that we can agree on, but those are typically the "classics" like The Beatles and Simon and Garfunkel. 

I have to admit though, I love how different we are! I am constantly learning about so many new things. 

Mr. Aussie is introverted and quiet, I am extroverted and loud. However, being around him has taught me how enjoyable it can be to just sit with someone you love, not saying anything at all.

I have a new sport obsession: Aussie Rules Football. It is very different than American football and I didn't like it at all at first, but once he taught me the rules and I saw a few games, I really started to love it!

The big one: music! Mr. Aussie is very passionate about music. He also loves live music. During our relationship I've realized that so do I! I'd never been really that interested in going to concerts before, but now I love it. I've been to a few concerts with him in which I had never even heard of the band before and/or it didn't fit into the genre I prefer, but I've enjoyed them! He loves showing me the music he likes and I love learning about all these new bands. 

I think these differences make things more fun! 

Do you have any relationships in your life like this? Where the person is very different, but you learn about so many new things?

Being Yourself

I very reluctantly call myself an "ex-pat" but I guess I am one. And I bet my other fellow ex-pats encounter some of the same issues I do. 

In my group of friends here, I am the only American. This combined with an Australian boyfriend sometimes makes me feel like I am losing things about me that are American.

Mr Aussie loves pointing out things I say that are most definitely Australian and that I have definitely picked up from him. One habit I have formed is the Australians' weird habit of saying similes without actually finishing them. Example: "Today was sweet as!" Sweet as what?! You'll never know. 

Other things that are different:

Lollies = candy

Jug = Pitcher

Biscuit = Cookie

Mince meat = ground meat

I love living here but I don't want to lose who I am. At the core, obviously my morals and beliefs are the same, but the little things like phrases are what differentiate all the English speaking countries and that's what I don't want to change! But at the same time I need to just accept that I am going to pick up Australian habits. Australian policies and way of life are changing me too. I definitely have a different outlook on a lot of things since living here.

It's like I am a new "you". My "you" is now mostly American with a dash of Australian. Some days I feel like I am losing my identity but really I am not - I just have a new identity! And really, this doesn't just apply to living in another country. As we get older life is constantly changing right? We're constantly having experiences that change us and so we've got a new identity!

Are there changes in your life that are making you feel like you're losing some of what makes you, you?

P.S. don't worry - I still say "y'all" constantly. Not sure that will EVER change.