I’m an Australian who moved to London; these are the weirdest culture clashes I’ve ever encountered

An Australian woman now living in London has shared some of the culture shocks she’s faced since moving abroad.

Jenny Tian, ​​who is from Sydney, has been living in the capital for a couple of months and has already shared her opinion on the differences between the two islands.

These included his surprise when his experience on the Tube did not match his expectations, the narrowness of London’s roads and his problem with British toasters.

Jenny said she had been particularly excited to travel on the tube during her time in Britain, before her friend told her the reality of how dirty the tube really is.

“He said, ‘Enjoy your snot turning black,’ I say, excuse me? He said there’s so much soot in the tunnel that you end up breathing it in and then your snot turns black,” she said, speaking on her own from TikTok @nomnomjenny.

Sydney’s Jenny Tian has shared her biggest culture shocks after moving to London

‘What? I’m going to have the nose of a broom! Is this normal for everyone in London? It’s a little weird, isn’t it?

Some Londoners in the comments refused to believe this was true, adding that they had lived in the ‘Big Smoke’ for decades and hadn’t noticed.

Others said it has happened to them, explaining that it is a build-up of brake dust and caused by friction between the train and the tracks, as London has the oldest underground network in the world.

Jenny was also dismayed at how dirty the Tube seats were, after wearing light denim jeans one night.

When he returned home, he realized that he had sat on a dusty seat, as his pants were covered in black marks.

She said: “Now I see everyone on the tube, they’re wearing dark trousers, they’re smart, they’re Londoners and they know it!

“I heard London was dirty, but I didn’t expect to find real dirt on the seats.”

Last year, the city suffered a bed bug crisis, with commuters refusing to sit on their seats and filming the nasty pests crawling around on Victoria Line carriages.

The comedian also hit out at British toasters, asking: “What’s wrong with bread in the UK?!”

Jenny was also puzzled by how dirty the Tube seats were, after wearing light denim jeans one night.

The 29-year-old was baffled because some slices of bread sold in supermarkets were too big to fit in the toaster, leaving a soft part when cooking.

‘What psychopath designed this? Hey UK, can we please unite in the fact that this is an abomination,” he said.

However, some Brits were quick to respond and said she should try turning the bread on its side or buy a bigger toaster.

They wrote: ‘Turn the slices of bread sideways. Then they fit’;

“It’s usually because the toaster is made in another country where the size of the bread is smaller. Get a UK made toaster and it will fit’;

‘This is a matter of toasters, not bread’;

“I used to work with someone who would go to buy a toaster and take a cardboard template of a slice of bread to test the toasters with.”

The 29-year-old was baffled that some slices of bread sold in supermarkets were too big to fit in the toaster, leaving a soft part when cooked.

Some Brits quickly responded and said he should try turning the bread on its side or buy a bigger toaster.

Jenny said she also finds the concept of seeing wildlife such as foxes and squirrels on the street strange, describing London as a “Disney movie”.

He said he couldn’t believe how many different supermarket brands there are and believes this means there is a “healthy level of competition” between stores, leading to more affordable prices.

Westfield shopping centers also exist in Australia, but Jenny says it’s usually a place where kids skip school and “hang out in the car park”.

But he described the UK sites as “glamorous and respectable”.

Another thing he noted was the “extremely narrow roads” in London, and was surprised that there was only one lane in each direction.

She said: “London drivers, how do you have a healthy blood pressure?”

This prompted a lot of comments from Londoners who tried to explain the road infrastructure and disagreed with her about supermarkets being ‘affordable’.

This prompted a lot of comments from Londoners who tried to explain the road infrastructure and disagreed with her about supermarkets being ‘affordable’.

One wrote: “As a Londoner… Westfield isn’t great… Looks like it.”

Another wrote: “I live on the outskirts of London and I absolutely refuse to drive there! Trains and tube all the way.

A third said: “The really narrow roads are because of the city itself, London is about 2000 years old and was traveled by horses.

“So it would have been impossible to change the roads to have less traffic.”

A quarter commented, “Groceries are not affordable.”