Top differences between China and Australia

I have been living in Australia nearly two and half months and before that I lived in China for 22 years. Compared to China, I have found a great deal of things that are different in the Australian lifestyle. These are the major differences I have discovered so far living and studying on the Gold Coast, Australia.

Language is the first difference and difficulty when you arrive to Australia. You will meet many people from various countries or local Australian people and you will only be able to communicate with them in English – this might be a problem if your English level is a bit low. You may feel nervous and insecure, you may even ask yourself ‘why did I decide to go study abroad?’. However, just relax and take it easy when you face some troubles because everyone is very nice and willing to help you anytime.

The second major difference for me is culture, which is a wide concept. As a student, education is the greatest cultural difference especially regarding teaching methods. In China, all students sit and just listen to the teachers, they do not normally give any feedback in class. However in Australia students can ask questions directly to the teacher when they don’t understand something. Also at the Griffith University library, the provision of casual sofas and other facilities are convenient and useful because you can lay down at any time if you are studying for a long time and feel tired. This is very different to Chinese libraries where these facilities are hardly available.

Another interesting difference is the lifestyle. In Australia, most individuals like to get up very early, and go for a swim at the beach (especially on the Gold Coast) or they like go outdoors quite often. However, the vast majority of people in China have a more urban lifestyle and few people like to go outdoors.

When you live in Australia you will need to adapt to all the different things you do for recreation. People in China are used to a colourful nightlife with lots activities such as KTV (karaoke), cinema, snack street, shopping and so on. However, in Australia a lot of stores close early, which means you have to check the open times when you want to hang out with your friends or go shopping, this depends on where and when you are doing something. Fortunately for you, there is always something to do on the Gold Coast 😀 .

I hope these tips have given you an idea about life in Australia and can help you prepare for your upcoming trip, especially if you are going to be based on the Gold Coast. Australia is an amazing country and once you adapt to this new lifestyle you will want to stay here forever!

 – Zhou (Zoe) Xue Lian 

Hi I am Zoe and I come from China. I graduated from Nanjing Finance and Economy University and my major is International Business. I am studying English at Griffith English Language Institute and preparing to study my Masters of Hotel Management at Griffith University.