From Down Under to Down South

Aussie Mike

From Down Under to Down South is a twice-weekly reflection from an Australian making a life in the American South. After moving from Australia to Tennessee in 2018, I began noticing the subtle cultural differences most people miss — the way politeness sounds different, the way goodbyes stretch longer, the way everyday moments quietly reveal what’s different. Some episodes explore those contrasts directly. Others are quiet stories from the week — conversations and small moments that say something bigger. It’s not outrage or culture wars. And it’s not a travel diary. It’s simply one Australian perspective on life between two countries. If you’ve ever lived overseas, loved two places at once, or found yourself caught between familiar and foreign — you’ll feel at home here. New episodes are released twice weekly as part of the broader From Down Under to Down South series across podcast and YouTube.

  1. 6D AGO

    This Week in America — The Business of Everyday Life

    Send us Fan Mail This week in America, I started noticing how everyday life works a little differently. Living in the United States as an Australian, it’s often the small things that stand out — like how many everyday tasks become services. From lawn care crews moving house to house, to businesses built around things most people don’t want to do, there’s a strong sense of opportunity in everyday life here. After our fridge broke down, a trip to a local appliance store also highlighted how commission-based sales shape customer service in America — something that feels quite different compared to Australia. Later in the week, a family night out for Mexican food (or Tex-Mex, depending on who you ask) became a reminder that “authenticity” often depends on perspective. Watching Brianna dance along to the music said more about the experience than any label ever could. School yearbooks arrived as well — a small but familiar part of life in America — and like many things, came with a cost that makes you pause, even if you still choose to buy them for the memories. And then a simple interaction with the Australian Embassy brought something unexpected. Living overseas, even small gestures can reconnect you to home in ways you don’t anticipate. This episode reflects on everyday life in America, cultural differences between Australia and the US, and what it means to live between two countries. ☕ Buy Me a Coffee  https://buymeacoffee.com/fromdownundertodownsouth 🌏 Website  https://fromdownundertodownsouth.com 📺 YouTube  https://www.youtube.com/@FromDownUndertoDownSouth 📘 Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100068568677919 🐦 X  https://x.com/aussiemika74 📩 Business enquiries  michael@fromdownundertodownsouth.com Support the show Check out additional content on our YouTube page! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjipgN51kc8swHyKeSx2tzw

    9 min
  2. APR 23

    This Week in America - When Things That Felt Strange Start to Feel Normal

    Send us Fan Mail What feels “normal” when you live in another country… isn’t always what you expect. In this week’s episode of This Week in America, I found myself in two very different situations — standing beneath a Saturn V rocket that took people to the Moon… and sitting in a safe room at midnight during a tornado warning. And somehow… both felt like just another part of the week. That’s the shift you don’t really see coming when you move overseas. Not the big differences — but the small, gradual ones. The way unfamiliar things become familiar… and familiar things start to feel distant. From extreme Tennessee weather swings… to unexpected language overlaps like “reckon”… to walking through American space history in Huntsville… to spotting Australian lamb in a Costco aisle… This episode is a quiet reflection on what changes… what stays the same…  and how living between two countries reshapes your sense of normal. There’s also a bit of sport, a bit of Buc-ee’s, and a reminder that some parts of home never really leave you — they just show up differently. ☕ Buy Me a Coffee  https://buymeacoffee.com/fromdownundertodownsouth 🌏 Website  https://fromdownundertodownsouth.com 📺 YouTube  https://www.youtube.com/@FromDownUndertoDownSouth 📘 Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100068568677919 🐦 X  https://x.com/aussiemika74 📩 Business enquiries  michael@fromdownundertodownsouth.com Thanks for listening. Hoo roo maties. Support the show Check out additional content on our YouTube page! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjipgN51kc8swHyKeSx2tzw

    8 min
  3. APR 16

    This Week in America - When Tornado Season Suddenly Feels Real

    Send us Fan Mail This Week in America: Tornado Season The first time you hear a tornado siren in the American South… you don’t forget it. For many people living in Australia, tornadoes feel like something distant — dramatic footage from the news somewhere in the American Midwest. But living in Tennessee, you quickly learn that severe weather isn’t something that sits in the background of life. It’s something you pay attention to. In this week’s reflection I talk about the moment tornado season became real for our family — when an EF-4 tornado passed just two streets away from our home, and the following year another storm crossed directly over our house. I also share the strange memory of driving through Nashville with tornado sirens echoing across the city… on the way to the hospital for the birth of our daughter. But the story isn’t just about storms. It’s about the way communities respond when disaster hits. Pickup trucks arriving with chainsaws. Neighbours helping neighbours. Thousands of volunteers showing up to clear roads and rebuild lives — a reminder of why Tennessee is known as the Volunteer State. Living overseas teaches you that every place has its own rhythms. In the American South, tornado season is one of them. 🌏 Companion article:  https://fromdownundertodownsouth.com 🎧 Podcast listening page:  https://fromdownundertodownsouth.com/listen/ ☕ Buy Me a Coffee  https://buymeacoffee.com/fromdownundertodownsouth 🌏 Website  https://fromdownundertodownsouth.com 📺 YouTube  https://www.youtube.com/@FromDownUndertoDownSouth 📘 Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100068568677919 🐦 X  https://x.com/aussiemika74 📩 Business enquiries  michael@fromdownundertodownsouth.com Thanks for listening. Hoo roo maties. Support the show Check out additional content on our YouTube page! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjipgN51kc8swHyKeSx2tzw

    10 min
  4. APR 9

    This Week in America - When Spring in America Feels Different

    Send us Fan Mail This Week in America: Spring Arriving Spring doesn’t arrive all at once in Tennessee. It shows up through small signals. A classroom full of curious first graders listening to an Australian story about wombats. Cars covered in yellow pollen. The distant hum of pressure washers across neighbourhoods. Parents suddenly organising summer camps months in advance. And then the evenings begin to change. Deck lights appear in backyards. People start grilling again. The air warms. And eventually, the fireflies return — tiny flashes of light drifting quietly through the trees. In this week’s reflection, I share a moment that surprised me: volunteering to read an Australian children’s book to my daughter’s class, and the unexpected warmth of twenty curious seven-year-olds asking questions about kangaroos, wombats, and life on the other side of the world. It’s also a reflection on something you only really notice when you live overseas — that every place has its own rhythm to the year. And slowly, almost without realising it, you begin to learn it. 🌏 Companion article:  https://fromdownundertodownsouth.com 🎧 Podcast listening page:  https://fromdownundertodownsouth.com/listen/ ☕ Buy Me a Coffee  https://buymeacoffee.com/fromdownundertodownsouth 🌏 Website  https://fromdownundertodownsouth.com 📺 YouTube  https://www.youtube.com/@FromDownUndertoDownSouth 📘 Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100068568677919 🐦 X  https://x.com/aussiemika74 📩 Business enquiries  michael@fromdownundertodownsouth.com Thanks for listening. Hoo roo maties. Support the show Check out additional content on our YouTube page! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjipgN51kc8swHyKeSx2tzw

    11 min

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

From Down Under to Down South is a twice-weekly reflection from an Australian making a life in the American South. After moving from Australia to Tennessee in 2018, I began noticing the subtle cultural differences most people miss — the way politeness sounds different, the way goodbyes stretch longer, the way everyday moments quietly reveal what’s different. Some episodes explore those contrasts directly. Others are quiet stories from the week — conversations and small moments that say something bigger. It’s not outrage or culture wars. And it’s not a travel diary. It’s simply one Australian perspective on life between two countries. If you’ve ever lived overseas, loved two places at once, or found yourself caught between familiar and foreign — you’ll feel at home here. New episodes are released twice weekly as part of the broader From Down Under to Down South series across podcast and YouTube.