From Down Under to Down South

Aussie Mike
  • 5.0 (3)
  • PERSONAL JOURNALS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

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. 2D AGO

    Why American Goodbyes Feel So Different

    Send us Fan Mail Why do American goodbyes feel so different to Australian ones? After years of living in the United States, there’s still one small social moment that catches me off guard — the way conversations end. In Australia, goodbyes tend to wind down slowly. There’s a rhythm to them. A soft warning. A gradual exit. In America, it can feel much more efficient. Direct. Sometimes abrupt. In this episode, I explore the cultural differences between American and Australian social norms — what those goodbye rituals reveal about communication styles, politeness, timing, and everyday etiquette. It’s a small detail, but like most cross-cultural differences, it says something deeper about how we connect, how we signal closure, and how culture shapes even the most ordinary moments. ☕ 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: Via the contact page on the website Thanks for listening. Hoo roo maties. Support the show Check out additional content on our YouTube page! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjipgN51kc8swHyKeSx2tzw

    5 min

  2. 6D AGO

    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

  3. APR 13

    The American Version of Polite

    Send us Fan Mail After eight years living in the United States, one thing still quietly fascinates me — not how polite Americans are, but what they’re polite about. From apologising for existing…  To holding doors from impossible distances…  To saying “sorry” before giving a compliment. These are moments that, back home in Australia, wouldn’t even register. This isn’t a criticism. It’s an observation. A look at how politeness shows up in different places — and what that says about culture, comfort, and the assumptions we don’t realise we’re making. If you’ve ever moved countries — or simply noticed how small social moments feel different depending on where you are — this one will probably sound familiar. ============================================== Support the podcast: ☕ 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 & collaborations: 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

    6 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

  5. APR 6

    Things Americans Think Are Normal (That Still Confuse Me After 8 Years)

    Send us Fan Mail After eight years of living in the United States, I’ve realised that some everyday American habits feel completely normal… until you step back and look at them from the outside. From root beer and sugary breakfasts, to tipping culture, giant sodas, and striking up conversations in supermarket lines — these are the small things Americans rarely think twice about, but that still catch me off guard as an Australian living here. This isn’t a criticism. I live here. I love living here. It’s simply a reflection on the quiet cultural differences you only notice when you move countries — and how strange your own “normal” can look through someone else’s lens. If you’re listening from the US, you might hear this differently. And if you’re listening from somewhere else, you might recognise the feeling. ================================================ Support the podcast: ☕ 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 & collaborations: 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

    9 min

  6. APR 2

    This Week in America - The Moment School Started to Feel Like HR

    Send us Fan Mail This week I received an email from Georgia’s school about attendance. Apparently she has reached five “unexcused absences”, which means I now need to have a meeting with the principal and the school counsellor. The interesting part is that I don’t even know what the five absences are yet — I have to wait for the state to send a letter outlining them. What struck me about the situation wasn’t really the rule itself. It was the structure behind it. After twenty-five years in banking, I recognised the system immediately. Thresholds, documentation, conversations triggered once certain numbers are reached. It’s the same attendance matrix many workplaces use for adults. Except this time… the employee is ten. In this episode of This Week in America, I reflect on how institutions in the United States often operate through systems and compliance structures — from school attendance policies to a job opportunity I once had with Child Protective Services that ultimately closed because of a university requirement from decades earlier. None of these systems exist for bad reasons. But every now and then you encounter a moment where real life and institutional structure don’t quite line up — and you suddenly see the machinery behind the curtain. Sometimes living overseas isn’t just about noticing cultural differences. Sometimes it’s noticing how different societies organise themselves. ☕ 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

    7 min

  7. MAR 30

    Australia's REAL Monsters | Why Bigfoot Doesn't Compare

    Send us Fan Mail Think American folklore is scary? From the Bunyip to the Min Min lights, the Australian bush carries stories that make Bigfoot feel almost… friendly. As an Aussie living in the United States, I hear a lot about the Mothman and the Jersey Devil. But today, I’m taking you back home — into the Dreamtime, the Outback, and the misty bush — to share five Australian legends that have unsettled people for generations. We’re talking about giant water spirits, ghost lights that follow cars across empty highways, and the so-called “Australian Bigfoot” that’s terrified campers for decades. Are these just stories? Or does every country simply have its own version of the unknown? ================================================= Support the podcast: ☕ 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 & collaborations: 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

    9 min

  8. MAR 26

    This Week in America - When Your Accent Starts to Change Without You Noticing

    Send us Fan Mail Living overseas long enough changes the way you hear things. Sometimes it’s obvious. Sometimes it’s just a single word that quietly reveals where you started. In this episode of This Week in America, I reflect on accents, tone, and the subtle ways culture settles into the way we speak. From catching myself saying “car park” instead of “parking lot”, to hearing the different voices my daughters have developed growing up between Australia and America. I also share a small moment from the dance studio where a British partner described our Waltz as “not bad” — a phrase that means something quite different depending on where you’re from. And later, a walk through the international aisle at Publix leads to an unexpected reminder of home, with familiar Australian treats like Tim Tam and Violet Crumble sitting quietly on the British shelf. Because accents aren’t just sound. They’re geography settling into the body. ☕ 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

    6 min
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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.

Information

  • Creator
    Aussie Mike
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    65
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 From Down Under to Down South
  • Show Website
    From Down Under to Down South