[AMA] I'm an Australian Working in The US, AMA

Ldown-under on 03/05/2020 - 13:09
Last edited 17/05/2020 - 14:55

Long time lurker, first time poster. Now seems to be an interesting time to do this AMA :). Hope I can answer all your China / Chinese related questions.

Currently working in software related area, but I had experiences in different industries across different disciplines, and recently thinking about starting an aquaculture business.

Of course, I'm not representing any groups, and all my answers will be my personal opinions.

Edit: Just before the post is locked, I changed the title from Chinese Australian to Australian, I know in Oz we care more about country of citizenship than race, and I like it :) (In the US it’s a bit different)

Introduce Yourself

closed Comments

    • down-under on 06/05/2020 - 15:12

      I didn’t do “daigou” myself, and I agree the activity of rush buying baby formulas doesn’t look decent.

      But I don’t think it’s a big problem, based on what I read on ozb, woolworths normally always had stock in the back if you ask (yeah, can be a problem for people who doesn’t know). On the other hand it positively contributed to retail and logistics industries, overall maybe not that bad as it looks.

      Eh, yeah, I remember in some videos the daigou behaved aggressively and lost all his/her manners, that was indeed a big problem.

      Edit: yes bypassing the limit is not acceptable.

  • [Deactivated] on 06/05/2020 - 15:22

    Is there such a thing as the "Cheif Hostage Negotiator, USA" ?

    • down-under on 06/05/2020 - 15:41
      +1

      Not sure, but Chris Voss’s masterclass is great!

      • [Deactivated] on 06/05/2020 - 15:46

        Trump once tweeted:

        “President Donald J. Trump is the greatest hostage negotiator that I know of in the history of the United States. 20 hostages, many in impossible circumstances, have been released in last two years. No money was paid.” Cheif Hostage Negotiator, USA!

        I've always wondered who that chief hostage negotiator was and why this imaginary person gave all the credit for his hard work to Trump.

        • down-under on 06/05/2020 - 15:49

          Oh you mean this… Then either it is a thing, or you’re spreading fake news.

          • [Deactivated] on 06/05/2020 - 15:56

            @down-under: Technically I was quoting fake news that was started by Trump:

            Trump has frequently touted his administration’s record in freeing American hostages — sometimes referring to himself as “chief hostage negotiator” — at times giving himself an outsize role in efforts to free them.

            Fake news is fun. I might try to get this one trending:

            “Dr JJB is the greatest hostage negotiator that I know of in the history of the world. 200 hostages, many in impossible circumstances, have been released in last two years. Also , best lover in the world, as voted by the women on Earth. Top bloke! No homo” said President Donald J. Trump, USA!

            Gee, thanks Donnie :D

  • FW190 on 06/05/2020 - 16:45

    have you tried General Zhao's chicken?

  • Eeples on 06/05/2020 - 18:16

    Have you travelled much around the local area?

    Vancouver?
    Victoria?
    Mt St Helens?

    What places/cities/towns would you recommend would be worth a visit (in normal times) around where you are at?

    Thanks.

    EDIT: Sorry this isn't a China/Chinese related question.

    • down-under on 07/05/2020 - 01:53

      Whether or not it’s worth a visit is a bit personal, determined by what you like and your travel history.

      I like outdoors, and I found snowshoeing or hiking in the winter is fun, out of winter there’re bears and Jaguars so exploration is a bit limited.

      I haven’t been to Mt St Helens yet, but it looks interesting. Mt Rainier is a must-go, and Mt Baker is also nice.

      For cities, I think it’s always worth visiting for the first time if time permits.

  • jackthefrost on 07/05/2020 - 09:31

    Is it true there's giant killer bees in the US near Washington?

  • Trioboy on 07/05/2020 - 10:01
    +1

    What's the general consensus among people regarding the lockdown in the States. Do they desperately want things to go back to normal? or are they embracing the lockdown measures and making the best of staying home?

    • down-under on 07/05/2020 - 12:15

      I can only speak for Seattle / Washington State, there was a protest against the stay at home order, other than that, everything looks normal, rules were not really enforced, driving around to the parks etc seems ok, and actually there're more people in the parks these days…

      2 big local employers Microsoft and Amazon have told their employees to freely work from home till October.

      I noticed that you mentioned "things go back to normal", not "who want the stay at home order lifted". I mean, who doesn't want things to go back to normal? : )

  • psylence on 07/05/2020 - 14:27

    Which would you rather fight, 100 duck sized horses or one horse sized duck?

    • down-under on 07/05/2020 - 14:45
      +1

      I'll release my Canada goose.

  • Pumpkin_rrr on 07/05/2020 - 15:22

    Hi ChunYing, so happy to have found your Post, breath of fresh air. Must admit I speed-read as it's 4-pages.
    I have sooo many questions for you, hope you can bear with me:
    1) You mentioned you work from home. Who else is home with you and how do you discipline yourself?
    2) What sort of housing you have - apartment, standalone, single/double story, city, suburb…..
    3) Do you speak/write Chinese? How does that help/not-help with mixing with other Chinese there?
    4) Why is USA still using non-metric (Imperial) system?
    5) What are your friends/family think about the tipping system in USA? I was there a few times and the costing is doing my head in, and worse still, every state is different.
    6) If you can sum up in 3 factors, what makes USA so powerful today?
    7) If you are to move city, where would you move to next (USA)?

    • down-under on 07/05/2020 - 16:08
      +1

      Thanks
      1,2. It's a standard single family house, the whole family (4 including myself) are with me. As long as works are completed on a reasonable schedule, no one care about when I do it.
      3. Yes I'm a native Chinese speaker. Depends on what kind of 'mixing' you mean, it matters for people who wants close friendship other than partying, actually it applies to any language speakers, to get closer, they must have something in common, language and the culture comes with that language naturally work for building relationships. Other things could be hobbies, histories, etc.
      4. Officially they introduced metric system but didn't / couldn't make it mandatory. Based on wikipedia, "there is no governmental or major social desire to implement further metrication.", that means for whatever reason American people just don't like it. (regarding imperial system, units is one thing, the bigger problem is, it's not decimal…)
      5. We (friends) are divided on this LOL, I don't like it.
      6. Population, plus industrialised early.
      7. Life is short, I'm almost 40, and I'm planning for my permanent home now, it's mostly likely to be in Australia.

      • Pumpkin_rrr on 07/05/2020 - 16:23
        1. Wow, by Native Speaker, you mean you understand the history of the language and how the words are used? Remarkable! Agree, language is not the only way to connect.
          4 & 5. I believe all my friends and family dont like the Imperial system, and tipping in USA.
          But did you mean you have friends who actually support this tipping system? Wouldnt that make life complicated? The tax, budget, reporting…..
          Is it too hard for USA to change?
        2. Didnt get the part on how long you've been in USA, must be long time for you to want to leave now.
          Are you looking at doing aquaculture in Australia?

        Thanks again!

        • down-under on 07/05/2020 - 16:44
          +1

          Don't show me the surprised pikachu face, hahaha… I grew up in China so it's the least I should understand…

          Yes some of my friends support the compulsory tipping culture, their arguments are mostly "the waiters earn very little", but I don't think tipping was the right fix at the beginning.

          Yes it makes things complicated. But US's tax return process is hard enough already, it doesn't matter to add some more troubles. (In the US you need to pay to get a tax return software like the one we get from ATO for free)

          USA changes all the time, but they just care about different things.

          Not very long, a bit less than 3 years.

          Yes, if I find it profitable after doing my research…

          • Pumpkin_rrr on 10/05/2020 - 17:49

            @down-under: Tipping I dont disagree, it's also how the whole wages system has been developed.
            It's just a pain for us Consumers and Tourists…. One moment I thought I have enough change, and next moment I am caught out… Happens a lot!
            I always thought Australia tax system is too complicated and wonder how they are going to untangle themselves…
            BTW, I dont think ATO has that free Tax Return Software anymore, ezy tax or something? Have been using Accountants for some time now.

        • Buy2Much on 07/05/2020 - 17:32

          Wouldnt that make life complicated? The tax, budget, reporting…..

          People here complain Aust tax is complicated. Try living in the US, you have to do state tax return as well as federal tax return. Then you have different tax rates for different states. Prices for items in store or online do not include tax, until you check out…
          And if you are a US citizen, you are subjected to US income tax forever, regardless where you end up living and working, unless you renounce the US citizenship…

  • fullmetal on 07/05/2020 - 18:21

    What websites do you recommend for job search? I have tried Indeed it seems limited and LinkedIn is full of talent recruiters. Is US hiring process similar using the STAR technique selection criteria or resume focus?

    • down-under on 08/05/2020 - 03:48

      If possible, ask friends if their companies have openings. And internal referral always works the best.

      Then if the the company's website has hiring information, it also works better than job searching websites.

      There isn't a unified hiring process in the US, and not even in the same company. The processes could be different for different positions. But no matter what the selection criteria are, being overseas is always a disadvantage, you could use a US address and phone number if you can explain yourself later :)

  • fortitude42 on 08/05/2020 - 17:31

    Do you like pineapple on pizza?

    • down-under on 09/05/2020 - 00:05

      Not really. I don’t like pineapples in general, not to mention putting it on pizza.

  • imrichkid on 08/05/2020 - 21:05

    Can you answer my question first, do you like chicken chow mein?

    • down-under on 09/05/2020 - 00:13

      Not something I (or my wife) would cook at home. Somehow the ingredients do not blend in very well, but since each individual stuff is something I eat, it doesn’t bother me too much to put them together.

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