An Australian traveler has revealed the things he finds most 'confusing' about living in Britain.
Marc Murphy, an Australian who moved to Scotland in January 2023, uploaded a video to TikTok in January pointing out the biggest “culture shocks” he's encountered since arriving.
The Australian has documented his encounters and adventures in Britain on his TikTok page, @murphtox, including videos of him trying out popular bakery chain Greggs and Scottish soft drink Irn Bru for the first time.
Marc posted the video of his choice at pharmacies on January 25 and has since racked up more than 1.7 million views and almost 4,000 comments from entertained Brits and intrigued Australians.
The content creator captioned the footage with “A bit of culture shock, you know” and filmed himself walking down a street while ranting loudly.
Perplexed Australian expat Marc Murphy unravels the quirks of British life – from unexpected meal deals in chain pharmacies to a surprising scarcity of vanilla Coca Cola
Marc began, “So I just moved to the UK from Australia about two weeks ago, and here are some things that are already confusing me a bit. So if anyone has any answers, that would be great.”
The Australian pointed to public waste as the biggest difference, turning his camera towards a rubbish-strewn sidewalk as he walked past it.
Marc said: “First of all, there seems to be a lot of rubbish hanging around. Are people leaving litter here, is it blowing in the wind or is the waste not being taken away enough?
'I do not understand. People wouldn't do that in Australia, so I don't know why there's so much rubbish – or is that just Scotland?'
He then moved on to the topic of food and why Brits apparently love a sandwich meal.
Marc said: 'The second thing I noticed is that there is food being sold everywhere. Your pharmacy, like Boots, like our Priceline, sells food on the go.
'Your discount stores, your warehouses… Meal deals are sold everywhere. The British love a meal deal here. In Australia you just can't find sushi or rolls in a pharmacy.'
The TikTok influencer finally highlighted the seemingly limited availability of his favorite soft drink from Australia: vanilla-flavored Coca Cola.
Marc Murphy moved to Scotland in January 2023 and has since been documenting his encounters and adventures in Britain on TikTok
'The latter is a bit personal, but I can't find vanilla cola anywhere. There's lime, orange, cherry…I just want my vanilla cola.”
Thousands of Brits and Australians took to the comments to share their thoughts on Marc's experiences, with his video even sparking a wider debate about litter in Britain.
One person answered Marc's three questions, writing, “1. People are lazy. 2. Meal deals are great. 3. I think Tesco sells vanilla cola.'
A fellow viewer wrote: 'Bro come to England we got that vanilla coke,' while another said: 'I get vanilla coke from Asda.'
One Briton highlighted that litter is a problem in Britain, saying: 'Litter is such a sad problem in Britain. People just have no respect and leave their entire picnic table and counter behind during a day out.'
Thousands of Brits and Australians responded and shared their thoughts on Marc's cross-cultural experiences
Another wrote: 'Yes, people litter, it's awful,' while a third commented: 'My Australian colleague says the same about dirty streets. He said she [Australians] You can walk outside without shoes, it's that clean there.'
Meanwhile, some Australians were both intrigued and scratching their heads by Marc's discovery of food sold in pharmacies.
Priceline – the Australian pharmacy chain Marc mentioned in the video – left a comment saying: “Food on the go sounds like a great idea,” while another person wrote: “I would never trust pharmacy sushi in my life.”
In a contrasting series of events, a British mother listed five culture shocks she experienced while traveling around Australia with her family for two months in April.
Maisie Crompton, who visited Down Under with her partner and five-month-old daughter Elsie, was 'confused' by some key differences with Britain.
The 21-year-old was left scratching her head about the traffic light system, the 'lack' of toilets in certain cafes and the taste of Australian chocolate.