American backpacker, 22, reveals the unusual Australian habits she's noticed - from being 'obsessed with KFC' to the word 'lolly' and leaving an 'x' at the end of text messages
- An American woman has revealed the Australian habits that make her swoon
- Katie Payne relocated from Iowa, US to Newcastle, NSW in August 2019
- In a TikTok posted Sunday, she fawned over Aussies slang and how they text
- She said it 'makes me die' when they leave 'x's in messages to people they like
- The 22-year-old had a similar reaction to the term 'lollies', which means candy
- She said she also loves Australia's 'obsession' with KFC and electronic music
An American backpacker who moved to New South Wales one year ago has revealed the unique Australian habits that make her swoon - from 'cute' slang to the way people text.
Katie Payne, 22, left Iowa in the Midwestern United States in August 2019 for a four-month stint in Newcastle, 163 kilometres north of Sydney, but enjoyed her time so much that she returned in January 2020.
The Northern Iowa University graduate has been living in the east coast city since then and appears to have fallen in love with the 'Aussie' way of life, if a recent video on her TikTok account is anything to go by.
On Sunday, Ms Payne posted a clip fawning over Australians for their 'obsession' with KFC and electronic music, slang terms and penchant for signing off messages to people they like with a line of 'kisses'.
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American backpacker Katie Payne (pictured at the Sydney Opera House) who says she 'dies' when her Australian friends leave kisses at the end of text messages
She said it 'makes me die' when her Australian friends leave 'x's at the end of texts and had a similar reaction to use of the term 'lollies', which is the Australian word for candy or sweets.
'If you text me with an 'x' at the end of the message, I'm a die (sic). I can feel your kiss through the phone,' she says in the video.
She adds: 'And your love for KFC... You know we forget about that in the US. It's kind of like – 'oh, KFC' – but you guys f*****g love it, and that's cute.'
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Ms Payne (pictured) said she loves when people say 'lollies', which is the Australian term for candy or sweets
Standing testament to Ms Payne's self-professed love affair with everything Australian is her Instagram feed, which is filled with gushing tributes to the Land Down Under
Standing testament to Ms Payne's self-professed love affair with everything Australian is her Instagram feed, which is filled with gushing tributes to the Land Down Under.
Photos show her beaming as she soaks up the very best of Australia, posing in front of the Sydney Opera House at Circular Quay and gazing out over the Victorian coastline from the Great Ocean Road.
Her TikTok video, which has been viewed 317,000 times since it was posted on Sunday, has drawn hundreds of comments from Australians discussing their preference for food, music and writing style.
Photos show Ms Payne beaming as she soaks up the very best of Australia's east coast beaches (pictured)
'All of us Australians are confused how the rest of the world doesn't sign off texts with 'x' and 'xx' when it's someone you really love,' one woman replied.
'Okay but Aussie KFC is unbelievably superior to any other KFC,' said a second.
Another KFC enthusiast added: 'That's because we have like three fast food options and Wicked Wings and Zinger burgers just happen to be superior.'
Others said the Australian obsession with KFC is 'probably because there's only Red Rooster as the other option for chicken'.
