For as different as they are, Australia and the United States are similar in a few substantial ways. They’re both young countries and both former British colonies. They both share English as the unofficial, de facto national language. They both have a lot of white people.

Common colonial ancestry can hold a large emphasis apparently, because these countries didn’t necessarily develop together or have strong connections. It kind of reinforces the significance of that sunset phrase.

Yet they are different. My initial impressions of their markedly strong contrasts have held true in my time here. The two countries are like the images of a funhouse mirror, oddly distorted but vaguely familiar.

It just goes to show how singular we are as a species. We do things very differently in various parts of the world, but at the end of the day, we’re all human.