We've all been impressed by how much Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have taken Wales to their hearts over the last couple of years. The co-owners of Wrexham AFC have promoted their adoptive country at every turn, from making touching gestures to Welsh families, praising local businesses and even bringing out their own rarebit-themed cookbook.
It may be hard for anyone to think of bigger overseas cheerleaders for Wales than the lovable pair, with Deadpool director Shawn Levy recently revealing that Ryan's obsession with Wrexham is "becoming problematic".
However, long before the actors had even heard of the Racecourse Ground, there was another man doing his bit to promote Wales in North America. Ryan Davies has built up a huge online following by documenting his experiences as a Welshman in the USA after he swapped Taffs Well for Maryland four years ago.
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His TikTok account, which is followed by more than 100,000 people, is full of humorous and educational videos that lay bare the differences between his birth country and his new home. Everything from portion sizes to healthcare is discussed, with the 31-year-old's experiences proving eye-opening for both his American and British audiences.
Ryan has also shared the magic of Wales with his fans in the USA, posting explainers on rugby and Welsh slang, while also introducing them to legends like Michael Sheen and Eddie Butler. He's even managed to find a little bit of home in Maryland, having joined a rugby team and attended a Tom Jones concert, despite initially being reluctant to make a permanent move across the pond back in 2018.
After enrolling on a personal training course having dropped out of university in 2010, he was told by a friend about Camp America, a cultural exchange programme providing summer jobs for people like him in the USA. With an urge to travel, and with his dad dissuading him from joining the Marines instead, he sent off an application, not knowing where it would end up taking him.
"Within two months of applying, I got a call inviting me to come out to Southern Maryland, which is about an hour from where I live right now funnily enough," said Ryan. "The first year I did it, I absolutely loved it, we got to travel across the States. I decided to come back in 2012 and do it one more time and that's when I met my wife at the summer camp.
"I just kept coming back and forth after that point, and we did long distance for six and a half years before deciding to take the next step in 2018. My wife didn’t really want to move to the UK at the time, so we made the decision for me to move to America, which I never thought I would ever do."
Despite a bumpy start, being unable to work for his first year in the USA due to the visa process, Ryan soon began to enjoy his new life in America, with the "incredible" weather and outdoorsy lifestyle really agreeing with him. But even after he found work, he realised there was a creative void in his life, having worked as an extra in TV programmes and films while in the UK.
"When I first moved here, I realised I couldn't do that any more as it was much harder to get into," he explained. "I really missed having that creative outlet, and while I’d never had social media success or anything like that before, I decided to give TikTok a go to showcase what life was like for a Welshman in America. It was fairly new at that point, so I didn't know what to expect.
"I've been very fortunate to live in both places," he added. "Not many people get the opportunity to properly experience both. That was the reason I started TikTok, really. You see what life in America looks like in the movies and on TV but you're left wondering, what is the reality?"
Ryan's witty videos, covering everything from Welsh humour to making a proper cup of tea in the States, soon earned him thousands of followers. However, it wasn't until he got right amongst one of the biggest events in the USA's recent history that he started to reach the big numbers that he has today.
"I posted my first video in 2019, but it didn’t really take off until the Capitol riots on January 6 last year," he said. "My wife actually had a doctor’s appointment in DC a week or two later, and I drove her in because of all the issues that had happened there. They were bringing in the National Guard and things like that and it wasn’t really being shown on the news, so I thought I would walk around DC while I was there and film what was happening.
"Those clips just went viral and within a week one of them had 250,000 views or something crazy," he added. "A lot of people back home saw it and wanted to see more, so within a month I went from 7,000 to around 40,000 followers, and the train just kept rolling from there. I’m nearly at 110,000 now."
Having grown up in South Wales before moving to Maryland, a lot of Ryan's content focuses on the differences between the two lifestyles, which he has come to notice more and more since permanently relocating. However, he says his videos are not just educational for those watching back in the UK, but also for those in the USA, who he says makes up around two-thirds of his audience.
"When you first come to America, you do notice differences straightaway," he said. "I mean, everything is bigger here, vehicles, roads, buildings, portion sizes, everything. But every time I’d come here before I moved, I was staying for a few months at a time, and you kind of forgot the differences when you had been back home for a while. But after I moved, I really started noticing things that I subconsciously hadn’t really appreciated before, things that make you feel quite far from home.
"The other day I made a video about the healthcare system over here, because I broke my finger playing rugby. I had subconsciously delayed going to get an appointment to fix it, because if I went to an emergency room it would have cost a minimum of $500 depending on your health insurance plan. But if I waited two days to go and see a specialist, it only costs $50.If I was back home, I would have gone to A&E and got it sorted."
He added: "I think my videos are quite eye-opening, not just for people back home in Wales, but for those in the USA too. Without generalising too much, it can be difficult for them to see an outside perspective on their country, because they’re already here and emotionally involved in it. It can be hard for people to step back in that way, especially when it comes to political issues and things like that. But coming from what I guess is a more socialist country, once you speak of the differences, people start to take note."
Despite not expecting much to come from his TikTok career when he first started out, Ryan's online popularity has given him some "amazing" opportunities. While he runs the social media for his own rugby team, he has also worked with professional side Old Glory DC, while he was even asked by the official Six Nations TikTok team to make a video about Cardiff ahead of the tournament.
And promoting Wales remains as important to Ryan as ever. Having started his account with hopes of becoming "the Welsh equivalent of Borat," he feels he has succeeded in his role as an ambassador for the country of his birth, but appreciates there is still a long way to go before those in Maryland know Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau off by heart.
"Obviously, there is more awareness of Wales in the USA at the moment because of what Ryan Reynolds and Ryan McElhenney have done with Wrexham, but there are still plenty of people who don’t know much about us," he said. "Some pick up on the accent but you have to explain it to lots of others, so I’m doing what I can to help.
"I didn’t expect to have the success that I’ve had from it, to be honest. When I started the perception was that it was for teens or people in their early twenties, but I think I’ve helped prove that it can be for everybody. I never thought I’d get the kind of opportunities I've had from it, to be honest, but I’ll make the most of it while I can!"
However, while he has now started to settle down in Maryland, it is clear that Ryan still misses his beloved Wales. While he has managed to find his own little bits of his old life on the other side of the Atlantic, he knows that nothing compares to home.
"I definitely don't regret my decision at all, but it can be tough sometimes," he admitted. "The other day I went to a Tom Jones concert in Virginia and that was probably the closest to home that I’ve felt since I came here, just because there were so many Welsh flags.
"Things like joining the rugby team definitely helped, a lot of my teammates are in the military and know a lot about the UK, and the culture does remind me of home a bit. But then I think even after four years, I still feel a little bit homesick. I’m getting there, slowly, but it will take a lot of time. Wales is difficult to leave!"
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