As expected, Kiwis have their own set of choice words and colloquialisms, of which I’m still working to master.
Some are just shortened, hybrid words, which I’m totally into.
“How about some brekkie?”
(breakfast)
“When do you plan to visit your rellies?”
(relatives)
“Apply here to update your vehicle rego.”
(registration)
“I’ll be attending uni this fall.”
(university)
We officially have a long-term address in New Zealand!
Mind you, it’s just a rental.
We’ll be moving in on June 16th, once our vacation rental expires. Here’s what our kitchen looks like:
And that’s me in the dress, just unloading the dishwasher.
It’s been a week since we landed, and I’m feeling sentimental. Thinking back, we’ve already made some major adjustments over these few days. The first day was by far the hardest, starting with the drive from the airport to our apartment. It was, perhaps, my rock-bottom.
Imagine the experience; you’ve just flown through the night and now find yourself hurtling over highway in the opposite direction you’re programmed to travel in. Everything seems wrong; each round-about like a Tim Burton ride through a hellish, backward world, where Christmas is in summer and Easter is in winter and the 4th of July doesn’t even exist.
Today, I found myself discussing the Great Lakes, Chevrolet subsidiaries, and the New Zealand economy over coffee with complete strangers, still in their pajamas. You’d think Keith and I were long-lost relatives, seeing how they took us in; giving us a short history of their home, sharing their coming travel plans, and overall acting as if they couldn’t be happier to see us.
Pardon my late update!
I’m Officially On An AARP Schedule
Lately, around 8:30pm, my vision starts to blur and my mind begins to shut down.
But I’m getting progressively better. Tonight I’m going for the ungodly hour of 9:30pm.
Food That Goes Bump In The Night
The peanut butter we bought has the consistency and taste of what I would call peanut-flavored Crisco. Keith thinks I’m exaggerating, but I kid you not, it’s whipped vegetable oil with a handful of nuts thrown in. Other unusual food differences include:
• Eggs displayed and sold unrefrigerated
• Self-serve bins of live mussels
• Milk sold as original taste (whole), light (1%), and trim (skim)
We’ve made it safely to our apartment without harm to ourselves or others! Thank goodness Keith is doing the driving.
The flight from LA to NZ was wonderful, and I was surprised to find I slept a good portion of the trip. So much for the 20 books I had planned.
On the list for Day 1:
• exploring more of Auckland
• researching new phone plans
• a trip to the market
• opening a temporary P.O. box
• admiring the view!
Photos to come…
I’m packed!
I’ve got enough smell-good sprays, facial cleansing wipes, and outfit changes to keep me smelling/looking presentable.
I’m even packing a pashmina shawl that I’ve not had many opportunities to use. Any item of clothing that can double as a blanket is a valuable bartering tool on a transpacific flight. Same goes for the Kashi bars and extra pair of socks I’ll have stashed.
The movers have been here today and yesterday, working their magic. They’re like the opposite of entropy, moving matter from disorder to order (at least everything becomes cubic and labeled)). Shazam!
They’re doing the packing because we were told that shipments packed and insured by a moving company are more likely to clear customs without a hitch.
On Friday, Keith and I made a quick trip to Chicago to request second/temporary passports. Ours are currently in London, being reviewed one last time for our New Zealand visa.
We’re cutting it close, and FedEx has once already misplaced the package holding our passports, so we needed a back-up plan.
I’m sure it’s standard procedure for most federal buildings to be well protected and on high-alert. Makes sense. But this one was so well guarded it made my skin crawl a bit. Either they were trying to keep us in, or some very scary people out.
Some really intelligent people have a hard time with geography.
That doesn’t mean it has to be me. Or you.
I’ve had more than one person, I’m sure with only good intentions, exclaim they know exactly where New Zealand is located.
In Europe. Next to The Netherlands. Somewhereinthere.
Right?
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