Well, here we are in KiwiLand. Home of rugby, amazing country and sweet people. We are having a great time. I have been suffering from some long overdue culture shock the last few days, but today is better.
Here is what culture shock is like, for those of you who have not experienced it. The little things in your life all of a sudden just don't make sense. You will be driving along a mountain road, and all around the trees will look just like you are in Oregon. Then a fern palm tree will be there with all the other "normal" trees and you remember, "Whoops! I'm in New Zealand." (That's just in case you had gotten used to driving on the left hand side of the road and had managed to forget where you were...) The door handles turn the opposite way. The hot and cold are on alternating sides of the sink.... in some places hot is on the right, and in some it is on the left... but the two faucets almost NEVER actually touch each other. So, you can't mix hot and cold water to get "warm"... you either wash your hands in cold, or you wash your hands in hot. Simple as that.
"Center" is spelled "centre", same thing with "theatre". "Ton" is "tonne". And street signs asking large trucks not to use their engine brakes actually say "please" on them!! Everyone we have asked a question to has given us a more than adequate answer. Everytime we have gotten lost, the first person we asked for help told us EXACTLY how to get to where we were going and was downright kind about it. The words, "Well, you have to turn this map upside down, then it will all make sense" and "Bollocks, this is a horrible map, innit it?" may have been used at some points.
But, we found our way just fine. In other words, we "got it all sorted". The biggest problem for me has been food. We found a cereal I recognized for breakfast called "Frosties". In the States it is "Frosted Flakes", but they both have Tony the Tiger... so that was reassuring. They DO NOT sell grape jelly here... at all!! Not in ANY grocery store I have been in!! So, that was weird. And the other day, we went to a brewery/restaurant that had fish and chips. First of all, this is part of a "bar menu"... because in NZ, the restaurants close for lunch by 2pm. You can't order from the lunch menu... and the dinner menu doesn't start until 5pm. So, if the place isn't closed altogether, you can order from the bar menu. This has things like chicken wings, chips (french fries) with mayonnaise, fish and chips. Oh yeah, ketchup is "tomato sauce". Anyway, I ordered the fish and chips. But, as I was eating the fish, I kept wondering... why does this fish taste like bananas??!! The fish had been beer battered. No big deal, right? But, as it turns out, one of the many beers they brew there has a supposedly "subtle hint of banana finish". My ass. It tasted like ALL banana, ALL the time from my end. Franz ended up eating the fish.
The good news is that I met a social worker who is a recent immigrant and is willing to set me up with his Rolodex when I get back in November. So, I should be able to make a good many contacts in country then. A full time work week is 30 hours/week. Social workers start out at 40-45K here. That is so awesome!!!!
Anyway, I have to get going. We are going to Te Papa... NZ's national museum... today. It promises to be an awesome time. I will try to post some pictures later. I have a feeling it may be harder than I expect though. Hope everyone is having a great day!!
Love to all,
Sherry
