Things Kiwi

The times they are a-changin'.

We're here to turn the page.

It's the same old story but it's told a different way.

The more things change the more they stay the same.

The same sunrise, it's just another day.

- Richie Sambora/Jon Bon Jovi

So much of what we see and experience when we travel is familiar. Except for some small cultural differences, life in Canada, the U.S.A., and even New Zealand really isn't that different. Those small cultural differences, though, are so important to identity and it's those differences that make traveling worth it ... and it's those differences that can trip you up.

Renting (hiring) videos at the video store

Kiwis speak English. The accent is a bit nasally, but it is English. It is rife with slang, though; to the point that sometimes it's hard to tell what they are saying even if you can understand the words themselves. There are simple things such as the words in the title of this blog ("Jandals" are flip-flops, and "Togs" are bathing suits), and there are more complicated things ... take-out food is "take-away", grocery carts are "trollies", something for rent (like a car) is "for hire", and candies are "lollies." Something as simple as ordering a coffee requires learning a whole new vocabulary. Kari's favorite coffee drink is a "flat white" and mine is a "long black."

  A flat white

  

When I started work in the Emergency Department this week, I was given a list of common expressions people use when describing how they feel and their health in general. The following is an imagined conversation in the ED provided in my welcoming packet. See if you can determine the what's bothering him ...

Pt: Kia ora, Doc. How's the quack?

MD: Kai Pai, bro. Whassup?

Pt: Got gut rot.

MD: Keep going ...

Pt: Well, I was a box of birds a week ago. I spent a couple of nights in the wop-wop, ate a bit of old pork. We packed in all our water. On the dunny doing the number twos a fair bit since. I noticed a bit of blood a few days ago. Since then my ring's been killing me.

MD: Feeling Ok otherwise?

Pt: Good as gold, Doc. Are you gonna' put in under?

I saw a patient the other day ... she was "taking the piss out of me" (making fun of me a little) and I didn't realize it until long after the encounter was over.

*****

We have mostly tried to eat at home, but in our many wanderings out and about we have taken the opportunity to enjoy local eateries. The first thing we noticed is there are generally no chain restaurants. There are a few familiar fast-food places: McDonalds, Burger King, KFC, Dominos, Carl's Jr, and on seemingly every corner a Subway, but we don't even eat at those places in the U.S., so they certainly have no allure for us away. There is an amazing cafe culture here with small, locally owned restaurants and cafes with limited menus and amazing service.

  

If you're heading out for a "feed", many restaurants require a "booking" (reservation), and even some of the nicer restaurants and cafes require that you order at the counter. For those restaurants that do have table service, if you sit and wait for your bill, you will wait a long time. The custom here is to pay at the counter when you are ready to leave. I have no idea how they know who we are and what we had, but so far the bill has never been wrong.

Our local pub and restaurant ... The Fat Farmer

When paying your bill, the sticker shock is quite staggering. On the plus side, taxes are included in the listed price and there is no expectation for tipping. For those in the U.S. who claim that eliminating tipping will lead to crappy service, I can honestly say that the service we have experienced here has been without reproach in every instance, from small cafes to fine dining. I think that people generally take pride in their work regardless of where they are or where they're from.

I was asked to comment on the booze situation ...

First, I think it says a lot about my friends that all they want to know about is the availability of intoxicating liquids; second, I am concerned what they think of me when they assume that I am well enough versed on this topic to include it in a blog post; and third, I wonder what it says about me that I have been here only two weeks and I considered writing an entire separate blog post to cover this topic alone.

Unless you are a scotch drinker, the choices of "brown liquor" are quite limited. Jack Daniels, Jim Beam, Canadian Club, and Crown Royal are to be found rather easily. Unfortunately, I have scoured the local establishments, and there are only about a half-dozen choices for higher-end libations. There are a few choices for bourbon, but rye is pretty much non-existent. I found a bottle of Few Rye. Unfortunately, at $144 for a bottle, that will not be a daily drinker. When I asked for rye at the store, I was pointed to the Jim Beam.

Their motto:  All the help you need.

The craft beer here is amazingly good. There are a number of small Kiwi breweries and I am slowly making my way through their various offerings. I am generally an ale drinker, but even the pilsners/lagers have a surprising complexity of flavours.

If you haven't heard of New Zealand as a wine growing country, then I suspect that you aren't much of a wine drinker. The wines we have tried have all been more than just drinkable, and when you consider the price point, I tend to prefer it over water.

We've really only been working our way through the various whites but have already bought tickets for the UB40 Red Red Wine Vineyard Tour in January, so we hope to expand our repertoire. The local grocery store offers a 20% discount on the purchase of 6 or more bottles. Not ever ones to pass up a deal on booze, we have been loading our shopping cart.

 

    Sparkling Sauvignon Blanc                                                         Has it really only been 2 weeks?

*****

Today, we took a trip to the local beaches. We braved the wind coming off the Tasman Sea, met some dogs and their people, and were yet again amazed by the local parks. Parks and green spaces are everywhere you turn here. Little H, in particular, has a mission to stop at every park and playground we encounter.

Looking West to the Tasman Sea

The playground equipment? devices? rides? remind me of my own childhood and make me jealous of what I have missed out on. Playgrounds in the U.S. have been sanitized and made "safe" to the point of offering no challenge, no risk/reward, and no fun. Little H says they are "boring", and they are.

Kiwis seem to recognize that taking risks is part of growing up, and without taking risks there is no chance for kids to discover just what they are capable of. The playgrounds are full of equipment that might pinch small fingers, result in a fall, or even cause harm or injury; however, it is through the challenges they offer that Little Highstead has been able to develop strength, agility, confidence, and a certain admirable fearlessness.

 

BMX track at the park.                                                               Zip Line aka a "Flying Fox

Tree climbing.

We have only been here 2 weeks and already it feels like home. We have dinner together regularly, we have family game night almost every night, and we are more relaxed ... more at ease with ourselves and with each other. I don't know that we have changed so much as we have found a place where we fit. While we are here for only 1 year, we are already trying to figure out how and when we can come back.

Sweet as ...