I was highly amused the other day to discover that New Zealand gets a public holiday every June 6th (or nearest Monday) in order to celebrate the queen's birthday! My Kiwi mates, having always had the day off, couldn't work out why this was funny until I pointed out that it wasn't a public holiday in the UK and that most of us probably couldn't have told you when the birthday was, let alone celebrated it! Mind you, it's a good idea :wink2:

There are a few odd little things about Kiwi life that make me laugh, though of course they are normal to the folk here who just stand looking at me as I point and roll about laughing like a loon at tumble dryers suspended upside down on the wall and shops that sell both health food... and kayaks (seriously!)

Then there's the fact that kids can drive at 15 here, Sam is doing his theory test on his 15th birthday next month, the same day that Simon and I do ours (for the NZ licence) so I hope that we don't fail it whilst Sam passes his!

I was asked by several people before we came out here what I'd miss from UK life, but until you're here you don't really know what's different and what isn't! I can now answer this question with a resounding cry of ''central heating'' though I have discovered that NZ residents depend heavily on flannelette sheets during the winter months, something that I frequently mourned the passing of in the UK..so, 'every cloud' and all that! :laugh:

This set me wondering what quirks of other countries folk here may have come across in their travels or things they missed whilst living overseas?

V - great to hear from you, and Sam doing his theory at 15 - yikes!!??:ohmy: Wow Jack would be out there in a flash if I tell him that!!

What do I miss when I am abroard??

Well I remember doing a 3 week 4 state holiday in the States about 10 years ago with hubby and 3 children [my eldest and my two step sons], in a RV.

We had been there only 3 days, in stunning countryside, with vistas to die for, the sun beating down on us daily and everything being just perfect. When I had a hissy fit and declared I was going to get the next flight home unless I could find a shop that sold 'proper vegetables'!!

It was green veg that I was craving, my body seemed like it was going into melt down and I so needed fresh green veg. The feeling was so strong that it became a mission - I eventually found some zuchinni [courgettes] and some green peppers - they saved my sanity and holiday!!!

Usual boring stuff - a decent cup of tea and 'English' chocolate. I travel a great deal so have plenty of experience and , honestly, I am not a moaner cos things are different abroad - that's what I like about abroad! But I do enjoy my first cuppa when I get back......and I take a few 'fun-size' bars away with me

Great to see you Voicey.

When I lived in the States I always missed heinz baked beans, pg tips, salad cream and some decent bacon, oh of course with the missed hp sauce.

Luckily for us we found a British shop which sold all this stuff, at an expense though.
But as a treat, once a month I would go and stock up on loads of goodies.

Jo, great to hear from you as always :)

When I leave home, I always miss the good old tattie scone!

Usual boring stuff - a decent cup of tea...

With you on that one. When Mr G and I went to LA I really wanted a cup of tea - mostly cos I couldn't have one (but once you get the idea in your mind...). Anyway we eventually found a few places that sold them and they were hideous.

.......There are a few odd little things about Kiwi life that make me laugh, though of course they are normal to the folk here who just stand looking at me as I point and roll about laughing like a loon at tumble dryers suspended upside down on the wall and shops that sell both health food... and kayaks (seriously!) ...........

Hi VOR, good to hear you're settling in and finding your way around in your new life.

I just have to ask about the tumble dryers though - why? I can't think of any logical explanation - lol.

I just have to ask about the tumble dryers though - why? I can't think of any logical explanation - lol.

I wonderd this too Crit - but after much soul searching I realised why?? And that is because NZ is upside down to us - and so it makes perfect sense!!:ohmy:

I wonderd this too Crit - but after much soul searching I realised why?? And that is because NZ is upside down to us - and so it makes perfect sense!!:ohmy:

Of course - silly me http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v611/liberated60s/36_12_6.gif

Hi VOR, good to hear you're settling in and finding your way around in your new life.

I just have to ask about the tumble dryers though - why? I can't think of any logical explanation - lol.

Lol I know, it is a weird one! I like Flip's answer actually but the reality is slightly less entertaining! The majority of washing machines are top loaders here and all houses, even the tiniest has a laundry (they would never have a washer/dryer in a kitchen), the thing is the laundries are small and as top loading washer take up more space and have no top for storage the dryers are wall hung to save laundry space. They hang upside down for the simple reason that hanging them upright would render the controls out of reach for most of us (except giants like Mr V)...so upside down they go! :laugh: I have bought a dryer and it's hanging there suspended, although I still expect it to fall down any day. I have however located a front loading washing machine and will buying one to take to the new house with me!

Talking of decent cups of tea though, Mr V took Sam to Starship hospital in Auckland yesterday and popped into one of the big department stores there to look around their 'fine food' section where they stock delicacies such as Yorkshire tea bags, Walkers crisps and galaxy chocolate...he came home with a bag full!

Actually life here is great and I have no real complaints, it's just different and that's not a bad thing by any means. Sam is now on steroids for 12 weeks so we should see some real improvement there, meantime they are settling at school and the house purchase progresses. In all, we are ok here and like Tobule says, the differences are part of the joys of travel in the end (though I'd still like central heating please!)

Thanks for putting me out of my misery VOR cos that would have haunted me for the rest of my life if I hadn't known :)

My washing machine and tumble dryer are in the bathroom because my kitchen is too small. In fact it's a pretty good place for them because the laundry bin is in the bathroom, of course, and it saves stepping over piles of sorted washing (whites, coloureds, dark etc.). I couldn't have mine upside down though cos it's a condenser type so I have to empty the water container every so often. Now if that were to be upside down ... well.. I guess it would all drain back in!

Anyway, I love hearing the tales about all the differences so keep them coming.

Hugs for Sam too and hope he continues to improve.

Sam had a good one yesterday, the lad sitting next to him in maths asked if he'd got any 'twink' that he could borrow, Sam said he looked perplexed for a minute and then opened his pencil case to show the lad the inside, wordlessly saying "I dunno, you tell me!" All was revealed when the lad behind passed a small bottle forward and Sam said "Oh!! You mean TIPPEX!!" I also spent ten minutes in 'Pack 'n' save' looking for clingfilm, and when I found it discovered that they call it 'Glad-wrap' here.

It was the official first day of 'winter' here yesterday and it's beautiful sunshine and 17 degrees outside, some differences are just brilliant! :wink2:

Edit: Thanks Critique, I took Sam to be weighed yesterday and he's put on a kilo in two weeks, which isn't bad, he's still 20 kilos under 'normal' though so he's a way to go yet. Still, he started his steroids two days ago so he should begin to improve. I'll pass that hug onto him :)

Good reporting Voicey. I'd love to see a picture of the suspended tumble dryers.

Glad to here Sam is reacting positively to the new climate.

The one thing I loved about being abroad was that you got to celebrate Hogmany twice. We lived in Germany so come 12 we opened the champagne and phoned home. Sadly we always sounded really badly drunk wishing people happy new year at 11pm in the uk until they worked out who it was and why we were already celebrating. Then come 1am in Germany we would all celebrate Hogmany all over again.

We were across with the army and I picked up work down at the technical workshops, filing. Consequently I was one of the lucky ones on camp as we got all the german hols (as there was mainly germans in that area) and all the British ones. We were also lucky because we had the Naafi to provide some British staples. Although we tended to go to the geman supermarkets as it was cheaper and why have British food when you are living in germany? I really miss the Kartorfalsalet (sorry about spelling- basically potato saled but taster, in a big tub, sometimes with egg and sometimes with gurkin).

Cat, I shall take a photo and post it ASAP!

You're right about the food Becks, we are buying local stuff here instead of attempting to find British products that we recognise. To be honest the food here is seasonal anyway and as a result has more taste than the imported stuff. We have 'Gisborne milk' produced in town and locally grown fruit and veg, oranges, limes and lemons grow here and taste gorgeous, as if they are full of sunshine! Everything has a longer shelf life too as it's just fresher. The fish is very different here too, so far we have tried Tarakihi and Hapuku which are both white fish but they also have John Dory, bluenose, gurnard and crayfish, all fresh from the docks each day :) (Flippy you'd love it!) So we are not starving by any means!

Sam has thew day off school today for the Queen's birthday weekend and Ellie has gone to school grumpy as she only has Monday off! We will probably spend some of the weekend on the beach and as I got my new car yesterday we can drive up the coast roads too :)

It's all good.

Voice, it's great to hear you are settling in well and getting to know all about the local delicacies.
The food sounds absolutely fabby.

I was reading a paper at the weekend that mentioned about holidays for the Queens birthday over there. Funny really because I bet most of the people here wouldn't even know it was her birthday :laugh:

Keep the updates coming because it is lovely to read how you are getting on, in your great adventure, one that takes alot of balls and something that I couldn't do now.
Well done you :thumbsup:

The fish is very different here too, so far we have tried Tarakihi and Hapuku which are both white fish but they also have John Dory, bluenose, gurnard and crayfish, all fresh from the docks each day :) (Flippy you'd love it!) So we are not starving by any means!

.

My piggy bank is waiting in anticipation of some income - but babe I am on my way!! :)

Hi Voicey
MY brother moved back to the UK from NZ last year and for him the biggest thing was tea. We had to send it over all the time.
Thats about the only thing I really miss too when abroad, and a kettle if they are not usual.
With it being so warm where you are I bet you'll find all the men wear sandles?
When my brother was a Londoner he said he wouldn't have been seen dead in pair of Sandles, but out there it was hell for your feet if you wore shoes all the time.
Do you miss any of our TV voice?
I know Corrie is massive in NZ, so if you were a fan you won't miss out (just six months behind)
And what about BB! You used to be really into that. Do they have that in NZ?

Hiya Bob, yes, I miss the BBC and CH4, we only have four stations here and they are all full of American 'comedy' (and I use the word lightly!) and reality TV. We have NZ idol here but not Big Brother, although we get the Australian one which started two weeks ago in Oz but will be shown here from Monday, unfortunately it's on at lunchtime each day (when I have better things to be doing than watching TV!) So I do miss UK Tv, but I knew I would :sad: We will get Sky TV once we move and hopefully get a better choice (probably of more American comedies!)

Good news today, our house purchase has now gone 'unconditional' which means we have to buy it now, we had asked for a few jobs to be done first, like putting back a missing gate from the pool fencing (it's illegal to have an unfenced pool in NZ) and clearing out some building stuff from under the house and venting the bathroom extractor to the outside rather than to the roofspace, just piffling stuff really. Anyway, it's all done and our building inspector has seen it and signed it off, so we can move in on June 17th, a week after our stuff arrives from the UK. We are really pleased :thumbsup: It'll be great to have our own stuff again.

Well it's freezing cold here today and blowing a gale, South Island have had snow but it never gets to Gisborne, Ellie says the girls at school were saying they were jealous as they have never seen snow! Our Queens Birthday weekend (I know Andera, it's mental!) plans look uncertain but we will at least be warm tonight as I have just purchased electric blankets!

Roll on December and long summer days :laugh:

Great VOR...I have been chuckling away here with odd looks from my work mates :blush:

The Civil Service often allows a large part of it's work force to have Queenies Birthday off on the 6th.....but no it's not a national holiday! :sad:

When I'm abroad I miss:
PG Tips (like Tobule I love that first brew when I get home)
Cadburys chocolate (it is the best in the world whatever the Europeans say!)
Real Bacon (like you Andrea - British back bacon...yum!)
HP Sauce (again yum)
My own bed (after a while my own bed calls to me)
Marmite
McVities & Foxes biscuits

When I was working in the States for 5months I didn't see the sea......the first thing I did when I got home was run down the road to make sure the sea was still there...I spent ages gazing at it with a bizzare smile on my face! :blush:

What I love about being abroad:
Exploring new worlds....cultures....foods.....I make a real point of going as native as possible to get the full impact :thumbsup:

Oh Voice, it is fab to hear from you and I love your quirky tales of New Zealand! Looking forward to hearing more!

It's looks as if Sam & Ellie have settled in great at school and Sam seems to be improving which is great!

Fantastic about the house move being so quick, I have a package here for you to post but I will wait until you settle into your new home and I get your new address! New Zealand certainly sounds like fun and get you, going to the beach for the afternoon!

Love the idea of the upside down tumble dryers, and can't wait to see the photos.

I am so please that you are loving it and keep the updates coming! :thumbsup:

Well today is...cold...really cold in fact which is apparently very out of the ordinary in Gisborne, but as we are English and therefore used to the cold we are coping pretty well! Mind you the electric blankets and flannelette sheets are a Godsend in a house with no heating and visiting the loo in the night has become a speed event in the Reason household, with me so far holding the quickest time :laugh: But hey (as they say here) no worries, it'll be over soon enough.

Been out today to buy electrical stuff for the new house, I have broken with Kiwi tradition though and ordered a front loading washing machine, though I shall still be hanging my dryer on the wall upside down above it! (Cat I have been trying to link a picture here but can't do it at the moment, but it's on it's way I promise!)

We have the British Lions playing The Bay of Plenty in Rotorua tonight and although I'm not much of a rugby girl myself we will probably be tuning in, at least for some of it. They are rugby mad here of course, but I was surprised at how huge a thing netball is in NZ, they have a national team (The silver ferns) and Gisborne has it's own netball club, which has 20 courts that are full all day and especially busy at the weekends, there was even a televised game on TV last night!

Lots of you have said you missed decent tea whilst abroad but you can get Twinings here so that's not something I'm missing, and besides they make great coffee everywhere, even the smallest cafe can make you a decent latte, or 'flat white' so it's not too bad. One of the biggest and most noticable differences here are the number of people who don't wear shoes, some kids even go to school without them and games lessons are mostly barefoot (though you can wear trainers if you want) it's quite shocking initially but you soon get used to it, some folk are just too laid back to be constrained by footwear apparently, though personally, as a shoe lover, I think they are missing a trick! And Bob's correct, sandles or 'jandles' as they call the humble flip-flop are a must for everyone, including men :)

Our accents cause amusement and Ellie and Sam (or 'Illie' and 'Sim' as they are called here!) are regularly asked to 'say things in English!' by their mates.

So, at the moment, it's all good.

Flippy, I'll get the sleepout ready for you ;) and Bella, I'll PM my new address as soon as we move :)

Hiya Voice :bye:

Glad it's all going well for you!

One of the biggest and most noticable differences here are the number of people who don't wear shoes, some kids even go to school without them and games lessons are mostly barefoot (though you can wear trainers if you want) it's quite shocking initially but you soon get used to it...

That sounds fab, I often used to take off my shoes and walk home from school barefoot when I was younger, did get some funny looks though :D

Can you get Marmite there Jo?

I had to mail some out to America for quite a while until somewhere was found that sold it.
Glad to hear that you are acclimatising.:)

Can you get Marmite there Jo?

I had to mail some out to America for quite a while until somewhere was found that sold it.
Glad to hear that you are acclimatising.:)

Well you can get it Paul, but it's not the same taste. I've noticed that about a few things, even though they have the same name they taste different and I'm told that different contries have different formulations of stuff like Coke and Cadbury's chocolate anyway. So far we are sticking to vegimite! Hinze are here, but called 'Watties' and the beans just don't taste the same (they have a smokey taste) Still, I guess we can live without them!

Have been out today to Morore hot springs which are about 40 minutes from here on the coast road to Napier, very basic in that you get changed in a hut and then go straight into the natural hot spring pools set in native bushland, it was cold today so it was fantastic to be sat in hot spring water with a cold wind on your face, bliss, and it cost $15 (about six quid) for the four of us!

Sounds like quite an interesting adventure living in NZ...sounds beautiful there! Especially going to nicer weather...lol.

I feel your pain on the american comedies...never been a fan of comedies here.....altho when I go abroad I always miss American TV...specifically reality tv and some of the cable channels (like MTV).

I also always miss pizza when I'm abroad...everytime I return from abroad, the VERY first thing I do is order a pizza in the airport. lol. For some reason pizza from the states always taste best to me...just because I'm used to it i'm sure.


So VOR, did it take a bit to get used to such a huge time difference?

Hi VOR, love reading your posts about your new life. In case you are wondering why it's so quiet here today, it's because we had the Portsmouth meet up yesterday and I could be wrong but I reckon some are still wondering what day of the week it is :devil:

We had a brilliant time and I am only compus mentus because me and Mazwad left quite early-ish and there was still a whole lot of fun going on when we went for our train home.

Right now, no shoes sounds good to me, having staggered round Portsmouth all day yesterday in high heels that I don't usually wear. My feet look like raw beef today. Would I do it again? You bet!

I managed to type a bit about it on the Sticky Portsmouth thread before I fell into bed last night but I'm sure the others will be on soon to tell all.

Well you can get it Paul, but it's not the same taste. I've noticed that about a few things, even though they have the same name they taste different and I'm told that different contries have different formulations of stuff like Coke and Cadbury's chocolate anyway.

I noticed that. I loved the German twix's and was so disapointed I thought there was something wrong with the uk ones. German ones have a nice crunch to them. I wrote to them and they wrote back saying they were exactly the same......LIARS

Well you can get it Paul, but it's not the same taste. I've noticed that about a few things, even though they have the same name they taste different and I'm told that different contries have different formulations of stuff like Coke and Cadbury's chocolate anyway!

So true, diet coke is disgusting in America, IMO, I thought there was something wrong with my tastebuds til someone explained the different recipes.

We have the British Lions playing The Bay of Plenty in Rotorua tonight and although I'm not much of a rugby girl myself we will probably be tuning in, at least for some of it. They are rugby mad here of course, but I was surprised at how huge a thing netball is in NZ, they have a national team (The silver ferns) and Gisborne has it's own netball club, which has 20 courts that are full all day and especially busy at the weekends, there was even a televised game on TV last night!


Flippy, I'll get the sleepout ready for you ;) and Bella, I'll PM my new address as soon as we move :)

Hey NZ correspondent!! That is your new title - it is really great reading the updates.

I knew the rugby was near you - I remember when we looked at the map and you told me a little bit of history, it is up and round the corner from Gisbourne?? I heard it on the news and was jumping around saying cor I wonder if V is at the rugby??

And netball - hmmm?? Don't you fancy joining a ladies team V?? I used to play and loved it and it is a great way to stay fit and meet people?? With it being so big - it may be fun to get stuck in?

And my goodness - how quick is the house business? I have had my little house on the market for longer than you have sold your house, moved across the world and bought a new one ... whooooosh there are no flies on you me dear!!

I have to make a confession and say I didn't even know it was the Queens birthday and I am sure it wasn't mentioned on the news, if it was I wasn't listening.

And Illie and Sim - superb names. :laugh:

Oh and no shoes thing - what a great idea, I love going barefoot - but only ever do it [in the past] on the way home from a drunken party!!

Gosh it all sounds so exciting. I am looking forward to further updates.


Hope all continues to go well for you all
M XXX

btw Are you aywhere near Takapuna?

Fantastic Voice...keep the updates coming! :thumbsup:

Oh I'm glad you are enjoying my waffle! I do worry that I might bore you all to death, but I'll try not to :laugh:

Islandman: I have discovered that I am one of those people who just doesn't suffer from Jet-lag and I have trouble sleeping on the flight too. We spent a couple of days at the Auckland Hilton (where the Lions are staying incidentally) which is a very comfortable place to recover indeed, but one night's sleep and I was fine, Simon and Ellie woke up early for a few days, but not me or Sam, both of us could sleep for Britain in an international sleeping contest anyway, so we were fine!

Marmy: Takapuna is a suburb of Auckland I think and we are a 7 hour drive (or 1 hour flight) from Auckland. NZ is a vast country and most palces have a good long hilly drive between them, but it's also a place of huge contrasts and the scenery is never boring, most long drives are therefore a pleasure.

Critique: Ohhh I had forgotten about the meet! I will go and check out the thread before I log off. I'm glad you had a good time though, it's one of the things I'll miss the most as I had a brilliant time on both the meets I attended, still, PJ and I have our Mini meet coming up and we do plan to visit the UK in the next 2 years, so you never know!

Today is the Queen's birthday and as you know we have a public holiday (bonkers!) Ellie is at the cinema with her new friend and Sam is here with his buddy from school. But unlike the UK the post office is still open as is pretty much everything else, except the bank. Post is 'mail' here and get's delivered by a bloke who looks like the shorts wearing 'mailman' on Neighbours! We have to collect it from what looks like a bird box on a stick at the end of the drive :) Recycling is massive here and we get collections for everything, which is great, we also have to pay a dollar for every 5kg of non-recycle rubbish we put out for collection, you buy $1 stickers and each 5kg bag has to have a sticker on it before it's collected. It's a great way of encouraging recycling.

Flippy: Me? and netball? are you mad woman???? I'm 5ft tall :laugh: I'll stick to the running if it's all the same to you, but I am getting out and meeting lots of people, so don't worry.

Am really loving 'Superstars of treasure Island' (Survivor with another name!) last night the bloke who won the Irish version of Treasure Island was sent home and they tribes have now merged leaving just six of them, five men and one woman. It's a great show :)

I love reading your posts about NZ life, Jo. It really does sound like you guys are having a ball. And check Sam and Ellie out with their new friends already! Fantastic!

Cheers PJ :)

Well it's not every day that you have to move a praying mantis off the washing line before you can hang your washing out is it?! In fact I had to ask Simon to identify it before I'd even consider touching it! Weird lookin things.... aren't they the beasts that eat their partner after mating? I'll have to look it up! :laugh:

Actually NZ is great as we have hardly any scary monsters to worry about, no snakes at all and only one poisonous spider (white tailed spider) which is pretty small although the bite can cause nasty ulcers apparently. They are house spiders and will get into laundry etc, but I haven't seen one yet. We do have one other nasty spider, called a 'Katipo' (and related to the Australian red-back) although apparently no one has ever seen one in the wild! and as you get a time limit of something like three days to get the anti-venom (if you can find anyone that has any!) it's not that bad! The guide books tell you that if you get bitten you will be 'a legend' in New Zealand and to ''get help once you have finished boasting!"

:D This is fab VOR, although you're making me want to visit NZ.

Praying Mantis's do eat their partners after they have mated. I don't know why though. Seems a bit harsh to me :D

We had Praying Mantis in North Carolina, and they are definitely bizarre looking things.

Glad you seem to have settled in well Jo, I understand totally what it's like moving from one country to another as I have done it twice. Exciting though. :)

Ooeer Voice, just seen on your "location" bit....New Zealand.
Sounds a bit strange, I still can't believe you are all the way the other side of the world, it's surreal.

:D This is fab VOR, although you're making me want to visit NZ.

Praying Mantis's do eat their partners after they have mated. I don't know why though. Seems a bit harsh to me :D

Gel, there is an open invitation for anyone who ventures to NZ from SO to bunk down 'chez Voice' so if you get the urge give us a shout! :)

Re: the Praying Mantis post coital snacking habits, well, it does seem harsh, but they may have a point... (I was going to say something rude then, but you'll be pleased to know I resisted ;) )

Yeah I know Tiggs, it's a funny time for us really, but apart from missing friends, which is understandable, I can honestly say that we are really happy here, though it's early days of course. I'll be happier still once we get into our new house next week though! :)

Tea and toast. I've had both today, but that's an anomaly really.

In the village I get rice, egg, beans and tortillas. A LOT.

cheerio!

Praying Mantis's do eat their partners after they have mated. I don't know why though. Seems a bit harsh to me


Well, after he's done his bit. What else would she need him for? Sounds fair enough to me.

Voice, our friends are off round the world next week and are going to NZ, the parts they are doing are:

Wellington, Martinborough, Napier, Lake Taupo, Rotorua, Whitianga then Auckland before going to the Cook Islands.

Are you near any of these places?

Well, after he's done his bit. What else would she need him for? Sounds fair enough to me.

Mowing the lawn???................;)

Bella, Lake Taupo and Rotorua are both fairly close together and bout a three hour drive from here. We visited both when we did our tour (Rotorua is the Maori heartland of NZ) and I fell in love with Lake Taupo, which formed in the wake of a volcanic eruption. It's a beautidul area and one of great gepthermal acticity so they can see Geysers, volcanoes and hot bubbling mud pools there. I should however warn them that Roturoa smells of rotting eggs due to the sulpher! Still pretty though!

It's also winter here and we have had two very frosty mornings (I almost cried in the freezing cold bathroom yesterday!) so they may well get snow on the snow fields of Taupo.

We're just back from a visit to Chicago and we can't help comparing life there with life here. Here are some of my thoughts on it.

Introvert/Extravert.

I think many of the differences between Brits and Americans and their lifestyles can be explained by Americans by and large being highly extraverted people and the British being more introverted.

Consumerism

The US is a consumer society. Strip Malls abound, people there are affluent by our standards, and shopping and eating out is a way of life. People enjoy buying things and items are being constantly replaced.

Space

Much more room there. Bigger houses, usable basements, 'fridges and washing machines are huge, so much more practical.

Common Interests.

THe Americans always seem to be able to find a common point of interest to discuss. Often it's the weather (as it's so variable). In Chicago everyone - men, women, kids, can spend ages talking about the Cubs or Sox performance and know a lot about the players.

Americans don't do irony.

Maybe they don't but maybe they don't need to. I was put in my place in a restaurant we visited. The waitress did the usual 'Hi I'm your server' bit, then asked if we had any questions. I switched into ironic mode and said 'Yes - who was the first president of the United States?' She gave me a funny look and said 'George Washington, Sir'. I thought that one worked well, so later, after what was clearly a recording of an opera singer belting out 'Happy Birthday' was played to a customer somewhere behind us, I told her that I enjoyed her singing (me being ironic again you see). To which she replied 'Thank you , would you like me to sing for you?' 'Go ahead' I said, calling her bluff. She took two steps back, cleared her throat, and in the most wonderful operatic voice sang us a beautiful Pucchini Aria which had everyone at the table in tears.

Brilliant Sf, love that story.

SF is it like North Carolina in Chicago, in the fact that absolutely no-one walks anywhere?

In North Carolina it's just not safe to walk along the roads as you would be the only one doing it.

Also my mailbox was a quarter of mile from my house, because we were that far back from the road, and I never walked to it. I used to ride my golf cart. Not because I was lazy, but because most of the time it was so stinking hot and it was along a sandy and grassy path and there were snakes galore. I only walked anywhere if I had my dog with me to frighten the snakes away. Putting the washing out on the line was a chore also, as there were fire ant nests and snakes to look out for then. I stood in a fire ant nest once and my leg felt it was on fire after those ants had finished with me.

SF is it like North Carolina in Chicago, in the fact that absolutely no-one walks anywhere?

You see lots of people walking, but never to get from A to B, it's always speed-walking-for-exercise. If you're actually going somewhere you drive even if it's just round the corner. But the sidewalks are great - every street has one, they're always wide, and you can bike on them.

The thing with the States that will always stay in my memory bank is nipping out for a bag of crisps and coming back with a sack full! Nothing is small and convinient over there...it's bulk or nothing!

When we lived in Florida, we used to get possum's in the back garden, scarey little buggers that they are.

And there was one spot down the road they used to get in the bins, and when you drove past all you could see were their heads poking out of the swing top:w00t:

To which she replied 'Thank you , would you like me to sing for you?' 'Go ahead' I said, calling her bluff. She took two steps back, cleared her throat, and in the most wonderful operatic voice sang us a beautiful Pucchini Aria which had everyone at the table in tears.

I am almost crying at this - brilliant, god I love Americans!!:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

Brilliant story SF! :laugh:

And Tiggs and Andrea, more tales of America please, I love hearing them :)

We have possums here too, but I have only ever seen them spread-eagled on the road as yet!

One of the most noticable things here is how trusting people are. I was in a sports shop in town yesterday and there was a woman buying football boots in front of me, she was having trouble deciding which pair to buy so the guy in the shop suggested that she take them both home and let her son see which pair he wanted, "Ok" she said "I'll pay you for them and then bring one back" to which the guy replied, "Nah, just take them and bring back the ones you don't want, you can pay me then" So the woman left the shop with two unpaid for pairs of boots! I mentioned this to my English friend who lives out here too and she said that's quite common, she's even been told to bring furniture home to see how it looks before now!

Simon, Sam and I are all doing our 'Road Code' theory tests next week, bet I fail mine! :blush:

Voice! You did it!
Wow it doesn't seem so long ago that you were thinking about it and now you've actually done it :)
I worked in Australia and New Zealand (Auckland) for 4 years and had a blast.
It was the distance that got me in the end, and the fact that I was pregnant! Needed to come home and be with my family for the trauma that was being pregnant the first time. :blush:
I hope you really enjoy life out there.

I did Trique! D'you know sometimes I can hardly believe it myself. I'll be walking along the street, glance up at a tropical palm and think "Wow, I actually LIVE in New Zealand!" it gives me a buzz every time (yeah I know, sad cow aren't I!) :laugh:

I was relieved to pass my driving theory test this morning and I now have my NZ licence. We had a year to convert the UK ones but it kind of hangs over your head until you do it and as Sam takes his Wednesday (his 15th birthday) we thought we'd all revise at once! Simon passed too so the pressure is on Sam ;)

Sam is looking so much better, he is fuller in the face and feels generally better. He's on the second week of his reducing steroids and it's had a huge effect on his appetite which is brilliant, we won't be able to afford to keep him at this rate! :)

Well done Voice for passing your driving test:thumbsup:

I remember doing mine in the states.
The theory was on a computer and I was surrounded by 16 year old kids taking their's. I thought if I can't pass this I never can.
I always remeber there being lots of questions about how fast you should go,or whether to stop around a school bus. If I remember rightly it depended on what side of the road you were on:huh:

And the practical was a joke. I had to park the car, drive up a really quiet road and then back again, and that was it:ohmy:


Good to hear Sam's doing well.

Glad to hear your driving test went well Jo. :)

Andrea :ohmy: Your driving test sounds exactly the same as mine. I remember well the school bus questions on my test. They take up the majority of the test if I remember rightly. Then the examiner got in the car with me. I had never drove in the States before and didn't even have a British license at the time. I was also in an automatic. She said drive up that road, (and we are talking no vehicles around for miles type roads) and do a three point turn. I asked her "how do you do that"? and she said put the car in reverse and so forth. She talked me all the way through the three point turn and then said to me drive back to the test center (less than quarter of a mile) and said "ok, you have passed". I got my license and drove home. :wacko: It still makes me laugh, especially when I think of taking the British driving test when I got back over here.

Congratulations Voice! :thumbsup:

Wow...I can imagine you pinching yourself every now and again.....it must still all seem a little surreal!

Glad to hear the whole family is settling in so well :)

Yep its great to keep updated with your new life Voicey.

I really admire what you all have done, and hope everything runs smoothly, but not without bits of nice excitement :)

Just don't run off and join the Mongrels will you ? :)

M

Just don't run off and join the Mongrels will you ? :)

M

Marmy are they the 'toughest' gang in the world?? Mr F popped his head round the door last night and said that the 'hardest gang' in the world hailed from NZ and lived in Christchurch. Is that them then??

And V - have you heard of them? Are they really bad? I was wondering about this and thought the Chinese gangs and some of the American gangs would be harder than the Kiwi gangs - somehow it doesn't seem right. Does anyone know anything about them?

Flip

I wouldn't worry, there was a programme on TV about the gangs, Black Power and the Mongrel Mob. They seem to be like the small time old Hell's Angels type gang and most of their fighting seems to be amongst themselves. They were a right bunch of weirdos tho.

Luckily, most of em are easy to spot!

M

http://www.backpack-newzealand.com/nz/files/mob2.jpg

Good heavens he is a scarey looking character - isn't he?? Yeah Marms your right I would not get him confused with a regular Kiwi!!

Oh that guy looks like me after a heavy night out.

Jo, congrats on passing your driving test! I still reckon you should wait til Sam passes his so that you can have your very own chauffeur! :w00t:
And that's brilliant news that Sam is looking/feeling better.

Yes, the Black Power and Mongrel Mob (I'm told) have a presence in most towns in NZ. But they keep their fighting between themselves. I don't really know anything more about them and they are not an obvious presence, but no, I won't be joining them!

I am slowly learning about Maori culture and customs, which are fascinating. The Eastlands (where we live) have the highest population of Maoris in New Zealand so the Maori way of life is very relevent to us here. Simon and I are both planning to take one of the Maori language courses run by the local college.

Well our boy is 15 today and will be taking him to the driving test centre straight from school to do his theory test, which, if he passes, will enable him to start lessons with an instructor. Six months after that he can take a test for his 'restricted' licence which means that he will be able to drive alone or with a quallified driver (but not mates etc) between the hours of 6am and 10pm. They then take the last part of the test at 17 as in the UK. He's very excited about it all!

Actually though I have to say that the theory test and 'Gisborne driving' are two totally different beasts! You need your wits about you as no one seems to be too sure about what to do at a roundabout for a start! We drive on the left here, same as in the UK and most driving rules are the same. Except one. It's a weird thing but if you are turning left at an intersection or from a main road into a side road and someone comes towards you and wants to turn right across your path, then they have Right of Way, it would be a good rule (in that it keeps the traffic moving) except that nine times out of ten when you stop, someone behind you will undertake you and head into the path of the car you stopped for! Mind you, Gisborne is hardly what you'd call busy, 3 cars is a traffic jam and there's always a parking space to be found!

Anyway, we are off out to dinner tonight to celebrate Sam's birthday. Gisborne has brilliant restaurants and the food is lovely and also really cheap by UK standards. We'll raise a glass to you all :)

Have a great time tonight Voice and a very Happy Birthday to Sam, fingers crossed he passed his test today!

Thanks Ils, I passed on the birthday wishes, and he passed his test. He's now eyeing up my 2 week old Rav4 and wondering where the 'L' plates will look best :unsure:

Aww Happy Birthday to Sam, and congrats to him for passing his test.:thumbsup:

Voicey rang me this morning for a catch up - it was great to here her voice - hah it was very reasonable!! :smartie: :laugh:

Her furniture finally arrived after its epic journey over the high seas. So she is busy unpacking and unpacking and unpacking.

Sadly as she is wanting Broadband, there is to be a 20 day wait - so she cannot get online for the duration, unless she gets out to an internet cafe.

And poor V who loves the heat and sun has had temps over in NZ about half the temps here - so we have been a little bit luckier weather wise so far.

Actually though I have to say that the theory test and 'Gisborne driving' are two totally different beasts! You need your wits about you as no one seems to be too sure about what to do at a roundabout for a start! We drive on the left here, same as in the UK and most driving rules are the same.

Well done to the family VoR for passing your tests.
Another thing Voice about NZ driving is that you have to park your car in the direction of travel. I found it a pain at times having to drive past a parking spot on the right hand side of the road, turn round further up and drive back down only to find that someone jumped in there before me :wallbash: (I love these new smilies!)
I'm the sure the weather will pick up, it's bound to be a bit chilly this time of the year, but the weather has gone crazy everywhere recently.
My parents live in the French Alps and have never known such bizarre weather as the past couple of years. No snow at the height of season and then bucket loads towards the end. They are foil wrapping some of the glaciers to protect them- this is true!
And here in the UK we are having gloriously hot days, but then yesterday were a bit chilly and I even put the heating on Thursday night.
Bet you can’t wait for your broadband.

Singapore.

Every law there is there for a reason, examples:

1) It is not illegal to eat chewing gum there. It is illegal to SELL it. Why? When the subway was built, kids put gum over the electronic sensors and by huge public demand, the law was introduced to stop the disruption. The government responded to the wishes of the people.

2) Illegal to spit in Singapore. Why? It is a hangover from older Chinese culture to have a good, and extremely loud, long and theatrical gob in the mornings, usually in the street gutter (imagine a 10 minute throat clearing excercise building up to it). It was offensive to locals and tourists, of questionable hygiene, and the government again responded to public demand to try stamp it out.

Just thought I would mention these as I lived there and found it to be a very agreeable place.