Container delivery day and some thoughts on the last 9 months

[Duncan74]

Well after 9 months and a few days my container is arriving in an hour. So in the calm before the storm some brief thoughts / observations.

1) Moving to NZ isn't retirement or a magic wand for all that you're not happy with. Come over here with that mentality and you'll struggle. Whilst there's a whole lot that suits me better than my life in the UK, I still go to work, still have some frustrations and there's still things that you see or hear that are part of real life and not the utopia that some expect, hope for, believe from the 'adverts'.

2) Moving over without your partner is not easy and makes settling harder. I've written about this before, so won't go into it too much more, but for those considering heading off ahead of their OH whilst jobs/house sales are sorted be prepared for a struggle.

3) Your life will change. The activities you did, the car you drive, the way you live your life will change. Or rather attempting to replicate life from the UK (and I say UK as that's where I was from, may apply to other places too) is perhaps going to make the adaptation harder. Yes there's comfort from familarity, but after that firt month of wandering around the supermarket not knowing what food to buy as none of it looks quite 'right' then you get used to it. The yoghurt stops tasting funny, you understand the difference between the 11 different types of milk that you are faced with, you realise that the small economical Pug 106 that you brought over is fricking scary to drive when surrounded by Pajeros/Land Cruisers and Hilux's which is what will normally be around you (possibly different in AKL/Wellington?)

4) I am now a Kiwi because:
I have a truck
I have walked to work in bare feet
I have had a client meeting wearing shorts
I am in a dragon boat racing squad
I was unhappy as my cafe coffee arrived in 4 minutes yesterday which was way too quick as I wanted to relax before it arrived in the expected 15 minutes.


5) I am clearly not Kiwi because:
I've not dared to have a BBQ
I spent 10 minutes pulling splinters out of my feet after walking to work in bare feet and then needing to run back as at 2pm the pavement was too hot to walk on.
I have been to a client meeting in a pin stripe suit and had 8 clients sat in shorts taking the pi$$ out of me in my suit.
I don't have a kayak/jetski/boat (although that's changing after my sea kayak course in a fortnight).

[JandM]

to points 4 and 5.

[sophiedb]

Brilliant

[gorstsmit]

Great post. Would you say though, considering life has changed, it has changed for the better on the whole?

Obviously it's subjective, but if you could pinpoint one thing that makes it worthwhile for you, what do you think it would be?

[ralf-nz]

Good on ye


However

4) I am now a Kiwi because: I have a truck

It wouldn't be a ute, would it?

[magcats]

More! Encore! Encore! Duncan, how do you like living in Tauranga, specifically?

[benandclare]

sweet as

[Duncan74]

Seruis replies later, total chaos here.

But 2 that I forgot

I am kiwi because
I speak the language - I say yeah yeah yeah, no. I did try a Bro' once, but it really didn't work.

I am not Kiwi

Because I don't speak the language. Attempting to buy a bin bag at briscoes I was told they only sold full ones or the things to fill them. Seemed a little odd, but after further discussion for over a minute I realised she was attempting to sell me a bean bag.

[Dave in NZ]

Seruis replies later, total chaos here.

But 2 that I forgot

I am kiwi because
I speak the language - I say yeah yeah yeah, no. I did try a Bro' once, but it really didn't work.

I am not Kiwi

Because I don't speak the language. Attempting to buy a bin bag at briscoes I was told they only sold full ones or the things to fill them. Seemed a little odd, but after further discussion for over a minute I realised she was attempting to sell me a bean bag.

reminds me when the lady came around to measure the curtains and she asked if I had a pin, so i said would a drawing pin be ok and she said fine so i got her my box of drawing pins and then i realised she meant pen and we had a good laugh about it.

[shelscrape]

9 months for your container? Crumbs that's a long time. Clearly beacuse I still say "crumbs" I am not yet a kiwi but I am working on it .... I have a huuuge Honda Odyssey, I wear shorts to church, I spend weekends at the beach. Still very much a work in progress I know .... but i will get there