Successful first year

[Hagabel]

We have been here 1 yr almost to the day and cannot believe how fast it has gone.

Kids, 4 and 6 then, 9 yr old lab and hubby and I moved from the East Coast DC to a great, smaller town in the Waikato. 2 new jobs, rental and new schools (first school for youngest) and quite a big culture shock.
Fast forward 1 yr, I really like my job. My husband just got promoted and with it is a really nice payrise that will allow me to drop down 1 day per week to 3 days a week (yeah) and spend more time with kids. We move into our house in 2 weeks, central heated, double glazed aka warm(!) on a decent size section.
Life is a bit crazy as we are both worling and trying to sort out packing etc. Kids are now 5/7 and LOVING NZ. They know they were born in the US but refer to themselves as Kiwis and have been enthusiastically supporting NZ in the Olympics!

Things I noticed...
Prices of certain things are horrendous, others we have got used to and found out where to shop for cheaper stuff. Online NEXT shopping is wonderful. Houses are a tad damp and chilly. Kiwis are great and it is sooo multicultural over here. Noone gives a hoot about what car you drive, where you live etc...very refreshing. Life generally is very laid back and so much less bureaucratic than the US. NZ wine is great and pretty cheap. NZ is a Loooong way from anywhere!

Only thing I miss,

Cheap shopping!

Sorry so short but busy packing!

Thanks for reading!

[JandM]

Thanks for the update, and all the best for the move.

[LVKris]

Love it. Have your kids accents fully changed yet? My kids will be 3 and 5 when we move and I cannot wait to see how their accent changes in the first year. It must be so strange. My 4 year old sometimes says words like his kiwi dad.

SO glad everything is working out so well for you! Keep us posted on the moving deal.

[kiwihusker]

Wow Hagabel, I can't believe it has already been a year. Time flies by. We move in less than a month. We are in the midst of packing too, and still tons to do!!! Good luck with the move. And congrats on the completion of your first successful year.

[ralf-nz]

A year already? Time really flies!

Glad to read that you all enjoy it here.

And who cares about having an accent? We all have - depending on where we are and/or which language we use.

[LVKris]

And who cares about having an accent? We all have - depending on where we are and/or which language we use.

I was asking if the children's accents have changed. That's all. The kids are so young that their accents tend to change so fast. I was wondering about the process of listening to them as they speak over the year. After hearing your children speak with an American accent and then infusing the Kiwi accent as they change must be so interesting.

[jawnbc]

icksillant. I mean, excellent

[Hagabel]

Yes their accents have changed. 5 yr old still has a twang at times or if he gets tired, 7 yr old sounds kiwi or a bit english. I am losing my US accent apparently.

[sophiedb]

I was asking if the children's accents have changed. That's all. The kids are so young that their accents tend to change so fast. I was wondering about the process of listening to them as they speak over the year. After hearing your children speak with an American accent and then infusing the Kiwi accent as they change must be so interesting.

Our DD was 3.5yr when we moved from the UK - now Miss 5 sounds more Kiwi than her dad (who spent 13 or so years overseas)!

[Sun777]

Congrats on completing first year and wishing all the best for more fun ahead !!