MORE OBSERVATIONS ON US/NZ DIFFERENCES

Several people have asked me lately what sorts of things we're noticing that differ from home. Practically everything! It's hard to quantify, but I'll start compiling a list here. The main thing is that a lot of stuff is similar, but everything is just different enough that it requires a lot of mental energy to figure it out. More so than it seems should be required. Like the fact that it took us a couple of days to figure out that an ATM card is called "EFTPOS" here. And this is (supposedly) a shared language! How did I set up basic things like bank accounts when I lived abroad in Germany? I do remember being exhausted by such things back then. Even trips to the grocery store can be challenging, searching around for familiar foods and trying to figure out what the unfamiliar ones are. It really sheds some light on the life of an immigrant. But it is fun, too. There's nothing like completely turning your world upside down to give you a different perspective on life.

A few basic differences:

GROCERY WORDS
capsicum=bell pepper
long black=shot of espresso
flat white=espresso with steamed milk and foam
trim milk=skim milk
trundle=shopping cart
nappie=diaper
maxi pad=notebook of paper
fillet (fill-et)=fillet (fill-ay)
rocket=arugula
beetroot=beet
linseed=flax seed
sultana=raisin
rubbish=garbage
lollies=candy
supper=dessert
tea=dinner
morning/afternoon tea=coffee break
kumara=sweet potato
home bottling=canning (as in vegetables)
veges=veggies
hapaka=groper
serviette=napkin
Marmite=gross!

Since I'm on the subject of food...We've finally found a good fishmonger in town, so we're enjoying trying the local cod and look forward to the famous local mussels and yummy looking salmon. Eggs are not refrigerated here, they have a zillion types of bacon and other suspicious-looking meats, and the pet food is kept in the meat section. Flavours for such things as potato chips (crisps) and pizza toppings seem hugely bizarre to us. Chicken flavoured potato crisps (which taste like the seasoning packets of ramen noodles), prosciutto and brie crisps, steak crisps... And corn and brie for pizza. Interesting stuff.

I think the Old El Paso company does a booming business abroad. I never see or buy their stuff at home, but just as it was in Germany it is the only attempt at Mexican food here. We've heard that a good way to make friends here is to invite folks over for Mexican food. We'll be challenged, though. I searched every aisle in the grocery store yesterday for black beans but to no avail...

That's enough on the food subject for now. Other things:

EVERY DAY WORDS
toilet=bathroom
wee=little
good on you=well done, good job
give way=yield
holiday=vacation
dear=expensive
takeaway=to go
dockets=coupon
college=high school
tramping=hiking
bach=beach house
petrol=gasoline
boot=trunk of car

OK, ok, I know that a lot of these are widely used in British-influenced countries. But it's strange to be using these terms on an every day basis.

I'll add just a few more oddities before I go back to job hunting for the day. Instead of central heating, Kiwis tend to use space heaters and heat their beds with electric blankets and/or hotties (hot water bottles). John's concerned that I won't make it through the winter since I'm already putting my blanet on full blast and it's the middle of summer.

There are a few unusual give way (yield) traffic laws here, and we have to remain super vigilant about them. The main difference (other than driving on the other side of the road and using roundabouts) is that if you're turning left (remember, that's like a right turn for most of you reading this) and an oncoming car is turning right at the same time YOU have to give way to the oncoming car. Yeah, weird. It's taking some getting used to.

Finally, just a bit about TV, since I've been asked frequently about that, too. It really runs the gamut. All of the cheesy US shows are here (including some weird beach soap opera things I've never seen or heard of before) and some of the goodies, such as the Simpsons, King of the Hill, American Idol (I know, that's debatable for some)...and the Daily Show is coming soon!

They are also fans of infomercials. There are several Australian shows, including some show called B Team (I think) which would never make it back home, and we've stumbled upon some very unusual British shows, including Little Britain, which is a sketch comedy show with a very different humour than we'd see back home. Happily for us (since we just started watching it before we left the States), the revival of Dr. Who is playing here.

We're really not trying to watch much tv, but it is interesting to see what's available. There's a Maori station that shows everything from Maori dance competitions to "Pippi Longstocking" in Maori. There's a local Southland station that supports the technical school here. And I've been keeping up on the news with various news shows from NZ and Australia. BBC News is shown here, too, but I'm not going to get up in the middle of the night to watch it.

The weirdest thing was when I turned the radio on Saturday morning and they were playing "Prairie Home Companion"!

All right, off to exercise and look for jobs...