Differences and Similarities

To start this post my original thought was to do a "pro/con New Zealand list", then I realized I would rather point out the differences than write down negatives about this amazing country.

Differences:

They don't have Ketchup(American). They have tomato sauce. No, it is not the same, and as a matter of fact anyone who tells you they are the same- has either never had both, or is a dirty liar.

Driving on the left side of the road. Luckily I haven't had to do much driving- some driving, but mostly in rural areas. Apparently my drivers license is valid here! Who'd have thought.

Vowels. Ooooh the vowels are different. It is one of the main features to a New Zealand accent. Soft "I" as in six is a hard "e". Soft "e" sounds like soft "I". Mind you I'm a Mississippian who has been known to skew vowels, but it is making it hard to understand some people. Not all, not even most, but some people.

Illegal to hit your kids. Kid acting up? Thinking about spanking him? Could cost you jail time if little Timmy has evidence to take to the police.

Guns. So many places to go with this. When I tell people I own gun, they look at me with bewilderment. "You can just go buy a semi-automatic rifle....." "That's insane" "why would you ever want one" "are all Americans like you?" It's as if many of these people expect that I've shot people in cold blood. Totally opposite from the typical South US view.

Internet. People's payment plan and data might change but most of them are similar from what I've seen. You "top up" each month and purchase your amount of usage. However many gigs that might be. If you run low you "top up" again and can use more Internet. From what I've seen people don't have infinite Internet. And I've been at some pretty "flash" houses.

Lingo. Lord-a-mighty there's a ton of it. Flash means cool. You have to end every sentence with "hey" or "aay" to make sure the person heard you. A torch is a flashlight. Togs are trunks aka swimsuit. Jandals are sandals (most of their sandals come from Japan... Japan + sandals = jandals). Rubbish can either mean trash the item(s) or it can be a stand alone adjective. To many to think of now. This might be a running theme.

Air conditioning. Nobody has it. Like nobody. Really flash houses just have an abundance of windows. The breeze can get so legit that you usually don't want one. However I've also noticed that it'll be like 75 and a breeze and people will want to put on a jumper(sweater) and complain about how cold it is.

Washer and dryer? More like washer and clothes line. Sure hostels have dryers but the people who live here don't. I've done a good amount of laundry while here, and so far only two of my host have had dryers, and they don't use them. (I should mention that my cross section of NZ so far has been thorough.) It's not at all like people of lesser means don't have dryers and people with greater income use them everyday. Even those families I've stayed with who were better off don't use them. A total waist to them a drier seems. The sun and breeze are right there... Why not use them.

Recycling. Now don't get all upset. Yes a lot of Americans recycle, I know, I know, I know. Good for you and I'm proud of you. But here.... EVERYBODY, EVERYTHING, ALWAYS- seriously. It's logical, useful, healthy for the environment... And people actually do it...

I'm sure I'm missing scores of differences but these are the big ones that have stood out to me over the last month. None really negative, just different.

I hope you enjoyed the read. Keep the emails coming I love to hear from home and stay in touch if possible. Got questions? Suggestions for my next writing subject? Email me!

Stevegoesabroad@gmail.com

Take care y'all!
Steve