Anniversary Roast Beast

Wendy and John invited us to their 7th anniversary party at their house in Christchurch. Wendy is a longtime friend of my buddy Analyn, and they have a commonality of being from the Phillipines. John, a captain of an ice breaking ship, was a super cool American expat with the task of traveling out to Antarctica and Chile with research scientists for 3 month long research treks. Neat stories! I learned that fresh water ice is super strong and can break ships in two like the Titanic, whereas saltwater ice is softer and can be broken up by the ship's metal hull. Wendy and John bought a full roast pig to the party, a common Phillipino party food. My son Zack was troubled, and kept asking how the pig died and why they killed it and if its family of piggies missed it. He almost cried and buried his head in my arms. Maybe he will grow up to be a vegetarian like Aunt Rebecca? We had a blast and had a great time mixing with Analyn's crew and trying new foods. Mike, even though he is Jewish, had some delicious roast beast. A very cool party!

Assimilation signs

We have lived in NZ for almost a year. ben and Zack have become quite used to NZ ways. Below are some signs that my kids are becoming Kiwis. 1. They run around barefoot. No shoes needed- it's NZ! 2. Ending most sentences with "aye?" 3. Asking for marmite and butter sandwiches. Grosses me out. 4. Being embarrassed by their peanut and butter sandwiches. Too weird. They are much happier with Nutella. 5. Asking to "tidy up" their toys, not clean up. 6. Doing the haka dance at school and going to a marae. 7. Asking for biscuits with Milo for morning tea. 8. Singing the NZ national anthem. 9. Owning a foam cricket bat. 10. Making wooden sculptures with nails and a hammer during discovery time at school. 11. Petting sheep is commonplace, like petting a cat. 12. Razor scootering, rick climbing, and zip lining on a flying fox are normal kid stuff. 13. Injuries are fixed with " plasters" , not Bandaids. 14. Playing with old cabbage tree leaves in a mock Star Wars battle is a daily occurrence. 15. Ben and Zack have learned to enjoy hot chips and chicken takeaways with tomato sauce. The kids are doing great, and are becoming more Kiwi everyday. They are still super proud of being Americans, and Zack loves parading around with our flag. Funny! Time sure flies. We moved to BZ on 2 October last year!

Kiwi House Rules

There are some things you need to know about renting in NZ: 1. Cello tape ( clear tape) is not permitted at any time on any surface. 2. If you want to hang up pictures, think again! Only those no mark 3M hangers will work. Picture hook nails will cost you most of your deposit to repair. 3. The house is always cold. Single pane glass and no central heating means it always feels like camping indoors. Wear a sweater and a blanket for breakfast. 4. Weeds grow like crazy in the NZ climate. Be prepared to learn how to garden, or else the backyard will become an overrun jungle. 5. Your house needs to be sparkling clean when you move out. Carpets must be steam cleaned and 10 hours of professional scrubbing must occur to restore the floors to a spotless gleaming state. 6. Kids and cats will damage stuff that you will end up paying for. The classic operation "De-wallpaper" the rental house cost me 800 in Palmerston North to repair. 7. Moving islands costs like crazy, so you should choose north or South Island and remain there in NZ. Alternatively, you can sell off everything on Trademe and just take the $300 ferry ride inter islander. 8. Toilets and bathrooms are not the same. A toilet will just be like a closet with a toilet in it, and a bathroom will have sink, shower, and bath, but no toilet. Puzzling.... 9. Houses lack screen doors on windows, and this is OK. Very few biting insects can fly in NZ. 10. Kiss your deposit goodbye- in the last 3 moves in NZ, I have yet to only receive $400 total back from my thousands of dollars of deposits. Sigh. They inspect for damages and cello tape infractions every 3 months, so be prepared to do a deep scrubbing every 12 weeks. In NZ, the landlord rules over you. Best just to accept this and move on.