Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year to everyone!
Thank you for all of your concern about us and the earthquake that happened in Christchurch 2 days ago. We are fine and it was about 6 hours south of us, so we didn't feel it at all. With that said, our heart goes out to all of those that did experience it right before the holidays.
We miss everyone so much, especially on this day, but hope everyone has a beautiful holiday, and we can't wait to spend the next one home.
We also hoped to blog a bit more before we left for our journey to the Heaphy track, but we chose an unconventional hostel called Shambhala, which was like a yoga retreat, and they were about 2k off of the road on the beach, and had no internet. It was a lovely place to spend Christmas eve but it would have been nice to talk to some family before the hike. Now we are sitting in a parking lot to grab some internet quick to wish everyone a happy holiday. We are leaving in about a half an hour, and will return in 4-5 days! Talk to you then!
Cheers!
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Chapter 2!
So we have decided to go our separate ways, Jeff and I, and Beth, Adam, and Nick. We moved out of our house on Atawhai Crescent this morning, and it was sad to leave a warm bed, and hot shower behind, but this is chapter 2 of our trip, and it was off to a great start with a Pizza Hut pizza and Jeff's and my first viewing of "Ghost". Super cheesy, but hard not to love.
Jeff and I both had work today, he in the orchards from 7-5, and I at the airport from 7-2. I don't like working at the airport during the day, with all of the very bossy bosses, but I reckon it was my last shift there. I was called to work 2 more days at the Nelson City Council Cafe! I am so excited! Ironically enough though I was asked to Christmas lunch at 623 with my lunch buddies from the Council on Thursday, but cannot make it because I will be working at their cafe! Most of them will be there Friday to have lunch with me before we head south, but I think Lorraine (my former boss) and Jillian (her super sweet sister) will both be absent. I am just so happy to have been asked to work. It's an extra $150 before we leave Nelson, and it gives me something to do while Jeff is in the orchards, because the alternative is quite boring. (Side note: All people working in New Zealand receive holiday pay either annually or at the end of any contract. Holiday pay is 8% of your earnings in that position, so I will receive another almost $200 from that! Yahoo!) Because we are out of the house as of today, Jeff and I opted to camp at a nearby site for the next 4 nights while we finish up work here. That means tomorrow, Wednesday, will be spent puttering around town until Jeff is done work. I might go to yoga or for a nice long hike, but we are not sure what the shower situation is at the camp site, and working out 3 days before you'll see your next shower is never wise. Needless to say the library offers free wireless, so I will use the extra time to send out some e-mails before the holidays, blog before our Christmas hike, and skype with the family.
So we finally have our itinerary for the next few weeks (this is mostly for my parents who can refer back to this if they begin to wonder why they cannot get a hold of me for a few days at at time! Love you!)
I am so looking forward to a new adventure despite the fact that the sunshine has returned to Nelson. Knowing that we can come back to Nelson is a great feeling. Telling the temp agency I was leaving made us both very sad, but it is time to move forward, and we can always holiday in Nelson just like the real Kiwis.
Final, random note: New Zealand has something called Ginger Beer. It is my new obsession. It is sort of like ginger ale, but way better. It is more opaque, but still has carbonation, and has a really strong ginger taste. It is amazing and addictive. It is unique in that it is the only non-alcoholic beverage here that is brewed by many beer companies, but the best of them isn't from a beer company, it is called Bundaberg Ginger Beer. I am not sure if you could get anything comparable in the states, but I may have to bring some home. Please tell me if you've seen anything like this at home!!!... (update: after looking online it looks like you might be able to find ginger beer in places like Trader Joe's or Whole Foods!)
Cheers!
Jeff and I both had work today, he in the orchards from 7-5, and I at the airport from 7-2. I don't like working at the airport during the day, with all of the very bossy bosses, but I reckon it was my last shift there. I was called to work 2 more days at the Nelson City Council Cafe! I am so excited! Ironically enough though I was asked to Christmas lunch at 623 with my lunch buddies from the Council on Thursday, but cannot make it because I will be working at their cafe! Most of them will be there Friday to have lunch with me before we head south, but I think Lorraine (my former boss) and Jillian (her super sweet sister) will both be absent. I am just so happy to have been asked to work. It's an extra $150 before we leave Nelson, and it gives me something to do while Jeff is in the orchards, because the alternative is quite boring. (Side note: All people working in New Zealand receive holiday pay either annually or at the end of any contract. Holiday pay is 8% of your earnings in that position, so I will receive another almost $200 from that! Yahoo!) Because we are out of the house as of today, Jeff and I opted to camp at a nearby site for the next 4 nights while we finish up work here. That means tomorrow, Wednesday, will be spent puttering around town until Jeff is done work. I might go to yoga or for a nice long hike, but we are not sure what the shower situation is at the camp site, and working out 3 days before you'll see your next shower is never wise. Needless to say the library offers free wireless, so I will use the extra time to send out some e-mails before the holidays, blog before our Christmas hike, and skype with the family.
So we finally have our itinerary for the next few weeks (this is mostly for my parents who can refer back to this if they begin to wonder why they cannot get a hold of me for a few days at at time! Love you!)
- Wednesday - Friday of this week: we are finishing up work in Nelson and camping by the Maitai river.
- Saturday the 24th: We will drive up to Golden Bay that evening and stay in a hostel Christmas Eve so we can finally shower and cook up a nice, big meal before our 4 day hike!
- Sunday 25th - Wednesday 28th: Hiking the Heaphy track. It is 4 days and 3 nights camping in the forest so I will not have any form of contact with the United States these 4 days, but the night of the 28th we should be staying in a hostel, so I should have internet then.
- Thursday 29th - Friday 30th: We are hitchhiking (don't worry is is super safe here, and a lot of backpackers see the entire 2 islands by hitchhiking) back up to Golden Bay, so this may take up to 2 days, hopefully not. Jeff's motorcycle may be in Nelson so we may drive back there to pick it up.
- Friday 30th - Sunday 1st: Headed to Greymouth to meet up with our friend Markus and celebrate New Years at his hostel, and do some exploring of the area, and for Jeff's sake hope we come across some giant waves for him to jump in.
- Monday 2nd - roughly Thursday 5th: Heading down the West Coast for some beach camping and frolicking and other tourist stops along the way. We hope to also stop to see the Fox Glaciers (I believe there are other glaciers on the coast as well), and maybe so some sort of hike around them. They are supposed to be amazing, but very touristy as well. We plan to be in Queenstown by the 5th, and settle into a place (and find an awesome job) by the end of the week! :)
I am so looking forward to a new adventure despite the fact that the sunshine has returned to Nelson. Knowing that we can come back to Nelson is a great feeling. Telling the temp agency I was leaving made us both very sad, but it is time to move forward, and we can always holiday in Nelson just like the real Kiwis.
Final, random note: New Zealand has something called Ginger Beer. It is my new obsession. It is sort of like ginger ale, but way better. It is more opaque, but still has carbonation, and has a really strong ginger taste. It is amazing and addictive. It is unique in that it is the only non-alcoholic beverage here that is brewed by many beer companies, but the best of them isn't from a beer company, it is called Bundaberg Ginger Beer. I am not sure if you could get anything comparable in the states, but I may have to bring some home. Please tell me if you've seen anything like this at home!!!... (update: after looking online it looks like you might be able to find ginger beer in places like Trader Joe's or Whole Foods!)
Cheers!
Friday, December 16, 2011
Coffee for Dummies
I stumbled upon this article (actually using stumbleupon.com), which highlights some of the seriousness that I was trying to convey about Kiwis and their coffee. The middle gets a little dull, but towards the end there is an informative list of drinks that I tried to explain in a previous post.
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Rain, rain go away!
It has been raining hard here in Nelson since Tuesday afternoon (It is now Thursday night). At first I thought that Nelson Kiwis were just afraid of the cloudy, wet days, but I soon realized why they are so frightened of the rain. When you are living in valleys and along rivers a little rain goes a long way. The rain, which would be harmless in Delco, PA, has caused really bad mudslides that have blocked roads and ruined homes. Here is a link to some pictures, but I hope to get some of my own tomorrow Flood Pics. We aren't in any danger, but it has been awful for some Nelson residents, and Jeff hasn't had work for 2 days because of flooding of the orchards. The rain has slowed, and hopefully will cease tonight, so everything can start to return to normal, and Summer can come!
So i mentioned before I took pictures of Nelson last weekend to give readers a glimpse of what the streets are like. On my Flickr site there are pictures of the view from our house and views of the Port of Nelson, and all of the beautiful bodies of water that surround us, but these following pictures are of the several streets that intersect each other to form the "city centre". (Note: These pictures are taken during a Christmas parade, the buildings, not the pirate, are there all the time)
Very cute eh? With about 40,000 people, its sufficient.
It will be a little sad to leave this place behind. Jeff has his basketball team and I have my yoga studio, and we've met a lot of people who we really like here. The only thing making this place worth leaving is the promise of more beautiful things to come! These include the 4 day Heaphy trek, spending New Years touring down the west coast, and making our way to Queenstown! Queenstown is often deemed the adventure capital of the world, and has the second tallest bungy jump in the world. We hope to get into Queenstown in a few weeks, and find a place, a job, and settle down for a couple of months at least. It has been described to us as a tourist town, and "kind of like a ski town, like Veil or something". It has affordable living accommodations for a couple, although we have been warned that most things are quite expensive there. Apparently every turn offers a beautiful, new view. Queenstown is located a bit south of the middle of the South Island and is on a very large lake, Lake Wakatipu. We hope that Queenstown offers us another side of New Zealand, because if we love it as much as living in a coastal town, we will be right at home. If you want to see/know more this link will take you to the wiki page: Queenstown Information.
When talking to a friend from college, he mentioned a book about nutrition he had been reading, but "recommended with caution". I was very interested considering he, knowing my background, felt like he should caution me about the books contents. I found it at the Nelson library (score!), and the first couple of pages I realized where the caution was coming from. The book is called "The China Study". It came out in 2007, but I had never heard of it, and what it has to say could be quite disturbing to many. It's core message is that a whole foods, plant-based diet can not only prevent cardiovascular disease and cancer, but reverse it, and that animal proteins (meat, eggs, milk) should be avoided. It's hard to swallow really, but it is backed up by hundreds of peer-reviewed articles published in some of the most prominent scientific journals in the world. It has convinced me enough to try a somewhat vegan diet, and it has been going very well so far, with switching my milk to soy products and eating meat about 1-2 times a week, and loading up on veggies. This book isn't really about me though, it is about a message that can benefit anyone who reads it. It has led me to some other great books, such as "Anti Cancer", written by a University of Pittsburgh student/employee. I don't really want to talk about how it has effected me, but I do want to recommend both of these books (especially if you know someone suffering from either of these), but with GREAT CAUTION.
It's dinner time, and I'm starving, but hopefully the sun will emerge for the weekend, and we can do some more birding and hiking in Nelson before we leave! Missing everyone and all of their delicious Christmas cookies!!!
So i mentioned before I took pictures of Nelson last weekend to give readers a glimpse of what the streets are like. On my Flickr site there are pictures of the view from our house and views of the Port of Nelson, and all of the beautiful bodies of water that surround us, but these following pictures are of the several streets that intersect each other to form the "city centre". (Note: These pictures are taken during a Christmas parade, the buildings, not the pirate, are there all the time)
Very cute eh? With about 40,000 people, its sufficient.
It will be a little sad to leave this place behind. Jeff has his basketball team and I have my yoga studio, and we've met a lot of people who we really like here. The only thing making this place worth leaving is the promise of more beautiful things to come! These include the 4 day Heaphy trek, spending New Years touring down the west coast, and making our way to Queenstown! Queenstown is often deemed the adventure capital of the world, and has the second tallest bungy jump in the world. We hope to get into Queenstown in a few weeks, and find a place, a job, and settle down for a couple of months at least. It has been described to us as a tourist town, and "kind of like a ski town, like Veil or something". It has affordable living accommodations for a couple, although we have been warned that most things are quite expensive there. Apparently every turn offers a beautiful, new view. Queenstown is located a bit south of the middle of the South Island and is on a very large lake, Lake Wakatipu. We hope that Queenstown offers us another side of New Zealand, because if we love it as much as living in a coastal town, we will be right at home. If you want to see/know more this link will take you to the wiki page: Queenstown Information.
When talking to a friend from college, he mentioned a book about nutrition he had been reading, but "recommended with caution". I was very interested considering he, knowing my background, felt like he should caution me about the books contents. I found it at the Nelson library (score!), and the first couple of pages I realized where the caution was coming from. The book is called "The China Study". It came out in 2007, but I had never heard of it, and what it has to say could be quite disturbing to many. It's core message is that a whole foods, plant-based diet can not only prevent cardiovascular disease and cancer, but reverse it, and that animal proteins (meat, eggs, milk) should be avoided. It's hard to swallow really, but it is backed up by hundreds of peer-reviewed articles published in some of the most prominent scientific journals in the world. It has convinced me enough to try a somewhat vegan diet, and it has been going very well so far, with switching my milk to soy products and eating meat about 1-2 times a week, and loading up on veggies. This book isn't really about me though, it is about a message that can benefit anyone who reads it. It has led me to some other great books, such as "Anti Cancer", written by a University of Pittsburgh student/employee. I don't really want to talk about how it has effected me, but I do want to recommend both of these books (especially if you know someone suffering from either of these), but with GREAT CAUTION.
It's dinner time, and I'm starving, but hopefully the sun will emerge for the weekend, and we can do some more birding and hiking in Nelson before we leave! Missing everyone and all of their delicious Christmas cookies!!!
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Weak-end
The title does not indicate and weekend that was in fact "weak", rather it is in reference to how weak I apparently am, which translates into a tough hike for me come Christmas time. Jeff saw this as an opportunity to encourage me to "train" for our hike. Seeing that our first day (and first 15 miles) is mostly uphill I had to seriously consider busting my butt for the next 2 weeks to make this hike a little easier. So it began Friday with a 75 minute vinyasa flow class that was really tough. That was enough for one day, and it was only day 1 anyway. That night Jeff was exhausted from 5 long days of picking baby apples so we watched "Mulholland Drive" that we rented a few days earlier from the library. Jeff fell asleep and I would have liked to know it was supposed to be somewhat surreal before going into it, but it wasn't horrible. It kept you interested, but left you with many questions. I would give it a 4 out of 10... Jeff would give it 2 eyes closed hahahaha... not funny but I had to...
Jeff had another early day ahead of him at the orchards on Saturday, so I went to the Saturday market by myself. We are saving for or future plans so I got the essentials: broccoli, asparagus, and this amazing hallah loaf we discovered a few weeks ago. It was about 1 pm and I had put off "training" long enough, and decided to do the 1.5 hour hike to the "Center of New Zealand" by myself. Jeff and I have done it before so I knew it was safe, but it is also pretty challenging if you start from Founders Park. I did it in the allotted amount of time, and jogged a bit on the flat parts, but it was really hard, and I had to take a couple breaks, but I did feel stronger (and very sore) afterwards. I could tell 6 days in the orchards weren't exactly energizing and exciting Jeff so I suggested we try the Founders Organic Brewery and split a bite to eat, just to get out for a little while. Upon arrival we saw an American boy on Jeff's basketball team (he and his girlfriend are doing the same thing we are) and his girlfriend having a beer in the courtyard. They invited us to join them so we grabbed a couple beers and talked to them for a bit. The beer was really good, but Founders was closing so we couldn't grab a bite or continue to sit in the courtyard, so the other couple suggested we grab a beer somewhere else. We went to the beautiful restaurant Harry's in town. It was a bit pricey, but the beers were apparently really good (I had cider), and splitting an entree is pretty cost effective. It was wonderful having a night out with this couple. The girl and I sat and talked about shopping, careers, and the States, while the boys jabbered on about business and sports, and whatever else boys talk about. It was a lovely night, until the ride home, where we turned right into a D.U.I checkpoint. (I think the legal limit here is about .04%) They make you count to 5 near a wand-thing and it tells you whether you have alcohol on your breath. Of course mine said yes, but this guy was so confident I'd be fine, as was I. I pulled over and instantly had to be breathalyzed (something I have never done before), and I don't know what it read but it was low enough to pass, as it should have been considering I had a small beer and a cider within 4 hours, but still it was scary as hell.
Sunday was a bit less eventful, with Jeff being able to sleep in and slow morning of cooking breakfast and reading. We went into town to take some pictures to give friends and family an idea of what Nelson is like (coming on a post soon!) and it happened to be the Santa parade! It was exciting to see what seemed like the entire town gathered on the streets for a parade of singing, dancing, and SANTA!! It was a beautiful day so Jeff suggested something outside, preferably to help aid in my "training". the choices were the bird sanctuary hike (which is harder than Center of New Zealand, I think, but so pretty) with my filled pack on or jogging the sanctuary hike. I opted for the jog because my back was a bit tight. It was indeed beautiful, but really hard, and super frustrating when I hear Jeff (too far to see him) 100 meters up the hill encouraging me. grrr. Thank god Monday was rainy because I wasn't doing too much moving around.
To continue my training I did a 3 mile run along the Maitai river in Nelson. It was breathtaking and the grass had just been cut, loads of flowers were blossoming, and I saw my first Starling and Bellbird in New Zealand! It wasn't too tough of a run, but has a few challenging hills. I do feel stronger though, and feeling results really does motivate me to work even harder. Hopefully by the 25th, getting up that first 15 miles of hills will be a piece of cake! :)
I have work today at the airport cafe or I would write more, but expect a post about books, Nelson, and Queenstown on Thursday!
Cheers!
Jeff had another early day ahead of him at the orchards on Saturday, so I went to the Saturday market by myself. We are saving for or future plans so I got the essentials: broccoli, asparagus, and this amazing hallah loaf we discovered a few weeks ago. It was about 1 pm and I had put off "training" long enough, and decided to do the 1.5 hour hike to the "Center of New Zealand" by myself. Jeff and I have done it before so I knew it was safe, but it is also pretty challenging if you start from Founders Park. I did it in the allotted amount of time, and jogged a bit on the flat parts, but it was really hard, and I had to take a couple breaks, but I did feel stronger (and very sore) afterwards. I could tell 6 days in the orchards weren't exactly energizing and exciting Jeff so I suggested we try the Founders Organic Brewery and split a bite to eat, just to get out for a little while. Upon arrival we saw an American boy on Jeff's basketball team (he and his girlfriend are doing the same thing we are) and his girlfriend having a beer in the courtyard. They invited us to join them so we grabbed a couple beers and talked to them for a bit. The beer was really good, but Founders was closing so we couldn't grab a bite or continue to sit in the courtyard, so the other couple suggested we grab a beer somewhere else. We went to the beautiful restaurant Harry's in town. It was a bit pricey, but the beers were apparently really good (I had cider), and splitting an entree is pretty cost effective. It was wonderful having a night out with this couple. The girl and I sat and talked about shopping, careers, and the States, while the boys jabbered on about business and sports, and whatever else boys talk about. It was a lovely night, until the ride home, where we turned right into a D.U.I checkpoint. (I think the legal limit here is about .04%) They make you count to 5 near a wand-thing and it tells you whether you have alcohol on your breath. Of course mine said yes, but this guy was so confident I'd be fine, as was I. I pulled over and instantly had to be breathalyzed (something I have never done before), and I don't know what it read but it was low enough to pass, as it should have been considering I had a small beer and a cider within 4 hours, but still it was scary as hell.
Sunday was a bit less eventful, with Jeff being able to sleep in and slow morning of cooking breakfast and reading. We went into town to take some pictures to give friends and family an idea of what Nelson is like (coming on a post soon!) and it happened to be the Santa parade! It was exciting to see what seemed like the entire town gathered on the streets for a parade of singing, dancing, and SANTA!! It was a beautiful day so Jeff suggested something outside, preferably to help aid in my "training". the choices were the bird sanctuary hike (which is harder than Center of New Zealand, I think, but so pretty) with my filled pack on or jogging the sanctuary hike. I opted for the jog because my back was a bit tight. It was indeed beautiful, but really hard, and super frustrating when I hear Jeff (too far to see him) 100 meters up the hill encouraging me. grrr. Thank god Monday was rainy because I wasn't doing too much moving around.
To continue my training I did a 3 mile run along the Maitai river in Nelson. It was breathtaking and the grass had just been cut, loads of flowers were blossoming, and I saw my first Starling and Bellbird in New Zealand! It wasn't too tough of a run, but has a few challenging hills. I do feel stronger though, and feeling results really does motivate me to work even harder. Hopefully by the 25th, getting up that first 15 miles of hills will be a piece of cake! :)
I have work today at the airport cafe or I would write more, but expect a post about books, Nelson, and Queenstown on Thursday!
Cheers!
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Looking Ahead
So it has been an entire week since my last blog post, probably the longest interval since our arrival in Nelson. I have no excuse really except working and reading quite a bit, as well as (as the title indicates) planning for the near future. I will start with a few things I have observed in New Zealand that I had previously forgotten to include.
1. Squirrels - I may be one of the few humans on earth who has a profound love for watching squirrels, and who finds them super cute, but New Zealanders are never even given the opportunity to form any opinion on this little rodent. There are no squirrels here! It is something I noticed initially, but didn't recognize again until very recently. There are plenty of friendly birds to watch while you're sitting outside though.
2. Coffee - Something we noticed from the get-go, but didn't come to understand until, well we may not even fully understand it yet, is that coffee is horse of a different color here. Apparently "New Zealanders take their coffee VERY seriously" (ref. Landlord). It would be rare to see a typical American coffee maker in the house of a kiwi. Your options are instant coffee or espresso (which they call coffee). The typical kiwi coffee order is a flat white, mochaccino, latte, cappuccino, long black, or short black. They are all made with what Americans call espresso. The flat white, latte, and cappuccino are espresso and milk (and even after watching "coffee" being made and serving it for months now, I still don't know the difference). The mocha is the same as home, and the long black and short black are 2 shots of espresso, except the long black has a bit of hot water as well. There is no grinding of the coffee beans and filtering coffee here! You either go big or go home, and sometimes you'll see a kiwi have multiple long blacks in a single sitting... whew! Coffee drinking is definitely not a cheap habit here either. If you thought Starbucks was expensive at home, try paying $3.80 for a long black, and that is the cheapest, with a flat white at $4.50 and up. I am fortunate enough to get free "coffees" at work, but I definitely am not paying money for them.
3. Pretzels - So oftentimes people will go to the grocery store and find themselves in front of a wall of bins filled with nuts and candy, so they can mix and match, and they are generally charged a bit more than if they were to buy a sealed bag. This is about the only way to purchase pretzels in New Zealand. They don't sell them in sealed bags, and they don't sell them as a cheap snack. You'll see a bin of almonds for $1.99/100g and a bin of pretzels next to it for $1.89/100g. It is just abnormal for a person who goes to pretzels as a moderately healthy, cheap snack. I hypothesize their rarity is due to the lack of flat fields for growing wheat and grains here.
Okay, so in the past week I completed my temporary position at the Nelson City Council cafe, which was sad because I really enjoyed the relaxed environment, and the super friendly and informative people. Friday night a friend, from Finland, of ours we met through ultimate frisbee, Markus, came to stay the night because he had a flight out of Nelson Saturday morning, but was currently living south in Greymouth. It was nice to catch up with him and see how he was fairing farther south. We dropped him off at the airport Saturday morning and headed again to Golden Bay, this time to check out the rock climbing. Before getting to the rocks we stopped at the highly recommended Pupu Springs. They are these beautiful pools of crystal clear spring water with amazing flora around them.
Once we actually arrived in Golden Bay, we were exhausted and realized that the rock climbing site we chose to visit was a little bit above our skill level, so we headed to the beach, hoping Sunday would offer more motivation. Pohara beach was beautiful, and the tide was ideal for some wading. As we came back to shore there was a man standing at our towels. He basically said "hey is that your Volvo in the lot across the street?" and we confirmed and he proceeded to tell us we needed to move it because it was a piece of crap. After a quick moment of confusion between Jeff and I he tells us that that is the car he has given his son-in-law Stu to sell for him in Nelson! 2 hours away and in the middle of nowhere (to be fair, New Zealand itself is in the middle of nowhere) the former owners spotted their old car. They said they had it for 17 years, but we were told they upgraded because the wife had her hip replaced and needed something a big higher off the ground. They praised the car, and said how much they missed it, and said its made many trips down south and that it should treat us well. It was so nice to hear that, and confirm all of the things that Stu told us were indeed true, Blueberry had been owned for many years by people who took good care of her. The sun started to set, which meant it was time for... ice cream. Actually, anytime is a great time for ice cream in New Zealand because it is just sooooo good. Then we headed to a campsite recommended by our Landlord as a cheap, neat site. It was a rock climbers site (they don't ask if you actually climb) and it was only $10/night, which is about $3/night less than most in the area. Rain struck as we finished up eating our dinner, and didn't stop for the next 2 days basically. Needless to say, we woke up to pouring rain, folded the tent up in a downpour, and drove home early Sunday morning for a relaxing, dry day home.
Monday was my first weekday off in a while, but Jeff was back at the orchards. I cleaned up what I had been putting off the past 2 busy weeks, and then was finally home on a weekday so I could skype with a college friend, Conor, for a bit. Usually when I get home from work, it's bedtime in the States. Monday I got a call from Coverstaff asking me to work at the airport cafe 7am-2pm Tues, Wed, and Thurs, and of course I said yes, but man 7 am is quite early, despite the fact that I am the last person to leave the house in the morning. It began raining hard Tuesday and I was worried about Jeff and the motorcycle in the rain. Not so surprisingly when I got home, Jeff was already home with a bunch of wet gear. It was nice to have the rainy afternoon to spend together and he agreed to go to his first yoga class ever with me! It was super fun, and there was only one other person at the class which I think made Jeff more comfortable. He has done p90x yoga, and that's pretty legit, so it wasn't anything too abstract for him. (Laura you'd be so proud) I really enjoyed having him there. Wed and Thurs were a lot of work, a lot of reading, and a bit of fatigue. I'm sure I mentioned our library membership, but I must repeat how much I love having it, and I've read about 3 books in the last week. They have a great nutrition and brain/psych section, so I have plenty of reading to do. I will miss it so much when we leave Nelson.
Speaking of leaving Nelson... Jeff and I have made the executive decision to leave Nelson once he is finished in the orchard, so December 24th. We have booked a series of campsites on the Heaphy Track in Kahurangi National Park. It is a track that begins in Golden Bay and goes through the national park to the west coast. It is approximately 80km (50 mi) long, and will take us 4 days and 3 nights. Its uphill at first and then mostly downhill, and the last 25km is mostly flat and beaches. Here is a link to the track profile: Heaphy Track. We will spend Christmas on the track, so I hope to wish everyone a happy holiday before we depart. Until then I will be working for dollars and working for fitness... This is definitely more than I bargained for, but it should be a somewhat fun challenge, at least maybe in retrospect. I know I sound mildly pessimistic, but really I am excited, and the site notes some awesome things to look out for on the trail. (note: showers and bathrooms don't appear too frequently). More on this adventure soon.
Will post more about some interesting literature I have stumbled upon (or has been recommended to me) in the very near future, but for now I must get some sleep.
Hope everyone is keeping warm at home. Sunset was a 9pm today and the high was 68, SOOO if anyone is sick of the winter weather already, please come visit! This is only the beginning of Summer!
Cheers!
1. Squirrels - I may be one of the few humans on earth who has a profound love for watching squirrels, and who finds them super cute, but New Zealanders are never even given the opportunity to form any opinion on this little rodent. There are no squirrels here! It is something I noticed initially, but didn't recognize again until very recently. There are plenty of friendly birds to watch while you're sitting outside though.
2. Coffee - Something we noticed from the get-go, but didn't come to understand until, well we may not even fully understand it yet, is that coffee is horse of a different color here. Apparently "New Zealanders take their coffee VERY seriously" (ref. Landlord). It would be rare to see a typical American coffee maker in the house of a kiwi. Your options are instant coffee or espresso (which they call coffee). The typical kiwi coffee order is a flat white, mochaccino, latte, cappuccino, long black, or short black. They are all made with what Americans call espresso. The flat white, latte, and cappuccino are espresso and milk (and even after watching "coffee" being made and serving it for months now, I still don't know the difference). The mocha is the same as home, and the long black and short black are 2 shots of espresso, except the long black has a bit of hot water as well. There is no grinding of the coffee beans and filtering coffee here! You either go big or go home, and sometimes you'll see a kiwi have multiple long blacks in a single sitting... whew! Coffee drinking is definitely not a cheap habit here either. If you thought Starbucks was expensive at home, try paying $3.80 for a long black, and that is the cheapest, with a flat white at $4.50 and up. I am fortunate enough to get free "coffees" at work, but I definitely am not paying money for them.
3. Pretzels - So oftentimes people will go to the grocery store and find themselves in front of a wall of bins filled with nuts and candy, so they can mix and match, and they are generally charged a bit more than if they were to buy a sealed bag. This is about the only way to purchase pretzels in New Zealand. They don't sell them in sealed bags, and they don't sell them as a cheap snack. You'll see a bin of almonds for $1.99/100g and a bin of pretzels next to it for $1.89/100g. It is just abnormal for a person who goes to pretzels as a moderately healthy, cheap snack. I hypothesize their rarity is due to the lack of flat fields for growing wheat and grains here.
Okay, so in the past week I completed my temporary position at the Nelson City Council cafe, which was sad because I really enjoyed the relaxed environment, and the super friendly and informative people. Friday night a friend, from Finland, of ours we met through ultimate frisbee, Markus, came to stay the night because he had a flight out of Nelson Saturday morning, but was currently living south in Greymouth. It was nice to catch up with him and see how he was fairing farther south. We dropped him off at the airport Saturday morning and headed again to Golden Bay, this time to check out the rock climbing. Before getting to the rocks we stopped at the highly recommended Pupu Springs. They are these beautiful pools of crystal clear spring water with amazing flora around them.
Once we actually arrived in Golden Bay, we were exhausted and realized that the rock climbing site we chose to visit was a little bit above our skill level, so we headed to the beach, hoping Sunday would offer more motivation. Pohara beach was beautiful, and the tide was ideal for some wading. As we came back to shore there was a man standing at our towels. He basically said "hey is that your Volvo in the lot across the street?" and we confirmed and he proceeded to tell us we needed to move it because it was a piece of crap. After a quick moment of confusion between Jeff and I he tells us that that is the car he has given his son-in-law Stu to sell for him in Nelson! 2 hours away and in the middle of nowhere (to be fair, New Zealand itself is in the middle of nowhere) the former owners spotted their old car. They said they had it for 17 years, but we were told they upgraded because the wife had her hip replaced and needed something a big higher off the ground. They praised the car, and said how much they missed it, and said its made many trips down south and that it should treat us well. It was so nice to hear that, and confirm all of the things that Stu told us were indeed true, Blueberry had been owned for many years by people who took good care of her. The sun started to set, which meant it was time for... ice cream. Actually, anytime is a great time for ice cream in New Zealand because it is just sooooo good. Then we headed to a campsite recommended by our Landlord as a cheap, neat site. It was a rock climbers site (they don't ask if you actually climb) and it was only $10/night, which is about $3/night less than most in the area. Rain struck as we finished up eating our dinner, and didn't stop for the next 2 days basically. Needless to say, we woke up to pouring rain, folded the tent up in a downpour, and drove home early Sunday morning for a relaxing, dry day home.
Monday was my first weekday off in a while, but Jeff was back at the orchards. I cleaned up what I had been putting off the past 2 busy weeks, and then was finally home on a weekday so I could skype with a college friend, Conor, for a bit. Usually when I get home from work, it's bedtime in the States. Monday I got a call from Coverstaff asking me to work at the airport cafe 7am-2pm Tues, Wed, and Thurs, and of course I said yes, but man 7 am is quite early, despite the fact that I am the last person to leave the house in the morning. It began raining hard Tuesday and I was worried about Jeff and the motorcycle in the rain. Not so surprisingly when I got home, Jeff was already home with a bunch of wet gear. It was nice to have the rainy afternoon to spend together and he agreed to go to his first yoga class ever with me! It was super fun, and there was only one other person at the class which I think made Jeff more comfortable. He has done p90x yoga, and that's pretty legit, so it wasn't anything too abstract for him. (Laura you'd be so proud) I really enjoyed having him there. Wed and Thurs were a lot of work, a lot of reading, and a bit of fatigue. I'm sure I mentioned our library membership, but I must repeat how much I love having it, and I've read about 3 books in the last week. They have a great nutrition and brain/psych section, so I have plenty of reading to do. I will miss it so much when we leave Nelson.
Speaking of leaving Nelson... Jeff and I have made the executive decision to leave Nelson once he is finished in the orchard, so December 24th. We have booked a series of campsites on the Heaphy Track in Kahurangi National Park. It is a track that begins in Golden Bay and goes through the national park to the west coast. It is approximately 80km (50 mi) long, and will take us 4 days and 3 nights. Its uphill at first and then mostly downhill, and the last 25km is mostly flat and beaches. Here is a link to the track profile: Heaphy Track. We will spend Christmas on the track, so I hope to wish everyone a happy holiday before we depart. Until then I will be working for dollars and working for fitness... This is definitely more than I bargained for, but it should be a somewhat fun challenge, at least maybe in retrospect. I know I sound mildly pessimistic, but really I am excited, and the site notes some awesome things to look out for on the trail. (note: showers and bathrooms don't appear too frequently). More on this adventure soon.
Will post more about some interesting literature I have stumbled upon (or has been recommended to me) in the very near future, but for now I must get some sleep.
Hope everyone is keeping warm at home. Sunset was a 9pm today and the high was 68, SOOO if anyone is sick of the winter weather already, please come visit! This is only the beginning of Summer!
Cheers!
Thursday, December 1, 2011
My Life as a Kiwi
So it is the end of my American birthday, and the day after my New Zealand birthday. It's as easy as travelling across the world to be able to celebrate 2 birthdays!! My birthday was pretty wonderful. I will start with late the night before when Jeff surprised me with an amazing bouquet of flowers he secretly purchased. They are freaking beautiful. The next morning I woke up just as Jeff was leaving for fruit picking, and on the table was a pack of Tim Tams from Bethy (yummm), and a note from Jeff, I got in the car and had another note saying that we could go together and pick out a special New Zealand Pandora bead! There was another note, but the directions said to read on the ride home from work ONLY!
I got to work in a great mood even though we had events to make finger food for a group of 150 and a group of 70! (We usually do a small, daily lunch, and then events for 5-20 people). We got it done with the help of a really nice kiwi (They are all nice). I had made a flourless chocolate cake (and by some birthday miracle it ended up amazing!) for our lunch table. (Side note: our lunch table is composed of about 6 ladies and 1 man who remind me of my parents, the Aunt Marys, and Aunt Ranie, and some funny ass guy (so uncle Larry, Rich, Paul, or my Dad) but in 10-20 years, so a bit more tamed). The lunch group enjoyed my cake, and gave me a gift! It was definitely one of the most thoughtful things someone has done. I was almost in tears. They bought me a book of New Zealand slang, and they all signed the inside of it. They have made such an impression on me in these past 2 weeks, and I hope to stay in contact with some of them. They have gone out of their way to tell me all of the best places to see around nelson, the best ways to do it, and even helped Jeff and I find a place to live for Christmas and the following week. One of them offered us their motor home for the weeks following the end of our lease. The kindness is just so refreshing.
The note on the way home was basically reminding me of our plans to go to dinner that night at a neat looking restaurant called 623. It was even more exciting because we really haven't gone out to eat once in New Zealand (other than pizza and take-aways). It was all you can eat pizza night, and we had to oblige. We started with a chicken, cranberry, and brie pizza. (They don't really eat plain pizzas here) That was enough on the savoury side, so then we got a banana chocolate dessert pizza. It was pretty delicious. The waitress seemed unimpressed that we could only eat 1 savoury and one dessert pizza, but we were stuffed and passed out shortly after getting home. It was really nice to get dressed up, look like a girl, and enjoy really good food with my best friend.
So Tom, Jeff's brother, had posed a series of questions about what it's like to be a kiwi, so I am going to answer them on here to give everyone a better idea of how I feel about being an American kiwi after settling down a bit in Nelson. I hope that Jeff will post with his answers soon too.
What do the kiwi people think of you? Hmm, well I would say that those that I have been able to talk to and have a conversation with generally like me, or at least don't mind that I am an American either traveling or working in their country. Sometimes I do get a vibe from a sales person or someone I breifly encounter, that doesn't seem to appreciate that there is an american asking about products, or more so taking their order in the Nelson, New Zealand airport. Generally though, people ask where I am from and why I am here, and are very neutral about my presence.
Do they work strictly for financial gain like here in the US? Is it a 9-5 like daily routine? Is it laid back?
Well they certainly aren't working for fun, but, at least in nelson, it does not appear that they are as competitive, and business is certainly nowhere near as evolved or present as it is in the US (Jeff would be better at expanding upon this topic). Their work weeks are almost strictly 9-5, with even retail stores only being open until about 5:30. The only stores in the entire city open after 5:30 are select restaurants, the grocer, and the warehouse (like Target). Most retail stores are open on Saturdays, and most aren't open on Sundays, but if they are they have very short hours like 19-1 or something. Let's just say you can't get any kind of food/snacks after 10pm, except MAYBE a gas station. In terms of a work environment, it is very laid back. One woman at the cafe even said to me "This is not a race, just take your time, and it will all get done." At my current cafe job we have 11 am tea for about 15-20 minutes, and 1:30 lunch for 30 minutes, and I leave at 2:30, but people who work full time get another afternoon tea at 3. So during their 8-9 hour work day, they spend an hour drinking tea/coffee and eating. The cafe even has a tv and pool table for the employees.
Are you guys hanging around the locals after work drinking beers together? We don't drink beer with the locals, not because they don't hang out after work and drink, I presume they do, but because we don't drink out often. Beer is its cheapest at about $5 a pint, and that's really low, and my cocktail last night was $14 and was tiny. It would be nice to have that disposable income, but it isn't practical currently. But if the question is whether they drink socially the same way we do in the states, then yes they definitely do.
What is different about the living accommodations you're used to in the States? Hmm well we don't have cable but we get the same stations you would get if you could still use an antennae in the states. The TV isn't too bad, except Tuesday nights, but I don't watch it much anyway. The scenery is much prettier. The houses are generally one-story, and have toilets and showers separate (which is quite convenient). Almost everyone dries their clothes on a line, rather than in the dryer. You don't see big houses. They are basically built for utilitarian purposes and only have one living room, and no, extra rooms or large foyers. Of course, there are exceptions but this seems to be the vast majority. Everything just seems much simpler, and people don't have much more than they need.
Have you felt a tiredness to the scene? Will it get old? Do you see yourself preferring to live there over here? I have not felt tired of the scene. You can always go to the beach hire a bike, enjoy amazing coffee, read a book, or go for a nice run, or anything outdoors in the neighborhood. Within a 2 hour drive is more amazing beaches, hundreds of hikes varying in difficulty and length (up to 5 day treks), rock climbing, kayaking, and tons of other water sports. I think it would take years to tire of the scene. I do not see myself preferring to live here. Although it is beautiful, and offers everything I could ever want in the way of leisure activities and social life, it lacks careers in Neuroscience, and most sciences in general. If I had my MD I could possibly have a job, but I don't so really my degree is useless here. Also I deeply miss the dining out experience of the US. I know it sounds simple or silly, but grabbing some apps or brews and catching some sports game out was one of our favorite things to do at home, and here it is way too expensive, and THERE ARE NO GOOD SPORTS TO WATCH :( We would need some kind of NFL football package for the TV. Lastly, we are missing the most important thing of all if we stayed here. OUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY. They are absolutely the only thing that could make this trip, and this location, any better. We miss you!!
Hopefully that will suffice, but I love the feedback and welcome more, and I will add anything that pops into my noggin. Also, Jeff will probably respond soon.
Cheers mates! And thanks to everyone for all of the thoughtful birthday wishes! It makes me feel very special!
I got to work in a great mood even though we had events to make finger food for a group of 150 and a group of 70! (We usually do a small, daily lunch, and then events for 5-20 people). We got it done with the help of a really nice kiwi (They are all nice). I had made a flourless chocolate cake (and by some birthday miracle it ended up amazing!) for our lunch table. (Side note: our lunch table is composed of about 6 ladies and 1 man who remind me of my parents, the Aunt Marys, and Aunt Ranie, and some funny ass guy (so uncle Larry, Rich, Paul, or my Dad) but in 10-20 years, so a bit more tamed). The lunch group enjoyed my cake, and gave me a gift! It was definitely one of the most thoughtful things someone has done. I was almost in tears. They bought me a book of New Zealand slang, and they all signed the inside of it. They have made such an impression on me in these past 2 weeks, and I hope to stay in contact with some of them. They have gone out of their way to tell me all of the best places to see around nelson, the best ways to do it, and even helped Jeff and I find a place to live for Christmas and the following week. One of them offered us their motor home for the weeks following the end of our lease. The kindness is just so refreshing.
The note on the way home was basically reminding me of our plans to go to dinner that night at a neat looking restaurant called 623. It was even more exciting because we really haven't gone out to eat once in New Zealand (other than pizza and take-aways). It was all you can eat pizza night, and we had to oblige. We started with a chicken, cranberry, and brie pizza. (They don't really eat plain pizzas here) That was enough on the savoury side, so then we got a banana chocolate dessert pizza. It was pretty delicious. The waitress seemed unimpressed that we could only eat 1 savoury and one dessert pizza, but we were stuffed and passed out shortly after getting home. It was really nice to get dressed up, look like a girl, and enjoy really good food with my best friend.
So Tom, Jeff's brother, had posed a series of questions about what it's like to be a kiwi, so I am going to answer them on here to give everyone a better idea of how I feel about being an American kiwi after settling down a bit in Nelson. I hope that Jeff will post with his answers soon too.
What do the kiwi people think of you? Hmm, well I would say that those that I have been able to talk to and have a conversation with generally like me, or at least don't mind that I am an American either traveling or working in their country. Sometimes I do get a vibe from a sales person or someone I breifly encounter, that doesn't seem to appreciate that there is an american asking about products, or more so taking their order in the Nelson, New Zealand airport. Generally though, people ask where I am from and why I am here, and are very neutral about my presence.
Do they work strictly for financial gain like here in the US? Is it a 9-5 like daily routine? Is it laid back?
Well they certainly aren't working for fun, but, at least in nelson, it does not appear that they are as competitive, and business is certainly nowhere near as evolved or present as it is in the US (Jeff would be better at expanding upon this topic). Their work weeks are almost strictly 9-5, with even retail stores only being open until about 5:30. The only stores in the entire city open after 5:30 are select restaurants, the grocer, and the warehouse (like Target). Most retail stores are open on Saturdays, and most aren't open on Sundays, but if they are they have very short hours like 19-1 or something. Let's just say you can't get any kind of food/snacks after 10pm, except MAYBE a gas station. In terms of a work environment, it is very laid back. One woman at the cafe even said to me "This is not a race, just take your time, and it will all get done." At my current cafe job we have 11 am tea for about 15-20 minutes, and 1:30 lunch for 30 minutes, and I leave at 2:30, but people who work full time get another afternoon tea at 3. So during their 8-9 hour work day, they spend an hour drinking tea/coffee and eating. The cafe even has a tv and pool table for the employees.
Are you guys hanging around the locals after work drinking beers together? We don't drink beer with the locals, not because they don't hang out after work and drink, I presume they do, but because we don't drink out often. Beer is its cheapest at about $5 a pint, and that's really low, and my cocktail last night was $14 and was tiny. It would be nice to have that disposable income, but it isn't practical currently. But if the question is whether they drink socially the same way we do in the states, then yes they definitely do.
What is different about the living accommodations you're used to in the States? Hmm well we don't have cable but we get the same stations you would get if you could still use an antennae in the states. The TV isn't too bad, except Tuesday nights, but I don't watch it much anyway. The scenery is much prettier. The houses are generally one-story, and have toilets and showers separate (which is quite convenient). Almost everyone dries their clothes on a line, rather than in the dryer. You don't see big houses. They are basically built for utilitarian purposes and only have one living room, and no, extra rooms or large foyers. Of course, there are exceptions but this seems to be the vast majority. Everything just seems much simpler, and people don't have much more than they need.
Have you felt a tiredness to the scene? Will it get old? Do you see yourself preferring to live there over here? I have not felt tired of the scene. You can always go to the beach hire a bike, enjoy amazing coffee, read a book, or go for a nice run, or anything outdoors in the neighborhood. Within a 2 hour drive is more amazing beaches, hundreds of hikes varying in difficulty and length (up to 5 day treks), rock climbing, kayaking, and tons of other water sports. I think it would take years to tire of the scene. I do not see myself preferring to live here. Although it is beautiful, and offers everything I could ever want in the way of leisure activities and social life, it lacks careers in Neuroscience, and most sciences in general. If I had my MD I could possibly have a job, but I don't so really my degree is useless here. Also I deeply miss the dining out experience of the US. I know it sounds simple or silly, but grabbing some apps or brews and catching some sports game out was one of our favorite things to do at home, and here it is way too expensive, and THERE ARE NO GOOD SPORTS TO WATCH :( We would need some kind of NFL football package for the TV. Lastly, we are missing the most important thing of all if we stayed here. OUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY. They are absolutely the only thing that could make this trip, and this location, any better. We miss you!!
Hopefully that will suffice, but I love the feedback and welcome more, and I will add anything that pops into my noggin. Also, Jeff will probably respond soon.
Cheers mates! And thanks to everyone for all of the thoughtful birthday wishes! It makes me feel very special!
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