September 29, 2008:
Sorry about the absence of updates but with a limited number of megabytes I can use we have to watch our internet browsing. Last week Gordon was on night shift which left me to my own devices and staying up pretty late waiting for him to come home. I find it hard to sleep without him there and my own insecurities about staying home alone in the evening. The bonus was that I didn’t have to do any cooking! Whenever Gordon goes on night shift I get to go basic and have a sandwich, some soup, or leftovers. My foray into cooking has been going great. I find that the simpler the recipe, the better I am at it. It also saves us money on groceries, bonus! So thank you to Aunt Diane for telling me about kraftfoods.com.
Since Gordon had the day free all last week, we were able to go into town as well. We merged his account at the bank into a joint account. We also looked at used cars to get an automatic so that I would be able to drive around. It turns out that the finance company had charged him too much one month and they reimbursed him as well as told him that his loan was paid off. So we were free to get a car. We looked at many options, all of them with at least four doors. We had to go to a used car lot because new cars out here are expensive, even the used ones! For a used Toyota car I saw a sticker price of $18,000 (NZ) and that was after the guy had put in the trade-in price. We were able to find something that was economical as well as family friendly and it has enough space in the back for Gordon’s golf clubs. We ended up with a Nissan Primera which is a type of station wagon out here. The only fault is that it’s black but I really like our new car. I’ve even done some driving; Gordon says I drive wonderfully. I drove the car home and found that I kept leaning to the left and thought maybe the car needed an alignment. Gordon told me that the slopes of the roads are made so that if something happens you lean to the left, their side of the road. I’ve done a couple of trips since then and seem to be doing fine. I still get a bit nervous but that will ease with time.
We also started creating our veggie. It’s about five by two meters and at the back of the yard. I can’t wait until I can start on my flower garden. That reminds me, we were playing golf on Monday and while Gordon took a shot I was looking at a couple of cherry blossom trees. The trees were literally humming from having so many bees in them, I guess that means warm weather is not far off. Anyways, we’ve dug out the grass, laid down the weed mat and are now breaking up the grass clumps to use as bottom soil. Our compost is coming along nicely as well. I turn it every now and again to get it nice and earthy. At first I was putting our leftover ashes into the compost as well but that doesn’t seem to be helping so I just put them in the trash. If anyone knows of any garden use for ashes please let me know because we have tons due to the fireplace each night. I’ve seen so many flowers that I would love to plant and some that remind me of home. There are Livingston daisies, purple daisies, zinnias, marigolds, dahlias, cone flowers, poppies, cosmos...the list is endless and they would make such pretty additions to my garden. We’ll probably get a couple of ornamental grasses to add a bit of different color as well. I’m also looking at one rose bush and maybe an azalea tree because they are so beautiful and bushy. I have little containers ready to go to grow my seedlings. I’ve taken my old yogurt cups and cartons and drilled holes into the bottom of them to allow for draining. They are the perfect size for growing seeds and bulbs and a great way to start my growing green thumb.
It’s time to leave now. I have the in-laws coming in today and there are a couple of errands that need to be done before they arrive. Good news, I got an email from my shipping company and my stuff will be arriving in New Zealand on October 17th. It will take a maximum of two weeks to get here but hopefully it’ll be here sooner. I hope there are no problems with customs. I’ve also started reading again, the new Eragon book, Brisingr. Let’s hope Eragon is a lot less whiney in this third book then he was in the second. Take to y’all later and love you bunches!
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
September 16, 2008:
A whole month has gone by since I’ve posted. What a bad start to my resolution to write about New Zealand at least once a week in this blog. I’m starting to adjust to life in New Zealand. I’ve finally started looking for a church to attend. I never feel right until I go to church regularly. We just tried one in a town called Marton. It was called Elim Church, a mix of Christian fellowship with a touch of Evangelism. Gordon and I are still looking. We may try some traditional churches like the local Lutheran or Anglican churches. We’ll see how it goes.
Gordon’s birthday was this Sunday and he’s now 28. I only have a couple of months until I catch-up and become a year younger than him again. That’s right I’m going to be 27 and that’s going to be how old I am when I have my first baby. No, I’m not pregnant but we will start trying in a year. I’m thinking probably July or so. That means I should try and visit the States next year before I do get pregnant. As well as get my resident permit in order.
It is a little hard to function in New Zealand. I never realized how much easier it was to deal with the US government at times. I have to go all the way to Auckland in order to get my passport changed because the Wellington Embassy doesn’t deal with that sort of thing. This is a bother because we are only about an hour or so away from Wellington an Auckland is more than three hours away. The reason is because we either have to pay in Cash or Bank Check. Since I don’t have an account in New Zealand I have to pay in cash, which can’t be sent through the mail. My holiday work permit was easy to get though. It took about 30 minutes to obtain and I am now allowed to stay in the country for a whole year. My mobility is limited until Gordon and I get an automatic car which will be relatively soon. My day consists of puttering around the house, doing craft projects and an occasional walk into town.
There are advantages of a small town New Zealand though. After a day or so, I’m able to navigate around town. They have things called Friendship clubs where on a certain day you go to the Friendship hall, or wherever they’re meeting, and enjoy fellowship with others. I was going to go to that this Friday but Gordon’s cousins are coming to visit us about 3:30, which is when the friendship thing ends. I’ve also looked into Creative Memories, the Women’s Institute and other things to occupy my time. I’ve been working on finding my creative outlet since I enjoy when I create something pretty or work on a scrapbook. I also look forward to gardening when we get the money to start one. Seeing blooming flowers always gives me a sense of pride because I work so hard to make sure my plants thrive.
I hope everyone is having a good week out in the States and I miss you all very much!
Gordon’s birthday was this Sunday and he’s now 28. I only have a couple of months until I catch-up and become a year younger than him again. That’s right I’m going to be 27 and that’s going to be how old I am when I have my first baby. No, I’m not pregnant but we will start trying in a year. I’m thinking probably July or so. That means I should try and visit the States next year before I do get pregnant. As well as get my resident permit in order.
It is a little hard to function in New Zealand. I never realized how much easier it was to deal with the US government at times. I have to go all the way to Auckland in order to get my passport changed because the Wellington Embassy doesn’t deal with that sort of thing. This is a bother because we are only about an hour or so away from Wellington an Auckland is more than three hours away. The reason is because we either have to pay in Cash or Bank Check. Since I don’t have an account in New Zealand I have to pay in cash, which can’t be sent through the mail. My holiday work permit was easy to get though. It took about 30 minutes to obtain and I am now allowed to stay in the country for a whole year. My mobility is limited until Gordon and I get an automatic car which will be relatively soon. My day consists of puttering around the house, doing craft projects and an occasional walk into town.
There are advantages of a small town New Zealand though. After a day or so, I’m able to navigate around town. They have things called Friendship clubs where on a certain day you go to the Friendship hall, or wherever they’re meeting, and enjoy fellowship with others. I was going to go to that this Friday but Gordon’s cousins are coming to visit us about 3:30, which is when the friendship thing ends. I’ve also looked into Creative Memories, the Women’s Institute and other things to occupy my time. I’ve been working on finding my creative outlet since I enjoy when I create something pretty or work on a scrapbook. I also look forward to gardening when we get the money to start one. Seeing blooming flowers always gives me a sense of pride because I work so hard to make sure my plants thrive.
I hope everyone is having a good week out in the States and I miss you all very much!
Monday, September 15, 2008
Adaptation
August 25, 2008:
Life in New Zealand can be summed-up in one word: adaptation. For a girl from America the differences can be very evident when trying to set-up house or cooking a meal. The sheer expense of buying necessities for the house has boggled my mind as well. Luckily, when we went to the store to get the essentials for a proper kitchen and home, we struck a one-day sale where everything was on sale. We’re talking 30-50% off of everything that we got. I got a knife set for 50 bucks when it was priced at $100! No wonder everyone is an advocate of moving in together before you get married, you ecru stuff over time so the cost of setting-up is a little bit off-set and saves you some valuable money. I did have fun going around the shop and buying things though. The best investment by far has been the rice cooker and 9-cube shelves for the kitchen. Designing on a budget has never looked so good. I could care less if it is particle board, it looks good in my kitchen. For a curry fan, my husband, or a Chinese fan, me, the rice cooker has been awesome and you definitely don’t need a lot when you’re just cooking for two. So I’m going to have to find another use for about 4 cups of extra rice this week. I’m thinking of rice pudding...mmm.
Cooking has been an adventure and I’m putting all my college survival skills to the test. My meals have been simple and I think it’ll be awhile until I start making soufflés or crème brulee, hehe. First night of my culinary prowess was mac ‘n’cheese and franks with broccoli and cauliflower. Second night was grilled ham and cheese with tomato soup, yes I ate tomato soup (don’t let it get out). Apparently though, all of this is fancy cooking to my new husband. Life sure is different when you’re at the bottom of the world.
Life in New Zealand can be summed-up in one word: adaptation. For a girl from America the differences can be very evident when trying to set-up house or cooking a meal. The sheer expense of buying necessities for the house has boggled my mind as well. Luckily, when we went to the store to get the essentials for a proper kitchen and home, we struck a one-day sale where everything was on sale. We’re talking 30-50% off of everything that we got. I got a knife set for 50 bucks when it was priced at $100! No wonder everyone is an advocate of moving in together before you get married, you ecru stuff over time so the cost of setting-up is a little bit off-set and saves you some valuable money. I did have fun going around the shop and buying things though. The best investment by far has been the rice cooker and 9-cube shelves for the kitchen. Designing on a budget has never looked so good. I could care less if it is particle board, it looks good in my kitchen. For a curry fan, my husband, or a Chinese fan, me, the rice cooker has been awesome and you definitely don’t need a lot when you’re just cooking for two. So I’m going to have to find another use for about 4 cups of extra rice this week. I’m thinking of rice pudding...mmm.
Cooking has been an adventure and I’m putting all my college survival skills to the test. My meals have been simple and I think it’ll be awhile until I start making soufflés or crème brulee, hehe. First night of my culinary prowess was mac ‘n’cheese and franks with broccoli and cauliflower. Second night was grilled ham and cheese with tomato soup, yes I ate tomato soup (don’t let it get out). Apparently though, all of this is fancy cooking to my new husband. Life sure is different when you’re at the bottom of the world.
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