Uhhhh WHAT!??

For as much as I have loved and truly enjoyed my time in New Zealand thus far I sometimes have a hard time with comprehending what these Kiwis are saying... I mean we're both speaking English but we aren't speaking the same language. So this blog post is dedicated to all the quarky things these Kiwis say and do and my reactions to them. I have a feeling this is an on-going list so here it goes...

1) As soon as I get off the plane I am greeted by my boss down here. She picks me up from the airport after my hour in Immigration and that whole ordeal (first post from NZ). I throw my things in the trunk of the car then walk over to what I assume to be the passenger door... culture shock #1 goes to the fact that not only do Kiwis drive on the wrong side of the car but they also drive on the wrong side of the road.

2) Ok I've barely finished my first item of culture shock and I arrive at my host family's house. I get the tour and all I can think about is my grumbling tummy because I'm starving after my 30 hour travels. Judy and Allan are wonderful the ask me,

Judy: "Well mate, would you like some tea?"

Me: (Thinking teas alright but I could really go for some dinner) "Uhhh, sure. Tea sounds lovely."

Little do I know that tea is actually dinner... and it's breakfast... and it's lunch! And it is also a beverage that is consumed on the reg. So tea time means meal time.

3) "Mate" and "Goodday" are regular greetings. And you can even be asked, "How ya going?" Which still throws me off after a month.

4) You know the saying, "you say tomatoes, I say tomatoes." Yeah they actually say it the way that sounds funny

5) Cookies are Biscuits

6) TV shows are Programmes (and yes that is how you spell it)

7) Athletic cleats are called "Boots" and a trunk of the car is called the "Boot." Haven't had an instance where the trunk and cleats are used in the same sentence.... but I'll keep you posted.

8) Fail is spelt "phail" also realized is "realise" color is "colour"

9) You know thong sandals? They are called jandals... no idea why but when I asked my student he said it was short for "japanese sandals"... I didn't question

10) Alright true story: I am in class and just walking around watching my eigth-graders or they call them year nines (Kindergarten is year one)... but I'm watching my eighth-graders fill out their notebooks and right in front of me a kid asks his mate (see I'm getting the terms now)

Student: "Oye, can you pass me a rubber?"

Now I'm frozen. I have no idea what to do. This is literally my first day teaching and this dude just asked his mate for a condom. I don't even try and interject. I can only watch as this kid hands his neighbor a BIG....FAT....PINK....RUBBERY....eraser

Turns out a rubber is an eraser hahahaha

I'm sure there will be more to come. Stay posted. I've now been here a month. Wow how the time has flown by. It's hard to believe 1/3 of my time is already gone here in New Zealand. Headed back home in April and currently applying for jobs in Seattle, Bellingham, WA DC, all over the East Coast, California and one in the ATL... but I kinda hope I don't get that one... anyways if you know of any jobs that a young, hilarious, talented and good-looking guy might be a perfect fit for I am willing to listen.

Adios Amigos!!

Se7en

The first week of teaching was a smashing success. I got to meet some of the awesome staff I'm going to be working with for the next couple months and some kiwi students... and yes they have accents... and yes it is pretty charming. But all week all my co-workers were telling me that I needed to go to Wellington this upcoming weekend for a rugby tournament. Sure that sounds great, but then I hear more and more. Tickets are around $200... well ok, maybe not...

Turns out this is a giant tournament/festival every year in Wellington. The 7's Tournament... but it's really more of a drinking tournament than anything else. There are 16 national teams that play a 7 on 7 match. Games are really quick, 7 minutes per half with only a 1 minute halftime. So games go on all day and the action never stops... only it's not the action that is happening on the field that everyone is watching. In actuality it's really Halloween-esk party in the stands.

New Zealanders don't celebrate Halloween so this is their excuse for girls to dress dirty and pretend their not and for guys to continue to do what they normally do, only on another level with more ridiculous clothing. Literally everyone in the stands is tanked, dressed up and could care less about rugby. Until New Zealand is on the pitch then all eyes are focused.

What I see as I get off the Train!! Not even to the stadium or where it is legal to drink yet. I went to the bathroom and Larry Bird handed me a beer haha

Yes. They are Sea-men

I took the train into town to meet up with some buddies and partake in the crazy tournament... or at least the party afterwards. The U.S.A did horrible in the tournament and it was a little pathetic because they didn't even score a point until their third match haha. So we were rooting for New Zealand because that would mean an even bigger party downtown after the rugby final. We watched the games from a pub on Courtenay Place where the big after-game festivities were to happen.

I attempted dressing up for the celebration but it was a little tough finding out about the match just a few days before. But I rock my Brandon Roy Trailblazer jersey and it was a hit. I had a couple dudes from Portland come up and talk to me and we chatted about the good ole NW. Also, the NBA is by far the most popular American Sport in NZ and I had Kiwi bros coming up to me all night wanting to talk about the NBA and B-Roy. It was awesome... except for the fact that I have never seen so many Heat and Laker jerseys in my life. Such a joke.

Very early in the night haha

To my surprise, not an actual police officer

Pictures of the party outside in the rain

A dance circle outside and no, I didn't teach them how to Dougie... NZ isn't ready

It was horrible weather. It was pissing rain all day and throughout the night. But that didn't stop or slow down anyone. I've never been apart of anything this nuts and I've partied with the best of them... Celebs and all. They shut down multiple blocks of streets to contain all the wasted people. I met people from England, South Africa, Samoa, Figi, Australia and the list goes on. I even approached a group of guys that were wearing American flag track suits but turns out they were just Kiwis in costume.

I ended up staying out til 5AM when the bars stopped serving. Ate some street meat (that's what NZ calls hotdogs... not what you're thinking) and made it back to the train station in time for the first ticket out of the city back to my place. Made it back safe as the sun came up, slept in til well past 2PM and was hung over for about 2 days... well worth it. Such a blast and worth every second of it. Stories for a lifetime...

What Up Wellington!!

Sorry for the delay of posting. I know you have been sitting on the edge of your seat just waiting for my next blog post. Well relax toots here it is:

Adjusting to the Kiwi lifestyle was a breeze. I showed up at my host families house and they offered me a beer and BBQ steak straight away. It was ridiculously nice weather when I arrived, about 75 to 80 and sunny, and I proceeded to get sunburned all over my face. Apparently there is like no Ozone layer over New Zealand so UV rays are killer... Thanks a lot America.

The family I am staying with is wonderful. The husband works security for Parlament and Prime Minister (Wellington is the capital of New Zealand) and the wife is a math (they pluralize math to maths...so weird) teacher at Tawa College where I am teaching as well. I'll do an 'MTV Cribs' post later because the house I am staying in as A-Mazing.

I live about a ten to fifteen train ride away from the actual city of Wellington and it's only a few bucks to ride the train into town and I could travel all the way to Auckland (largest city in NZ) only a few hours away. I went to the city for a few hours my first weekend here and was able to snap a couple of picture around the city.

Wellington Harbour

He Must Work Out

The city reminds me a lot of Seattle. The trees flow right down to the city, a city surrounded by the bay, and of course a zillion hills. It's also a fairly young town with tons of bars and a university.

My host family took me up to Mt. Victoria, which is really more like a giant hill right in the city and I was able to take some sweet shots with my camera from on top of the city.

WELLINGTON!!

Hey! Who's that good-looking guy!?

Sweet panoramic shot... I didn't even know I had this ability on my camera

New Zealand is proving to be everything and more that I wanted it to be. Its fun, exciting and I am learning tons. It is quite humbling going from having a ton of contacts in your phone, friends you could see at a moments notice and family around to see. Moving to a new city where you know no one is a new experience and really has made me appreciate those around me. Good thing New Zealand is an awesome place to live and meet people. Excited for the months to come.

More posts to come. A huge Rugby/Halloween party, a Cribs edition, and of course an ongoing list of things that are different and new to me.

Erik