The Expat Paradox

 One of my goals for this year was to improve my (almost non-existent) ability to swim. We are getting ever closer to the end of the year so a month or so ago I decided it was time to act on said goal. I recently  made my fourth visit to the aquatic center, so progress is slowly being made. As I was sharing the lane with a fellow who kindly gave me some pointers (he used to be a swim instructor), we ended up chatting while catching our breath between laps.

As I was leaving I realized he was the first stranger I had talked to in quite awhile that did not incorrectly assume I am Canadian and then want to discuss politics when I corrected the assumption. It was a refreshing change to a recent conversation that was as follows:

    Other person: How is Canada handling COVID-19?
    Me: No clue
    Other person: But you're Canadian so....
    Me: No, I'm American.
    Other person: Are you sure?
    Me: Very. 

It was an odd conversation that left me wondering why people have to try and guess, instead of simply asking "where are you from?".

Questions of origin aside though, this has been a strange year to be living in a foreign country. I am not usually prone to homesickness, but I have found birthdays and holidays to be a bit tougher this year, knowing that going home for things is not a viable option right now. Several conversations with other ex-pats have shown me that I am not alone.

As such, little moments that remind me of home feel very meaningful. A Canadian friend recently surprised me by sharing some "real" (i.e. North American version, not Southern Hemisphere version) Kraft mac'n cheese mixes with me. The taste is just different enough to be exciting. I was also quite delighted when I discovered that one of the local grocery stores now sells Tostitos corn chips. This is exciting because they taste nicer than the other options, and they are also relatively the same price because they are sold in the regular chip aisle as opposed to the international aisle. Troway gave proof of their authentic-ness when I brought home a bag and his first comment was "huh, they taste American!"

Music can also offer a glimpse of the other side of the world. We had a beautiful spring weekend so Sunday morning we ventured down to the waterfront for a market. Lo and behold, there was a hillbilly band playing, complete with mountain-man beards and washboards!

Saw this on my drive to work the other day.

Pukekura Park is in full bloom!

Showing some American friends around Taranaki :)

Despite minor challenges of living overseas, I am grateful to be in NZ and know that we have had an easier year than most.

Hang in there and Happy Thanksgiving!

Te Mata Peak

 The stretch from Queen's Birthday at the start of June to Labour Day at the end of October is always a long one, since there are no public holidays between those days. As such, we often plan a short getaway when Labour Day hits so we can enjoy the extra time off. This year we trekked over to Napier to visit Troway's oldest sister.

A benefit of going to the East Coast is the incredible amount of sunshine they get. It is always a few degrees warmer than our tumultuous West Coast. Of course, this does mean you need to plan ahead if you intend to be active outdoors. We almost got caught roasting in the sun, but luckily had gotten an early enough start on the day that we managed to avoid turning into lobsters.

My goal when we travel is to always find at least one place or thing we have not done/seen previously. For this trip, the 'something new' was climbing Te Mata Peak. I did my research, we plugged in the GPS and away we went for couple of hours of fresh air. According to my research, we could enjoy a nice stroll around the park area, get a nice view of the Hawek's Bay area, feel like we had been laid-back adventurers. Well, haha. We did get to feel like adventurers. And we got to see incredible views. But we had to work for it!

When we looked at the map, we found a trail that was a bit over 5 kilometers in total. It offered a walk through a redwood forest, some undulating farmland, and stunning views. "That sounds like fun!" we thought to ourselves, and off we went. Little did we know that by halfway through the 5 kilometers, we would be winding up our way up a very steep hill, but it was undoubtedly worth it in the end!

In Maori legend, Te Mata peak is 'The Sleeping Giant.' The story goes that Te Mata, the leader of the Waimarama tribes, fell in love with the daughter of a rival tribes' chief. He was given a series of tasks to complete to prove his love for her. The last of these was to eat his way through the hills between the plains and the coast. He died trying to complete this task, and his prostrate body forms this peak.

Read more about it here: https://www.hawkesbaynz.com/see-and-do/art-design-and-culture/the-maori-culture-guide/local-legends/the-sleeping-giant/

Yep, we climbed all the way up!