Changing Seasons

I arrived in New Zealand exactly 3 years ago today. Strange feeling in a way, looking back. When I first came I really did believe it would be for a year. I was ready to move on from the job I had until then, and thought this was be a fun adventure, a chance to see a new part of the world, make new friends, do some new stuff, and occasionally get paid since I had a work visa. But I have been told all my life that I am not the only one making plans for my life, and I'd say my venture to the Southern Hemisphere is an excellent example of the truth in that.

Little could I know that my 3-day a week temporary job at an electric company where I felt completely out of my league would turn into a full-time permanent job offer where I was part of a tight-knit family-like team, and have gained enough knowledge to be able to join in team debates and help run a major project impacting a large portion of the company. One of my co-workers enjoys training me on all things electrical and says he is crediting it all to my electrical engineering degree :) Other teams joke that it is a good thing I joined the team so someone could keep the guys in line. They are certain that if I talk fast enough and put on my twang, nobody has a chance of arguing with me.

I also would not have guessed that I would become such an involved member of the music community here. In my time here I have been fortunate to have many unexpected opportunities. I met a world-traveled singer and got to be her accompanist. I was the lead keyboardist for a professional theater production of Phantom of the Opera which ran for 4 weeks and nearly beat the major cities at their own game in terms of attendance and popularity. I have given concerts and have fantastic students. I have learned much and appreciate how much I still have to learn. My current project is one of Bach's Brandenburg's concertos, to be performed with the Taranaki Symphony Orchestra in November. While I have often dreamed of the opportunity to perform with an orchestra as a soloist, I did not expect to be able to so soon in my musical career. It is an exciting honor, and the 70-measure harpsichord cadenza will keep me busy practicing right until concert day!

Probably most importantly, I have made lifelong friends and have several adopted families here. I think no matter how much you love your job or how many exciting adventures you have, having loved ones near is the most important. No family can ever replace your family, but having someone who is happy to give you a hug on the tough days, and being invited for things like birthday and holiday celebrations mean more than those making the invitation might know.

I'm not actually sure why I called this post "Changing Seasons." I think I intended to write about the weather, or something, but this is what came out so I will share it.

My first night in New Zealand was spent in downtown Auckland at a hostel, next to a bar that was having a onesie party. It took me 5 min to figure out how to work the electrical plug and got grumpy at the young fella working the front desk for not giving me an extra blanket, but I made it through.
Tonight I've got a cobbler and meatloaf in the oven, with a wonderful piano studio and plenty of space (and blankets haha).

Hope all of you are well. Love and blessings.
D

Happiness

There have not been a lot of terribly exciting things happening lately, but I thought I might share some little day to day things that make me happy.

This morning we went shopping in the "mall," Centre City Shopping Center. A group of retirees were doing highland dancing in an open area.

Winter weather reports, which often sound like a weathermans way of saying "No clue what will happen."
A weekend report might be: Rain on Friday, showers on Saturday, and drizzle on Sunday. I think I'd save myself effort and just say it'll rain all weekend!
Another favorite of mine is "rain with clouds and sunshine."

This restaurant advertisement I saw on a truck:

This house with odd windows I saw in Wellington a couple of weeks ago:

That I can see this from my piano room on clear days:

Hope all is well.
I'll try to have an interesting post soon :)

Just a big different

I often get asked if there is a lot of difference between NZ and the US. Or if I had a lot of culture shock when I first came here. Or if I get really really homesick. Well, at face value the US and NZ are far more similar than say... the US and Japan. Of course there's differences but certainly nothing terribly terribly extreme. Culture shock....Hmm. Well. My very first night here was spent in a hostel in downtown Auckland. It was right next to a bar which was having a onesie party. I was tired, it was cold, I couldn't imagine why people would go out dressed in a onesie, and I did briefly wonder what exactly I had gotten myself into. However, in general there was not a lot of shock to deal with.
Homesickness, well it happens. When you live in another place, be it city or country, there is always a time I think when you just want to be home. Now I think in some ways, home is a relative term, but I do have days where I feel very far from home.

However, today I wanted to share some things about New Zealand that are just a bit different from home. For the purpose of this post, home shall be defined as Midwestern USA.

Potato chips, or as they are often called here, chippies or crisps. There are several options, probably not as many as you'd find at HyVee, but plenty to choose from. Including chicken flavored potato chips. Which I just think is really odd. Consequently I have yet to eat any.

Vacuum cleaners, also know as the Hoover. Vacuums cleaners do exist here, thank goodness. But they are not upright. I miss that. Instead they resemble what I think of as a shop vac and have a very long hose. Totally functional, just somehow less appealing.

Hamburgers. Of course they will be different from home. But I still protest putting beets on a burger.

Coffee. If there is one thing brilliant about New Zealand, it is the coffee. America might run on Dunkin' Donuts but New Zealand undoubtedly runs on premium roasted espresso. Coffee is an important part of life here, one that I have come to appreciate. Not because I drink coffee, because it is a rare occasion that I choose to be that caffeinated, but the idea that you should make time for a coffee, spend a Sat afternoon enjoying the sunshine and having a coffee with a friend, that is something I completely embrace. The one notable difference when you walk into a coffee shop here is that there is not an option to just get yourself a strong cup of black coffee. They just find it odd that Americans would choose to drink coffee that doesn't have frothed milk or caramel sauce or chocolate on top or sugar or something extra delicious in it. The Flat White is the iconic NZ option. I realized I have never had one so someday when I'm extra tired I plan to try it out. I'll let you know what I think, coffee connoisseur that I am not :)

Baked beans. NZers embrace the English version. Which means they are not the sort of baked beans you'd find at a BBQ joint, but rather are canned with what I think is minimal flavor, and are often eaten for breakfast on toast. As are fried mushrooms and tomatoes (just in butter, not deep fried). But potatoes, which were a staple for our breakfasts growing up, considered very strange as a breakfast item. You can also eat mince on toast for breakfast (browned ground beef). Or your fried eggs. If you are having both toast and fried/scrambled/poached eggs for breakfast, you put the eggs on the toast. It's pretty yum, you should give it a go :)

"You're welcome" is not a phrase I hear often over here. But not because they are impolite. Instead they say "That's all right."

Peanut butter, totally not a thing here. You can find it next to the jam, but it's not something you find in every house. Things like peanut butter M&Ms, or pretzels and peanut butter, or celery sticks and peanut butter, not anything they would think of eating. I was amused the other day at the grocery store when I saw a large bunch of the expensive Lindt chocolate truffles on sale for much much less than I've seen before. It was because they were the peanut butter kind and just weren't selling.

I could keep adding items for quite some time I'm sure, but this is probably a good sample. Enjoy your weekend. I shall bake a cake tomorrow in celebration of the Queen's birthday!

Fun Facts

I have been here nearly three years now, which means I have had a bit of time to learn a few interesting facts about New Zealand so I thought I would  share some.

• If you get pulled over by the police, the officer must be wearing his or her hat when they approach they vehicle. Otherwise, they cannot issue you a ticket.
• New Zealand really doe shave more sheep than people, with a 10: 1 ration. This comes out to 4 million human residents and 40 million sheep. 
• Driving rules recently changed. If two cars from opposite directions are at the same intersection, the vehicle turning must yield to the vehicle going straight, even if the turning vehicle arrived first. 
• The first place in the world where you can watch the sunrise is Gisborne, on the East Coast of the North Island.
• The longest place name in the world is also found on the East Coast, a hill in Hawkes Bay. I won't even pretend I can pronounce it: Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukaka-
  pikimaungahoronukupokaiwenuakitanatahu. It means "the place where Tamatea, the man with the big knees, who slid, climbed and swallowed mountains, known as Landeater, played his flute to his loved one."
• No matter where you are in New Zealand, you cannot be more than 128 kilometers from the ocean, or 79.5 miles.
• There are no snakes in New Zealand (yay!), or ticks.
• New Zealand was the first country to give women the right to vote, in 1893. That being said, one of the first women politicians was instructed to not enter the government buildings at the same time as her male counterparts so as to not undermine their authority.
• The logo for the Royal New Zealand Air Force is the kiwibird, which is flightless. 
• The beer drunk on camera in the Lord of the Rings films was a New Zealand beer called "Sobering Thought."
• New Zealand courts have an entire list of illegal names which cannot be given to your child. They include all titles such as Prince/Princess, Queen, etc. This came about when a young girl became a ward of the court to change her original name of Talula Does The Hula From Hawaii.
• New Zealand has three national languages: English, Maori, and New Zealand Sign Language.
• Wellington is the Southernmost capital in the world.

Hope you enjoyed :)

Manny the Mantis

Something I quickly noticed, and found rather odd, is that houses here do not have screens on windows and doors. This means should you want fresh air in your house, you are also inviting nature's delightful little creatures inside when you open windows or doors. We routinely have mosquito eaters, granddaddy longlegs, and other various spiders etc. inside. Nothing that is really a major nuisance, thankfully. But that is probably in part due to there being a lesser number of creepy crawlies on this little island country.

Now, having grown up with pets, I have often wished I could have one. Unfortunately as a renter I have been stuck with a piano and house plants as a substitute. However, it seems nature might have decided to provide.

About two weeks ago, I noticed a praying mantis in the laundry room. I did not think much of it at the time, but over the next few days saw it frequently in the laundry room, or down the hallway, or in the sun room. When cleaning and decorating for Cinco de Mayo, it seemed a good time to let Mr. Mantis return to his real home of the great outdoors, and put him out in the garden. He seemed to disagree however, as a couple of days later he was back, and was hanging out in the sun room right over the record player listening to nice piano music.
The next day he was in the kitchen having a stand off with a spider who eventually gave up and went the other way. A few days later he kept me company during a workout before work. And just a few days ago, when firewood got delivered, he hung out with me outside while I stacked it before it got wet in the rain.
He has been named Manny. We will see how long he sticks around :)

Te Reo Maori

English, as spoken by the UK with some Kiwi influences, is the national language of New Zealand. The accent is noticeably different, but there is general agreement on vocabulary. But New Zealand also has a second language, which belongs to the indigenous people. Not everyone speaks it, but it is a part of life just the same. Schools and universities offer courses and degrees in the language. Some areas of the country have communities or schools which strictly speak Te Reo. And some words have worked their way into everyday life so that they are used interchangeably with their English counterpart. I have slowly picked up the meaning/understanding of these words, so I thought I would share some today.

Pronunciation notes for when you practice out loud as you read this:
wh = f
au = o(e) [i.e. tau is pronounced toe]
ng = if found together are always pronounced together (I have yet to accomplish this)
vowels are ah, eh, ee, o, u (as in two), they are pronounced the same as Spanish and Japanese vowels)

Counting:
1- tahi
2 - rua
3 - toru
4 - wha
5 - rimu
6 - ono
7 - whitu
8 - waru
9 - iwa
10 - tekau

Family is whanau. This is used widely as it can include close friends or someone who has been adopted into your inner circe.

Pakiha is the term for Europeans, or white people.

waiata - songs
owa - I don't know (that's what it means, I haven't just written a word I am unsure of!)
awa - river
taringa - ear
morena - good morning
iwi - tribe
marae - meeting house
Haere mae - welcome
haka - war dance
kai - food
aroha - love
mana - influence
tapu - sacred
whakapapa - geneaology or heritage (very important in Maori culture)
whenua - homeland or country
waka - canoe
iti - small
nui - large

Kei te pehea koe? How are you?

:)

New Plymouth Anzac Day

Last Monday was ANZAC day, New Zealand and Australia's Memorial Day. As back home, we got a three day weekend, which is always a welcome treat. There were two ANZAC services in town, something I had not yet attended since living here. Since it was a day off, I opted to not wake up in time for the 6am service, but did make it into town for the 10am service.

This year was the 100th anniversary of ANZAC celebrations. It is now 101 years since the New Zealand and Australian troops landed on the shores of Gallipoli during WWI.
The service was held at the Cenotaph, the WWI memorial in town. It is located just off the main street, right on the coast with a nice view.

The crowd was gathered all around, waiting for the parade. The parade was led by the Devon Hotel Brass Band, and was followed by veterans of all ages. Also part of the parade were police officers, boy scouts, current military personnel, and a few other groups, but not sure which so will not list here. Music was led by one of the local choirs.

I suppose in some ways it was similar to Memorial Day services anywhere. But it was a good reminder of the need for peace in our world, and that those who have served and who still serve are loved and missed by someone somewhere in the world.

Before the service

Devon Hotel Brass Band

Veterans parade

End of the parade: