It’s been a month since we moved here (whoa, it’s gone by fast!) and adjusting to living on the other side of the globe has been smoother than I thought it would be so far.  I’ve gotten used to living with four new people, drying laundry on the laundry line, not having a car (this is probably a good thing from a safety perspective!) and taking the bus (in addition to walking and biking) to get around.  I am still enjoying the novelty of different slang terms, which I update continuously on the NZ Thesaurus post.

There are, however, some differences!  A few of these disparities surface through various shopping excursions.  First, there seems to be no rhyme or reason as to the way things are priced here as compared to the States.  Some things are cheaper (like wine), and some are more expensive (like shoes).  Second, shops are open from about 10:00AM and close by 6:00PM, with few exceptions; some grocery stores and malls (which, by the way, are mini compared to American ones) are open until 8:00PM on certain days.  Third, if something isn’t in stock, you can order it, with the promise it will be at the store “in a couple of weeks”.  Two weeks?  Four weeks?  Who knows…  Definitely an adjustment to the just-in-time, on-demand retail experiences in America!

Actually paying for things has some weirds twists too.  For example, there are coins instead of paper bills for $1.00 and $2.00 denominations (kind of cool).  Also, since the New Zealand Dollar (NZD) does not have a denomination less than $0.10, prices are rounded to the nearest $0.10 when you pay with cash (electronic payments like debit or credit card charge the exact amount).  I equate it to New Zealand’s version of “give a penny, take a penny” - sometimes you get more money back and sometimes you get less.  Recently, I bought something where the total was $11.63; on the receipt, one of the line items was “rounding”, which subtracted $0.03 from my total; I received $4.40 in change.  Interesting!

It’s also worth noting:

1. The rap music is hilariously bad.

2. There are only about 30 cable channels (several American, British, and Chinese stations) as opposed to hundreds.

3. Few houses have sink disposals (they cost upwards of NZ$1000!) - ours does not.

4. The majority of houses have a laundry line, an electric tea kettle, and no screens on windows and doors (there are few bugs here, so they are not necessary - awesome).  The ovens have a smaller compartment called a “griller”, what we Americans would call a “broiler”.

5. It’s hard to find fresh mozzerella cheese.

6. Toilets have two flush options: #1 and #2 (hehe).

Things I Love (I will expand on a few of these in a future post): Frank Ginger Beer, Juice 2 TV (plays videos from the 80s and 90s - F-A-B), astoundingly friendly people, the Metro bus system, and bountiful natural and local fresh food!

Things I Miss: Simply Orange and Simpy Grapefruit juice, reliable cable internet, Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, Craigslist, TJMaxx/Marshalls, Trader Joe’s, and (it goes without saying) friends and family!

Regardless of the little differences, I will be just fine as long as I continue to have access to my American creature comforts like Crocs, peanut butter, chocolate milk, and Law & Order reruns.