Fun Facts

*A Kiwi is a New Zealander, a kiwibird is NZ’s national bird, and a kiwifruit is that yummy green fruit.

*‘jandals’ = flip flops, ‘dairy’ = convenience store, ‘gutted’ = disappointed, and if you want your food to-go you order it for ‘take-away’.

*You can (legally) drive around a roundabout 9 ¾ times but then you have to get the heck out of there.

*Milkshakes don’t actually contain any ice cream; they’re literally just milk and flavoring. However, iced coffees do contain ice cream but not ice. Got it?

*New Zealand was the first country to grant women the right to vote.

*Since New Zealand is officially a dominion of Great Britain, the Queen of England is also the Queen of New Zealand. And the Queen’s Birthday is a national holiday.

*The population of New Zealand is approximately 4 million people. The population of America is a little over 300 million.

*A debit card is called an EFTPOS card (which I have a really hard time saying).

*Auckland is New Zealand’s largest city and Aucklanders are universally hated by all other New Zealanders because, among other things, ‘they don’t know what it means to be a real New Zealander’. In fact, apparently, ‘Go back to Auckland’ is one of the most insulting things you can say to a Kiwi.

"Excuse me, can I ask you for directions?"

Today I made a quick trip to town to run a couple errands before classes started and something happened that made my day: a group of Kiwis stopped me to ask for directions. I guess this means I no longer look like a confused tourist! I don't know when it happened exactly but sometime in the two and half months since I arrived in New Zealand I went from feeling somewhat lost and confused by my first experience overseas to feeling almost at home in Wellington. I no longer feel the need to carry a map with me every time I venture to town and although I haven't seen everything the city has to offer, I feel like I can find my way around pretty well. Knowing I'll only be here for a few months has motivated me try and fit as much stuff into that time as possible and see as many places as I can. It got me thinking about life back home and how I too often put things off, thinking I'll have time to do them whenever. And knowing I'll have just one more semester in College Station before I graduate makes this feeling only that much stronger. I love New Zealand and although I'll be sad to leave, I can't wait to go back home with a fresh outlook and 'tourist' mindset - carpe diem!