Canuck to Kiwi...My Adventures in NZ!

So, as I feared (and hoped, I will admit) our little kitty friend seems to like it better here than she does at home. Since I have mixed feelings about stealing someone's cat, (I would be pretty ticked if someone did that to me) we have implemented some rules for her visits. They are as follows: 1. We don't feed her. 2. We send her home when it gets dark. 3. We don't let her jump up on the kitchen counter because the kitchen window at her house looks into our kitchen. That's pretty much it. These rules don't seem to deter her. I do feel bad when she comes running whenever I open a can, or any sort of package that resembles the kind that 'temptations' come in. When we are cooking meat, she gets very excited and eventually leaves (to go home and eat, I presume). I also feel bad when I pick her up from her warm, cozy chair and put her outside and tell her it's time to go home. In the mornings, she comes over early and waits by the back do...

It's funny how something as simple as not being able to get your favourite dip can feel like such a big deal, but when I was in the grocery store yesterday and they didn't have asiago and artichoke dip, I could feel my anxiety level rising. There happened to be two guys stocking shelves right in the dip section, which only added to my stress as I tried to see around them. I felt like demanding an explanation..I mean, how can they not have asiago and artichoke dip? There were endless rows of hummus in every variation you could think of, but nothing resembling the familiar dip I'm used to getting back home. I'm sure there are lots of yummy dips that I will discover while I'm here, which will be equally frustrating when I can't find them in Canada. (Not the kiwi dip though..maybe it's an aquired taste, but has anyone ever tried it? It's made by mixing reduced cream with a package of soup mix..yuck!) Anyways, I did recover from my dip disappointment. ...

I got myself a job!!! Finally. Yesterday, I had my first Friday shift at Lydia's Cafe... After nearly a month of searching and applying at various cafe's, (of which basically none were hiring) I have to say that I'm ecstatic to be employed!! Before my shift, I was nervous about the prospect of having to make coffee since my barista experience is from 10 years ago, but I'm happy to report that my memory served me well, and I was able to pull it off! They didn't put me on coffee duty right away, thank god, but when I was offered a coffee for my break, the question that followed was: "Would you like to make it?" "Sure" Trying to appear confident, and also trying to recall the brief demo I had earlier in the day, I set off making my latte. Firstly, I began steaming the milk. If any of you have worked in a coffee shop, you will most likely have used a thermometer to steam the milk to 140 degrees, or 160 for extra hot. Well, here they don'...

I have to say, ordering a coffee in New Zealand is very confusing when it's your first time around! If you've ever been to New Zealand, you'll be familiar with the flat white: the coffee drink of choice among many New Zealanders. The first time I went out for coffee, I stared at the board and had no idea what to order because I had no clue what anything was! Considering I hope to work as a barista while I'm here, I thought I better figure it out... My first flat white had me instantly hooked: smooth, creamy and ever so slightly frothy steamed milk blended with espresso. Yum. And just as pretty as it is tasty!     I've  noticed that New Zealanders have lots of cute names for things, for example, they call a cooler a "chilly bin" and candy is referred to as "lollies". I reckon (also a fav term here) it's the same with their coffee. There is also the "long black", which is essentially an americano. Then they have the stand...

One of my favourite things about my new neighbourhood is all the cute and wooly sheep! It's so nice to see them when I'm out for a run or riding my bike. (I would have to run a long way to see farm animals in Victoria!) Here, they are 5 minutes away. If they're close enough to the fence I will always stop and try my hardest to lure them over. I find the adult sheep to be just as cute as the little lambs!   We've also managed to make friends with the cat next door. She hasn't really ventured into our yard much, so I decided to lure her over with some ham yesterday...it worked! She happily purred and hung out for quite a while. She even came in the house and had a look around! I really miss my cat, so this is at least tiding me over. I'm slightly worried that this will turn into a sort of 'cat-napping'. ..would be nice to have a cat on my lap on the couch... Oh well, I can't stop her if she likes it better over here!  

Well, there is no Thanksgiving in New Zealand. I have to say, I didn't realize how much I would miss my usual Fall traditions. Like going to Dairy Queen to get as many pumpkin pie blizzards as I can before they sell out. Or the pumpkin spice latte at Starbucks. Or pretty much anything pumpkin I can get my hands on, really...scones, muffins, pies..I love them all! The cold nights here have tricked me into feeling like Fall is just around the corner, but there is no pumpkin to speak of. So, when Thanksgiving arrived and everyone back home was talking about all the delicious desserts they were having, it really put me over the edge. The last straw was hearing that my family had two pumpkin pies! Two!! So, I settled on the most simple recipe I could find (it was not simple in practice!) and sent David out to get all the stuff to make a pumpkin cheesecake. First roadblock: they don't sell canned pumpkin in New Zealand. (I had a similar experience when I was he...

On September 7th, the day I arrived in New Zealand, it was a warm sunny day, and the flip flops and leggings I arrived in suited the summery conditions perfectly. I was happy with my last minute packing decisions to omit my slippers and jogging pants, and was excited to start my second summer this year, in the Southern Hemisphere. Well, that delusion lasted a day, after which point I thought about my slippers and jogging pants I left behind and felt a sense of regret...it was freezing!! One of the first purchases I made were some hand-made wool slippers, which have only come off to put on another form of footwear when leaving the house. Seriously, they may be my most favourite and useful purchase ever. Next came the jogging pants: big comfy mens jogging pants..again, a wardrope staple for around the house, and I will admit to wearing them out on occasion, much to David's horror. The official start of Spring in New Zealand is September 1st, and this year...

Well, as I work on this whole job thing, (which is much harder than I thought it would be!) I've secured a gig as a volunteer at one of the Op Shops (Opportunity Shops, ie: Thrift shops) in town, the Hospice Shop. Now, as many of you who know me well will know, I am a big fan of thrift shops, and this could, quite frankly, mean trouble! (in the form of me buying everything I could ever need..or think I needed!) The good news is, over here there are lots of things I do need! So, this time around, instead of buying things that will collect dust on the shelf (and cause my friends and family to think I'm a hoarder), I'm buying items for the kitchen, and pictures and things to put on the walls. Aside from beautifying our house, I am also really enjoying my Wednesday mornings at the shop. I spend my time putting out all the things people donate, from clothes, to books, to kitchen stuff, and I've met some really nice people. I have morning tea at 10:30am, which usually invo...

I may have moved to an english speaking country, but there are still some new words I've had to learn. I've translated them below: Kumara: Sweet potato Capsicum: Pepper Corriander: Cilantro Pickles: Gherkins Courgette: Zuccini Sitee: Couch Lounge: Living room Petrol: Gas Jandels: Flip  Flops Togs: Bathing suit Trainers: Running shoes Tramping: Hiking Lollies: Candy Flashlight: Torch