First trip home!

Hello and sorry for the delays in my postings. The great thing about traveling a lot is the travel. The bad part is that you never seem to have enough time to get anything done (blogging, sleeping...you know the basics). I am now in L.A. after my first trip back to Colorado since my move to NZ. It was great and hectic. Sorry for those I wasn't able to connect with but I guess that means you have to come visit me now :-)

I've written a few things on the differences I've seen in NZ and now after returning I've noticed some "differences" in the U.S. as well. First and foremost it's so much bigger! In NZ I live in the largest city in the country (Auckland is about 1 mil) but it seems small by comparison. When I landed in LAX after a 12 hour flight I looked like Crocodile Dundee staring at the skyline and trying to maneuver my luggage cart onto the elevator crammed with about 15 other people...at one point I just watched as hundreds of cars whizzed by. I also immediately noticed the use of cell phones and blackberries. Now as a recovering crackberry addict I understand the benefits but now living in NZ I only have 60 minutes on my cellphone and blackberry service is just cost prohibitive so returning to the lands of 3,000 anytime minutes was a change. Finally, the shopping. Wow. Some could accuse us Americans as being obsessed with consuming but I have to admit I miss some of the selection while I'm on our little island. When I first walked into Target I was walking around in awe. So many choices! In NZ you can get pretty much anything you can get in the States but all the choices aren't in one place and you're going to pay a lot more for it- so seeing rows of shampoos and streets full of large shops was almost a shock. When I lived in Denver I felt like I had to go to L.A. or New York to really access a big city with big-city options. By comparison, Denver is now my new mecca. But like all good things too much of it was overkill and after experiencing Cherry Creek mall with Christmas crowds more than once I did get a craving for some small town Kiwi shopping.

As always my trip home was busy and I didn't get to do half of what I'd planned. However I did get to hang out with my nephews and learn that Brady can read heavier books than I, Cory is going to be the next Zach Effron, Rylie likes to body slam my dog and Lucas taught me the valuable lesson of saying "hi" with a cute smile can get you out of any awkward situation.

My parents were amazing as always including when I wrecked my dad's car I borrowed and driving me to the airport at 4am this morning to ship the dog. The siblings are great and the Dunn household is never a dull moment.

I am now in LA and just dropped Dempsey off at the USDA before he boards a plane to NZ. He will arrive there a few days before I do and has to remain in custody for 30 days. The process has been a project (to say the least) but I'm excited to have my little friend in our house abroad. I can't wait to see his reaction to the ocean.

As always we'd love some visitors and until then, send me your holiday news and I'll be share my first Christmas away from my family. If you're going to be away doing it with your love and on the beach is a great alternative!

Merry Merry to all
-C

DIY it's in their DNA

Kiwis are very DIY (Do it Yourself). They pride themselves on not using guidebooks, they don't ask for directions (or use those silly GPS instructors), rarely use recipes and they always fix things themselves. Here is my new favorite commercial showing both their sense of humor and DIY attitude

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqRVqXMyzhM

Obama-rama

"A new era after the Bush Administration" has been heard on t.v. stations across the world and New Zealand is no exception. Yesterday, as Americans stayed awake for election results it was a few hours earlier here- but the t.v. coverage was still in full force. From noon until 8pm here it was "all election- all day" and I was glued to the t.v. just as if I was living in Denver. The kiwi news anchors provided a great "outside" perspective for this American snuggled on the couch and to be fair I needed some of the "explanations" on how the American political system and voting system works as I never quite know how to defend the 2000 election when Kiwis ask about our Electoral College. Most of the news shows switched in and out of CNN and Fox News coverage so I got plenty of American perspectives as well.
Once the results came in the excitement from Kiwis was the same as those cheering on Obama in Chicago (and I may have jumped on the couch as well). In fact the news showed a few local council offices in the Auckland area that are flying the American flag today. Two American citizens living in Auckland admitted that they were going to burn their passports if McCain won-and have been claiming to be Canadians. Kiwis are excited about America's new president but the excitement comes from a few different angles. First, America is New Zealand'ssecond largest importer of Kiwi goods and therefore a good American economy is a good Kiwi economy. Free trade with the U.S. is also a topic of interest here for local businesses. Many exporters are paying a 7% duty to import goods and McCain's proposed initiatives did not include a free trade agreement with NZ. Kiwis are hoping that Obama will open the exchange opportunities. I think that Kiwis also share the view of a many other non-Americans in recognizing what a superpower America really is. Will Americans stay up all night on Friday to await the results of the election in New Zealand? I think not, nor do I think that any other country watches others elections quite as closely as the whole world has been watching the American showdown. Just as I was surprised at far and how intensely 9/11 affected those in New Zealand I am again reminded at how influential the USA is to every country in the world. The negativity from health care, the war and the economy echoing from American headlines has depressed the world and it seems now that the world has a renewed sense of hope that if America is going to get a turnaround so can their own country.

There is also the race issue that is getting plenty of press here as well. New Zealand news reports have been showing footage from the days of US desegregation, Martin Luther King's speeches and "Ugly Face of Chicago in 1966" commenting on how far America has come in such a short time. The interesting thing is that Aboriginees in Australia only received the right to vote in 1967 and that same year New Zealand finally allowed their native Maori party to sit on Parliament. Apparently we all have a sorted past when it comes to racial equalities and it's only been 40 years since we started on the better path.
I wonder if the American population will feel more united or more divided now that Obama's race is even more relevant. I wonder too how it will affect race relations in the rest of the world...including this side of the pond. Whether Americans want the responsibility or not, the entire world watches how we act, what we do and for many social issues......we set the standard. I hope that we can live up to it!

Kiwis also have their national election this coming Saturday (Friday for you Yanks) and these citizens are stressed about their government and the state of the country as well. NZ unemployment is up to 4.2% with 16,000 more unemployed Kiwis than last year at this time. And the NZ stock market fell today along with the DOW and the Kiwi dollar is still remaining very weak against the US dollar (almost the lowest in history). However, it's interesting because New Zealand basically has a Democratic leader now (closest comparison) and everyone (even local Americans) seem to think that their National Party (closest to our Republican Party) will be the saviour for NZ. Americans want more government: Government health care, Government education, Government Aide. Kiwis currently have a lot of government (including health care ect) and now it looks like they want to take a step back. Many candidates are running the slogan "we don't want to be your nanny like the current reign" inferring the current system is "too" involved in Kiwis lives. Is more better or is more just more?
This is an interesting time for me to sit back and observe both perspectives. I hear Kiwis supporting Democrats in the States but Republicans in their own back yard....hmmmmm

While not even all Americans support our new leader (which is a whole other blog) I think that everyone can agree it's time for change. I think that everyone in the world can also acknowledge that Obama has promised quite a lot and I hope that everyone can remember that even Rome wasn't built in a day. So for now the American image is a bit restored (I truly think that that average non-American has a bigger disdain for President Bush than the average American Democrat) and I hope that the good spirits and commitments continue to get us all out of this economic and moral slump!

.........and as a side note: you'll be happy to know that on the news tonight the anchors are "investigating a golden doodle" since this is the dog that Obama's kids have requested. Kiwi's are confused enough by our interest in our pets and now that designer dog breeds are officially introduced I'm laughing at their baffle/fascination. My dog will be running the Auckland streets soon enough and I can only imagine trying to explain what kind of dog my snub nosed Boston Terrier is.....breeds are a bit more basic here :-)

Posting from the Palace

Here is a notice from the Queen of England sent to Americans.....It could also be sent out by just about any kiwi


To the citizens of the United States of America from Her Sovereign Majesty Queen Elizabeth IIIn light of your failure in recent years to nominate competent candidates for President of the USA and thus to govern yourselves, we hereby give notice of the revocation of your independence, effective immediately. (You should look up 'revocation' in the Oxford English Dictionary.)Her Sovereign Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will resume monarchical duties over all states, commonwealths, and territories (except Kansas, which she does not fancy).Your new Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, will appoint a Governor for America without the need for further elections.Congress and the Senate will be disbanded. A questionnaire may be circulated next year to determine whether any of you noticed.To aid in the transition to a British Crown dependency, the following rules are introduced with immediate effect:

1. The letter 'U' will be reinstated in words such as 'colour,'favour,' 'labour' and 'neighbour.' Likewise, you will learn to spell 'doughnut' without skipping half the letter s, and the suffix '-ize' will be replaced by the suffix '-'ise.'Generally, you will be expected to raise your vocabulary to acceptable levels. (look up 'vocabulary').
2. Using the same twenty-seven words interspersed with filler noises such as ''like' and 'you know' is an unacceptable and inefficient form of communication. There is no such thing as U.S .English. We will let Microsoft know on your behalf. The Microsoft spell-checker will be adjusted to take into account the reinstated letter 'u'' and the elimination of '-ize.'
3. July 4th will no longer be celebrated as a holiday.
4.You will learn to resolve personal issues without using guns, lawyers, or therapists. The fact that you need so many lawyers and therapists shows that you're not quite ready to be independent. Guns should only be used for shooting grouse. If you can't sort things out without suing someone or speaking to a therapist, then you're not ready to shoot grouse.
5. Therefore, you will no longer be allowed to own or carry anything more dangerous than a vegetable peeler. Although a permit will be required if you wish to carry a vegetable peeler in public
6. All intersections will be replaced with roundabouts, and you will start driving on the left side with immediate effect. At the same time, you will go metric with immediate effect and without the benefit of conversion tables. Both roundabouts and metrication will help you understand the British sense of humour.
7. The former USA will adopt UK prices on petrol (which you have been calling gasoline) of roughly $10/US gallon. Get used to it
8. You will learn to make real chips. Those things you call French fries are not real chips, and those things you insist on calling potato chips are properly called crisps. Real chips are thick cut, fried in animal fat, and dressed not with catsup but with vinegar.
9. The cold, tasteless stuff you insist on calling beer is not actually beer at all. Henceforth, only proper British Bitter will be referred to as beer, and European brews of known and accepted provenance will be referred to as Lager. South African beer is also acceptable, as they are pound for pound the greatest sporting nation on earth and it can only be due to the beer. They are also part of the British Commonwealth - see what it did for them. American brands will be referred to as Near-Frozen Gnat's Urine, so that all can be sold without risk of further confusion
10 Hollywood will be required occasionally to cast English actors as good guys. Hollywood will also be required to cast English actors to play English characters. Watching Andie Macdowell att empt English dialogue in Four Weddings and a Funeral was an experience akin to having one's ears removed with a cheese grater.
11 You will cease playing American football. There is only one kind of proper football; you call it soccer. Those of you brave enough will, in time, be allowed to play rugby (which has some similarities to American football, but does not involve stopping for a rest every twenty seconds or wearing full kevlar body armour like a bunch of nancies).
12 Further, you will stop playing baseball. It is not reasonable to host an event called the World Series for a game which is not played outside of America. Since only 2.1% of you are aware there is a world beyond your borders, your error is understandable. You will learn cricket, and we will let you fac e the South Africans first to take the sting out of their deliveries.
13 You must tell us who killed JFK. It's been driving us mad.
14. An internal revenue agent (i.e. tax collector) from Her Majesty's Government will be with you shortly to ensure the acquisition of all monies due (backdated to 1776).
15. Daily Tea Time begins promptly at 4 p.m. with proper cups, with saucers, and never mugs, with high quality biscuits (cookies) and cakes; plus strawberries (with cream) when in season.

GOD SAVE THE QUEEN

Kiwi Speak-Part 2

Ok, so when I first arrived in NZ I published a post of some "unique" terms that Kiwis use and after a few more weeks of living down under I thought I would provide an update. They are not in any particular order other than how I randomly started writing them down

• Nutter: used to refer to a crazy or odd person i.e. "Did you see that guy run across traffic, he was a total nutter" the funny thing is this is a "real" word in the Oxford dictionary so we'll blame this term on the Brits speaking of Brits you refer to them as "POMMES" here as they are "Prisoners of Mother England"
• Lolli-water: term used to describe a fruity alcoholic drink. At first I thought this was just a "Brendan term" (I could do a dictionary on his sayings as well but that's a whole other blog :-) until I heard it referred in a PSA saying "Just because it tastes like lolliwater doesn't mean it's any less dangerous to drink and drive"
• Paddock: used to explain a small farm or grassy area or field
• Lifestyle Block: this is a very common term to describe someone who is living on an area of land that is larger than a house plot but smaller than a farm or ranch i.e. 5-8 acres with animals is a "lifestyle block" some city folk also refer to as a "life sentence block" given the extra time and work a small "hobby farm" can entail
• "Cheap as Chips" this is probably one of the most common terms I've heard since I've been in NZ. It refers to when something is a really good deal and/or very inexpensive. "Hey mate did you hear about the Air New Zealand flight discounts between LAX and Auckland? They're cheap as chips" (remember that "chips" here are actually french fries)
• Moorish: Again this is a term I thought Brendan made up but once again t.v. confirmed in a recent food commercial that "moorish" is a "real" word. It refers to when you are eating something and you can't just have one so you want "more" i.e. "I've got to stop eating all these bisquets but they are so moorish"
• Pickish: Also a term used when snacking. Americans may say "grazing" It's used when you aren't really hungry and/or you aren't quite sure what you want to eat so you are feeling "a bit pickish"
• "Cry Off": A term used when you cancel plans and/or try and get out of plans. i.e. "Hey we are still a bit jet lagged from our China trip so we're going to cry off our dinner plans tonight"
• Scodie and Hodie: These are slang terms to describe when something or someone is a bit sketchy and/or dirty, scummy, lame, dodgy, low budget (you get the picture) i.e. "I think we should throw out this pillow it's getting a big scodie" Apparently these are slang terms that were used more in the 80's like our version of "sweet" or "lame" but I'm bringing them back into the mainstream
• Munt, Munted or Munter: Munt or Munted is like saying something is "trashed" in the states i.e. "I had a bad accident and my car is totally munted" or "look at my hand, it is totally munted after that biking accident" A "munter" is used to describe someone who is stupid or acting stupid "i can't believe you did that, you are such a munter (or munta)
• Bogan: Usually used to describe someone who is young, usually wearing black, has longish hair (almost like a mullet) usually acting immature, is obsesses with rugby, shows up in groups at the beach and plays loud music. For some it's somewhat of an offensive term used to describe someone from a lower economic class, but most use it as a way to describe a "trouble maker" (also used in the song Back in Black by ACDC)
• Drop Kick: this is a term to describe someone that is a loser or is bad news i.e. "I heard her boyfriend is a total drop kick" -it's a term stolen from rugby verbiage
• Candy floss: Cotton Candy
• Crook: Feeling sick i.e. "I got a bit crook when we went to China after eating all the random food"
• Gumboot: The actual shoes like rubber galoshes are called "gumboots" which apparently every kiwi has. They wear them to do yardwork, when it's muddy, out on the farm...... but it's also used to describe anything commone i.e. "i"ll just have some gumboot tea" would mean very basic black tea as would be served on a construction site by workers in gumboots
• Lawns or Garden: this seems obvious on what it's referring to but Kiwis don't "mow the lawn" they mow the "lawns" or they "work in the garden" even if they only have grass.
• Pram: a baby stroller
• Cot: a baby crib and if you "throw your toys out of the cot" that mean you just threw a fit (used for adults as well) i.e. "She was the worst employee she talked back and threw her toys out of the cot..."
• Shattered: used to describe if you are really tired i.e. "I'm totally shattered and can I could barely get out of bed"
• Shorts: the previews before a movie

Political Dollars and Sense?

Americans will be attending the voting polls in record numbers (hopefully) on November 4th to choose who will be our next President with hopes that either Obama or McCain (and their dream teams) will be able to fix the financial crisis, re-work the health system and end the war in Iraq within the their first two years in office -the final two years will solve global warming and buy back our businesses from China of course.

On November 8th, Kiwis will also flock to their polling sites to elect both members of Parliament and their next Prime Minster (which is done on the same ballot). But the campaign ads here in New Zealand just started about a week ago.
So while all you Americans are fast-forwarding your dvr's through all of the political commercials and think I'm lucky to have missed them, consider the trade off of explaining how the American campaign "trail" works to inquiring minds here in the Pacific.

There are many differences between the American and the New Zealand political systems including more than two parties running for the head spot (I think they have about 5 major parties), they have a Parliament and Prime Minister instead of Senate and Presidents and the most shocking part is that the NZ candidates just "officially" announced their candidacy this past Sunday and only really starting campaigning (via billboards) about 6 weeks ago when the election was actually announced (they don't do it on the same day or same years as we Yanks do).....which means they just started spending campaign dollars.

"Campaigning" in New Zealand does involve debates (which are quite colorful), t.v. ads and billboards but they started and continue their campaigning for less than 3 months total. Granted the Kiwi Candidates only have to travel up and down the country which is like Obama driving from Denver to Telluride...but it is a bit hard to explain how and why our candidates travel around the country, multiple times- Stay in expensive hotels with teams of people- Have expensive and continual t.v. commercials, high-end "fund raising" dinners, multiple debates.....ect ect.

It is a little bit hard to defend (or explain) how Americans are in a serious financial crisis yet our presidential candidates (who are supposed to be the ones that cure our financial woes) are the ones spending so many greenbacks. As of September 21, 2008 Obama had spent $377 million and McCain had spent $149 million according to the Federal Election Commission and now reports indicate that between the two candidates they have raised over $1 billion dollars which they will continue to raise until election day. This doesn't even begin to include the money raised and spent by Romney, Clinton, Edwards.......
I'm not sure if NZ candidates have a limit on how much money each party can spend on election campaigning and I couldn't find any information indicating how much had been spent. But in 3 months, a few commercials and billboards surely isn't reaching the billion mark.

I still think that America is truly the land of opportunity and offers more political and social diversity than a country like New Zealand but is spending money the country clearly doesn't have on smear ads and mud-slinging the best representation to the rest of the world on how the rest of Americans respect the dollar?




here's the link for NZ voters if you want to learn more on their system and voting process
http://www.elections.org.nz/

To read Helen Clark's (the incumbent) campaign nomination speech (and compare the differences of "major concerns") http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0810/S00261.htm

The Great Wall of China

The Great Wall of China is on the list of the "Seven Wonders of the World" and after visiting it I can appreciate why. The constructed stone wall took over 2,000 years to build, stretches over 5,000 kilometers and was built by hand before modern tools or transportation was available. In fact I am not even aware of any large animals in China to help drag all these stone blocks up the mountain? It's even more impressive when you see the terrain that the building occured. Very dense trees, steep inclines and the weather ranges from snow storms to 95' with humidity. As the stories go, many Chinese citizens were born, worked on the wall and died on the wall only completing a small piece of the construction.

There are seven areas of the wall that can be visited by tourists, 5 of which are near Beijing and 3 that were open during our visit. The Badaling section has a reputation for being busy so we went to Mutianyu section for our visit and we were very lucky as it was not very crowded on the day we went as I think that people thought it might rain so they stayed away. Mutianyu is about a one hour drive outside of Beijing and we hired a private driver that we were able to barter with to about $20 per person. Once you arrive the wall site you walk up through a group of street vendors offering everything from postcards to cold drinks and "best price for you" shouted at every corner. Visitors have the option of walking to the wall (about a 30 minute hike) or taking the tram/chairlift to the top. There are two points of entry both in the middle sections of the wall so you can choose to walk one direction, back track and then go to the other end. We ventured to the highest point of the open wall. The wall is surprisely wide (about 15 feet wide) with carved stone steps with a minimal rise but the wall itself is very steep as it cuts into the surrounding mountain range. (bring walking shoes becuase it is quite a work out!) About every 500-750 feet there is a watch tower that military would stand guard and still be able to see the next post. All of the public sections of the wall have been repaired but it was still in amazingly great shape considering it's over 2,000 years old and has had millions of tourist walk on it. The non-tourist areas of the wall are not in as good of shape and almost completely overgrown with trees and you can see areas of the wall that are falling down. I wonder if at some point there will be a mission to clear out and rebuild other areas of the wall.
Once you've walked on top of the wall gazing out at miles of mountains and the serpenting structure you can either hike down or take an alpine slide to the base. ....of course the boys had to race

It's an amazing structure and somewhat of a bizarre concept to build a wall around a city to both "protect" those inside and "keep out" those on the outside. It stretched over 7 government regimes and cost endless amounts of money.....wait isn't the American government considering something similar on the Mexico border?

Chinese Food Experiences

When you travel to Spain you try Tapas, when you are in Guatemala you have black bean paste, in New Zealand it's lamb and when I traveled to Beijing I just had to try the Peking Duck.
In Spain I was picky about the seafood tapas, in Guatemala I found the paste to be bland, I'm learning to love lamb and on my visit to China I tried Peking Duck--- but I'm not sure it will be on my 'favorites' list anytime soon.

As one travel website wrote "a visit to the capital city of China should involved climbing the Great Wall and eating roast duck at Quandjude." Since we had already tackled the Great Wall earlier in the week, for our last night in Beijing we decided on a meal at the famous Quanjude Restaurant. I think there are 6 Quanjude locations so we chose the one that was closest to our hotel. I had read reviews in books and online that famous politicians and celebrities have all dined at one of the Quanjude locations so we trusted the recommendation and showed up to a packed restaurant filled with large tables of groups of 8-10. We were seated at a large round table (just the two of us) and were presented with a large menu with the first page featuring the famous poultry.
Since most Chinese have one person order for the entire table, typically only one menu is handed to a table and anything that is ordered is assumed to be enough to share with the entire table For example, I ordered Jasmine Tea and Brendan ordered beer but we were both served a glass of each. An entire Duck was 198RMB (about $30US) but since I was the only one eating the local dish I was able to convince the waiter to serve us only half of a duck for 98RMB which is expensive for local cuisine. The other fixings that are offered with it (and cost 2 RMB which is about 10 cents) is the pancakes, shallots, garlic, sugar, hoisen sauce and cucumbers. Since Brendan had already tried the local dish he ordered spicy prawns and fried rice in lieu of my poultry...in turn we got two large plates of rice and prawns (yes we got a lot of duplicate orders)

Other than the items we ordered I'm not sure what else I would have been able to stomach. Our other choices including every part of the duck including: Duck Liver, Fried Duck Heart, Duck
Gizzards, Duck Feet/Webs, Shredded Duck wing, A Plate of Duck Skin and the very popular Duck Tongue. Other famous dishes include Shark Fin soup, fried scorpions, sheep intestines ....need I go on?

When the duck was served, first they come and show you the cooked animal (yes the entire animal with the crooked neck and sad turned down face....Brendan kept calling him "Donald" and then slice it table side. You are presented with a plate of the "skin" first which I tried in effort to seem polite. It tasted like fried chicken skin but much thicker and was almost the consistency of fried fat. They they brought out the plate of sliced duck. Since I only ordered half a duck I was only given half of the duck head as the garnish. Apparently people eat that part as well.
The Peking Duck is eaten in a pancake with hoisen sauce and onions. Even with the onions and sauce I found the Duck to have a very strong "gamey" flavour with a strong after taste that I experienced into the night. I saw the Great Wall
I ate the duck
They are officially crossed off the list :-) and for dessert we passed on the "duck meat cakes"

Here is the website for the restaurant if you want to read further http://quanjude.com.au/about.html which oddly has a a totally different menu that the one we were given. I didn't see Pork, chicken or beef anywhere on our list of options and I would have certainly remembered the option of lobster or scallops. But maybe these were options at the other Quanjude locations?
The other food that is available in Beijing includes some of the following (none of which I personally sampled) donkey meat, dog meat, stir fried pig liver, fried chicken heart, pig kidney, roasted pigeon, fried silk worms, fried scorpions-circadias and centipedes, sheep penis, starfish, crickets, rabbit meat on a stick, lamb kidneys, bee cocoons, fried fish head. and yes people seem to love most of it. The above pictures are from the menus at the infamous outdoor food market (which is only open at night), however we did see many of these same items in sit down diners as well "fried bugs" anyone? "Dog Meat Pot" for you? (double click on the pictures to see all the bugs!)

Overall I found eating in China to be a challenge if you went to local establishments. One, I wanted to make sure I was ordering what I intended i.e. chicken and not dog meat. And there was a concern with the food health given the recent Chinese milk contamination (as well as other concerns with toxic levels of pesticides, fish from waste ponds ect).
With that said there are plenty of Western places you can eat including the nicer hotels, Starbucks, McDonalds, KFC, TGI Fridays....but you will pay more in the hotels (at least 5 times) and the fast food places were still not what you expect from the Western branches. We did visit a KFC and the had a "meat stick" that was suspicious at best.

I didn't get sick except for towards the end of our trip when I didn't venture far from the -Western toilets--Although this could have been from the water. There is NO clean drinking water in all of Beijing. Even in our 4 star hotel we were provided bottled water with instructions not to drink the tap water. This is apparently how the majority of China is and therefore fresh vegetables are rarely eaten as most is cooked/boiled for cleanliness and water is not offered at meals (maybe boiling water and making tea was how they got around it?).

I don't intend to be judgemental as I'm sure plenty of people would view the food I eat as "weird" ....but for now I think I'm going to stick with my Western appetite

Pollution in Beijing?

The World Health Organization reports that on an average day, the pollution in Beijing is five times the standards for safety. In preparation for the Olympics China has reportedly spent $17billion dollars just in efforts to clean up air pollution and I thought that overall the pollution was low while we were visiting (or was it just better than expected?). We were lucky that the weather was mild temperatures and that it rained a couple of times which seems to "hose off" the city. In visiting the Great Wall we were with two people who had visited the exact area before and they were astonished at the visibility this time around. Apparently some people visit the Great Wall only to be able to see 40 feet in front of the them. The first day we arrived the smog was pretty thick (seen above) and we could only see about 5 blocks down the road but then it cleared up as the week progressed. (the clearer picture of the dragon building was taken 5 days later)

We read and I agree that late Sept/Oct is the best time to visit for mild temperatures and decreased smog if you are thinking of planning a trip.

Spitting from pollution?.....one thing that absolutely shocked me was how much the Chinese people spit. I'm not talking about the casual spit as if stepping up to the pitcher's mound. I'm talking about full body, gutterly spitting from men, women and elderly. Someone mentioned it was a common occurrence due to the pollution and apparently there's not a rude stigma to the loogie-tossing but I was shocked and even giggled when I watched some of these dainty women really get their whole body into clearing their lungs.

Maybe we visiting during a low pollution time and after a few years I could be doing some throat clearing as well.....

Beijing Olympic Mania

Here are some pics of all of the Olympic excitement around Beijing. We arrived the Saturday after the ParaOlympics concluded so the Bird's Nest was closed until the Thursday before we left (sept 25th)when they offered limited tickets to Beijing volunteers, their families and certain tour groups to those who could wait in line for a few hours. We also heard that additional tickets were being offered to Beijing residents as a "thank you" for helping host the games. These tickets allowed the patron to view the Olympic "grounds" but not enter the Bird's Nest or Water Cube which are surrounded by 8 foot fences and plenty of security guards. One American couple we talked to said the grounds at night were awesome with colored lights in the fountains and flower and plant displays everywhere

Starting Oct 5th they are opening those venues for public touring. They are expecting millions to pass through the gates on the Olympic grounds.

Our hotel was one block down from the Olympic area which is on the North side of Beijing somewhat in the suburbs near a large hotel district (about 20 min from Ti anamen Square).

Gotta Go China Style

Chinese Toilets

While our hotel offered perfectly new porcelain thrones (often sprinkled with orchid leaves in the bowl) in both our rooms and the lobby I was surprised that 99% of the toilets beyond the hotel were "Chinese Toilets"

I just googled "Chinese Toilets" and ehow.com provides the best explanation of the "how to" use the Chinese Toilets most effectively for the ladies:

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• toilet paper
• strong knees and ankles
• courage to endure very unpleasant odors and sights
• anti-bacterial hand sanitizer, or wipes

Step1

You are at that point. You cannot hold it any longer and the hotel is miles away. You find a place to go and nope, not a single stall is hiding the treasured Western toilet. Fret not, with a bit of practice and preparation, you will be in and out, business concluded, before you faint from the smell.First thing's first. Take your tissue (you should always keep some with you) out and hang up any bags or coats or objects that might drag. If you feel uncomfortable with this, or if there aren't any hooks, secure whatever items you may have on you. You don't want anything dangling off you.

Step2

Stand with a foot on either side of the bowl, or trough, or hole, facing toward the door (or where the door should be). There might even be places for the feet made obvious with ridged footpads.

Step3

If wearing trousers, unfasten them. Now, in one move, grab your underwear and trousers at the hips, slide them down AND bend the knees. This will leave you with the seat of your trousers baggy, so with a firm grip on both your trousers and underwear, lower further, bunch up the material and tuck it under your knees. You should now be squatting over the toilet, rear end exposed, and trousers securely fixed in the bend of the knees.

Step4

Before you relieve yourself, check for alignment. You should be squarely over the toilet/hole, as low as you can be, and if you have properly tucked your trousers under you, you should see an ample gap between your lap and your knees. Also, if wearing baggy pants, you should make sure that no part of the lower leg is in danger of getting splashed on.

Step5

Complete your business, doing your best to balance. If feeling wobbly, you might want to hold the bottom of the door in front of you, if there is one.

Step6

Once done, remember that toilet paper goes in the bin provided next to the toilet (if there isn't one, just drop it as usual). Now that that's finished, pull up and congratulate yourself for a job well done!

Other commentary: http://www.thebeijingguide.com/toilets/chinese_toilets.html

China Visit Summary

China has over 1.3 billion people (Yes that billion with a "B") and of that great population, over 13 million live in the capital city of Beijing where I just spent the last 8 days. Prior to our journey there my only real exposure to China was for the coverage for the recent Olympics. Prior to that I remember hearing my Aunt and Uncle talk about their trip there (when I tried to block out the fact that there is a culture that eats puppies) and of course I've eaten at P.F. Chang's enough that I thought for sure I was an expert on the local cuisine.

Let's just say all of my prior "knowledge" was quickly re-conformed upon arrival.

My first observation was that I was surprised at how spread out the city seemed to be. Everything I had heard and read about Chinese population I was expecting New York City with twice as many people all crowded into one small area pushing each other on the sidewalks. However, the geography was quite spread out and I think that it would take about an hour to drive from one end of the city to the other. With that said, you still noticed that there was a giant population increase from the 4million total people that live in New Zealand and with 13 million it made Denver seem like a small farm town--With Olympic fever still going on strong (we arrived a few days after the Para-Olympics ended) there is an additional influx of tourists. The papers estimated that the next few weeks with Chinese holidays and additional tourists that there would be an additional7-10 million visitors in the city. That means that we were snuggled up with about 20 million people in just one city!

With large cities come the problems and benefits that all large cities offer and I think that Beijing is in it's best form after the country has spent over $50 BILLION dollars prepping the town for the Olympic games. The roads are in great repair, there is security everywhere (and the city feels very safe) there are flowers and grass lining all of the streets and Olympic flags proclaiming "One World One Dream" on every street corner and tourist stop. It may be for the media attention (or not) but I was impressed with how many trees lined the major roads, at the lack of trash and I didn't see one homeless person on the sidewalk.

Overall, if I had to sum up the city in one word I would use "Paradox." Much like the Chinese Yin and Yang the city offers perspectives from very poor citizens that live in dirt floor homes just outside of town and across the street would be million dollar gated communities. One of the drivers that took us to the Great Wall said that a "so so" salary in Beijing is about $500 USD/month. Yet we also saw plenty of expensive hotels and stores including Rolex, Dior, Burberry....who can afford a Cartier watch on $500 a month? During rush hour you could witness Mercedes driving intertwined with bicycle couriers carrying 4 bags of trash) like the picture above but during rush hour there are 100s of bikes on the roads) businessmen in suits walking next to children peeing into a bush. There was something for everyone!

My overall conclusion of visiting Beijing is that of amazement and discomfort. I struggled with the food choices and contamination scares, being able to communicate with those who spoke a different language with a different alphabet and coping with what seemed like ancient toilets in a very modern community (next blog post offers more on the toilets). But I was also amazed at how Westernized a lot of the city is, how clean and well run the city is, how inexpensive some items are and how expensive others seemed. It is amazing to consider one of the largest cities in the world also has some of the largest historical dwellings....right downtown. We spent 7 full days in Beijing and you could easily spend 7 months and barely scratch the surface. Between the shopping, the cultural tours, museums, artifacts, food.....you could stay busy for months.

It's an experience I wholly recommend for those who appreciate history, new cultures and living outside of the box

September 12th

"September 12th"

Unless this is the day of your birthday it's just another day on the calendar much like April 19th or December 3rd. It doesn't have any real significance. However, in New Zealand, September 12th is the date that Kiwis remember waking up to pictures of the Twin Towers engulfed in flames.

On September 11th at 8:46 a.m New Yorkers were struck with a day that will never be forgotten. It was 12:46am on September 12th in New Zealand. While most kiwis slept Americans were glued to their television sets watching in both horror and amazement at the pictures of the Twin Towers that CNN showed for hours on end.

However, even though the tragedy occurred half way around the globe, New Zealanders were just as shocked and just as glued to their television sets. While driving on the highway this morning back from dropping off the pilot at the airport I listened to every radio station as they re-counted what they remember reporting 7 years ago today and they re-played tracks from President Bush's "acts of evil" speech. One Kiwi reported "I remember watching the television and I couldn't get my head around what I was seeing quickly enough to be able to report it on the air"

Kiwis were just as shocked as Americans and "September 11th" is a day remembered and discussed just as much in this country as it is in America. Kiwis remember where they were when they heard of the attacks just as much as Americans- and yet I am a bit curious on why. I do not discount that the attacks on September 11th were some of the most gruesome and horrifying scenes ever televised. I do not ignore the 2,751 people that died that day and I recognize that it was a major threat on US territory. However, as Americans do you pay tribute and recognize the tragedies of other countries in the same light that foreigners mourn our loss? Do Americans remember where they were on December 26, 2004 when the Indonesian Tsunami hit killing more than 225,000 people in eleven countries. Do you remember where you were in July of 1994 when it the Rwandan genocide death rates hit over 1 million? (I'm embarrassed to say that I never even remember hearing about Rwanda until Hollywood brought it in to my living room long enough to pay attention to Don Cheedle in "Hotel Rwanda")
How about where you were on May 12, 2008 when 69,197 Chinese died in the largest earthquake in 30 years and over 4.8 million people were rendered homeless.

I wonder if it was the nature of the Al Queda attacks that is everlasting. I wonder if it was the fact that it was an attack on the "World's Super Power" -I wonder if it was the number of Americans that died that is so alarming.

Where I will forever be shocked at the concept that human beings could believe in something so much that they could justify flying a plane full of innocent people into an office building. I am also a bit amazed at all of the atrocities that happen across the world everyday and yet it barely makes the 3rd page news in the States.

However, as it stands September 11th is a date that is remembered here as well as at home. At an investment seminar I attended the other day the advisor discussed market trends and focused on the effects of September 11th on the world market and on Kiwis in particular. Kiwi travelers remember being stranded in airports. (Since I've been in New Zealand I have already met 3 people who were or who knew someone in the air and/or about to board a plane somewhere in the world when the attacks occurred). Last night on the news a Kiwi reporter discussed the effects on air travel today and interviewed mainly Americans and Kiwis for their opionin on increased secuirty.

It is a day that is forever branded in everyone's memories and maybe it's not becuase of the number of people that were actually killed. Maybe it's not because of the comparable property damage to other disasters. Perhaps it's an event that transpires geographic lines and translates into thousands of languages since it was a disaster from people, to people and it was seemingly unstoppable. Maybe it's the sense of vulnerability that bonds our memories. Regardless, it is a day to remember. A day to pay tribute and day that reminds us all to acknowledge life.




Here's the full page AP article covering Sept 11th events in the U.S. from today's New Zealand Herald http://msn.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10531812&ref=rss

Beaches Near Us

Kiws are known for their love of Sport (yes they call is "Sport" not "Sports") and one of the most popular Aucklander sport is Kite-Surfing. Therefore more kiters are also weathermen (you want a on-shore breeze so that you don't blow out to sea).

In living with a Kiter comes some touring of great beaches. Here are two popular kiting beaches near us......

Kiwi T.V.

Now I can't say that I've gotten a chance to watch much t.v. while I've been in NZ but everyone is very interested in knowing how secluded (or not) I am being away from home. Surprisingly, I don't feel secluded at all on the news or entertainment front. We've gotten plenty of election coverage including Obama's and McCain's speeches and anchors from Denver reported on the DNC. The leading story on the news tonight was regarding Hurricane Gustav. The morning shows were all reporting on Angelina Jolie's post-partum depression, Pallin's daughter's news.

Any clip of Bush that could or does demonstrate his naivete is shown over and over (they love Bush-bashing on all channels)


I think that we get every primetime show here in NZ that we get at home although a lot of shows are a season (or two) behind. I'm considering using my knowledge of storylines from watching the episodes at home to start a small gambling ring predicting what characters will do next. Stay tuned for how long that will last :-)

NZ even is starting to get it's own versions of gameshows. Tonight is the new "NZ's Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" and they have "NZ Deal or No Deal" (but regular citizens holding the suitcases instead of models). It is pretty impressive how many "NZ" shows there are considering the country's entire population and geographic size is smaller than Colorado.

There is even similar entertainment news including "Entertainment Tonight" However, I have noticed that the hosts for their entertainment channels are not the decked out beauty queens but some just seem like your regular guy off the street. I think that is either becuase of their limited population or becuase like in everything else I've seen, NZ is just less into "looks" and drama.

They are also hooked to our same talkshows i.e. Rachel Ray, Tyra, The View.....You can never escape!

The news has sections dedicated to the US but the bonus is you get other world news as well so it's a bit of everything.

The equivalent of TIVO is just being introduced on their satellite t.v. and it's all the buzz. We just have the four basic channels which really has most of what you need and blends from multiple networks in the US and across the world.

Their commercials are a mix of US commercials (some with dubbed over background commentating by a Kiwi), Australian and some home-grown Kiwi commercials. The Kiwi commercials seem to play over and over. I'm not going to lie. This is my favorite commercial (and he pops up on your computer too) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_poYUF5znQ&watch_response

The morale of the story is, not only does the island have running water and electricity but it also has all the smut t.v. you could want mixed in with some odd Australia soap operas, some British t.v. and the local Kiwi sitcoms are the best. For those of you who watch Flight of the Concords at home (on HBO about two Kiwis in the US) there is plenty more of that kind of humor and bad outfits here too.

Define "Standard"

During our courtship my boyfriend (now my smiling fiance') often reminded me that the world revolves around the sun and that the United States of America is not the the center of the world. However, growing up an American you are constantly reminded that we are the "World Super Power," during the Olympics the commentators continued to remind viewers that America has the largest economy even though China has more people. ...And of course we hold the "World Series" in baseball even though we only allow American teams to compete. So what else is a Colorado girl supposed to think other than her definition of "standard" would equate to what everyone else in the world's view is. Now that I am living in a foreign country (now I'm the foreigner) I'm being reminded daily (by people other than my fiance) that my definition of "standard" is not how the world always works.

Example one, on my first journey to the grocery store by myself at the deli counter (and after recovering from the fact that NZ does not carry sliced turkey) I ordered a "half pound of ham". The deli worker stared blankly and then asked how much I wanted. Still completely ignorant I ordered "half pound of ham." Now as an American if someone can not understand us we just talk louder so I figured she couldn't hear me and repeated my order in full voice. Then I realized that she wanted to know how many grams I wanted. Since my only reference to grams is hearing about cocaine drug reports during my time working at the courthouse (I couldn't picture what 3 grams of powder was compared to 3 grams of meat), I instead ordered "3 scoops." The deli worker complied, handed me the bag of sandwich fixings and I'm sure she internally rolled her eyes ......we wonder why we're so easy to mock?

Another example, while shopping for a desk we also decided on a filling cabinet. As we were checking out my fiance asked how much their hanging file folders are. I infactically told him that I already had some hanging folders (some very nice purple ones that I had just bought new in the US). My fiance' told me that my hanging folders won't fit in a NZ file cabinet. they won't fit. The manager interrupted and asked "what size are your folders" and I said, "they are standard...you know 8.5"x11" to hold standard paper"

Both the manager and my fiance smiled at each other knowing that my pretty colored folders would fall into the gap of their "standard" drawers. Don't worry we still didn't buy new ones and I once home I tried to hang my folders in the drawers to no avail. .....oh so this is why people think Americans are arrogant

The third example. While we were furniture shopping we were looking at different styles of couches. We've decided that we need one larger couch and one smaller one to fill up the living room. While explaining this to the saleswoman I asked if there was a couch that was longer than "standard" size. She inquired on what is "standard" and I said "You know about 72 inches." Wow, could I be more American? First New Zealand (and most of the world) is on the metric system so referencing inches is completely useless. Second, a 6 ft (or 2 meter) couch is not standard in NZ (or in China or any of the other countries they get their furniture from). So again I had to back peddle and first think in mm (which is hopeless) and then re-ask my question.

(So far, no new couch in any size)

The examples are endless but here are some measurements that differ:

• 1.6liter bottle of milk, not 1 gallon
• 1 liter of petro, not 1 gallon of gas(which is 2.85 litres) (which makes a gallon about $6.22 here. I'll commentate on our attempts at energy saving vs. theirs)
• Weight is measured in kilos, not pounds
• Millimeters, not inches
• 100 kilometers per hour is about our 60 mph
• 15' Celsius is about 45 degrees

So although my geography has improved including the location of America in the solar system, I'm still miles away, I mean kilometers from remembering that my view of standard isn't really standard at all

E-Kiwi

Here are some common websites that Kiwis use which you'll see look very similar to ones us Yanks use

http://msn.co.nz/ (amazing all of the US celebrity press)

http://www.google.co.nz/ (you can select to search the entire web or just NZ pages)

http://www.trademe.co.nz/ (NZ's version of ebay and craigslist combined)

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/ (daily newspaper)

Different Yet The Same

Moving to a new country halfway across the globe seems quite daunting and overwhelming when you first think about it. Let's be honest, prior to this move, driving across Denver was often a challenge (more on my geography skills later). However, after packing some boxes, shedding some tears and boarding a plane (it certainly helps if your fiance can get you upgraded to first class :-) I'm realizing more each day how life is both totally different and yet totally the same here on this Island in the South Pacific as it is at home in The Rocky Mountains.

I've officially moved to New Zealand and we live in the small area of Albany which is located on the North Shore which is North of the Harbour Bridge in Auckland. If I were telling someone in NZ where I live I would say "North Shore". If I was telling someone on the North Island where I live I would say "Albany" and when someone from outside of NZ asks -I live in Auckland. Auckland is the biggest city in New Zealand with about 1.4 million people. The North Shore technically has it's own "city council,"mayor and tax structure but is a mere 15 minute drive across the bridge to downtown Auckland. Albany is a newer suburb of Auckland which is closer to the water and our house looks out over an inner harbour bay with water from the Pacific Ocean.

Malls.....
Within Albany is the largest "mall" in New Zealand that just opened up December of 2007 (http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/4256874a22401.html for info on the new mall). In the mall it has everything you would expect in an American Mall including a KMart, Body Shop, Borders Book Store, Timberland, Shoe Stores, Clothing Stores, Home Shops and a food court. The prices are higher on items that are imported from the US but items that are manufactured in the Pacific area (i.e. Australia) are similar priced. In this mall is a "Farmers" which is their version of a Macy's which has home items, clothes and most major cosmetic counters such as Clarions and Bobby Brown.

The difference is that they also have their larger grocery stores in their malls, the food court has an abundant choice of sushi and Thai food and just about every place around town has a cafe'.

Coffee....
Aucklanders love love their coffee and we aren't talking about Starbucks. If you order a coffee in New Zealand you are going to get a version of the American Latte. If you want a latte you order a "flat white" although you can also get cappuccinos ect. However, you will be very hard pressed (pun intended) to find any filtered Folgers in any restaurant or house in town. While shopping around furniture stores at least 3 of them has in store cafes serving coffees and baked goods. -And yes there are a few Starbucks in town but I'm guessing when they have customers they are not from around here as their reputation here is that they burn their beans....(is that pun as well?) The average flat white is about $3.80 Kiwi (about $3 US)

Movies.....
Within the WestField Mall in Albany is also a huge movie theatre (pics on their website as well as a listing of the current movies http://www.skycitycinemas.co.nz/Albany.cmsx) In other Americans' blogs I had read that the "NZ Movie Experience" is completely different. I found it to be exactly the same except for this movie theatre was nicer than ones at home with large comfy seats (one theatre has bean bags) with stadium seating and popcorn concessions in the hall. The price tag was a big steeper with a total of $32.00 Kiwi for us to both go to a movie on a Sunday night (about $24USD or $12/ticket). And yes they get the same movies as America but they come out about 6-8 months later than the US releases. There are also choices for movies in Chinese and some local Kiwi flicks but the advertising (even on the tv) shows a dominance of US film.


Driving....
Driving itself is different yet the same from meandering through American neighborhoods. The big difference is that Kiwis drive on the left side of the road. This sounds easy enough until you realize that right turns are across traffic, you must look a different direction for on-coming traffic and my biggest adjustment is not driving too far to the left (a few close calls with the side mirror already). The other difference is that in the States we have 4-way stops in just about every neighborhood. Here it's all about the round-a-bout and yield signs. I don't think I've seen a stop sign yet. Again this takes some getting used to and when it's a two or three lane round-a-bout I just start sweating since I feel like there are cars coming in every direction.

And if you hear a car horn that means you got "tooted" instead of honked at. During rush hour you can hear lots of tooting on the motorway (highway). Call me immature but when Brendan says that someone "tooted" at me, I just giggle... :-)

Food....

Many people from home are curious about the local cuisine here in NZ. Sticking with the different same theme it applies to the food as well. Overall my conclusion after visiting a few times and visiting their grocery stores and local cafes is that Kiwis have healthier food than the US. As Cafe's are very common here you can always find baquette sandwhiches (not wrapped in plastic) and food even at small delis seems to be much more fresh and healthier than a lot of our American burger and fried options. At the grocery store, I think that in part becuase everything is imported, but also given the ingredients, I find that there are less "packaged" dinners in NZ and instead more fresh ingredients. The grocery store near our house has just about everything you would see in an American store but it has more fish, LOTS more lamb products (including lamb sausages) and NO TURKEY! I was warned that sliced turkey sandwiches was not a big thing in NZ but you literally can not buy turkey in the deli nor can you buy a turkey breast in the meat department. It looks like that when I introduce Thanksgiving dinner over here I will have to improvise. Instead you can get sliced chicken for deli meat, but at around $20 per pound (US) I'm not sure I"ll make that mistake again. Sliced ham seems to be the much more popular as well as economically option.

My other concern was the ability to find Mexican food ingredients which this new store does have a small section that has taco shells,taco seasoning and salsa. They even had a couple of cans of refried beans, but in general Mexican food is not very popular in New Zealand and instead on the North Island they have a lot of Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Indian food. Since there are so many Asian immigrants the above food is quite good and can be found around almost every corner.


WEATHER......and heat pumps?

So far one of the biggest adjustments is to remember that I am in the Southern Hemisphere and that August is actually winter-time. When I left Denver we had two weeks of solid heat over 95'F. Here when I wake up it is 9'C. Just trying to remember that Celcius vs Farheniet part is a bit of a tricky subject and then when I try and remember that I'm actually in the equivalent of our March I continue to forget.

Winter in the Auckland area brings colder days and lots of rain. I'm told that this winter is one of the rainest in history but I kind of like the foggy mornings rising above the water and the cool nights. And yes it does get quite cool here. The interesting part is how they heat (or don't) heat their houses. Brendan lives in a newly constructed house and yet it was built without any type of HVAC system. No furnace, No air conditioner and this is the norm. While Auckland is know for "mild" temperatures as it doesn't freeze and rarely gets above 90' F Auckland does have very high humidity so the cold feels colder and the hot feels hotter. Regardless one Kiwi told me "I heard of a guy in America that had a heat pump (furnace) that he had pump heat into every room in the house even if he wasn't using that particular room" The guy was fascinated with the fact that in America central heating is the norm. Kiwis are very energy conscious and they find heating a room that you are not using to be quite wasteful. Instead most Kiwis use a fireplace to take the chill off or use a space heater. But 9'C with humidity is COLD!. For this house Brendan has been installing a "heat pump" which is like our HVAC units that pumps water which is heated or cooled in the summer and then blown into the house. This should be up and running soon so stay tuned.......


CELL PHONES......
Most everyone in NZ has a cellphone but they aren't the catch-all, attached at the ear, never leave home without it device that they are in the States. ...for a few reasons and mainly it's cost. I went to set up my new cellphone plan the other day and the salesperson asked me how many minutes I had used in my old plan. I told her "you don't want to know" and then admitted that I used 2,600 minutes the month prior. Now in my defense US plans include in-coming and out-going calls and I didn't have a home phone and I used that phone for work....Ok ok I talk alot!
Well needless to say they don't have any "unlimited" calling plans in New Zealand. The first plan starts at 20 anytime minutes. The next one is 60 anytime minutes and then multiples thereof. I signed up for a basic plan with 60 anytime minutes (in-coming calls are not counted), 600 text messages within NZ and one "best mate" (unlimited calls and texts) for $39.95 a month. For an extra $10 I added free weekends for calls and text messages. So the basic plan is about the same cost. However, they have different rates if you are calling a land-line vs another cell phone and then it depends on which cell phone company you are calling (we have AT&T, Sprint, Verizon ect and they only have Telecom and Vodafone). There are particular rates when calling from a home phone as well with different rates if you are calling a landline or a cellphone and which area of town you are calling. I'm kinda scared to get our first bill!
Basically texting is the cheapest option and otherwise it's very common to make/receive calls to your home phone (I hadn't had a home phone is over 5 years). International texting isn't too high at .17cents (kiwi) per text which is about .11/text US. The salesman told me that a few other companies are forming so more competitive plans may become available.

I was able to use my same blackberry that I used in the States. When I purchased the phone in May it was about $250. Here the exact same phone is $850 Kiwi (about $600 US!!!) and yes the Iphone craze has hit overhere but the plan costs are outrageous....about $6,000 for two years!

MORE TO COME>>>>>>>>

Kiwi Speak (updated regularly)

Once I started telling people that I was going to move from Denver Colorado to Auckland New Zealand to be with my fiance many started inquiring further into life in NZ. A very common question was/is if we speak the same language. My answer is "sometimes" Yes the official language of New Zealand is English (and Maori) there are many phrases and words that need a bit of translating for the Yanks. The following are just a few that I'll try and update as I think of them and notice the difference....

(and I'm pretty sure that I'm spelling all of these kiwis phrases incorrectly but at least you get the idea)


SLANG TERMS:

Bollix: Slang for B.S. or damn i.e. "Transfering a car lease with Wells Fargo is such a pain, Bollix to that"

Bugger: Slang for shit or damn i.e. "Bugger I forgot my passport again!" You can also use it as a rude way to say go away "why don't you bugger off"

Flash: fancy or high-end or if something goes the right way i.e. "Did you see his boat, it is super flash" or "Welcome to New Zealand, sorry the weather isn't super flash today"

Cheers: Thanks

Faf or Faffing: taking a long time to do anything or nothing in particular or if something doesn't work out i.e. "I waited on hold for an hour and she still couldn't answer my question, it was a total faf" or "Do you want to use the computer? I'm just faffing about"

Sort: often used in place of "organize" i.e. "I need to meet with an adviser to sort my finances" but also use just to "do" something i.e. "We can sort dinner plans later"

Keen: used if you like something or want to do something i.e. "I'm kinda keen on the idea of going to China for 10 days" or "I'm really keen on all this great coffee"

Manky: something is gross or old i.e. "Under the sink I found some manky old rags"

Sweet As: this is a phrase that tends to be used for just about anything that you want to say is "cool" or "I'm great" For example when we were at dinner Lisa asked Terry if he would like more chicken and he said "No thanks I'm sweet as"

Dodgy: If something is sketchy or off i.e. "I just don't trust that guy he seems a bit dodgy"

Slapper: A term for a woman who has loose morals

Mate: is commonly used for a friend (but not as often as the Aussies). On my cellphone plan I was able to pick a "best mate" to make unlimited calls to

Gorgeous: While it is often use to describe something beautiful it seems to be used more as an adjective i.e. "That lamb sauce is gorgeous"

Brilliant: if something is good, great, a good idea, "it's brilliant" for example "We visited some vineyards and had great weather, it was brilliant"

Motorway: Highway

Tooting: Honking a horn

Piss: now this is a word that is used for a million different things including: making fun of someone i.e. "are you taking a piss at me?" or if you are drunk "She got so pissed last night" or to tell someone to bug off you say "piss off"

HOUSEHOLD TERMS

Bloke: used generically for a man. Initially I thought this was colloquial slang but even the news says "Last night a bloke was injured in a car accident...."

Wind Screen: Windshield

Bonnet: Hood of a car

Togs: bathing suit

Jandals: flip flops

Sunnies: Sunglasses


FOOD:

Flat White: Latte

Fluffy: steamed milk usually served with marshmallows for children

Biscuits: Cookies or Crackers

Nibbles: Snacks or Hor'Dherves

Entree: Appetizer

Main: Main Course

Arrived Safely!

Arrived at Auckland Airport in New Zealand at 5:35am August 20th. Welcome to the first day of the rest of my life!

(this is the night we got engaged!)