Dempsey....the after quarantine story

After piles of paperwork, 6 vet appointments in the U.S., 6 vet appointments in NZ, and 5 visits in his 10ftx30ft kennel I was able to just walk into the quarantine facility and walk out with Dempsey this past Sunday! Demps was a bit apprehensive about where I was taking him and he slept the entire car ride home. He did a grand effort to ignore me most of yesterday but was thrilled to be able to roll around in the grass and lay in the sunshine OUTSIDE!

Demps had his first official NZ walk this morning and other than chasing Short-legs (if you saw this cat you'd know why we named it Short-legs) it was just like old times. However, after about a 10 minute walk he needs a nap for about 2 hours.... after 30 days of just lying around his stamina is down from his normal spaz time. This works out perfectly given my fitness level is barely above that of the caged animal I think we'll try and get into shape together. We may try and go explore the beach tonight for his first ocean induction. (dogs are allowed off leash on any public beach in Auckland after 6:30pm and before 9am during the summer)

In these pics he is enjoying his new yard with his new fence that poor Brendan slaved over the few days before his flight to Vancouver.

Dempsey loves being outside-Hates the houseflies and is following me around everywhere but overall he seems like the same dog. After the long flight and long kennel time I worried he'd be traumatized for life. But dogs may be better than humans in that once they have some food and regular company they forget all their worries. :-)

Best Christmas Present....More time off

Many people remark that Kiwis seem to be more relaxed, better traveled and have more hobbies than the average American. I would agree and contribute some of their culture to the additional time off from work that the average Kiwi has. As of April 1, 2007 Kiwis UNDER LAW are required to have at least 4 weeks of paid holiday time. Many take additional "unpaid leave" throughout the year as well. In cope with these vacations most businesses close for 2-4 weeks over the Christmas Holiday time. It is not uncommon to find a shop, cafe or bakery closed this time of year with a handwritten sign stating "Closed for School Holidays" Christmas marks the official beginning of summer here in NZ and most Kiwis head for the beach and fill their vacation days with water sports and barbeques.

Many Kiwis think that I'm exaggerating when I tell them in America there is no legal right to any sick or vacation time and those companies that do grant leave usually do 5 days up to 21 days depending on seniority in the company. NZ employees also receive 12 months of maternity leave where they paid partially for the time off but their job is held til the end of their 12 month leave. Kiwis laugh when I tell them Americans get 12 weeks off for having a baby (usually unpaid) and many only take a few weeks off.

All this time off must explain why they all have great gardens, are really fit and enjoy plenty of family time. I think I could get used to this!

We rang in the New Year with some friends in Northland. (see pics). There are amazing beaches around every corner and we drove all the way to the North tip of the North Island to Cape Reinga. The views are amazing. I also will never get used to how many farms are close to these white sandy beaches. It's so funny to see livestock across the street from where you just body-surfed. Wed had a great time kayaking, relaxing and playing scrabble! There may have been a few bottles of Sauv Blanc for entertainment as well. 2008 brought lots of changes and I'm excited to see what 2009 in NZ will bring. Happy New Year to you all!

If you don't believe me on the time off see this excerpt from the actual law......

Four weeks paid holidays
From 1 April 2007, all employees are entitled to at least four weeks paid annual holidays a year.
The increase from three weeks to four weeks paid holidays or leave is being introduced gradually during the 12 months from that date – it applies to different people on different dates.
An individual employee becomes entitled to four weeks paid annual holidays on the anniversary of the date they started their current job. The anniversary date has to fall after 1 April, 2007.
For example if an employee started work on the 1st of June 2006, they will be entitled to four weeks holidays on 1 June, 2007. Or if they started on the 3rd of February 2007, they will be entitled to four weeks holidays on 3 February, 2008.
For all employees who receive “pay as you go” holiday pay, the payment rises on 1 April, 2007 to 8% of their pay, up from 6%.
The right to four weeks minimum paid annual holidays applies to all workers, of all ages, in all industries. It is against the law for an employer to give less than the minimum

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