Wow over a month is gone by here in New Zealand. Wonder if it has also gone by in the US too?
Receiving letters from Dad. They take 2 weeks to arrive. Though a stamp from the US to New Zealand is only $0.94, from New Zealand to the US is $!.50 plus a $1.00 for a postcard. I have sent one postcard so far. And, because we don’t have a printer (and copy shops are also way expensive, and I do not know how to write by hand) have not written any letters either. Luckily there is email and blogs.
Walked outside this morning and said to myself “Wow, it’s warm outside.” Then I realized I could see my breath – the definition of warm.
Learning about the Gothic Revival and Italianate architecture of New Zealand and the world during 6 hours of architectural history classes a week. All the stuff I slept through in college. I also, bike with Sarah in the morning to her school and then swimming laps at the local recreation center, attend 3 to 6 more hours of seminars a week on nanotechnology and stuff, and play www.runescape.com with Sherry and Child in the evening (very weird). Oh, we have no television, so the internet is all we have for entertainment. We played cards the first two weeks, but we only know Gin Rummy and Crazy Eights. Also wash a lot of dishes. Wonder if you can rent a dishwasher?
Sherry is working with a company here through the Canterbury University on flavor volatiles. She is breathing Green Kiwis and Golden Kiwis into this machine to have her breath, and therefore the compounds, of the kiwis analyzed. She is also working with her students back at OSU with the same machine. It is cool that her students work during the day in the US, send Sherry stuff by email, then Sherry works on it during the day here in New Zealand. So, they are working double shift on the projects. She had one of here students chew two entire garlic balls to analysis the volatiles.
Sarah’s schooling at the local High School Burnside is going great. She was part of the tech crew for the high school play Grease (with a New Zealand accent). Her journals say more than I can ever say.
Kiwi stuff.
- While not everyone, but way big numbers of people ride bikes. There are bike lanes everywhere; bike racks at every store and building; I see elementary students out being taught bike safety during class time; I see gym classes out biking; a lot of bright yellow vest, people have lights on their bikes;, people have lights on their helmets; and if you don’t wear your helmet, you will get a ticket.
- Besides driving on the left, they have this left turn rule (like a right turn for the US). O.K., think backwards, and you may have to draw this. When in the left lane making a left turn, you are to give right of way of any on coming cars making a right turn (turning into the same lane you are turning into). So, as you turn the corner crossing no lanes, you have to look both for traffic from the right and on coming cars that are turning. This is both at intersections and into parking lot entrances.
- Natural Gas heating does not exist and there is an environmentalness against it. So rooms are heated with fire places and electric heaters. The only room we heat is the room we are in. Central heating is a new idea in new upper end houses. Insulation in the walls is also a new idea. They do build the main rooms facing south so they are heated by the sun.
- Bathroom windows are always open.
- I have seen three Mexican restaurants in Christchurch. Margaritas are $8.00 and small.
- Most people we have met that hike are not born in New Zealand.
- We do not know what New Zealand food is like because we only eat pasta, pizza, stir fry and curry dishes. We have been told curry is not a New Zealand spice. There are no alfredo sauces in New Zealand.
