The New Normal

Life in a foreign land

Traveling abroad often exposes visitors to different ways of speaking and living: crisps (instead of chips), afternoon siestas, shaking hands vs. bowing, etc. Living in a foreign land, however, reveals both the obvious differences as well as the subtle insidious ones. We have compiled a few for you over the past few months.

• No one brings you the bill in a restaurant. You either pay at the register when you order, or you walk up to the counter to pay when you are finished. Spotting an American who just arrived in New Zealand is easy: their plates are empty and their heads are swiveling in search of a server.

• No tipping. Unless it’s a REALLY fancy meal. Even then, not 20%.

• Basketball is played in the fall and soccer in winter.

• Retail businesses often open at 8am and close at 5pm. Our rural delivery service provider has dropped packages on our doorstep at 6:30am. Grocery stores blessedly stay open until 8:30pm.

• The radio carries a heavier rotation of British and Canadian musicians. Think more Spice Girls, Shania Twain, Alanis Morissette and Oasis… less Mariah, Whitney, Eminem and Britney. But we also frequently hear Meatloaf’s “I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That.)”

• Houses do not have screens on the windows. The flies come in during the day and seem to find their way out at night.

• There are no purse hooks in the toilet stalls.

• Far fewer people are staring at their cell phones at any given time. People walking down the hallway at the hospital look where they are going. At a recent dance party, Mom and Dad noticed that attendees were actually dancing without documenting the entire event. Parents at a swim meet chat with each other.

• Speaking of chats, it is entirely normal to strike up a conversation with someone when there is a line of people waiting behind you. No one seems to mind. The grocery store cashier, the retail salesperson, the nurse giving out flu jabs (shots)… settle in, and wait your turn to tell your tale.

• “How you going?” = “How are you doing?”

• Most Americans will tell you that their gut symptoms abated when they moved here. Reflux, indigestion, bloating… all cured with a shift in dietary ingredients. Food here is more European: fewer preservatives and more locally sourced. To be fair, plenty of Kiwis are on omeprazole for reflux. The disease does still exist. Just a notable curiosity.

• Group texting is not supported by cell phone carriers here. Therefore, everyone uses WhatsApp.

• Call. Don’t email, don’t text. If you’re trying to get ahold of a business or a person over 40, just pick up the phone.

  

  Happy Cinco de Mayo!

  Up next, we will highlight all of the differences we have noticed with regard to automotive ownership. It’s a little more involved down here!