Weblog
Thursday, 24 December 2009
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Meri Kirihimite!
For all my Kiwi friends (and anyone else) spending the holidays away from home.
Friday, 18 December 2009
Thursday, 26 November 2009
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Turkey!
Just a quick Happy Thanksgiving message to all my friends and family here on Xanga.
I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to experience American culture and traditions and to share those with my husband, just a few days out from our 11th wedding anniversary.
What are you giving thanks for?
Sunday, 08 November 2009
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Language Barrier
When people find out that I'm from New Zealand, I generally get asked a few questions about the country and culture, and I love that. I'm immensely proud to be a Kiwi so telling people about where I come from is a favourite pastime.
Most questions are predictable, like the ones about Lord of the Rings (yes, I did know people involved in the trilogy) and Xena: Warrior Princess (yes, it really is as green as in the series), or the ones about the weather (yes, you should pack for all four seasons and expect them all to come at you in the same day regardless of the time of year). Some are a bit dafter, but still easy to handle (no, riding on whales isn't common but yes, I have been swimming with dolphins).
Today, I got one which absolutely took the cake ...
"Do you speak English?"
Ummm ... no. I don't.
You have a chip inserted in your brain which automagically translates everything I say in to a language you can understand. The guy next to you thinks I'm speaking in Ket.
Idiot.
Friday, 06 November 2009
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American Girl
Hello everyone! It's time for my semi-decennial update.
As always, it's an emotional experience coming back here. It blows me away how the posts that are presently on my front page cover not only a few years, but some of the most painful experiences of my life. That will change though - I will be sticking around and I have the premium to prove it!
Quite a bit new with me. I'm all Americanized now. Well, not really, but I am a little Kiwi girl living in Sin (City). I've been here for just over a year, after waiting 20 months for immigration to approve me and the kids.
I'm enjoying it immensely but I have to admit that along with the culture shock, there are a few things about the US that manage to amaze and astound me. Politics is the big one. I do not understand how people get so nasty about it to the point where they passionately despise and can hurl rancid abuse at a complete stranger, just because of their political affiliation. Now, if this was Zimbabwe and one party took power through violence and bloodshed, I'd get it ... but it's far from that, and it's making it really hard to pick a side (I'm trying, in preparation for Citizenship. LOL). I don't think I fit in with either of the usual suspects. I'm too liberal to be a republican and too conservative to be a democrat.
It's not all bad though. I've gotten used to driving on the wrong side of the car (and road!) and even managed to not only get my driver's license, but drive, all by myself, down to LAX and back, then back to LA and around all the touristy spots!! It was a mean feat when you consider I did everything in my power to avoid the freeways in Vegas prior to that.
The thing I was most thrilled and surprised about is the fact that there are far less rude people than I expected. It won't be any surprise to most of my American readers, but y'know what us foreigners are like. LOL. Almost everyone I've met has been absolutely lovely, though I will admit that I have been told to "Go back to England" twice. I even like that though. It's an improvement on 11 years ago when I was constantly asked if I was Australian.
