Bargain Shoppers
We brought very few toys here, well hardly any to be honest due to weight, so instead of buying new toys for just a year, we've been perusing the Salvation Army and other thrift stores. Ben and I have really had fun browsing, being creative and of course, haggling. :) Ben, actually, has become quite the bargain shopper. I must say how impressed I have been with his creativity in stretching our kiwi dollars.
We hit up the thrift stores a few days ago and found some great little items for the kids and for the house. Among our treasures are a solid wooden chair ($5), forks and plates ($3), several small toys ($10) and a clock/radio ($16). The clock/radio has proven to be a source of great comfort (we found an awesome oldies station that plays US music - hits from the 60's & 70's) and entertainment. It's been fun dancing and singing to the golden oldies since we have no tv yet. Ben also scored a set of old school chairs and a small table for the kids for a mere $26 NZ. I think we've just about gotten all we need to be settled.
Thankfully, at the last minute, I decided to bring the portable DVD player Mimi (Glinda) bought the kids because it has been our saving grace. That and the 4 movies we brought! Well, really just 2 movies - The Incredibles and Madagascar - that they watch over and over and over. Since the internet has been connected today, we've been able to download ITunes so we have one more source of entertainment. Relief!!
*Ok, so since I've written this post (I write these and save them and post them all together) I have fried our DVD player. Oh the horror! I didn't realize I could do such by just using the wrong adapter but obviously one can. Well, good thing we got ITunes goin!
Music
Everywhere we have gone we have heard nothing but US hits from the 60's, 70', 80's & 90's. I'm not even kidding! It was so weird walking into our first stores hearing "Hit me with your best shot" and other oldies but goodies I haven't heard in years! It's like they are brand new hits here. I have heard Lady Antebellum a couple times which is pretty cool.
Fashion
As with the music, the fashion goes right along. Skinny jeans, leggings, 80's jewelry, big-tongue sneakers (you know, the kind that Run DMC use to wear), etc...are the fashion. I'm just waiting til I break down and buy my first pair of skinny jeans and 80's sneakers. :) Oh, and they have these leggings that are "faux denim"...no really, they are leggings that look like jeans. I have witnessed people wearing them! Oh well, whatever floats your boat. They probably think we dress funny in our American get-up.
Food
We have been to the grocery store a few times and it's so interesting to see all the different types of food. It's also very expensive here on all accounts. A bottle of sunscreen is $17.99 NZ dollars, a can of green beans is about $1.50 NZ and 12 slices of cheese is about $4 NZ. The harbor market on Sundays has been the best bargain on fresh fruits and veggies that we've seen and so yummy. We have scored Easy Mac (a recent find), Ramen noodles and frankfurters...MaeMae is a happy girl!
There is an Asian, Thai or Indian restaurant on every street if not 2 or 3. It's quite amazing how many there are to tell you the truth. I mean in Charlottesville we knew of 2 maybe 3 Indian restaurants. We are looking forward to trying out as many as possible. (Again, visitors, we will feed you well!! :)
We have found the juices to be so incredibly fresh. We have a big bottle of apple juice we got at the store, just like we would buy at home, but it is so amazingly fresh and wonderful. I wish I could send back a gallon to everyone, it's that good!
They don't have many boxed cake or cookie mixes and if we do find one, it's pretty pricey. So, I'll need to brush up on my baking skills if anyone's having cakes or cookies. Homemade is always better anyway, right? I'll have to get some recipes sent over, Mimi! :)
You know, that's kind of the way it is here...the food, drink, juice, even the furniture, is homemade and earthy. I would say I've really had an eye-opening experience living here just for the (almost) 2 weeks we've been here. I guess because the people are so down-to-earth and in tune with their surroundings, it kinda makes everything better. I know our life has been so hustle bustle that we haven't slowed down to enjoy each other much or just enjoy being still. Being here, without all the distractions and noise, has been very peaceful (despite our settling in efforts and what comes with that) and we've really been able to reconnect with each other. I think we all need some time for that at some point in our lives. I truly miss everything back home...our family and friends, my business and my amazing unit...but I feel blessed that God has given us a gift that has opened my eyes to a simpler way of life and how we can make changes when we get home to live our lives like this daily. Don't get me wrong, I miss the buzz of everyday life but again, it is nice to stop and smell the roses and reflect. Ok, sorry to ramble...
New Zealanders are very environmentally-friendly. At the grocery stores, if you have them use one of their bags to bag your groceries, it costs $.10 each! Now, that's not alot of money but it sure makes you very conscientous to recycle every bag. It's been a great lesson watching how these people treat their land and how proud they are of it. Also, I think we have a compost bin in our garden which is another great lesson for us. Recycle leftovers! I'm so excited to become more eco-friendly and live more simply...which they have down pat. I have to admit I have a lot to learn in this department but am willing and eager!
Ok, who likes a nice cold glass of water or Coke or tea with their meal or just to quench that thirst? Well, you won't find that here! They do not believe in ice. I haven't figured out why yet but everywhere we have gone when we have ordered a drink, be it water, tea, coke, it has been iceless. So, in our house, we have ice trays. It takes me back to my childhood when me and my cousins would spend our time, before Sunday dinner at Grandma Jean and Pop's house, filling all the glasses with lots of ice...then refilling the trays with water and carefully placing them back in the freezer for the next round of cold beverages. Nostalgia. It's funny because as I was emptying the trays into a bowl to stockpile our coveted ice and refilling the trays, Calvin and MaeMae were so intrigued with it and couldn't quite grasp that ice didn't just pop out of the freezer. They are learning alot while we are here because resources aren't as abundant, choices are few and they lack many American luxuries, such as icemakers.
Another luxury we lack here on the island is central heat! Yes, you read that correctly. They don't have central heating or central a/c anywhere so we've gotten used to using the heat pump and space heaters. It's not bad at all, although it did take some getting used to at first and we have adjusted to it. It's all a part of the experience. The weather truly is moderate here with some cold days but overall with a warm jacket and tobaggan you are good to go. Even the stores don't have the central heating so it's a chilly shopping experience but the locals are used to it and live in it just fine.
Every outlet has a on/off switch that cuts the power on/off to each individual socket. It's a great idea because instead of unplugging items to conserve energy, you just flip the switch. We should totally have these in the US! Very convenient! You just have to make sure you have the 2 or 3 slanted prong plugs instead of the standard US ones. :) (learned that the hard way!)
Coffee
The coffee is excellent! We even purchased a hot water carafe and French press and hope to bring it back to the US. Coffee made in a French press is, as Calvin would say, dee-licious! And, you add real cream not the powder stuff like I used to use. Wonderful! I don't think we will ever go back to a drip coffee maker.
Our new coffee products!! They make the mornings a little warmer.
Driving
Oh, the driving. Well, for one thing, I won't be doing much of it while we are in NZ. As I've mentioned before, they drive on the left side of the road for one. Two, they drive crazy. Three, pedestrians do NOT have the right away. Four, the roundabouts kill me! Ok, have you seen National Lampoon's European Vacation? You know the scene where Clark is stuck on the roundabout in London? That's what we feel like trying to figure out which turn to take while driving defensively and yielding to the other drivers.
And, you know the scene in the Incredibles (we have it memorized by now!) where the family just returned to the mainland via rocketship/camper and they drive the camper down the NY freeway? Well, as they are deciding which exit to take, Helen and Bob are "discussing" which exit to take, that's me and Ben.:) We "discuss" which route to take often and it's quite amusing with me as the "naviguesser" as Ben has so lovingly named me. :) Hey, it's hard to read those maps under pressure....when you are on a roundabout and have to find the street name then decide whether to take it or not while changing lanes. Oh the pressure! It's been fun nonetheless.
Since I began writing this post we got our "new" car! It's a 1997 Toyota Camry and yes, all 5 of us fit quite nicely in it. It's a great little car for us to get around in and it was a great deal. See, bargain hunters we are!
Family Time
With no other distractions, it's been a phenomenal time for us to rebond as a family. It's really strengthened our relationships and made us appreciate what we had in the US and our simple life here in York Bay. I am so grateful and thankful for this time. God surely knew we could use this time together.
Thank you for being a part of our adventure and thank you for your thoughts and prayers...we certainly feel them!!
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ReplyDeleteHow in the world do you get all three car seats in the back of that Camry? Everything sounds wonderful there. I know that this will be a great time for you all. It sounds wonderful already. Will the children go to a preschool this year?
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