I feel like I’ve discovered something quirky or just slightly off around every corner here. Something just not quite…right. It’s like when you see someone you think you know, and you’re all OMG HIIIII and waving and making a fool of yourself, and everyone is staring at you because, no…that’s not at all who you thought it was. Anyhoo, just some of the random things that have made me scratch my head or look twice:
- Everyone loves my American accent. They all want to talk American politics (which you all know I *super* love…), American economy, American beliefs, American EVERYTHING. It’s hard to explain to people that America is made up of a bunch of very different states–in their mind it’s one huge hive mind, and we all thing and talk and behave the same way–just like the movies! Today I got “How do Americans feel about Russians?”, “Who do you *really* think shot JFK?”, “Does every American really own a gun?”, and “Why are all your political figures such cartoonish caricatures?”
- There are CCTVs *everywhere* here. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were even in the bathrooms. Dash cams aren’t a thing here yet, but not to worry, big brother is watching you just about everywhere else. Each bus has 4 cameras inside, as well as 2 outside. Public parks have one every hundred feet or so. Shops, restaurants, streets, taxis, you name it.
- Remember when the iPhone 3G came out, and how excited everyone was because it was such a game changer? The world is in your hands! Blazing fast 3G speeds ZOMG!!! Yea, well all laugh about how 2000s that was, but NZ literally just got 4G in 2014. I asked about LTE at the major carrier and just got a blank stare. I haven’t had the pleasure of buying home internet yet, but I do know that there is a data cap. Yep, you read that right–a data cap on your home connection. The apartment I’m moving into currently has ADSL, but the roommates are open to installing fibre (with the proper British spelling, of course), so at least there’s that.
- So not only is the internet slow and spotty, but it is *expensive*. Just like everything else here! I’ve already commented on the extreme sticker shock I’ve experienced so far, but every day I see a price on something that just blows my mind. Today it was an $8 box of cereal. Nothing special, just plain ol’ boring breakfast cereal.
- Sushi can be stupidly cheap here though! Needless to say I’ve survived mostly on a fast food sushi chain that does a $5 special every day. I also supplement that with Korean pancakes that are $4 and oh-so-tasty. I’ve got to hunt out the cheap food in the area I just moved to though–it’s one of the pricier suburbs around. But my new coworkers gave me the heads up on a place that does cheap-ish sushi on Mondays/Fridays for lunch, so looking forward to that!
- Everyone here is just SO. DANG. FRIENDLY. I can’t count the number of times people have seen me look confused/lost and offered to help. And people offer rides all the time, which saves me so much time! A 10-15 minute car trip can be upwards of 45-60 on the bus, so friendly people with cars are lifesavers. Another thing that still constantly surprises me is that each and every person says “thank you” to the bus driver as they get on, and again as they get off. It’s the little things that just make you think–ok, maybe people aren’t so bad after all.
- Speaking of the buses…that is a learning curve in and of itself. How did people ever get anywhere without smartphones? Even when google is telling me exactly when and where to get on the bus, I’ve still managed to be standing at the wrong stop. And buses aren’t an exact science–if there’s no one signaling for a ride at a particular stop, the driver doesn’t stop. Which means the bus could skip several stops and be several minutes ahead. Or a pack of tourists could hold up a bus at a single stop for 5 minutes trying to buy tickets. So it’s honestly like a crapshoot every time I wait for a bus. But I can load up a card with money instead of having to have exact change, which is really really handy.
- You also have to plan your day a little bit more when you’re using public transportation. I’ve had to learn the hard way twice now not to buy more than I can comfortably carry for an hour at worst. I made the mistake of grocery shopping downtown, then walking home because it was faster than the bus. At minute 30, I was hating the apples in my bag that felt like lead balloons. I was even hating the bread, even though it weighed almost nothing. I took the train out to a suburb to shop for a duvet and some pillows because stuff is cheaper outside of the city. Well the train wasn’t running very often by the time I was finished, so I had to take the bus back. I was carrying a shoulder bag, a giant bag with 2 pillows in it, a large sack with a duvet, and 2 small carrier bags. I just prayed the whole time that no one tried to sit by me!
- I thought about Ubering the other day to an early morning appointment, because I didn’t want to get up the extra 45 min ahead of time to ensure I’d make it even if the buses were running behind. It was also a rainy dreary day, so I didn’t want to stand at the bus stop and get drenched. Turns out, most of the city had that same idea, because Uber was in 2x primetime. Talking with a few others, Uber goes into prime time every time it starts raining, which is *often* this time of year.
- Oh, and the weather. Texas may have all 4 seasons in 1 week, but Auckland has all 4 seasons in 1 day. Just this morning I left the apartment, singing a song because there wasn’t a cloud in the sky! The sunshine was marvelous! I had the whole day ahead of me! And then I felt a cold wind…which I’ve learned now is nature whispering in your ear…”I hope you brought an umbrella”. I had just barely gotten mine open, when it started to hail! Of course it stopped the minute I got under a covered awning, and there was Mr. Sunshine back in full force!
- It’s the tail end of winter here, which means it’s around 48-54 degrees at any given minute on any day. Which doesn’t seem *that* cold…until you realize that there is no central heating here. Trying to sleep in a 50 degree room is not something I particularly enjoy doing! So I invested in one of those old time hot water bottles that I had never seen in real life before. You’ve seen them in old movies/cartoons–you fill them up with super hot water, and put them under the covers with you to stay warm! Or put them on your head/stomach/whatever hurts. So that’s my primary source of heat these days…
All in all, it’s hard to say that some of these things are Auckland-specific. I would have had the same problems adjusting to riding the bus or an increased cost of living if I had moved to NYC. But at least Kiwis are extremely good natured and friendly, so none of these things have been huge issues!