Vocab...

After two weeks we've picked up some new vocabulary.

Fries = Chips
Potato chips = Chippies
Cool, fancy = Flash
Cookie = Biscuit
Candy = Lolly
Z = Zed
Cheddar cheese = Tasty cheese
Elevator = Lift
Stroller/Baby buggy = Pram
Trash = Rubbish
Bathroom = Toilet
Sorted out = Sorted

Jury's still out on the accent. Not sure if we're picking it up yet. :)

Our place...

'Picture Tour' as promised. :)

Our building is fairly nondescript and if I gave you my keys you'd keycard your way in the front doors, go up a flight of stairs and around the corner you would see our outer door.

After unlocking this door you'd come into an entryway of sorts where you can see the door to our apartment and the door to the neighbor's apartment. We've learned that he's in NZ to work on the movie The Hobbit. Crazy, right?

We are through the left of the two doors in Unit A. Once inside and immediately to the left of the door you would see the kitchen and laundry room. I'm talking about them as if they are rooms when in fact they are nothing of the sort. With the sliding wall all the way to the right you can access the kitchen.

In the kitchen we have a:                              Tiny fridge.

Tiny sink.



Tiny hob (stovetop, two burners).



Tiny oven.

Tiny dishwasher that is awesome!! I've always wanted a dishdrawer. :)

If you push the sliding wall all the way to the left you will see the laundry room.

Though I tried not to think about it I was terrified that our home in NZ would not have a washer/dryer. I had nightmares about dragging laundry home from the laundrymat. No small task when you do not have a car. Even then it's a pain. Much to my delight and great relief our little place has a washer and dryer!! The first photo below is the washer and the second photo is the dryer.

Notice anything strange about these machines? Yes, I know they're tiny and I can only do about 1/4 of what we know to be a 'large' load at a time. But what else? This one boggled my mind and still does. The washer and the dryer are the same machine. You load the laundry, select the wash cycle/temp, add the detergent and then you set the drying cycle. As soon as the washing cycle is done the drying cycle clicks on. Ca-Razy! Initially, I approached the machine with fear and trepidation. I mean, "how could a machine wash and dry clothes? Impossible?!". And yet it does. After pouring over the manual I've learned that it's relatively easy to use and it works great!! Hooray for in-home laundry!!

Just around the corner from the laundry room is the bathroom with all the usual stuff.



If, instead of skirting around the kitchen/laundry rooms into the bath, you went right upon entering the door you would step into the main living area that makes up the bedroom and living room. With such a tiny place (about 9.5' by 24.5') we guessed that the previous tenant did not own a vacuum so we have invested in tiny Eletrolux to keep the place under control. :)

Standing at the door with the kitchen/laundry to your left you would see this wardrobe system. System. Yes, very cryptic.

Looking at this wardrobe system, any guesses as to what it is? Now I never thought I would have one but I've always been intrigued by them. Check out the next picture....... it's better than me talking about it. :)

Bah! It's a Murphy bed!!! It's quite comfortable and you can make it up in seconds. Just pull the edges of the blanket onto the top of the bed and it's up and away! :) We figured it would be a good solution in such a small place. With it 'up' it gives the illusion of more space.

Just to the right of the wardrobe system is the entertainment center. It came with the place which is awesome!

Across from the TV we have little leather couch that also came with the place. Still has the tags on it.

Along the wall with the TV and couch we have full windows that open wide to let in the breeze. No screens on these windows...the bugs are few and far between, thankfully. :)

This last pic was taken at the doorway so you can see across the 'great' room. :)

An adjustment to such a small place? Yes. But we are happy to have something that is 'ours'. Each day we settle in a little more. You know, setting up the kitchen, buying cleaning supplies, thinking of creative storage solutions. It's all good. :)

Home Sweet Home....

Today we secured a flat and we couldn't be more thrilled and relieved. Moving to a new country is fraught with craziness as you might guess but this aspect was weighing heavily on us. Yesterday we went to an open house, basically the property management companies list the properties and advertise 'open houses' so they can show the place to whomever would like to see it. So we went and let's just say the place left some things to be desired. The carpet was stained, the moldings looked scary, quite different than the photos. We guessed they were taken when the place was new. Yeah. So that was a 'no' and with sadness in our step we walked back to our little place and spent much of the evening looking at details for other places.

Today we set out, feeling encouraged and hopeful because we were planning to visit four open houses. We were sure that something would pan out. We hiked, and I mean that literally, up to campus this morning and spent some time there before going back down the hill to the first open house. With a strange grid in Wellington sometimes it's tough to judge distances and know exactly where things are. We set out to find the first open house and intially we did not find it. Instead we found another huge hill to walk up only to realize that the streets were not connected to each other up there. On the walk back down we realized that the place was one block over. We were not happy but we decided to wait and what do you know? A woman came and opened the door and took us right into the complex where we saw a refreshingly modern building with a beautiful courtyard. We checked out two studios and two one bedroom apartments - all cute as a bugs ear and most importantly: clean. We left with applications and were off to the next open house that started just a few minutes later. This next place was on our radar because it offered something different - an open floor plan with a loft above for a bedroom. Upon stepping into the first unit my heart (and probably Tim's too) sank to my feet. Unlike the photos the place was dirty and nothing like what we expected. We checked out another unit but it was the same story so very quickly that place was out of the running. On to open house number three where we were the only people looking at the unit. It was in a new building and we would be the first tenants to let it. The unit was tiny but clean and even had a little balcony.

Over some mini quiches with salad, a chai for me and cappucino for Tim we discussed everything that we had seen. In the end we agreed that a studio in the first place was the way to go. Before we left the coffee shop we were able to call and make another appointment to see the studios again and turn in our applications. And that's what we did. After seeing the places again we decided on one, filled out the paperwork and it's ours! We'll get the keys tomorrow and can move in anytime after that!! We are so excited to have our own place!! Pictures to follow. :)

Big Blue....

I was out for a walk around the city and within a few blocks there it was: the Big Blue. I know, it's the just the harbor but it's still amazing to me that we are so close to the ocean.

When I think back on the flight it is crazy to me. We flew 6500 miles and 99.4% of those miles were over water. Flying out of LA you are immediately over the water and flying into Auckland you are over water until the last minute or so. After living in the middle of a continent this is strange for me. :)

Connected.....

I had never traveled to NZ before last week. In fact, I had never left the continent of North America. Visiting Canada to spend time with family and traveling to Mexico for a summer were the extent of my international escapades. That is, until now. I would've expected that being so far away, that is about 6500 miles, from home I would feel uncomfortable, isolated and disconnected. But I have to say that I don't feel any of those things. Perhaps I will later on, however, right now I'm feeling good for a very simple reason: technology. With so many different options for communicating with people here and people back home I don't feel disconnected. Within the last day I've spent time chatting with Tim when he's up on campus and I'm at home. I've enjoyed a few minutes on Skype talking to Landis and Josephine. We've even put a call, via Skype, into our bank back home to sort out some details. There's also been chats and messages on Facebook and traditional emails. I feel very fortunate to have this opportunity to experience a new place with Tim. And I feel great knowing that we can talk with our families as often as we'd like. For this I am grateful. :)

Petrol...

So we've said that we're not going to buy a car. At least not at first. That is still true. For now we're happy to remind ourselves to "look right" first when crossing the street as we walk everywhere. It's the strangest thing to see..people driving on the left side of the road and on the right side of the car. What? So bizarre. Who knows when that will seem normal.

We've heard and read that owning a car in NZ is incredibly expensive. I always thought the same of owning a vehicle in the US. It really adds up, whether you are here or there. With that in mind I have to share the price of petrol (that is, fuel). It. Is. Crazy!

At first glance that doesn't seem too bad. I mean $2.08..or $1.49 for diesel doesn't seem so bad. You're right, except that that is for a liter. Liter. So if a liter is about a quart and there are four quarts in a gallon....that would be $8.32....or $5.96 for diesel. Yeah. Although I was expecting high prices for fuel this is still shocking. It makes me feel good that we don't have a vehicle. I know that may change in the future or it may not. We'll just have to see. :)

Exploring Welly.....

Since our arrival we've been walking and walking....and walking. After living in places where we would drive everywhere this is such a different way of thinking about navigating our new home. We have to make sure that we're dressed appropriately for the weather. Over the few days we've been here we've experienced a variety of weather: sunny, warm, chilly, rainy and everything accompanied by wind. Windy. Welly. :)

We've been walking around the city looking at shops, restaurants and enjoying the coffee shops that seem to be everywhere. These people take their coffee very seriously. :) While they are the great minority we have seen two Starbucks out on our walks. Little whispers of the familiar here and there.

A couple days ago we stopped at the dairy (corner store) to pick up some snacks and I picked out a bottle of cider. With the legal drinking age of 18 we were positive that we would never, NEVER, be carded. But what do you know, I walked up to pay and they asked for ID. I was thinking, "ok, this Montana ID is going to look sooo bizarre to them". With barely a glance the clerk was satisfied and we were off with our purchases.

Today we visited the farmer's market for the first time. We had heard that the price of groceries was steep and indeed it is. We’ve noticed that most everything that we had available in the US is available here. The only difference is that, for the most part, the brand names are different. However, we have seen Coke, Dr. Pepper, Pringles, Stax, Twix, Snickers, Oreos, Nature Valley granola bars. So it really seems as though things are very similar just slightly different if that makes any sense.

The farmer’s market on Willis Street is just a few blocks from where we are staying. J We waded through the crowds to peruse the goods offered: tomatoes, potatoes, corn on the cob, spinach, lettuce, eggs, avocados, broccoli, cauliflower, apples, oranges, kiwi fruit, and a host of other goodies. With markedly lower prices than the grocery store we left with a bag of veggies and some eggs. On the walk back to the apartment we talked about this being something that we should do every Sunday. As far as we know the farmer’s markets (there are three in the city) run year round and offer whatever is in season. Should be interesting to see how things ebb and flow.

So far we're loving Wellington!

Coming home.....

We traveled home for the first time today. After an overnight, 12 hour flight, customs, biohazard bag checks and a short connecting flight we arrived in Wellington!!

Tim's advisor was kind enough to pick us (and all of our bags) up at the airport and drive us to where we will be staying for the next two weeks. Talk about the royal treatment. I know we could've managed on our own but it was really nice to have someone waiting for us.

After a short, beautifully scenic, drive we arrived at our temporary 'Home Sweet Home'. In short, it's a one bedroom apartment with a small bathroom and a kitchenette on the side. Think tiny hotel room. Even so after our travels and all the preparations leading up to the trip our little place feels like paradise. :)

We spent the day unpacking and getting situated. It's amazing how fast this can be done when you only have a few bags worth of stuff with you. :) After that we spent the remainder of the afternoon walking around the city, taking in the shops, restaurants and even visiting the university.

An 'eventful day' would be the understatement of our lives but it's the truth. Now we are off to bed, spent but happy. :)

We are in the chute....

As I survey the guest room we've been staying in I see piles of stuff. Clothes, sunglasses, power cords for our array of electronic devices, a stack of neatly folded hockey jerseys that will make the trip with us. I've been looking at piles for what seems like months now except the current ones are distinctly different. They. Are. Small. So after packing and sorting and planning and sorting and repacking we are faced with the last few items that are to be stored or packed to go with us.

So here we are with five bags to check and four small bags to carry-on the plane. Perhaps it hasn't quite hit me yet but I feel as though the "narrowing down" process hasn't been too painful. While it's taken more time than I ever imagined it's been good to scrutinize what we have, what we need, what we can give away, what things are really worth saving.

Now we are ready. As ready as we can be. We are excited, nervous and eager to get to our new home (affectionately known as) Windy Welly. :)

Dori

Today was the day we've been talking about for months now - the day we would sell our car, Dori. Her namesake comes from Finding Nemo because I always thought she looked like a little blue fish. To be perfectly honest I started to tear up when we pulled out of the CarMax parking lot. I consider her my first car and she was also the first major purchase that Tim and I made together (with the exception of our wedding rings). So after being with us for three years, taking us on many a road trip, surviving Bozeman and a hum-dinger of a hailstorm we said goodbye. She was a great little car, couldn't've asked for better. :)