Sunday, February 13, 2011

Better late than never....






The one year anniversary of our move to New Zealand was about 5 months ago but we have a few good excuses for not having written a post to mark the occasion. Let’s see, there was that 7.1 magnitude earthquake on September 4th which halted life as we know it in Christchurch and a month long visit from Grammy and Papa Two. Then there was a move to a new house and...well, things settled down after that minus the 4000+ aftershocks that we have had, including some recent 4.9-5.1 magnitude shakes. M finished her first year of school, celebrated her 6th birthday and my mom came for a month long visit. W just celebrated his 3rd birthday and now my sister is here for a quick visit.

So, how do you sum up a year of living in a new country, one that is half way around the world and sitting in the middle of the Pacific Ocean? I shall give it a try....

New Zealand is a beautiful country and Christchurch is perfectly situated for exploring the South Island. We love the close proximity to so many different landscapes and activities. We can drive 5 1/2 hours and be in Golden Bay or drive an hour or so and we are in beautiful Akaroa. We have loved driving south to see the penguins in Oamaru or the Albatross on the Otago Peninsula and west to see the Kea in Arthur’s Pass. Mt Cook and the Mackenzie country is a recent favorite trip. We have had many wonderful adventures and have seen a good portion of the South Island. The beauty here is unparalleled.

We like the people here. We have made new friends, both Kiwis and ex-pats and we enjoy our time with them. We have learned about rugby and cricket. We enjoy the taste of Manuka Honey and New Zealand wines. I love working in the midwifery friendly health care system and we love and are thankful for having universal health care at a time when so many of our friends are struggling with this back in the States. We love the kid-friendly nature of New Zealand including the 20 hours of subsidized preschool that W is now eligible for. We love that our kids are both starting to speak with a kiwi accent. We love that we cook more and eat out less and that we have most of our evenings and weekends together at home. We love that the news anchors can wear hideous fashion (Rachel Smalley from TV3 anyone?) and utter the word “dickhead” on the news without blinking an eye even at 6:30 in the evening.

The culture here is not unlike the culture we were accustomed to in Portland. There are a lot of outdoorsy people and there is generally a laid back sensibility to the people here. The community has a lively arts scene and there is a push to be “green.”

We don’t miss American Politics...not one bit. Sarah Palin in 2012 gives us the heebie jeebies. We are tired of the right wing being the party of “no” and of corporations wielding so much power. We are sad to see that our country of origin seems to be on the decline in so many ways. We find that many of our friends are struggling back in the US- with job security, health care, debt, worries about the future that will exist for our children.

All in all, it is nice to be living outside the US. New Zealand is a wonderful country and a nice place to live.

But it is not perfect.

We certainly didn’t expect it to be and we knew about many of its quirks before we came by virtue of our research. The housing, in general, is crap- many houses are uninsulated with single paned windows and no central heating. Damp, cold houses are the norm unless you can afford a new house. The housing market in Christchurch is loaded with overpriced houses- I can’t believe what they are asking for some really, really shitty houses (not that it doesn’t happen in the US too but I digress....) The wages are not so great and given that the cost of living is higher here (petrol, power, food, goods), this is a struggle especially now that we are a one income family. Financially, it would help if the American dollar was a little stronger but with the NZ dollar sitting comfortably around an all-time high against the US dollar, we just have to chalk it up to bad timing and bad luck.

We have most of the comforts of home here in New Zealand though I do miss central heating and a proper washer and dryer and the ease of finding goods and services when you want or need them. We can mostly eat the way we are used to here (minus eating organic which is just too expensive on my salary) and we enjoy our trips to the farmer’s markets and the abundance of fresh fish and free range eggs. But I do miss Ben and Jerry’s ice cream, Oregon microbrews, New Seasons and Trader Joe’s, authentic Mexican food, reasonably priced organic food and New York style pizza.

But ultimately, for me, it is missing family and friends that gets to me the most. While none of the stuff I have mentioned is a deal breaker for living here indefinitely, the distance from family and friends is likely that deal breaker. The death of my father early into our stay didn’t help matters. My mom is getting older and I want her to be able to enjoy her grandchildren more often than once a year. Mike’s folks are also being deprived of their grandkids. I miss my sister and brother. I miss seeing my wonderful friends (sisters!) and their kids. Having such deep roots in Oregon and lifelong friendships makes it hard to truly settle in here in New Zealand.

A co-worker who is from the UK and I talked for a long time about how much we both miss family and friends. She said that she felt like she had had her "me" time in the past and that they had moved to NZ to give their kids a better life than they could give them in the UK. So even though she misses her family and friends enough to want to move back, she feels that being here is about giving her kids all that they deserve even if it means sacrificing her strong ties to the UK.

This does give me pause. I do worry about the path the US is taking and wonder if it is a good place to raise our children. There are clearly things here in NZ that are far better than the States- the universal health care, the schooling (at least in the primary years), funding for social services and the safety net that keeps a society healthy. Yet, I also believe that it is family and friends who sustain us and that they are what really matters in life. And therefore, the absence of family and friends is probably too great a sacrifice for me and ultimately, for our family.

There are no decisions to be made yet and for now, we continue to enjoy our time here. We will just have to see what the future holds for us.

Now for Mike's perspective in part deux.... coming soon....

3 comments:

  1. So glad that you are enjoying all that the South Island has to offer. It's a wonderful place. And living overseas is such an incredible experience, no matter for how long.

    As for good authentic Mexican food - there's great food to be had at a U-Pick blueberry farm outside of Wellington, if you find yourself up there in summer. Let me know if you want more details : )

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  2. Enjoyed your newsy, well-written blog. In fact, it's making me teary-eyed. We do soooo miss you all. Even though we're on the other coast in the US, it's much closer than your current beautiful, Pacific island home. We've been discussing a possible Oregon trip this summer, but it won't be the same without a stop in Portland and a trip to the zoo with the kids or a brew at a local watering hole with you all.

    In any event enjoy your time in gorgeous New Zealand, experience all that you can, and let's all thank God for Skype!

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