Will Work For Food

I’ll get the bad news out of the way first.   The “vacation” stories won’t probably arrive on the scene until after the first of the year.   Sorry to disappoint anyone sitting at a desk hoping for a non-stop adventure story, but I’ve been deeply submerged in regular, every-day life almost since we arrived.   But it’s great!

Affordability is at the top of my priorities, and will be until I have my first New Zealand paycheck.   I brought along $500 to last me until then.   At a minimum of $25 a night for (shoddy) accommodation, I needed to find a way to get my bearings cheaply.   Enter: work exchanges!  We are using  WWOOF NZ – Worldwide Opportunities (or Willing Workers) On Organic Farms.

A big pronunciation mis-understanding ensued with us both repeating the same word over and over and hearing two totally different things.

Before settling in to a job, I need to learn all the New Zealand systems – how to get a tax ID number, bank account, car, registration, warrant of fitness, etc.   What’s appropriate for a resume, where are the not-to-miss spots, how much should rent be… the works!   WWOOF is a program where workers volunteer four hours a day on a farm in exchange for accommodation and three meals.   Perfect!   (Although “farm” is very loosely defined.)

We spent our first two days in New Zealand at a hostel more suited to just-turned-18-partying-hell-raisers.   Jet lag plus some blessed earplugs took care of me, though!   On the second day we spent the day wwoofing with some people who own an inflatables-climbing wall-fun-on-the-go kind of business.   Pat and I ran the “log joust” at a local “Light Party” (the church’s alternative to Halloween).   In exchange, we’ll go fishing with them and stay at their farm next time we’re on the North Island.

After the hostel we moved to Steve and Joanne’s house.   Their adorable, always smiling, two-year old Benjamin was great and they were incredibly thoughtful and fun to chat with.   We cleaned the grass out of the backyard landscaping, explored the village up the road, and got fully adjusted.   Then it was off to Justine and Tony’s (Jo’s brother).   We cleaned up their front landscaping, helped with their rental cottage, planted some seedlings, painted Justine’s clinic windows, and are helping restore their classic yacht.   We’ll be here until we fly to the south island.

The Small and Blacketts (Justine & Tony’s family) are hilarious.   Tony is a clever, quick-to-laugh, easy-going guy.   Justine is sweet, even-tempered, bright, and genuine.   Emma – daughter number one – is a sharp-witted, adorably pixie woman in her first year at university.   Grace -daughter two – is serious, smart, blunt, and charming.   Hebe (hee-bee) (family friend’s daughter in town for school) is quiet, giggles, and is a brainiac (she got best-in-class in four subjects this year!).   Family dinner time is endless entertainment!

And now a few more New Zealand observations:

There are lots of cool little efficiencies here.   Steve & Jo have a slide-out cupboard in a tiny eight-inch wide by two-foot deep space.   Their dishwasher is divided into two – much like a common oven with its warming drawer.   Small loads don’t waste any extra water!   Over 90% of toilets have two different buttons – one for #1 (some water), one for #2 (more water).   And since the toilets are so efficient, the water doesn’t swirl around the bowl.   So, I haven’t been able to experience the southern-hemisphere phenomenon of the water moving the opposite direction.

Bathrooms are different.   It’s common for a household to only have one.   The toilet is most often on its own in a tiny closet and the shower and sink are in a room next door.   The shower door is just a half-partition, but somehow the floor stays dry!   Walking into the bathroom (or any other room for that matter) is a bit confusing.   The switches are exactly opposite – flip it down for “on” and up for “off.’   But the switches aren’t pegs like in the U.S.   Instead they’re more like the switch on a power strip.

Spring is still in the air and I’m still getting used to the accent.   Underneath the awesome Norfolk pines, jasmine is blooming everywhere and baby ducks are being herded along the sidewalks.   I’m finally adjusting to the common greeting, “how are you going?” and can usually provide a timely answer.   It will be “ages” until I figure out all the vowels.   Over half the place names are Maori – Waitakere, Whangarei, Rangitoto, Manakou, Titirangi, Omaru, and on and on.   I still say, “What?” a million (or “heaps” of) times a day.   I hope it gets better!

On that note – a funny story to wrap things up.   The other day Tony (sounds lots like “tiny” said “tah-nee”) said that a family friend was “fake.”   Later I brought it up, curious about the cultural meaning of someone being “fake.”   A big pronunciation mis-understanding ensued with us both repeating the same word over and over and hearing two totally different things.     My end: “What does it mean when someone is fake?”     Oh… no… not fake.   Fake.     “Yeah, fake.   What kinds of things are fake?”   No, not fake.   Fake.   I said she was fake.     “I know… what does it mean though.”   No, Fake.   V-A-G-U-E.   Fake.”     The most hilarious part was later, recanting the story for Grace, when I got to the end (fake/vauge), she heard (fake/fake) and Tony had to clarify for her while rolling on the floor with laughter!

Stay tuned for more fascinating Kiwi quirks!

<<titirangi>