Week 5

Hello! Long time no see. 😊 I’m glad you’re reading this, because I wanted this post to be a little more interactive… so I’m introducing New Zealand Trivia!! As I tell you about what I’ve been up to, I’m also going to share some cultural differences and see if you know what it’s like to live with the Kiwis. This trivia will come in the form of a question and multiple choice answers (yep, I’m a teacher at heart). Don’t worry though, this quiz is all about having fun, and won’t be graded. 😉

 

When you go to a country like New Zealand, you will notice that on the surface many things are very much the same as they are in the United States. The people speak English, drive cars, and smile big. But the closer you look, the more you realize there are lots of cultural differences that take some getting used to. For example:

True of False: Drivers drive on the right side of the road

I wanted to start you off with an easy question – the answer is FALSE! People drive on the left side of the road, and the driver sits on the right side of the car (something I learned really quickly when I tried to get in the driver seat when I was picked up from the airport by my host, thinking it was the passenger side). I’m not kidding, it took me a while to get the balance of turns when I was riding in cars because, although the cars look the same the driver just sits on the other side, my body could not figure out how to turn smoothly because the car never moved quite like I anticipated it to.

 

School has been going well! I am making connections with the students and learning how to teach with a team of teachers. One a Wednesday in early March, our school had Athletics day (think track and field day). Students were bussed off campus to compete in a number of athletic events from running to jumping to throwing. One common phrase heard throughout the day was: “I’m puffed.” Time for question number two:

               The phrase “puffed” means:

a.      Bloated

b.     Out of breath

c.      Smoking a cigar (you should know this one is a false answer)

d.     Angry

And the answer is…. out of breath! When you can’t catch your breath from running or any kind of physical activity, telling someone you’re puffed is the only way to cope. Even though it was tiring, it was an awesome day. Each age group dressed in its colour (my class was blue and the teachers all pulled out blue tutus for the occasion), and we even made up a chant to kick off the festivities!

 

Unrelated to school, Rachel and I took a weekend trip to Auckland (New Zealand’s most populous city). When we packed for the trip, we made sure to throw our togs in a bag. Confused? Don’t worry, this quiz will sort you out!

               Togs are:

a.      Sandals

b.     Rain jackets

c.      Portable chargers

d.     Swimsuits

The correct answer is d! Even though we did pack all of the above, togs is the term used for swimsuits. We were super excited to spend a weekend in the coastal city of Auckland. Our host has some cousins who live there and were gracious enough to welcome us into their home for the weekend. While we stayed with them, they cooked us a traditional dinner of lamb (with mint sauce of course), roasted potatoes, pumpkin, and kumara (like a sweet potato), and pavlova. What is pavlova you may ask? Well I’m not gonna give you the answer that easy, you’re going to have to guess!

               Pavlova is:

a.      A type of cookie first made by Pavlov (the guy with the dogs)

b.     A savory vegetable similar to broccoli

c.      A traditional Kiwi dessert similar to a meringue

d.     A gravy-like dish that often accompanies potatoes

How do you think you did? Pavlova is a traditional dessert similar to a meringue. When done right, it is crunchy on the outside, and light like a marshmallow on the inside. Top it with whipped cream and some fresh blueberries, and you have a delicious dessert that doesn’t weigh you down! Which brings me to my next question:

               How do you express that you like the taste of something in New Zealand?

a.      “That is so yum!”

b.     “Delicioso!”

c.      “Mmm, yummy!”

d.     Smack your lips together in delight

The answer is a, “that is so yum!” Anything that tastes good here is ‘yum.’ Not yummy. Yum. Ice cream is yum. Apples are yum. Pavlova is yum. You get the idea. Besides eating delicious food, we also got out and explored the Auckland area. Saturday was its own adventure.

 

Let. Me. Tell. You. Why.

 

It started off with a ferry ride across a harbor to Waiheke Island – a cute island with gorgeous views. While it misted a bit on the ride over, Rachel and I had our raincoats packed and were hoping the skies would clear a bit as the day went on. At first, it seemed like this would be the case. As we arrived to a little tourist town, the rain stopped and we saw a sign for a beach. We headed down, and were greeted by gorgeous views, sea shells, and soft sand.

 

 

After exploring the beach, we found a trail to a road and a sign that said another bay was just a 15 minute walk away. Excited, we headed off to explore this area. Like a fool, I said to Rachel, “I hope it doesn’t start raining.” This next question is not related to New Zealand culture, BUT I think it adds to the flow of the story.

               What happened next?

a.      Rachel and Ellie laughed

b.     Rachel knocked on wood    

The correct answer is a: we laughed. And anyone who has watched any movie ever knows what a big mistake that was. After a comment like that the only thing that could have possibly happened was that it started to rain. Scratch that - pour. At about the half way point to the bay the skies opened up and let us have it. At that point we figured we might as well finish our journey. We made it to the bay and hid under a tree, but at that point we were pretty soaked. The skies were solid cloud and showed no sign of stopping the insane amount of rain, so we decided to head back to town. On our way back we gave in to being wet, and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves by splashing in every puddle we came across. By the time we got back to town, we were soaked. And hungry. The only problem was we were so wet we didn’t want to walk into any restaurant, so we needed to find a way to dry our clothes. But how?

 

We found a park bathroom and hung up all our clothes on hooks, putting on our swimsuits. Then we went for a swim in the rain while our clothes dried. When we came back our clothes were still wet – so we spent 45 minutes drying them out under the bathroom blow-dryers. Once they were dry enough to put on, we headed back out into the rain to find somewhere to eat. We ended up eating at a lovely café, but with the rain still coming down heavy we spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing in the town library – where we could actually stay dry. And you’ll never guess, but about 30 minutes before we had to catch the ferry back into Auckland the sun came out and it stopped raining. We enjoyed a lovely fairy ride and let the wind finish drying our damp clothes and hair. Even though we spent the day stuck in the rain, I still enjoyed our trip to Waiheke Island. The views were beautiful, and the experience unforgettable.

 

 

Lucky for us, we still had one more day in Auckland and it didn’t rain one bit. We began the day by taking a ferry ride to Davenport, where we hiked up to the top of a volcano which gave us a stunning view of downtown. Before heading back we stopped at a bakery for morning tea. Which brings me to my next question:

               What is morning tea?

a.      A breakfast blend of herbal tea that is widely popular in NZ

b.     The first meal of the day

c.      Any tea purchased before 12pm

d.     A mid-morning break for coffee or tea and a light snack

The correct answer is d. It’s a mid-morning break and time to replenish energy with something to eat or a hot beverage. After getting back to Auckland, we hopped on a bus to take us to Mt. Eden, another volcano. After walking to the top and taking in the views, we treated ourselves with ice cream. Then we headed back downtown and took a ride up the elevator of Sky Tower (a building that resembles Seattle’s Space Needle), to see the city from above. Then we got on a hop-on hop-off bus tour, where we drove by some of the city’s main attractions and learned about the history. After a busy day we caught the bus back to Taupo, arriving just after midnight. It was a jam-packed weekend, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

 

 

 

Thanks for reading my latest blog post! I hope you liked the ‘trivia’ format. I liked writing it!

 

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to post them below. I’d love to connect!

 

Best wishes to you and yours,

Ellie