Half Way Point...

Last week sometime marked the half way point of my adventure Down Under. I roughly have about 45 days left and thought I would help myself out by compiling some of my favorite things about being in New Zealand. For the readers out there... well, you probably won't really get most of these things and its mainly for Kelly and I to re-read when we are home and remember the little quirks that this country has to offer! : )


I'll just write the list out as I wrote it in my notebook while cruising around town the past few days... so, in no particular order, here we are:

• Going to cafes and spending hours chatting away with Kel while contemplating what the difference of an 'Americano' is to a 'long black'


• staring at the ever changing sky (it seems more blue and that the clouds are more interesting since being down here... may be true, may not be.)


• experiencing it all for the first time


• being on 'vacation' for the weekend


• touristy activities (rollerblading on the waterfront)


• appreciating home so much more from being away


• the no tipping policy! (this will be tough to go back to once I'm home)


• tax is already included in all the prices, so $9.99 really means $9.99


• Cuba Street and Courtney Place in Wellington


• The nightlife! You can go down Courtney place on a Friday or Saturday and there will be HUNDREDS of people on the street walking from bar to bar


• Asking a Kiwi what they do does not mean what their job is -- this is an amazing concept that everyone should try to take with them -- in America we ask what you do, in reference to your job/career, here it is what a person does with the money they earn from that job i.e. surfing, cooking, traveling, etc.


• Maggie's Mix - a trail mix at our favorite Grocery store:


• New World (the grocery store)


• Walking down to the Dairy, either in Kelson or from Zach's on Mt. Victoria


• having to turn the heater on before going to bed


• Cooking at home


• The lounge in the house


• Living with Fi and Sam


• Pam's Brand at New World -- Pam has been very good to us, her Peanut Butter, Soy Milk, Hummus and granola bars have been some of our favorites!


• Morning swims with Fi and the pool before school


• My office at school


• Being a teacher in New Zealand and having this unique experience


• Wednesday night dinners at Fi's Mom's house


• Coaching the girls Basketball team at school


• The strange 'beep' when crossing a cross walk


• the absolutely insane bus drivers we have come across!


• 'Slices' - essentially a cookie or treat and its in a rectangle shape


• "the Flyer" - our bus to get home


• Very good looking Kiwi Dads


• When a rugby match is on, the world seems to stop


• Base Bar! our favorite bar with the best playlist for us (Whitney with I just wanna dance with Somebody, La Bamba, and Jump for my love!)


• The view across the bay to the Church on Mt. Victoria -- if there is anyone reading this blog and knows what this church is called, or how to get a picture of it, please let me know!!

Here is the best picture I could find when I googled it... but it is not nearly close to the whole view you get from looking across the bay and seeing the Church just pop out amongst the green trees and small houses that surround it. (The picture below does not do it justice, but will give you an idea.)

And here it a picture that I found in our archieves of photos. Doesn't totally do it justice but it works...