Today we hit our 3 year anniversary since we arrived in New Zealand.

It’s amazing it’s been 3 years already. It feels like a lifetime ago that we left the States hoping beyond hope that while we were here our visa would be approved. COVID was still raging, but New Zealand finally opened up on February 27th, 2022. We got on the first plane that we could possibly make work on March 15th and landed in Auckland at 6:00 AM on March 17th, 2022. We got our visas on August 2nd, 2022. Yeah!

But here we are, 3 years later and we do not regret a single thing about it. So much has happened in those 3 years that it’s hard to remember. Thankfully I blogged about it. I do like going back and looking at the old blog posts as a reminder. We forget so much so fast.

We love where we live. We call it Ruby Ranch South. It is a s%^$ ton of work to maintain, but when we sit and look out at the ocean from our deck or watch the Tuis feasting on the flax flowers, it makes it all worth it. It feels like home now. Mostly.

I would not say that we are fully integrated in the Kiwi culture yet. I am not sure that day will ever happen, but I have a much greater understanding of it and appreciate how different it is from the US. The longer I have been here, the more I can see the differences. I now know to use “as” at the end of almost anything. Sweet as. Ugly as. Clean as. Togs, jandals, cuppas, rubbish, chilly bins, smokos, tramps, gum boots, Utes are all now part of my regular vocabulary. But it is much deeper than just a few words.

When you are here on vacation it will all seem very familiar and you will think “I don’t know what Roger was talking about? It sure seems a lot like the US.” But it is not. There is a much deeper sense of community and trust here. A higher degree of respect. We watched the prime minister debates between Christopher Luxon (conservative) and Chris Hipkins (liberal) and it was fascinating. The level of agreement was unheard of in the US. They almost always agreed on the problem, but disagreed often on how to approach it. Sometimes you would hear one or the other say “I agree with that.” Whew. How refreshing.

There is a level of hardiness, self-reliance, and optimism that seems to permeate life. I think it comes from being so isolated for so long. “She’ll be right, mate.” Pissing with rain? What a great day! We’re Kiwis, of course we can do it.

There is a love of the outdoors. They teach “tramping” in schools. It is a fundamental part of their education. Now that is a different perspective, don’t you think?

Although I know I am not well integrated yet, I do notice when our American visitors don’t understand. They will say or act in a way that now stands out to me as “not ideal.” They don’t mean to be malicious or mean, it is a simple ignorance of the culture they are in. I’ve come to appreciate the Kiwi sensibility. Many Americans have grown up with strong cultural messaging around “we are America and therefore we do it right.” I was there too. That whole American exceptionalism thing. I think everyone should live in another country at least once in their life. It changes you.

I still step in it with my Americanism sometimes, but mostly the Kiwis have been nice and tolerant of my missteps. I apologize. They shrug and tell me “Good as gold mate” and we move on.

Don’t get me wrong, there are tons of problems here too. Childhood poverty, domestic abuse, underfunded health system, and low wages to name a few. But the vibe is different and we like it.

This is our home now. We are still foreigners and always will be, but it is home. We are grateful every day we are here.

Come visit and bring your togs!