50 Things I Have Learned in New Zealand

I was compiling a list of things I had learned in New Zealand (I started this list while I was still there), and I was at Thing #41 when I decided to go for it and make a list of 50. You've gotta keep with tradition, you know. So here is another list of 50 things. This time instead of being "about the author," these are things that kiwi land and the people therein have taught me over the past 4 months:

1. The longest place name in the world (40 syllables, 85 letters) can be memorized in approximately 2 hours of study in the car while on a road trip (Try this at home: Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu).
2. Fish and chips are a way of life.
3. The All Blacks are fabulous, even if they didn’t win the Rugby World Cup.
4. Sheep can be cuter than most people give them credit for.
5. Rainforests and glaciers can exist in the same place (I mean literally within the same view. Look left and see a glacier, look right and see a waterfall).
6. Ski hills can and do erupt, so plan your vacations wisely.
7. Music connects people of all ages and cultures.
8. Humanity is universal. People from all over are kind and good and loving and welcoming and encouraging.
9. Living near the ocean provides a kind of beauty that one can never fully experience living in the Canadian prairies.
10. Living in the Canadian prairies provides a kind of beauty that one can never fully experience living in New Zealand.
11. Canada is HUGE.
12. Sometimes we take life too seriously. The kiwis are refreshing in that they don’t always worry about being politically correct. They are human, and usually pretty darn funny about it too.
13. Electric blankets and space heaters are amazing, but central heating is underrated.
14. I should travel my own country more.
15. I love my family more than ever (if this is even possible).
16. My relationships with my friends at home are even deeper than I thought before I left.
17. Paua shell is amazing to look at. It’s so natural, yet so complex and unique in its colours and patterns.
18. A tattoo on the rib cage hurts more than I could have ever anticipated.
19. Teaching can be tiring, but also so rewarding. It is especially amazing when your students go out of their way to tell you that you’ve made a difference.
20. Time flies when you’re having fun.
21. Getting mail is still one of the most exciting small things in life.
22. Technology is incredible in that an e-mail or a text message sent around the world can be met with a response within seconds.
23. The kiwi accent is difficult to imitate without sounding Australian.
24. Falling in love with an impossible situation can be painful, but it is better to love and get hurt than to shy away from it altogether for fear of experiencing pain, as experiencing a range of emotions, good and bad, is part of what makes us human.
25. Treat every experience as an opportunity to learn about yourself and the world around you.
26. Fruit Bursts, jet planes, and a healthy supply of V energy drinks are a staple for any kiwi road trip. Driving in a red convertible with the top down is a bonus.
27. Driving on the “wrong” side of the road and the car isn’t as hard to adjust to as one might imagine. Be prepared, though, to reach for air when you try to buckle your seatbelt (it’s to your right, not your left), and to slam your hand into the window at least once when trying to change gears (if driving standard). Also, don’t be discouraged if you turn on the windshield wipers the first time you try to signal. You might look silly, but I promise it’s perfectly natural.
28. New World is the best grocery store (and sometimes if you’re lucky, they’ll have posters of All Black super hottie Dan Carter hanging on the walls).
29. Spending your money on experiences is never wasted. Sometimes you just have to forget about the budget and go live life.
30. The southern sky on a clear night is beautiful and awe-inspiring. The Southern Cross, Scorpius, and Jupiter are usually the most visible.
31. Glowworms in large groups look like icicle lights.
32. Glowworms have no mouth in their adult phase, so once they mature they just sit there looking pretty until they die of starvation. That’s pretty darn interesting.
33. A white Christmas is a part of my life that I didn’t realize how much I appreciated until I moved halfway around the world, to a country whose people celebrate Christmas with outdoor swimming and barbeques.
34. The flat prairie landscape of Saskatchewan is comforting and familiar (and requires no Gravol or Dramamine like some of the winding roads in New Zealand).
35. Toilet paper is always more fun with pictures and patterns on it, particularly if those pictures are of cartoon sheep or other endearing designs.
36. Setting your watch to the local time at your destination as soon as you get on the plane is a good way to avoid jet lag.
37. You don’t realize how little you know about your own country until you leave it and are faced with tons of people asking you questions to which you have no answers.
38. We have the tendency to be wasteful at home, often because we have no choice. In New Zealand they have the option of full flush or half flush on their toilets, and they have switches on their electrical outlets so that they don’t have to use energy when not necessary.
39. A hearty kiwi meal isn’t complete without the famous trio of potato, pumpkin, and kumara.
40. Travelling is worth every single penny. I hope to spend millions more pennies on overseas experiences.
41. I have an accent.
42. Choirs from different countries can sound surprisingly similar, even though the differences in the inflections and vowel sounds are so obvious when speaking. Somehow singing erases any noticeable accents.
43. If you believe in something, believe in it with your whole heart. The rewards are often great for those who dive in 100%.
44. Making calls to mobile phones in New Zealand, regardless of whether you’re calling from a land line or not, is ridiculously expensive as you are charged mobile rates. This means that a 45-minute conversation to Canada costs approximately $5, while that same conversation to a mobile in Hawke’s Bay or Wellington or anywhere costs about $25. Oops! (But it was worth it!)
45. You can never take too many pictures.
46. Digital cameras are awesome, as they allow you to be an insane photo-snapping tourist without worrying about making every picture turn out just so. You can always go back and delete the ones that didn’t work.
47. Netball is more fun to play than to watch. It is enough like basketball that catching onto the rules can be difficult initially (I apologize to everyone for constantly getting within 3 feet of the opposition with the ball… I caught on eventually!).
48. Canada and New Zealand are more alike than you might think. Australia is more like the States.
49. Hot pink tote bags from Supre are pretty much the utmost in fashion.
50. Growing up happens so fast, but being able to watch oneself in the process and to be able to appreciate the beauty in the transformation through all of the beautiful, challenging, awe-inspiring, life-changing, memorable experiences is really an amazing thing. Life is so full and rich. Live it. Love it. Learn from it.