5 yr plan to move to NZ permanently- some questions :) - Page 3

[*Jade*]

Originally Posted by PreggieUBA2C

I wonder too. Have you seen The Royal Tenenbaums or The Life Aquatic? Really any Bill Murray movie from the last ten years? The humour in those is pretty lost on most people here, but I looooove them! When I saw the trailer for Boy it seemed that the humour was similar and had dp and I laughing really, really hard, but we know that most of the population here would be confused by our laughter. I saw The Royal Tenenbaums with my brother in a theatre and we could not stop laughing while the theatre was emptying, with people complaining that it wasn't funny.

Hehe, I loved The Life Aquatic!! It's always interesting how comedy works - for instance American comedians don't do that well live here IMHO, we seem to relate much more to comedians from the UK, so I wonder where Canadians would fit into that.

[Castle]

Originally Posted by vivalamama

Don't seem to have the concentration today to read all the posts
but we just moved to Napier from Alaska (Hi Castle ) in February.

Hi Claire! Fancy meeting you here. How have your holidays been? I meant to call you to see if you wanted to do a playdate over the break, but then time flew and it's already the last day tomorrow! Oh well, maybe another after school one sometime? See you on Monday!

[PreggieUBA2C]

[QUOTE=nathansmum;15300407]

Originally Posted by PreggieUBA2C

So what does that mean?

LOL....ummm...take the piss means, take the micky? Or teasing mercilessly...

Oh, here you go...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taking_the_piss

Wow. Okay. I can't think of an equivalent phrase here for that. A long-used one that is. Oftentimes there'll be passing phrases that come from the U.S. and they last a few months and then are replaced by something else. We don't watch tv, so I tend to not know about them until they're nearly done, but dp works with youth and he hears the newest ones all the time and watches the 'old' ones pass.

Originally Posted by *Jade*

Hehe, I loved The Life Aquatic!! It's always interesting how comedy works - for instance American comedians don't do that well live here IMHO, we seem to relate much more to comedians from the UK, so I wonder where Canadians would fit into that.

I don't really know. I think Canadians are all over the place, really. I tend to prefer dry, subtle but intellectual or real-life (not trying too hard) humour, dp prefers UK comedians/comedy by far, but we've been acclimated to enjoy some pretty wild slap-stick-y humour too, like Dane Cook and Jim Carey, but it took us many years to appreciate their comedy. Now we do, but even five years ago neither one of us would crack a smile at their work. Acclimation by immersion, I guess-- or attrition.

There are lots of cultures whose humour is lost on me. Pure Canadian style humour is one type I really don't get. I understand the language and stories, but I don't see why it's funny- at all. It seems like someone telling a story about going o the store and buying eggs and then they came home, the comedian tells us what was funny, everyone's laughing and relating to it and I'm just wondering what the joke was... I'm sure it's not really like that, but that's how it seems to me.

Also, being first generation Canadians, dp and I really don't have the cultural roots to inform us of what/how Canadians think and find funny. The humour in The Life Aquatic and Boy (from what I've seen) is hilarious to me because it is so similar to my own impressions of observing my family, and my own self, trying to figure out how to be and live in Canada with no guidance- just weird and haphazard, but genuine in our attempts. I don't know if that makes sense outside of my own head or not. It's just very real/authentic to me, so I relate, which makes it funny, I guess just like the Canadian comedy for people who relate to it.

I KNOW!!! Canadian comedy seems to me like what's funny is what is imposed on the situation by the comedian or the person in the story, whereas the comedy I enjoy is funny because of the implications of the actions of the person in the story and the actions themselves without evaluation; it's raw, unedited in a way. Does that make more sense?

In Canada, comedy doesn't happen until the comedian/story-teller says what's funny about the situation/story; they impose an evaluation and everyone then laughs. The story is fodder for the joke, wheras I enjoy comedy in which the story is funny without an evaluation or explanation. The story is what's funny, not what the actor/comedian extracts or imposes upon it. That seems too contrived to me to be funny.

But then Jim Carey and Dane Cook definitely impose and contrive to an enormous degree, and they are now funny to us too... but in small doses.

[tiffani]

I don't know, Preggie, the first time I heard "taking the piss out of someone" was from my Albertan husband. also, being pissed means being drunk in Alberta, whereas in California it just means really angry.

it's all so confusing!

I don't particularly find Canadian entertainment all that entertaining anyway... maybe that's why people there are so into hockey! ooops, should clarify, as my husband was a musician in Canada for many years, and played with Holly McNarland for the first few years of her career (don't know if you know who she is, but she achieved a fairly high level of fame in Canada) so of course, the MUSICAL entertainment in Canada is great! but tv/movies/comedy.... I can't really think of anything I love that is Canadian... though so many "American" comedians are actually Canadian, so perhaps they all just head to the States?

I liked your analysis of what type of humor you like. I can't say I've ever thought about it all that much! Some of my favorites, though, are Tannenbaums, Life Aquatic, etc, Waiting for Guffman, Napoleon Dynamite (similar humor to Boy, I think, as well as Eagle vs. Shark, etc), and I have to admit, just about anything that comes out of Will Farrel's mouth.

[nathansmum]

Here, if you're angry you can be "pissed off" or "that pisses me off" (and it's kind of crass to say it, but not too much lol), but it definitely sounds American to say "I'm pissed" - we don't say that.

Now if someone were to use "piss" for urinating, that just sounds awful lol. Generally guys would use it in that sense if they are that way inclined.

Me and DH went to see Boy at the movies the other night. A good movie. A lot could definitely get lost in translation I think.

[Ms Apricot]

I was going to write a long post about Canadian comedy, with the long list of the hugely successful Canadian comedians - many of whom people assume are U.S. born and bred. I can't do it without sounding defensive, so I'm not going to bother. Having spent time in Australia and NZ though, I'd say the humour is closer to Canadian than American, but with different cultural touchstones.

I'm not sure how any Australians could understand many of the jokes in Corner Gas, because a lot of them are inside jokes to Canadians. It's broadcast weekly though, so there must be a following for the show.

Leaving aside the cultural stuff, I actually came to post some advice about expenses. Our experience living in Australia and traveling in NZ is that the houses are much more, um, porous than Canadian construction. I don't think I've ever seen double-glazed windows, insulation is an unknown, and many homes have huge gaps between doors/windows and the outside. Heat is often electric - baseboard units, space heaters and electric blankets. As a result, even though we kept our thermostat low during the winter, and winters are relatively mild compared to Canada, our utility costs were about triple compared to our costs in Toronto. And we always felt chilled and damp, even in Sydney, during the winter.

In Australia, we found our daily costs of living - grocery bill, petrol, clothing, etc. - are about 25% higher than in Toronto. My impression from visiting is that costs are even higher in NZ.

There are lots of ways to save of course, and the lifestyle is worth every penny (not that there are any pennies in Australia these days !!).

Good luck with the move! NZ is a wonderful place and I envy anyone who gets to spend time there.

[nathansmum]

Yes, I certainly agree that insulation has been an issue in the past and many "old" home (ie 50-60yrs old) have minimal (or none) insulation and people are still getting it put in. The government has been injecting money over the past few years to encourage home owners to get their homes up to a decent insulated level (sucks for renters though coz landlords aren't always willing to do that).

Double glazing certainly isn't the norm here, no. I'm unsure about living with gaps to the outside though? In older villas (100 yr old homes) or neglected homes it's certainly believable but not in anything newer than 1960s I wouldn't think (well, not in my experience).

Since I haven't lived anywhere aside from NZ I can't really compare living costs - but one expense that really rips my undies is the cost of books! The postage to get books here from Amazon is more than the book! But, the all up cost is still often cheaper than buying the book in the bookshop anyway...

Heating, yeah, it was here on MDC that I realised our electric heating is fairly unique. A lot of people are turning to gas though and also electric heat pumps seem to be the new thing. Although, not like a furnace thingy in the basement or however it often works. We solely rely on a woodburner for our heating over winter and our electric bill is the same year-round (we choose not to heat our bedrooms at night though which a lot of people do do).

[jrose_lee]

Hi!

We just moved to Kaitaia, NZ about 4 months ago from the U.S. That being said....we were definitely NOT as prepared as you are going to be! Wow! We found out that we were moving here in October and then moved in December. Also, we hadn't even considered the thought of moving to NZ until August (two months before dh got the job and we started packing). So, we weren't tremendously prepared. We just shipped over basic stuff and spent about $3,000 there. We sold off everything else. We don't have a car, but we're used to that since we didn't have one in Chicago. I would like to get one eventually b/c it sure is a "car country" and there are many beautiful places to be seen! Our town is small enough we can walk anywhere we need to go. We've got a little debt since we weren't totally prepared, but we can take care of that. The job offer came and so we just decided to go! I haven't read all the posts so I don't know what questions you still need answered. We are way up top on the warmest part of the North Island. It's really nice. This is the warmest "November" I've ever experienced (I figured winter-wise that this time of year is equivilent to when we would be in November back in Chicago if that makes sense). We're about to move to a rental that has orange trees and lime trees etc.

If you want to ask me any questions, feel free to pm me or anything!
jessica

[tiffani]

Originally Posted by nathansmum

I'm unsure about living with gaps to the outside though? In older villas (100 yr old homes) or neglected homes it's certainly believable but not in anything newer than 1960s I wouldn't think (well, not in my experience).

from our experience here, and from what I've heard from others, gaps are quite common -- usually around/under doors and windows. Our house (I think it was built in the 50's?) has a few, and weatherstripping isn't common here. We're in Wellington, where it's really, really windy at times, and sometimes you can be sitting in a room with everything closed up and feel a breeze. drafty and damp, I would say. We have two heat pumps and they're great, not too expensive (though we are really careful about running them, off at night, etc...) but the head of our bed is right near a window and it gets so cold sometimes that you have to cover your head with the blanket, or wear a toque to bed. toque = winter hat, for you non-Canadians.

We have friends who are renting a beautiful, brand new home, and it has several massive gaps around doors and windows. They do have central heating, but their heating bill for the first month and a half that they lived there "had a comma in it" which is not good, so now they just freeze. Part of the issue is that the ducts that carry the heated air throughout the house are under the house, exposed to the cold air outside -- no insulation around the ducts at all, so the heater has to really work hard to crank out lukewarm air. That would just NEVER fly in Canada. They have this big beautiful window in one room (I think they might actually have double-glazed windows, but I'm not sure...) that has this strange plywood strip down one side that can be opened and closed to let fresh air in. I'm not sure if the wrong size window was ordered, so someone improvised or what, but it doesn't fit snugly, and you can feel the wind coming in there. My friend's dad came for a visit and put weatherstripping in every door and window, so this winter won't be as bad for them, but even in brand spankin' new dream homes they just don't insulate/weather-proof the same way here as they do in north america.

It's all part of that laid-back Kiwi attitude, which is really beneficial in most areas, I think. Just maybe not when it comes to trying to stay warm in winter!

Originally Posted by nathansmum

Since I haven't lived anywhere aside from NZ I can't really compare living costs - but one expense that really rips my undies is the cost of books! The postage to get books here from Amazon is more than the book! But, the all up cost is still often cheaper than buying the book in the bookshop anyway...

have you checked out fishpond.co.nz?

[jrose_lee]

I think you can get books shipped free to NZ here, but I haven't actually tried it yet...

http://www.squidoo.com/free-book-shipping

[avocadostew]

having a baby in wellington nz

Hi there,

Does anyone know of any good midwives in Wellington? I am in Canada now but will be moving to Wellington so that dh can go back to school. We have 2 boys 31/2 and 1 year who were both born at home and are not vaxed. We would be looking to have another HB. Any suggestions? We just found out we are pregnant again! We are supposed to be there by March so we would have to be there a bit in advance due to travelling while pregnant. I once contacted Domino midwives a while back to see what the prospects were of finding a midwife in Wellington in my second trimester and they said it should not be a problem but I don't know much else.

Also, would anyone have any suggestions as to which neighborhoods might be good to live in with kids? We generally like to walk places but I know that might not be a possiblity in Wellington. What areas are the schools good in? I don't even know if I'll be sending the little guys to school but just in case!

Thanks so much for any info in advance.

Z

[accountclosed2]

Hi avocadostew!

I'm in Wellington! And I planned a home birth here, with a fantastic home birth midwife. Unfortunately there were some complications, and so we had to go to hospital for an induction, but my amazing midwife made my birthing as home-like as possible, and as much as I wanted it as possible. I can really recommend her!

She's with Wellington Home birth Collective, and they have a morning tea
(with the Wellington Home birth Association) the second Thursday of every month in the Trinity Union Church in Newtown, 10-12, everyone welcome!

I don't drive, and it is quite easy getting around Wellington, (if you actually live in Wellington, with suburbs, as opposed to the Hutt or Porirua), there is a great bus network, and you can live like us,with marvelous bush views, in a villa area, and be 10-15 min from the centre of the city (bus or train) or 5-10 min (car).

Most areas are good when you have kids. I like the Northern Suburbs, and am not so keen on Karori (loads of families live there, but they are hardly ever about). I don't now the Eastern and Southern suburbs so well, but I have an idea Hataitai is nice, Island Bay probably too (but windy). There is a lot more over on the peninsula.

With schools, well, I think Northland School is very good, Crofton Downs too. And Clyde Quay and Clifton Terrace are supposed to be very good too. Te Aro was 7 years ago school as well. I've heard good things about Hougton Valley School. Otari School is supposed to be quite good, and has Montessori classes. They are all quite small schools (60-300 kids). The Steiner School is out in the Hutt, but that is also supposed to be good. These schools are spread all over town, and are mostly public. They usually have capped rolls, meaning you have to live in the area to to get in there. (Areas these schools are in : Ngaio, Wilton, Northland, Central City, Hougton Bay.) I'm sure others are good too. We plan to home school.

Prior to 5 there a private pre schools (including Montessori ones), and public and private Kindergartens (including a Steiner one). The public ones usually have long waiting lists, and are for 3 and 4 year olds. I guess some are better than others, but I personally don't think 3 teachers to 44 3 year olds is ok. Then there is PlayCentre, a parent-run organisation, where parents run the sessions, for kids 0-6.

Please pm me if you want to know anything else! I'll be very happy to provide details of my midwife, or any others. And I'll look forward to meeting you once you get here!

[accountclosed2]

double post

[tiffani]

It will likely depend on where your husband's school is, but we lived in Strathmore/Miramar Peninsula and loved it. it's kind of like it's own quiet little world over there. From our place in Strathmore we could walk to "the shops" which consisted of a bakery/restaurant, pizza, fish'n'chips (X2), indian food, the dairy, the corner store, a pharmacy, and a barber shop. A slightly further walk away (20 minutes) was a little library, a grocery store, a variety of restaurants, yoga place, pet store, op shops, ... a bunch of places... Oh, and if you didn't have much luggage, you could walk to the airport if you needed to.

My absolute favorite place in Wellington to live would be Seatoun, and the public school there is supposed to be good. It's a wealthier area, so that might be a bit of an issue depending on the families your kids were in school with, but kiwis are pretty down to earth regardless of income. It's absolutely beautiful over there though, and not as windy as Island Bay, though Seatoun is windier than the rest of the Miramar peninsula. Occasionally there are reasonably priced homes for rent or for sale over there.

Wellington is a really nice city, you can't really go wrong.

[avocadostew]

Thank you for your replies Tiffani and Aislyn. It was a false alarm although and I am not pregnant but thanks for the info re: midwives Aislyn. I am totally OK with not being pregnant right now as it will make our move that much easier. Turned out I was just ovulating! I was sure I was pregnant! In terms of neighborhoods, I think we might just wait to see when we get there but I am leaning more towards HS all the time so area shouldn't matter as much if I don't have to worry about schools. I would like an area where there are more young families if possible. People who are out a lot. Tiffani, what was your experience with HS in Wellington? I have a great group of friends here so I'm a bit nervous about just packing up and going. I have also been to NZ before and am afraid of being cold again even though I'm here in Canada where the weather is way worse. Is there anything that I could look for in a place? A heat pump? I guess I kind of already know the answer to some of these questions but maybe there are some other areas to avoid like Island Bay in terms of wind and colder areas. Anything else? dh's school will be at the University of Victoria dowtown campus on Cuba Street.

Look forward to meeting some of you once we get there!
Take care everyone!

Zoie

[japonica]

Originally Posted by Ms Apricot

I'm not sure how any Australians could understand many of the jokes in Corner Gas, because a lot of them are inside jokes to Canadians. It's broadcast weekly though, so there must be a following for the show.

I was wondering this too...do they understand the jokes? Hmm...

Originally Posted by Ms Apricot

Leaving aside the cultural stuff, I actually came to post some advice about expenses. Our experience living in Australia and traveling in NZ is that the houses are much more, um, porous than Canadian construction. I don't think I've ever seen double-glazed windows, insulation is an unknown, and many homes have huge gaps between doors/windows and the outside. Heat is often electric - baseboard units, space heaters and electric blankets. As a result, even though we kept our thermostat low during the winter, and winters are relatively mild compared to Canada, our utility costs were about triple compared to our costs in Toronto. And we always felt chilled and damp, even in Sydney, during the winter.

Yes, yes, yes. If a country in the world ever needed energy efficient houses, it's Australia. And yet, almost no insulation (R3 is standard here in Perth--try not to laugh too hard Canadians), glass that the wind blows through, no central heat (unless you spend 10K on a reverse cycle system that includes heat). People back in Canada laugh when I tell them it's freezing here in winter ("Oh poor you, only 18C today) but they don't understand that...wait for it...the houses are brick, have no insulation, no heat, and in my area, it's been close to zero some nights. Wait let me turn on the furnace, oh yes, there isn't one!

Originally Posted by Ms Apricot

In Australia, we found our daily costs of living - grocery bill, petrol, clothing, etc. - are about 25% higher than in Toronto. My impression from visiting is that costs are even higher in NZ.

There are lots of ways to save of course, and the lifestyle is worth every penny (not that there are any pennies in Australia these days !!).

Good luck with the move! NZ is a wonderful place and I envy anyone who gets to spend time there.

Yes, the cost of living is higher here, so that has to be taken into account.

AS for the OP's question about set up costs, it depends on your needs, but expect money to just go flying out of your hands in the first few weeks...and shipping from Canada costs a small fortune as well.

Good luck!