jess
27th October 2006, 01:22 PM
We left the US in early spring and arrived in NZ in time to go back into fall and winter again. The worst winter here in many years at that. The first two weeks are pretty much a blur, but we managed to buy the car get out of the hostel and into our own place, get IRD numbers and find the OH a job. (I still work for a US company via internet).
After all the business of city hostel life in downtown Welly - which was quite fun - we arrived at our quiet rental on the Kapiti Coast on Easter weekend with no fridge or mattress. (Note to self - do not move into your own place in a foreign country the weekend everything is closed). Luckily we scored some toilet paper from the Warehouse just before they shut down!
We waited 2 more weeks on a money transfer before we bought a tv. So there we were in an empty house (well eventually with a mattress, microwave and fridge) reading our little Kapiti newspapers and trying to get internet set up. For a while there I felt really cut off and yet not like I was in NZ - no tv, no internet, no one I knew except for the kind forumites, clg and pineapplehead. It was oddly like living in a vacuum. We went to the beach a lot and on some bush walks, which was a great way to get out and not spend money. We visited the dog in quarantine. Despite our initial feeling of living in a bubble, we were (and are) really happy to have moved.
Then OH started his job, and I got the internet and went back to work. And eventually our container was delivered. (after much hassle, delay, phone calling and tears). But by this time we were looking at houses so we kept almost everything boxed anyway. Two months of seeing cold, damp houses up and down the coast north of Wellington from Whitby to Waikanae (where we eventually bought). House hunting was like thrift store shopping - you look through a lot of trash to find one or two nice places. Went to auctions and open houses. Learned a lot by standing near the agent at an open house and hearing what other people knew to ask.
Found a house, and our offer was rejected. Found another, and our offer was accepted, council files looked good, inspection ok, mortgage was incredibly simple to get, and then at the beginning of September we moved in. That's actually the first time that I started to feel like we really live in NZ, mostly because I branched out and made an effort. I joined a weekly meditation group and a planting group in the area that plants natives. I've also worked on our own yard and painted rooms in the house. Slowly I feel like we're developing both a sense of belonging and of connecting with the community. Since I work from home, and we don't have kids that would involve us in schools or groups, this has been a big step for me.
As for NZ, I truly love it here. It does have a lot of damp and cold housing packed together and a much higher cost of living than I had in Virginia. But otherwise, I like it more than I liked living in the US. I prefer being away from American politics. I love that there is so much reserve land set aside here in Kapiti, and that it's gorgeous and runs the gamut from native forest to coastal. (We're having weekly public meetings about global warming on what we can do here to keep emissions down. I've heard NZ isn't always so great about sustainable living, but compared to what I'm used to there's a huge emphasis on it here.) I feel a lot safer (I came from a city with one of the highest per capita murder rates in the US). The people I meet seem friendlier than I was used to, and they rarely ask me what I do for a living straight off.
I am always amazed at the very different responses people have when they get over to NZ. This forum is terrific(!) for information, but then it's such a personal thing when you are face to face with the country. I'm thankful I turned out to be happy to have moved here.
We're now off the map so to speak. All the things I imagined and planned about moving to NZ and getting settled have happened. Now I hope we continue to become part of the community and eventually feel like we are home instead of on an adventure far from home...
After all the business of city hostel life in downtown Welly - which was quite fun - we arrived at our quiet rental on the Kapiti Coast on Easter weekend with no fridge or mattress. (Note to self - do not move into your own place in a foreign country the weekend everything is closed). Luckily we scored some toilet paper from the Warehouse just before they shut down!
We waited 2 more weeks on a money transfer before we bought a tv. So there we were in an empty house (well eventually with a mattress, microwave and fridge) reading our little Kapiti newspapers and trying to get internet set up. For a while there I felt really cut off and yet not like I was in NZ - no tv, no internet, no one I knew except for the kind forumites, clg and pineapplehead. It was oddly like living in a vacuum. We went to the beach a lot and on some bush walks, which was a great way to get out and not spend money. We visited the dog in quarantine. Despite our initial feeling of living in a bubble, we were (and are) really happy to have moved.
Then OH started his job, and I got the internet and went back to work. And eventually our container was delivered. (after much hassle, delay, phone calling and tears). But by this time we were looking at houses so we kept almost everything boxed anyway. Two months of seeing cold, damp houses up and down the coast north of Wellington from Whitby to Waikanae (where we eventually bought). House hunting was like thrift store shopping - you look through a lot of trash to find one or two nice places. Went to auctions and open houses. Learned a lot by standing near the agent at an open house and hearing what other people knew to ask.
Found a house, and our offer was rejected. Found another, and our offer was accepted, council files looked good, inspection ok, mortgage was incredibly simple to get, and then at the beginning of September we moved in. That's actually the first time that I started to feel like we really live in NZ, mostly because I branched out and made an effort. I joined a weekly meditation group and a planting group in the area that plants natives. I've also worked on our own yard and painted rooms in the house. Slowly I feel like we're developing both a sense of belonging and of connecting with the community. Since I work from home, and we don't have kids that would involve us in schools or groups, this has been a big step for me.
As for NZ, I truly love it here. It does have a lot of damp and cold housing packed together and a much higher cost of living than I had in Virginia. But otherwise, I like it more than I liked living in the US. I prefer being away from American politics. I love that there is so much reserve land set aside here in Kapiti, and that it's gorgeous and runs the gamut from native forest to coastal. (We're having weekly public meetings about global warming on what we can do here to keep emissions down. I've heard NZ isn't always so great about sustainable living, but compared to what I'm used to there's a huge emphasis on it here.) I feel a lot safer (I came from a city with one of the highest per capita murder rates in the US). The people I meet seem friendlier than I was used to, and they rarely ask me what I do for a living straight off.
I am always amazed at the very different responses people have when they get over to NZ. This forum is terrific(!) for information, but then it's such a personal thing when you are face to face with the country. I'm thankful I turned out to be happy to have moved here.
We're now off the map so to speak. All the things I imagined and planned about moving to NZ and getting settled have happened. Now I hope we continue to become part of the community and eventually feel like we are home instead of on an adventure far from home...