[suzer]

Just curious, as I know majority of peeps on here who move to NZ are probably Brits.


Suzer

[CjChris]

I'm from the US. I find it helpful to read posts from folks in the US because moving info, med questions, and paperwork info are more relevant to helping me.

Regardless of where people are from, though, I feel that this forum has a variely of very intelligent, polite, and caring members who make sure there are informative responses to everyone's posts. I'm very happy that I found this site!

Christine

[suzer]

True on that first bit, which is why I was curious, to a point.

On the second bit, I think it is great to have an international community of people to speak with as well.

[jo-and-jeff]

I'm sure I've missed a bunch, but here's a partial list of Americans who've been recently active:

Park City Partner
Montana
Bruckner
clg
tigerlily
Ana&Steve
wanderingoregonian
sweetpea
johnandbethcox
upnorthkyosa
toesonthenose
xanctus
DrPhred
Georgia USA
Tate6
Kiwi-In-Texas
josh
Going2NZ
hcykana
Crunchmonkey
herseymusic
jess
constablechuck
Thylacine
Richard_from_Long Beach
jdbob
khhill
dbonnett
CjChris
MegnFam
stvvnnttn
tdmg
NZsoon
stndrd
jbharvey
jen
Juniper
S&D
SarahEDH
Jonathon1977
suzandrob
maja
MB's partner
Oregonkiwi's partner
negirl's partner
auskiwi (lived in US for 10 years)
and us -- jo-and-jeff

Plus, there are some Canadians like
Howie
voxel

But as CjChris said, it's amazing how helpful some of the posts can be even when the author is from a country other than the U.S.

Cheers!

Jo

[suzer]

wow that's a lot. you're thorough;)

[jo-and-jeff]

wow that's a lot.
Yes, I suspect that our buddy George has had a great deal to do with the influx of US citizens to this site (we were one of the 10,000 hits (http://www.emigratenz.org/forum/showthread.php?p=98919#post98919) on November 3, 2004).

:roll

[Ana&Steve]

Wow, I didn't realize that there were so many Americans on here...I joked with Steve the other day that I wanted all 7 American opinions from the forum on something the other day. :o
Ana
/from North San Diego county

[MB]

Suzer - hello from us. Yes, as Jo says, Mrs MB is a US-born US citizen. (I am a naturalized US citizen and spent a decade there before coming to NZ, but I was not born or brought up there).
As you very probably know already, the Search box on the forum can help you find US-related posts. I know that I (we) posted a fair amount on such topics from about Sept 2004 onwards.
I tried to be reasonably responsible and accurate (and downright fussy!) in how I asked or answered questions from the word go, but since moving here our forum presence has been a little more sporadic.
But other, excellent US members, some of whom started the process after we did, have recently done terrific posts and threads that are useful to Americans and to others. And being that much more recent, many of those threads have more up to date info about, e.g., the application process. (We applied during 2004 when the '100-pt-no-job-offer' era was more or less at its peak).

[Bruckner]

Hey, I made the top three!

Emily

[jo-and-jeff]

Hey, I made the top three!
Don't get too excited. The list as presented is merely in order by my feeble memory, supplemented by my not-as-feeble researching skills.

;)

[Sean-n-Judy]

Hey I didnt make the list! I guess I should post more often.

[Ana&Steve]

Hey I didnt make the list! I guess I should post more often.
Yes you should!!
Miss you guys :wah
Ana

[tchelseat]

I'm Texan. Does that count? :laugh

[jess]

I'm Texan. Does that count? :laugh

If you're from Austin maybe. Otherwise... not so much. :p:laugh

[tchelseat]

Guess not, then. ;)

[xanctus]

I was gonna say, that I am not originally from US, but lived there for 10 years? is that count as being american? :P:P

[walter]

Cricketlover and Walter are also Americans......(proud to say Ex-pats!...and Bush has alot to do with that).

We haven't been very active on the forum of late..busy settling into our new home and jobs....and living the NZ lifestyle.

[MB]

Xanctus - so great to hear from you. How are you and your lovely family?
By the way, in answer to your question, if I may give an opinion on this, I reckon "yeah!" That is, if you spend time in a place and share its values, and contribute to it (some examples of how to do so: helping fellow folks, paying your way, defending the country) , then those are the main things! :nice1

BTW I don't even know what your situation is 'on paper', and I'm not sure if it matters to you much. I am a naturalized US citizen. I studied and prepared hard for this and was more than pleased to do so, and I consider my citizenship a great honor.

[xanctus]

Matt, long time no hear...we are doing fine, but still getting our feet on this new life. :D:D

[jo-and-jeff]

I am a naturalized US citizen. I studied and prepared hard for this and was more than pleased to do so, and I consider my citizenship a great honor.
You are to be congratulated; it's my understanding that the process and test are certainly not a cakewalk.

As dismayed as I've been with what's going on there, I quite agree with you -- my citizenship is not something I'm going to be giving up. (Hope springs eternal, etc. etc.)

My apologies to you for listing only your partner, and to xanctus, Walter, Cricketlover, tchelseat, Sean-n-Judy, and anyone else I missed -- my search was quick and dirty.

If you're not among the users I listed, do please post here, so that we know who you are!

Jo

[suzer]

Nice to hear from all of you. Glad to find a board that is so active, even if you all don't post regularly!

Suzer

[suebeenz]

Yup there are a lot of us North A's here :nice1. It is a bit surprising though when you look at immigration's breakdown (http://www.immigration.govt.nz/NR/rdonlyres/B524A33E-20D0-49C9-BF3F-110FB0945589/0/FactSheet20061108.pdf) of applications though. :)

[jo-and-jeff]

It is a bit surprising though when you look at immigration's breakdown (http://www.immigration.govt.nz/NR/rdonlyres/B524A33E-20D0-49C9-BF3F-110FB0945589/0/FactSheet20061108.pdf) of applications though. :)
It's not so surprising, if you consider that this Forum has almost 1500 members, whilst this Thread has identified only 52 members from the U.S.. Assume that there are another 100 of them we haven't identified, and that's still only 10% of total Forum membership in its 2 years of life.

Interesting analysis of the demographic breakdown of PR immigrants during the last 20 years (http://www.stats.govt.nz/NR/rdonlyres/38D9BAE6-477D-4658-B7AE-36FE080FEEEA/0/Table910.xls)

Jo

[suebeenz]

Hey thanks for that link Jo - that is interesting.

I've met a lot of North Americans since coming here, but I might not notice the Brits so much, as (I'm embarrassed to say) I have troubles differentiating the accents. :)

[Howie]

, but I might not notice the Brits so much, as (I'm embarrassed to say) I have troubles differentiating the accents. :)

I have this same problem (still) and yes it's very embarrassing. Especially when you meet someone, take a good long while to listen to the accent, decide they are definitely a Brit and ask them how long they've been here....and they turn out to be a Kiwi. Highly embarrassing!!

Susan

[MB]

You are to be congratulated; it's my understanding that the process and test are certainly not a cakewalk.

As dismayed as I've been with what's going on there, I quite agree with you -- my citizenship is not something I'm going to be giving up. (Hope springs eternal, etc. etc.)

My apologies to you for listing only your partner,



Jo - many thanks! BTW, no apology necessary: indeed, I thought it was acute of you to have gleaned that it's only Mrs MB who is a born US citizen (acute in the sense that there are so many postings by forum members that it was clever of you to have noticed that). :yes

Re. the citizenship process: yes, while it wasn't a nightmare process by any means, I did study systematically for the history and civics exams. I set aside homework time every evening, did trial runs at home, etc. There were also some bureaucratic steps that needed to be 'got right'. Anyway, I took a bit of trouble and it paid off.

[suzer]

Hey thanks for that link Jo - that is interesting.

I've met a lot of North Americans since coming here, but I might not notice the Brits so much, as (I'm embarrassed to say) I have troubles differentiating the accents. :)

you can't tell the diff bt kiwi and brit you mean?

[suebeenz]

I have this same problem (still) and yes it's very embarrassing. Especially when you meet someone, take a good long while to listen to the accent, decide they are definitely a Brit and ask them how long they've been here....and they turn out to be a Kiwi. Highly embarrassing!!

Susan

Especially when Kiwis are always so careful not to assume that you're from US! I think they get tired of the rest of the world assuming they are from Australia. They empathize with the forgotten Canucks. :laugh

[suzer]

Especially when Kiwis are always so careful not to assume that you're from US! I think they get tired of the rest of the world assuming they are from Australia. They empathize with the forgotten Canucks. :laugh

yes i had a girl (kiwi) here at work ask if i was canadian. told her better to assume i was caandian than vicer versa, when she apologised, as the canadians tend to be more touchy over that than us;)

[jen]

yes i had a girl (kiwi) here at work ask if i was canadian. told her better to assume i was caandian than vicer versa, when she apologised, as the canadians tend to be more touchy over that than us

We were at a winery in Queenstown & were asked by the young man working the tasting room if we were Canadian. After we told him we were from the US, he said "oh well, whenever I ask if someone is from the US they turn out to be Canadian and they get angry." :laugh

I'm TERRIBLE with accents so I think I'm doomed to offend and/or confuse random kiwis, brits, aussies, and canadians I meet for the first year or so - I also seem to need a 5 second time delay in my head to process an accent, so hopefully I'll start to adapt quickly once I get there!

[suzer]

I can't tell the diff bt Australians & Kiwis, but in the last 2 or 3 years I've finally learned the diff bt Americans & Canadians (prob due to traveling abroad, as I rarely ran into canadians in the states and only went to canada twice).

[tchelseat]

Since being here in NZ, I've only been asked 'Where are you from?' or 'Are you Canadian?'. No one asks if I'm American. I think Americans don't travel outside the North America as much as Canada, and perhaps Canadians are more sensitive about being asked if they're American so people just go the 'Are you Canadian?' route. Fine with me to be honest although sometimes it can be troublesome. While we were in Asia, to avoid long political conversations about US foreign policy, my husband would tell people he was Canadian. It was always funny to watch him squirm when they would ask further questions like, 'Where in Canada?'..'Oh really? Toronto?'.

[Howie]

It is cute that as soon as I open my mouth people know I'm from one of two countries, yet they almost always just ask "where are you from". Actually, they don't usually ask and it doesn't usually come up at all, but when it does, that's what they ask. I do suspect there are more Canadians than Americans in NZ - does anyone know? Other than forumites, I've only met one American here.
I can't tell the difference between a Canadian and American accent most of the time and always have to ask. Although, sometimes when I call my friends in Canada, I can really hear the Canadian accent.

[suebeenz]

It is cute that as soon as I open my mouth people know I'm from one of two countries, yet they almost always just ask "where are you from". Actually, they don't usually ask and it doesn't usually come up at all, but when it does, that's what they ask. I do suspect there are more Canadians than Americans in NZ - does anyone know? Other than forumites, I've only met one American here.

Looking at Jo's previous post, looks like about twice as many Americans coming. Whenever I look at the EOI selection points, US accounts for about 3% and Canada doesn't even register.

One a somewhat related note, Who's Canadian (http://www.thisamericanlife.org/pages/descriptions/97/65.html) from This American Life (to our Brit readers, it's a weekly radio program on PRI/NPR) is a pretty hilarious story about Canadian pride. The intro and Act 1 are the best ones. I think you'll like it. :)

[jo-and-jeff]

I do suspect there are more Canadians than Americans in NZ - does anyone know?
Year Arrivals Departures Net
Canada
2005 982 458 524
1985-2005 13,067 7,317 5,750

U.S.
2005 2,304 1,265 1,039
1985-2005 28,359 19,073 9,286

Statistics New Zealand (http://www.stats.govt.nz/NR/rdonlyres/38D9BAE6-477D-4658-B7AE-36FE080FEEEA/0/Table910.xls)

[Sean-n-Judy]

I always get asked if I'm Canadian.

I also have a hard time telling the difference between Kiwi and Aus accents

http://home.comcast.net/~myklo/pics/AustraliasCanada.jpg

[Ana&Steve]

:roll

[Moorf]

Love it, Judy! :D

[betty]

Hi there, another lurking American popping their head up. We've been here for almost 2 years(!) and I think I'm finally acclimating.

I love the "Australia's Canada" comment. More than just Canada, NZ seems like Canada in the 1970's - people not wearing shoes (even in the grocery stores!), busses belching out lots of deisel smoke, lots of sun worshippers...

[jbharvey]

Just got to Wellington last week. Loving it.

[betty]

Welcome to NZ!

Have you ordered a "flat white" yet? My partner and I (gotta love the "partner" thing here) went to Wellington about a year ago and really liked it. Given a choice between Auckland and Wellington we would have gone with Wellington, but the job was in Auckland.

We went to a good Mexican restaurant called the Flying Burrito Brothers in Wellington.

[jbharvey]

Yeah I saw Flying Burrito Brothers over on Cuba, I think it's one of our next places to go to.

I absolutely love flat whites. It's all I order now!!

[Jenny & Mark]

... perhaps Canadians are more sensitive about being asked if they're American so people just go the 'Are you Canadian?' route.
As a Canadian, it's true. I personally am quite sensitive about being labelled an American.

my husband would tell people he was Canadian. It was always funny to watch him squirm when they would ask further questions like, 'Where in Canada?'..'Oh really? Toronto?'.
While living in Holland, my extended family would always introduce me as their Canadian cousin/nephew/etc. to avoid assumptions. While travelling I have had offers from American tourists to buy anything with Canada on it, so they can pretend to be Canadian. I was never sure if I should be flattered or concerned. :uhoh :)

Mark.

[Jenny & Mark]

It is cute that as soon as I open my mouth people know I'm from one of two countries, yet they almost always just ask "where are you from". Actually, they don't usually ask and it doesn't usually come up at all, but when it does, that's what they ask. I do suspect there are more Canadians than Americans in NZ - does anyone know? Other than forumites, I've only met one American here.
I can't tell the difference between a Canadian and American accent most of the time and always have to ask. Although, sometimes when I call my friends in Canada, I can really hear the Canadian accent.

From the perspective of my OH (a Kiwi), she tends to think that there are many more Americans in New Zealand than Canadians, but many Canadians are commonly mistaken for Americans. Many Canadian celebrities are falsely assumed to be American - Shania Twain, Matthew Perry, Keanu Reeves (sadly), Alex Trebek, Michael J. Fox, Eugene Levy, Leslie Nelson, Neil Young, Leonard Cohen, et cetera, et cetera.

In my travels visiting high schools, I did meet many Canadian teachers and I can't recall a single American, but that is hardly convincing proof.

Mark.

[khhill]

There's some hidden Americans in Dunedin. I haven't found them yet, but Pak N' Save shipped in frozen turkeys this week and is nearly sold out charging 6X what they charge for a frozen chicken. All I can think of is that its the Americans preparing for Thanksgiving.

I've split the difference. I got a frozen turkey breast to have the taste of turkey and a chicken to have the visual effect of the roasted bird on the table!

[suebeenz]

Many Canadian celebrities are falsely assumed to be American - Shania Twain, Matthew Perry, Keanu Reeves (sadly), Alex Trebek, Michael J. Fox, Eugene Levy, Leslie Nelson, Neil Young, Leonard Cohen, et cetera, et cetera.

"So the other day I was in the car listening to radio, and Taking care of-"

"Taking-care-of-business. Canadian. Bachman-Turner-Overdrive. They-wrote-that. Canadian."
:D

(from Who's Canadian on PRI (http://www.thisamericanlife.org/pages/descriptions/97/65.html))


I'm glad you didn't mention Pamela Anderson, or William Shatner. :cheers

[jo-and-jeff]

"Bachman-Turner-Overdrive. They-wrote-that. Canadian."
also, Rush, The Guess Who, Loverboy, Bryan Adams, Glass Tiger, Red Rider, Chilliwack, Jeff Healey, Triumph, Neil Young, Men Without Hats, Aldo Nova, Dan Aykroyd, David Foster, April Wine. All of which appear somewhere in my CD collection (and Alanis Morissette, Sarah McLachlan, Nelly Furtado and Barenaked Ladies, which don't). My partner accuses me of having a Canadian music fetish.

But I don't know what he's talking aboot. Eh.

;)

[Ana&Steve]

But I don't know what he's talking aboot. Eh.
HeHeHe!
Ana

[suebeenz]

also, Rush, The Guess Who, Loverboy, Bryan Adams, Glass Tiger, Red Rider, Chilliwack, Jeff Healey, Triumph, Neil Young, Men Without Hats, Aldo Nova, Dan Aykroyd, David Foster, April Wine. All of which appear somewhere in my CD collection (and Alanis Morissette, Sarah McLachlan, Nelly Furtado and Barenaked Ladies, which don't). My partner accuses me of having a Canadian music fetish.

But I don't know what he's talking aboot. Eh.

;)


Chilliwack! Gone-gone-gone-gone-so-long. :)

Now you've done it. Busting out my Spirit of the west (http://www.amazon.com/Save-This-House-Spirit-West/dp/B00005NWID) (Home for a rest), and my tragically hip (http://www.amazon.com/Day-Night-Tragically-Hip/dp/B00000IJRE/sr=1-12/qid=1164096689/ref=sr_1_12/102-4999414-2274554?ie=UTF8&s=music) albums (So hard done by, Scared, some obvious gooduns on that album).

[suzer]

From the perspective of my OH (a Kiwi), she tends to think that there are many more Americans in New Zealand than Canadians, but many Canadians are commonly mistaken for Americans. Many Canadian celebrities are falsely assumed to be American - Shania Twain, Matthew Perry, Keanu Reeves (sadly), Alex Trebek, Michael J. Fox, Eugene Levy, Leslie Nelson, Neil Young, Leonard Cohen, et cetera, et cetera.

In my travels visiting high schools, I did meet many Canadian teachers and I can't recall a single American, but that is hardly convincing proof.

Mark.

yikes i'm horribly guilty in assumptions---i knew leonard cohen was caandian, and maybe alex trebek, but had no clue on the rest of them :(

[suzer]

As a Canadian, it's true. I personally am quite sensitive about being labelled an American.

Mark.

why is this? out of curiosity?

[suzer]

Welcome to NZ!

Have you ordered a "flat white" yet? My partner and I (gotta love the "partner" thing here) went to Wellington about a year ago and really liked it. Given a choice between Auckland and Wellington we would have gone with Wellington, but the job was in Auckland.

We went to a good Mexican restaurant called the Flying Burrito Brothers in Wellington.

wellington had a good mexican restaurant? that decides it--i'm there. nothing worse than living somewhere with no good mexican food...shocking london has nothing decent:(

and what's a flat white?

[jo-and-jeff]

Chilliwack! Tragically Hip
Oo! Oo! Whatcha Gonna Do? She Don't Know! and I can't believe I forgot the T-Hip! New Orleans! High Dough!

<cough>

Sorry. Just had a Maple Leaf Moment there.

[Jenny & Mark]

I'm glad you didn't mention Pamela Anderson, or William Shatner. :cheers

Thanks :) .

Mark.

[Jenny & Mark]

why is this? out of curiosity?

Almost all of Canadian identity and history is mixed up with the notion that we are not American. Any small difference is celebrated as being Canadian, such as the word "eh?".

Personally, I am becoming increasingly displeased with American foreign policy, politics, and the culture of consumption. I do not have negative thoughts towards the average American citizen; I just don't want everything that the American identity holds to define how others perceive me and treat me.

I hope that helps answer without being insulting.

Mark.

[coyotewildwomen]

Coyotwildwomen and partner are US citizens. We are in Nelson- please join us for our next expat get-together this Friday if you are in the area.

Wendy

[coyotewildwomen]

I realize that we don't want to just connect with Americans in our new home, but it would be great to know where everyone is located. Sometimes it is a great networking opportunity, particularly concerning things specific to Americans... ie cost of shipping containers, who to use, taxes etc. Can people let the forum know where they are located so if connection is desired, people can hook up. There is a fairly large American population in Nelson, we keep meeting people informally. However, I don't know of anyone else who is connected with this forum.

We are in Nelson for the time being. Going back and forth to the US. We have a number of internet based businesses, and real estate investments in the States so we go back and forth alot.

Cheers,

Wendy

[Tate6]

It's funny, I have lived in Colorado and Florida and was always asked if I was from Canada. I guess the Wisconsin/Minnesota accent has alot of the Canadian "oot and aboot" sound to it. I was greatly offended, especially since I actually had someone ask if WI was in Canada!! Great elementary/high school geography education he had!! Nothing against Canada either, just couldn't believe that in my own country, I was mistaken as an "outsider" by my northern accent!!

I would have to say, I think I have matured enough by now, and would not be offended by a mistaken accent assumption. And I would be proud to admit to my American heritage no matter where I was living. Just because I want to move to NZ, doesn't mean I am embarrassed by my country. I just want to try something new.
Terry

[betty]

wellington had a good mexican restaurant? that decides it--i'm there. nothing worse than living somewhere with no good mexican food...shocking london has nothing decent:(

and what's a flat white?

A flat white is like a short latte with less foam. They're pretty good.

There are lots of great reasons to come to NZ, but mexican food isn't one of them. There are only a handful of adequate (and less than adequate) places in the whole country. This year we are growing our own hot peppers because we couldn't get a good supply.

[sweetpea]

I have troubles differentiating the accents. :)

I can't differentiate accents either, Kiwi vs. Aussie vs. Brit it's all one muddle to me. I thought moving to NZ would help with that, but nope. US vs. Canadian I can do, thankfully - I've had more practice though, since both my roommates are Canadian.


I'm in the Manawatu now, New Zealand's Wisconsin.

http://www.stackyard.com/news/images/jennifer/dairy_cattle/holstein_cow.jpg

[wiki]

I can't differentiate accents either, Kiwi vs. Aussie vs. Brit it's all one muddle to me. I thought moving to NZ would help with that, but nope. US vs. Canadian I can do, thankfully - I've had more practice though, since both my roommates are Canadian.


When I first moved to the UK I was in Manchester and I was constantly asked at checkouts and pubs if I was Canadian. A couple of times I got "South African?" but certainly I was asked if I was Canadaian more than the usual AustraliKiwi I got in London.

Then again, I was living in a part of Manchester that was less than cosmopolitan, and I was possible the first antipodean many people had spoken to.

Even after nine years, I'm assured my Kiwi accent is intact - I just litter my conversations with a lot of "owts" "nowts" and "mithers"

[suzer]

Strangely enough, I've been mistaken for Irish, Portuguese among other things---by other Europeans, although this has been at parties, so perhaps their intoxication level played a role;)

[Jenny & Mark]

After I returned from living in the Netherlands for half a year, people were asking if I was Australian. I don't know how a Canadian (Ottawa valley) accent mixed with a Dutch accent becomes Aussie?? :uhoh

Mark.

[Tate6]

I'm in the Manawatu now, New Zealand's Wisconsin.



I wish I was a farmer and had grown up on a farm here! I would be able to get into NZ with no problem with that experience!! Looks beautiful there!!
What do you do, Sweetpea? And how do you like your move so far?

Terry

[Jonathon1977]

I thought the following would be a great touch for this tread:

Happy Turkey Day Everyone!


From,

Jonathon

[suzer]

happy thanksgiving:)

[negirl]

Well Hi there everyone, I mainly just have a lurk now & again, but yes my husband is American. I must admit after living in the States for almost 17 yrs total I feel as much American as i do English just never have lost my geordie accent ;) We came over from Nebraska & to anyone coming over from the midwest the weather is much nicer here, that was something I never did get used to.

Weve been here 9 months now submitted our EOI just over 2 weeks ago & just got told yesterday that NZIS will be sending out our ITA :raebanana I guess it's time for the nasty bits now (medical) Oh well I had to do it for the States I was just skinnier then. We really do like it here & don't miss much at all apart from the odd occasion when it would be nice to chuck a hot dog in the microwave, haven't found anything like the good old Oscar Meyer hot dogs.

Our 15 yr old son is doing great over here but doesn't know yet if he will stay once he's 18. Guess I'll have to let go again when that time comes. Our 19 yr old daughter didn't come with us as she is US Army based in Kaisersslatern in Gemany. we are just hoping that she'll stay there & not get sent anywhere nasty. Of course now she wishes she'd come with us but what can you say except teenagers arrrggghhh!!!!

So Happy Thanksgiving to all of you, should have read this before, I forgot, :uhoh hopefully chicken salad will do. :)

[jess]

Happy Thanksgiving all! We're off to a dinner organized for American expats in Welly.

Hey negirl - when I was three and my dad was in the airforce, we lived in Trippstadt just by Kaiserslautern. :)

[Tate6]

Happy Thanksgiving To You All!!

Negirl--
Glad to hear your son likes it there. My 14 year-old son is usually all for moving to NZ, but sometimes isn't so sure and my 16 year-old son is completely against it. I tell them if we move before they graduate, that they can finish school there and then come back here for college if they want.
My hubby thinks it is better if we wait until they are out of school all together before we go. I say that is too long!! And I want them to have a taste of it and then decide for themselves. We also have 2 girls--6 and 3.

So how did your move come about and which route did you take?

Terry

[Ana&Steve]

Just wanted to add my "Happy Turkey Day" greetings!
Ana
/ off to get a jump-start on the cooking...

[upnorthkyosa]

I'm a Minnesotan who is unfortunately confined to Wisconsin at the moment. I was born and raised in Minnesota though and I can even see Minnesota from my house...as it is just across the bay.

In MN, we call my predicament, "Behind the Chedder Curtain."

In all seriousness, Minnesota is a great state. I've been to almost all of the states in the Union and I think that I can honestly say that the Land of 10,000 lakes is the best of them.

And yes, we are often mistaken for Canadians when abroad. Our accent is so close that there really is hardly any difference. This is especially true living where I live.

My wife and I decided to move to NZ because of the political situation in the US. Sure, Bush won't last forever, but there are alot of other Bushes out there and other Americans going to keep buying their lies and keep electing them. The bottom line is that I think the US is poised to become an incredibly terrible place in the future and I just don't want my children to be part of this.

I just hope that we can get out before things get really bad...like they will when the US invades Iran.

I love MN. I love my family and I will miss them. Moving is going to be hard for everyone, but I think we are making the best decision for our children. NZ seems like a better fit for us.

[suzer]

I'm curious---for those of you who are so anxious to move out of the US for political reasons, how many of you have lived as expats previously?

[jo-and-jeff]

I'm curious---for those of you who are so anxious to move out of the US for political reasons, how many of you have lived as expats previously?
I had not, but Jeff had done an exchange year at Sydney Uni fifteen years ago.

Jo

[jess]

Political reasons were a motivator, though not our only reason - but we had never been expats before.


The Thanksgiving dinner in Wellington brought in 130 Americans last night! The place they held it at Houghton Bay was beautiful, and we talked to couples who had been here for 12 years or more. One guy had been here for a week and won the door prize for newest arrival. A lot of the kids were born over here and hadn't had a US Thanksgiving, but were enjoying running around with the other kids. Someone read George Washington's original Thanksgiving proclamation just before we ate. We were to bring one dish per adult attending so there was a ton of food. I'm veg myself and there was plenty I could eat, but there were turkeys as well. It was nice, though of course very different from a small Thanksgiving with the family. I was struck by how open and friendly everyone was - something about us all being expats makes sure we have plenty to talk about. Several people joked about a standard list of questions including of course,
"Which part of the states are you from?"
"How long have you been here?"
"Why did you move here?"
"What do you do for a living here?"
(Oddly enough kiwis ask me the first three questions, but almost never the last.)
We enjoyed ourselves. It's funny that you move all the way over here and then enjoy the occassional meetup with other Americans, but it's nice to compare notes and talk about the beauty of NZ or whine about the lack of Mexican food choices. The cold houses were a big topic, but there was an overwhelming sense from everyone I talked to at least that they were thrilled to be here. :D

[sweetpea]

What do you do, Sweetpea? And how do you like your move so far?

I'm a student at Massey Vet School - it's a career change, I'm actually in my mid-thirties, not such a typical student!

I'm glad I moved, it's a great adventure, although I really love the San Francisco Bay Area, where I lived for 8 years before coming to New Zealand last January, and will be returning to the US when I finish school.

The Manawatu is certainly pretty - I grew up in the Midwest (Chicago area, vacationed in northern Wisconsin like a true pennyhead, went to college in Minnesota). There is something very soothing about rolling fields of green. And Holsteins - they're called Friesians here. I'm still learning my breeds of sheep.

Laura