Kiwi speak

Still love the New Zealand accent, but I have to admit that sometimes I am only understanding 4/5 of what they are saying.   Sometimes I stop them and ask, like today when someone was talking about "chin wagging" (talking a lot with your friends), but a lot of times I am just nodding my head.   I still can't imitate the accent too well, but I am getting a little better.   We are all picking up words here and there.  I haven't quite been able to sign in at preschool as "mum" yet, even though all the others are - but I have heard myself say it a few times.  I have also heard a few words come out of Phoebe that have a very subtle Kiwi accent to them.  Oh, I so do hope that develops more.
The biggest language challenge I am having is with all the Maori words.  The Maori are the native people of New Zealand and it is the other official language. Where we live there is a very large Maori community and the schools stress learning the culture and language.  And I think I may need a lesson or two as well.  My first week here, when I was looking for preschools for Phoebe, I had many people tell me to go to the "Brittany" Road Kindergarten.  I looked forever for this place, on maps, in the phone book.  Finally I just gave up and stopped at a Kindergarten by Brett's clinic, the Rutene Road one.  Guess what, later, after I decided that was the only one I needed to look at, I found out I was at the right one all along.  So, tonight I am sitting with a book working on my pronunciation, and I am also learning a little vocab, which can help in learning the knowledge of some places.  Such as Wainui,  "Wai" means water, and "nui" means big, great.  Living at Wainui, this makes perfect sense.  Now, there is a national park not too far from us named Te Urewera.  I have just learned that Te = The, wera = burnt, and ure = penis.  Not sure how I feel about going the "The Burnt Penis" national park, but I hear it is pretty beautiful.   My next challenge is to figure out what Taumatawhakatangihangakoauotamateaturipukakpikimaunghoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu   means.  Apparently that is the name of some hill, and, believe or not, the longest name for a place in the world.  Looks like Phoebe typed it.

Here are some of our other favorite english Kiwi words:

jandals = flip flops, sandals
chillybin = cooler
spew = vomit
judder bars = speed bumps
nappy = diaper
two ticks =  short measurement of time (Brett and I were trying to figure that one out when the Bank lady said it to us the other day)
tramp = bush walk, hike, trek, very common thing here is to go "tramping"
dairy = small corner store, every neighborhood has one
bach = holiday home, beach house, pronounced "batch"
across the ditch = referring to Australia, across the Tasman Sea
knickers = underwear (I repeatedly told Phoebe's teacher that yes, she did have her "necklace" on, when she was actually trying to tell me that Phoebe never put her "knickers" back on after swimming one day)

oh, and I know there are more to come and some I have already forgotten.... I'll update this list again some day.

Laters    (see you later)