So yes, New Zealand is wonderful and it is a hard to think about leaving. But, there really are things that I miss from home. People are always asking me, so here it is....
I really miss my family and hanging out at the cabin. Ah, the lake and a little boat time. I miss seeing my niece and nephews growing up.
I miss the affordability of quality clothing, shoes, or just about everything else. And bargain shopping, especially Craig's List. Pretty much any shopping... and I'm sure Target and Marshall's miss me. I even miss grocery shopping, somedays I am so annoyed when I cannot find an ingredient like gorganzola cheese, pinto beans or butterscotch chips. Good ice cream that doesn't cost a fortune. And, a decent burger joint... cannot figure what they put in their burgers that make them so gross. Could really go for a slice of Cosetta's pizza. Pizza is edible here, but they need to learn the art of the simple pizza... you would be amazed with the crazy toppings even their Pizza Huts have here...and they serve fries (chips) with every kind of take out, Pizza and Chinese included.
I miss central heating, double glazed windows, window screens, and nice vacuum cleaner. Or nice carpeting (even though I didn't have carpeting before, I still miss the look and feel of nice carpeting.. the stuff over here is just not good). And, I miss seeing Matt Lauer's smile on the Today Show. After 6 months of no TV channels (only watching DVD'S), I do miss the television. Probably because it is winter, and getting dark earlier... and the fact that we have exhausted the choices of cheap DVD's at the store. Oh yeah, I really miss Net Flix. And I miss having more than one radio station in my car.
I miss an oven with dials I can understand and that will cook my food properly. And, of course, I miss my nice cookware ( Dad's of course). I did manage to fit my cutco knives into my suitcase, though. I really miss having a frig with an automatic ice dispenser.
And, the list goes on
More things I miss:
1. Pedestrian courtesy.... seriously the most annoying thing here ever. Drivers do not stop, or even slow down, to let people cross the road. Including school cross walks!!!
2. Clothes dryer - most days I am fine hanging out the clothes, until it rains on them, or they don't dry... then I get frustrated. People here hang clothes all over the house on rainy days... I just can't do that. Honestly though, I will probably miss the clothes line someday.
3. Family babysitters.... the kind you can leave your kids with without paying or for a few days at a time. Just nice to have that option. Oh yes, they also rarely say no and you can always get a hold of them.
4. Long, straight freeways and interstates. Cruise control. And guardrails on scary roads.
5. No tsunami warnings or potential earthquakes.
6. Water pressure
7. Degrees in Fahrenheit - getting closer to figuring out Celsius, but my heart and soul will always connect with fahrenheit better. Same goes for pounds, gallons, and miles.
8. BRATWRUST
9.Knowing who to put down as an emergency contact. Sure we have friends, neighbors, and co-workers...just feels weird not being able to list any family.
10. Butter that comes in 1/2 cup sticks, or even a pound. Here it comes in 500 gram blocks. It's totally throwing me off.
11. My motivation to exercise. Don't know what happened, but I just can't get into a routine. I thought I'd be 30 pound lighter by now, especially having a little extra time. Maybe I'd better get off the computer.
and the list could go on, but that's what I can think of for now.
Some July Photos
I really miss my family and hanging out at the cabin. Ah, the lake and a little boat time. I miss seeing my niece and nephews growing up.
I miss the affordability of quality clothing, shoes, or just about everything else. And bargain shopping, especially Craig's List. Pretty much any shopping... and I'm sure Target and Marshall's miss me. I even miss grocery shopping, somedays I am so annoyed when I cannot find an ingredient like gorganzola cheese, pinto beans or butterscotch chips. Good ice cream that doesn't cost a fortune. And, a decent burger joint... cannot figure what they put in their burgers that make them so gross. Could really go for a slice of Cosetta's pizza. Pizza is edible here, but they need to learn the art of the simple pizza... you would be amazed with the crazy toppings even their Pizza Huts have here...and they serve fries (chips) with every kind of take out, Pizza and Chinese included.
I miss central heating, double glazed windows, window screens, and nice vacuum cleaner. Or nice carpeting (even though I didn't have carpeting before, I still miss the look and feel of nice carpeting.. the stuff over here is just not good). And, I miss seeing Matt Lauer's smile on the Today Show. After 6 months of no TV channels (only watching DVD'S), I do miss the television. Probably because it is winter, and getting dark earlier... and the fact that we have exhausted the choices of cheap DVD's at the store. Oh yeah, I really miss Net Flix. And I miss having more than one radio station in my car.
I miss an oven with dials I can understand and that will cook my food properly. And, of course, I miss my nice cookware ( Dad's of course). I did manage to fit my cutco knives into my suitcase, though. I really miss having a frig with an automatic ice dispenser.
And, the list goes on
More things I miss:
1. Pedestrian courtesy.... seriously the most annoying thing here ever. Drivers do not stop, or even slow down, to let people cross the road. Including school cross walks!!!
2. Clothes dryer - most days I am fine hanging out the clothes, until it rains on them, or they don't dry... then I get frustrated. People here hang clothes all over the house on rainy days... I just can't do that. Honestly though, I will probably miss the clothes line someday.
3. Family babysitters.... the kind you can leave your kids with without paying or for a few days at a time. Just nice to have that option. Oh yes, they also rarely say no and you can always get a hold of them.
4. Long, straight freeways and interstates. Cruise control. And guardrails on scary roads.
5. No tsunami warnings or potential earthquakes.
6. Water pressure
7. Degrees in Fahrenheit - getting closer to figuring out Celsius, but my heart and soul will always connect with fahrenheit better. Same goes for pounds, gallons, and miles.
8. BRATWRUST
9.Knowing who to put down as an emergency contact. Sure we have friends, neighbors, and co-workers...just feels weird not being able to list any family.
10. Butter that comes in 1/2 cup sticks, or even a pound. Here it comes in 500 gram blocks. It's totally throwing me off.
11. My motivation to exercise. Don't know what happened, but I just can't get into a routine. I thought I'd be 30 pound lighter by now, especially having a little extra time. Maybe I'd better get off the computer.
and the list could go on, but that's what I can think of for now.
Some July Photos
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| Full Moon (this is all moonlight... one of my most favorite things) |
 |
| cold July morning |
 |
| Our cold days are also the most sunny... kind of like those below zero Fahrenheit days back in Minnesota, only this is a zero degree Celsius day (32 degrees). On the waterfront, doesn't actually get cold enough for frost, but here is the morning fog. Thank goodness the sun comes up to heat up the house. |
Now that's my kinda winter. Leaves on the trees, no snow, a sunny beach, mist or fog in the hills and on the water, no thermal underwear or down anywhere to be seen.
ReplyDeleteKate V