State of the Nation, and family I suppose.

It is a bonus week dear reader. In addition to the usual weekly post (see below), you are being treated to this extra succulent morsel as we have now been here five years. So, I thought it was time for a bit of reflection.

The move from the UK to NZ has been more difficult than I think I expected, but I am not sure what I expected. I think the area which has been the most difficult is the cultural difference between the two countries. Having visited NZ in 1998 and enjoyed my stay, I didn't expect there to be a problem. Kiwi's speak a reasonably understandable form of English, and drive on the correct side of the road. On the whole the social and cultural mores reflect those of England (not surprising really). The devil, as they say, is in the detail, and it was not until I started living here and we were getting our lives organised that those differences started to become apparent to me. The differences are ones more of nuance, emphasis and perspective, as opposed to anything major. However, they can still be dammed unsettling and confusing at times.

Five years on, everything has become much more familiar, and feels much more normal. In many ways I feel integrated and part of the society in which I live in a way that I never did in Loughborough (until the last couple of weeks before we left). Nicky thinks this is because we moved to Loughborough to study with no expectation of staying, ie: I viewed it as a temporary situation, and I think she is right.

Claire seems settled with Ryan, has work which while not a career is a job, continues to study and enjoy the company of her friends. Nicky continues to work full time. She is quite involved with church and outreach groups, and a range of other activities. I have found the work situation quite difficult, but the job I had for a year and the massage course which I completed, were both good experiences. I have now decided not to pursue the idea of opening a pie shop, as I am not prepared to take the financial risk. I plan to continue with MacOnSite and life class modelling while also looking for temporary contracts and part time work. 

A big plus for Nicky and I is our home. Even though we still rent (and I still see no prospect of us being able to buy in the near future), we feel this is the best place we have ever lived. Our home is single level, modern, tidy, light and warm, and the location is fantastic. We are two minutes walk to a good range of shops and services, 25 minutes drive to the airport, 25 minutes drive to the Waitakere Ranges or some beaches, and 20 minutes drive to the centre of Auckland. We also have 6+ buses every hour into town and a 3 trains an hour from the station which is a 30 minute walk away. In addition, as with most of the places where we have lived, we are blessed with great neighbours. What's new is a 15 minute walk to the beach in the Bay - we never had that in England.

I think you can probably gather that ultimately we feel that moving to NZ was a good thing. I don't think that any of us really miss England, but we do miss the people we left there. We have got used to their being no big roundabouts, no BBC TV or Radio, no Sainsbury's or IKEA (very English!), no Independent newspaper, and no unlimited broadband internet access. More difficult for me to get used used to, has been warm Christmases, driving slowly, and expensive bacon.

I imagine when we return to England for a visit there will be a couple of regular questions that come under the umbrella question of "what is it like living in NZ?" I will try to provide some answers here:

What are the good things about living in NZ?

The weather, while variable and volatile at times, here in Auckland is generally warmer and drier than England. Auckland has some very humid periods, and usually when it rains it absolutely pours, but there are few days when we don't see any blue sky. We know that for 3-5 months of the year we will get pretty settled summer weather.

The scenery, even round here, is pretty good. Every day when I go for my morning walk I see the sea at some point. The Waitakere Ranges are a constant feature of my horizon. I have not grown tired of the different fauna and flora. I still find the palm trees and the sound of the cicada's to be exotic and uplifting.

There are many other things which I find very pleasing: the wide roads, the architecture, the informality, the quality of the fresh meat and most of the fresh produce, the physical space, the quality of the the light and the air, and feeling safe. Access to many good beaches and clean seas, an abundance of free or inexpensive parking (if we exclude the middle of town), and bus drivers who wait for you to sit down before pulling away from the stop (not all of them, but many).

What are the bad things about living in NZ?

Of course not everything is wonderful and fantastic. Work is quite hard to come by, and it is a low wage economy  - the government accept that 73% of the workforce only earn enough to pay the lowest rate of income tax. The small population leads to some products and services, even home grown ones, being quite expensive. When unit sales are low, prices are correspondingly high.

The size of the population also leads to there being less variety of products, in the supermarkets for example. This also extends to there being less variety in the society making it feel less sophisticated than England. This is not necessarily a bad thing. I don't mind having a "simpler" life, but I do notice a lack of diversity compared to England.

For me the most negative aspect of living in NZ is the attitudes of some of the people. In my opinion many people here have a more "Victorian", parochial or narrow-minded view of the world. There seems to be less tolerance of diversity than I was used to in the UK. I think some of this is a consequence of New Zealand being a young country. It doesn't seem to me to have its own identity yet and I think that leads to a national feeling of insecurity. Even though NZ is a sovereign state, the links with England are still very obvious, in the flag, the Governor General representing the Queen, and the Commonwealth membership. The sense of nation is undermined by the prickly relationship between the "Maori Nation" and the white marauding invaders, especially at the moment with the debate over who owns the water.

Overall however, the pros far outweigh the cons. I shall start to apply for my citizenship next week. I want to be a proper local foreigner. This is a lovely place to live.