Aging...It's Inevitable

Most days I still feel like I'm 21 without a care in the world (that is until I occasionally interact with someone who really is 21 and realize I'm a fool).  But other days, I start to feel my age and the pains of getting older and dealing with things that I usually classify as adult issues...death, illness, marriage, etc.  These aren't things kids deal with, and then I remember, I'm an adult now.

When I left for New Zealand I had to consider that I would miss major events while I was away:  friends getting engaged, people getting married, babies being born, and sadly people dying.  If these events happened, I would have to decide what was important to me and if I felt like I should go back.  This wouldn't be the first time I had to make this choice, but it was something I dreaded and not something I could escape. 

Three months ago my best friend called to tell me she was engaged.  We weren't in the same city back home so it would have been done over the phone anyway, but I couldn't be there to give her a huge hug of congratulations, help plan the wedding, etc....it wasn't much fun to feel like I was missing out.

Two months ago I got a call, my mom's uncle passed away.  It was unexpected.  It was extremely sad.  But it was fast, relatively painless and he lived a long life.  And I wasn't there to support my family.

Last week a friend got engaged to a guy I've never even met.  I missed the excitement, the wonder and the ups and downs of it all.  Another major milestone missed.

Yesterday I discovered that someone I know has cancer.  It's not someone I'm close to, but it's something I could identify with.  This person is my age.  Am I really at that stage in my life?  Reality was hitting hard.

This morning I found out my uncle passed away.  He was severely handicapped, after having several strokes more than 13 years ago.  My aunt diligently took care of him for many years, doing things for him that he could no longer do for himself.  Things as simple as brushing his teeth.  It could be argued that this isn't necessarily a sad thing.  It's still a death in the family and I am starting to feel myself age by the minute.

It's life.  I move on.  I'm living abroad and that's the choice I made.  I have a life of my own here, I'm making decisions based on only myself and moving around the world as the wind blows and that means that sometimes it's hard to remember I'm not 21.

Pavlova, The Embodiment of the Kiwi v Oz Rivalry

It's funny how one small dessert can become the essense of a rivalry between two countries.  One a small unassuming country very happy to make fun of themselves; the other a much larger, more well-known and imposing country with the attitudes that go along with it.  As someone who used to live in a country similar to the latter, it's refreshing to now be living in the former.  Before I came to this part of the world the term pavlova had not to my recollection entered my vocabulary (unless of course you count my bad pronunciations of the Russian Olympians and hockey players).

From http://www.stuff.co.nz/



Pavlova, a dessert named after a Russian ballerina, is a meringue cake topped with whip cream and fruit.  And unbeknownst to the rest of the world there is a quiet war raging about where this dessert actually originated...was it New Zealand or was it Australia?

When Jessica Watson finished her round-the-world sailing voyage in Sydney last May the first thing she requested to eat was Pavlova...both countries jumped on that as further proof of her nationality (for the record: she was born in New Zealand and she moved recently to Australia). 

Today the answer has finally been solved around this tasty little dessert.  Stuff.co.nz included the above image with the simple caption:  "IT'S OURS: Oxford agrees with us."  They stuck their tongues out at the Aussies with the backing of the Oxford Dictionary.  That's right, the people behind the Oxford dictionary dedicated time to determine where the Pavlova actually originated and the answer is...New Zealand.

I particularly liked the quote from an old Australian codger who wasn't too happy about the new support for New Zealand, ''They can make all the claims they like, and the Oxford dictionary can go on like great academic know-it-alls, but I think most Australians would agree with me that the true pavlova belongs to Australia,'' the 86-year-old told the Sydney Morning Herald last night.

Let the battle rage on...in the meantime there will be more Kiwi's sleeping easier tonight.  (Read the Stuff.co.nz article here:  New Zealand wins pavlova war.)

Thank you to Meagan, my flatmate, for sharing this fun article and contributing to my further enjoyment of this wonderful country and its quirks.  I'm happy to be on the winning side.  Now we just need to work out who wants to claim Russell Crowe.

Steps to Prepare an American Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is one of those holidays that you just don't understand unless you've experienced it.  So, I set out to create an American Thanksgiving halfway around the world. 

Step 1:  Planning the Menu/ Buying the Supplies
As a seasoned Thanksgiving eater, I really didn't take into account the difficulty I would have in planning a menu for it in New Zealand.  Unlike in the US, all of the Thanksgiving supplies aren't readily available on the end caps and sales flyers at all of the local stores...it's just not that easy to find the things I need.

For example, I wanted to actually make cranberries.  Unfortunately, they aren't in season so fresh ones aren't an option.  I asked around and found out that they sold cranberry sauce in the store.  Perfect.  Encouraged I went to the grocery store and with some assistance located the aisle.  And with some more assistance from a kind customer - he pointed them out on the shelf.  Without help I'm not sure I would have noticed the only two options of what I can only call cranberry jam on the shelves.  Definitely not what I was looking for. 

Fortunately, I have the American store.  I was told about this little wonder of a place several months ago but haven't really had the need for it (although there is comfort in knowing it's there).  Martha's Backyard (a.k.a. the American store) seems to be the place to get all those dried goods that I want from home.  They even stock graham crackers!  Kraft mac & cheese, Jiffy muffin mix, Koolaid, Jell-o, big red party cups, Heinz ketchup, Betty crocker cake mixes, Bounce dryer sheets - all the things that you don't really think about until you don't have them.  And, most importantly, canned pumpkin and cranberries along with an array of other Thanksgiving supplies.

With a bit of research, I persevered and finalised my menu (for 14 people) as the following:

• Veges and dip
• Turkey with stuffing
• Corn
• Mashed potatoes
• Gravy
• Green beans
• Cranberries
• Biscuits
• Corn Bread
• Apple Sauce
• Deviled Eggs
• Pumpkin pie
• Apple pie
• Pecan bars

Step 2:  Let the Cooking Begin
One of the things I wanted to be able to do was provide this elaborate feast without much help.  I know that's not a traditional Thanksgiving, but my friends have done so much for me that I wanted them to be able to just rock up and enjoy.  It's still to be determined if this means that I've bitten off more than I can chew. 

Step 3:  Sorting my Holiday Plans
With Thanksgiving, comes the Christmas and New Year holiday season!  One of my favorite times of the year, I thought it was finally time to work out my plans.  Afterall, most offices are shut down for at least two weeks.  My office is closed from December 24 - January 17 so I have a month of time to fill.  It will be prime summer months here so I'll miss the nice cold winter feeling, I think I'll make due with some quality beach time.  Camping, S'mores (one more reason to love the American store), Pub bands, hiking, friends and lots of beaches are in my near future!  I can't think of a more Kiwi-way to spend the holidays.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!

To be thankful for:
- New experiences
- Old traditions

The People You Meet (part 1): Janine, England's Finest

One of the best things about my time here are all of the great people.  It’s hard to convey who they are so I asked my flatmates to be guest bloggers.  I wanted their impressions of New Zealand, and a bit about their past and future plans. 

Part 1:  Janine, England's Finest
Janine (our English flatmate) fits the stereotypes I have for the proper English woman.  She speaks the Queen’s English so well that I occasionally have trouble understanding her (Meagan, the other American, and I trade off as the translator into our own bastardized American English for each other).  She has her tea and eats typical English fare.  She never goes out with out making sure she looks presentable, fully made up and wearing nice clothes, even for archery.

Janine is our entertainment guru in the house and is constantly finding events around the area to attend.  She also has an uncanny knack for finding the ones that are affordable on a traveller’s budget.  Although she was keen to put together something for my blog, with true English modesty she wanted me to write it.  So here’s a bit more about Janine (basically in her words):

I've always had the travel bug.  I have lived around the world as a nanny in places like Texas, USA, Sydney, Australia; Zurich, Switzerland.  Now I’ve also lived in Auckland, New Zealand and Darlington, England (which is where I grew up).  I've travelled around most of Europe, South East Asia, China, Australia, USA, Mexico, Africa and India.  A few other bits:

• I was featured in a newspaper article in 2001 for all of my travelling
• I have been an extra in a Bollywood movie
• Met the Dalai Lama
• Gone cage diving with great white sharks
• Completed one of the world’s highest bungee jumps in South Africa, it was terrifying
• Sky dived a couple of times, been hang gliding, done the world’s highest commercial abseil
• I just finished my first half marathon, which is a real accomplishment for me as I am not a runner, I got the fitness bug from Jess.
• And I’ve booked my trip to South America and Antarctica for February

My biggest change since I’ve been here was to start eating meat.  I was a vegetarian for 20 years and after backpacking through Asia, where it was so hard to find vegetarian food that I lived on fried rice and veges and fried noodles and veges for 5 months, I decided I would start to eat meat again. I cannot believe what I have been missing out on and how versatile mince is!

There are a few other things I want to complete before I leave New Zealand:

• Survive any earthquakes or volcano eruptions that there may be.
• Climb Franz Josef
• Go camping
• Do woofing
• Eat a possum pie when I'm in the South Island
• Surf successfully
• Tongariro Crossing – one of the world’s top ten day walks

 Living with Jess, I’ve realised she is: Sparkly, has sass (but I’m not sure where it comes from), and surprises me every now and again.  And she has very white teeth (but not Ross white like on Friends).  I think it must be an American thing.

Editor's Note: Friday is her last night in the house before she starts travelling around New Zealand over the next few months.  Her quiet sarcasm and sense of humour will be missed.  Good luck, Janine!!