Living in a foreign country even if they speak English presents some initial problems-----there is a learning curve. The other day while writing our blog, I plugged in my laptop using the NZ adapter. After an hour I looked at the % of battery power and to my surprise it registered 23%. What was happening? When I unplugged the adapter I noticed that on the black plug panel was an on/off switch. I plugged in the adapter, plugged in the computer, flipped the switch and within no time I noted an increase in battery power!
Second Aspect-----the Language. Will and I love to hear the New Zealanders talk with their "British-like" accents, however, at times it is hard to understand what is being said. Today a young girl told me that she liked My Accent!
We are adding new words to our NZ Vocabulary:
lift---------elevator
torch------flashlight
"no worries" (said quickly)-------no problem
lovely-----------spoken by men and women
Today we purchased a mobile broadband kit for our computer. The way I understand it, we will get internet coverage wherever there is cell phone coverage. This should be helpful in the rural areas where we will be.
This afternoon NZLocums arranged for a Maori guide to give us a special tour of Te Papa with the emphasis on the Maori customs and belief systems. He advised the doctors to ask the patient before touching their head otherwise they would be offended. Another interesting custom is that they bury the placenta after childbirth. Children are taught to not look at their elders when they are being spoken to. (This is the opposite of what we teachers would expect from our students.) Will and I hope to learn more about the Maori people-------500,000 in NZ.
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