First Days in Auckland

We have officially arrived, safe and sound to New Zealand. After a very long trip, we have begun to settle into our temporary housing in the city center. We are in a perfect location, a block from the waterfront; a block from Mearsk’s building and walking distance to most amenities we will need. Additionally, and most incredibly exciting (at least for Mat) we are across the street from a huge, highly acclaimed international food court. They call this mecca, Food Alley. More on this later…..
We spent the weekend getting acquainted with the city, which is very easy to do. It is not difficult to navigate the cities neighborhoods (they call them suburbs). So far we have been especially grateful that New Zealanders speak English, however their vernacular and amusing accent has been the most difficult thing to adjust to as of yet. Our first impression of Aucklanders and perhaps the country as a whole is that they do not take themselves seriously- AT ALL. Nowhere is this more prevalent than on the local morning news. We wake up in stitches every morning as the news casters report on the daily scoop. As of late, the locals are disappointed that they were unable to enjoy the annual “half naked” run through the city which was not sponsored this year. And the valor with which they talk about cooking on the BBQ has also been one of our favorites. The Barbe is serious business!
So far we have been most surprised by how similar yet dissimilar our cultures are. There are the obvious commonalities in language and their obsession with our celebrities. But the sports, the driving on the left and the eccentric personalities add up to making us feel very far from home. All in all, we are doing well and the jetlag is nearly kicked, but we already miss people from home. So keep in touch and we hope to have more news soon!