Sick of people moaning about NZ....its a great place if you give it a chance.
Aug 10th 2013, 11:33 am
#1
My word is my bond.
Thread Starter
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 75
Sick of people moaning about NZ....its a great place if you give it a chance.
Have not been on here for a while but looking at recent threads it bugs me more than a little that several posters insist on constant moaning and whinging about NZ.
I have lived in and visited many countries and I know first hand that NZ is not that bad.
Yes it is not in pole position when it comes to all things technical, NZ driving generally is shite, ordinary homes can be cold/damp and NZ TV is absolutely cack. BUT.....the +'s are endless in my ever so humble opinion.
For example I went back to the UK recently and was walking down a back street in South London when I saw another man walking towards me.
Having been in NZ for 8 years I said to him with raised eyebrows " Morning mate! " ( as I would do in Mosgiel / Dunedin on any day which would always get a positive response ) and to my surprise he replied " f*** off weirdo!!
All I am saying is that a NZ cop would never have responded in the same way.
I have lived in and visited many countries and I know first hand that NZ is not that bad.
Yes it is not in pole position when it comes to all things technical, NZ driving generally is shite, ordinary homes can be cold/damp and NZ TV is absolutely cack. BUT.....the +'s are endless in my ever so humble opinion.
For example I went back to the UK recently and was walking down a back street in South London when I saw another man walking towards me.
Having been in NZ for 8 years I said to him with raised eyebrows " Morning mate! " ( as I would do in Mosgiel / Dunedin on any day which would always get a positive response ) and to my surprise he replied " f*** off weirdo!!
All I am saying is that a NZ cop would never have responded in the same way.
Aug 10th 2013, 2:19 pm
#2
Forum Regular
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 197
Re: Sick of people moaning about NZ....its a great place if you give it a chance.
OK, I'll bite.
I may be wrong, but I would have imagined that this forum serves a useful purpose and resource, not only for expats to help find their feet and ask for advice, but also for those researching a potential move to the other side of the planet, spending tens of thousands of pounds in the process on a huge life decision, uprooting their family's lives and in search of insights and opinions on matters such as jobs, housing, salaries, medical care, transport, schools etc.
As I've said, I could be way off the mark, but the selling point of being able to say 'hello' to a stranger in the street wouldn't probably factor in many people's planning process. After all, I could go to many parts of the UK, Yorkshire comes to mind, and people would be the same...
Secondly, you're in South London. What do you expect? If you're going to say hello to every stranger, how many of those do you think you'll pass by every day? Some of us like living in cities and we keep a certain bubble of space and privacy around ourselves; we don't want to get into a chat with the cashier at the supermarket or a stranger in the street, especially if we've had a crap day.
Of course, we'll say hello to those we know, but there's also an element of what is known as minding your business. When I was last in New Zealand, the small town charm of chatting to bus drivers, strangers, shop assistants etc. all became a bit wearying after a while, especially when you have others with you or you're needing to get somewhere else... and then worse, someone will eventually ask you what you think of New Zealand, which is an invitation to open a can of worms or slip away after muttering that it's beautiful, as if Kiwis designed and built all those mountains, rivers and lakes all by themselves.
New Zealand is a great place for certain activities and for certain types of people, but it's not paradise by any means and what I find surprising is that you expect different behaviour in London. With all due respect, it sounds like you've gone a bit native in Mosgiel, expecting the world to be like Otago.
And finally, I'm kinda thinking that if someone was serious about addressing, dispelling or rebutting other's supposed 'moaning and whinging' about New Zealand, you'd deal with their specific arguments in the relevant threads, so as to help give a balanced picture instead of providing some random anecdote.
Sheesh.
I may be wrong, but I would have imagined that this forum serves a useful purpose and resource, not only for expats to help find their feet and ask for advice, but also for those researching a potential move to the other side of the planet, spending tens of thousands of pounds in the process on a huge life decision, uprooting their family's lives and in search of insights and opinions on matters such as jobs, housing, salaries, medical care, transport, schools etc.
As I've said, I could be way off the mark, but the selling point of being able to say 'hello' to a stranger in the street wouldn't probably factor in many people's planning process. After all, I could go to many parts of the UK, Yorkshire comes to mind, and people would be the same...
Secondly, you're in South London. What do you expect? If you're going to say hello to every stranger, how many of those do you think you'll pass by every day? Some of us like living in cities and we keep a certain bubble of space and privacy around ourselves; we don't want to get into a chat with the cashier at the supermarket or a stranger in the street, especially if we've had a crap day.
Of course, we'll say hello to those we know, but there's also an element of what is known as minding your business. When I was last in New Zealand, the small town charm of chatting to bus drivers, strangers, shop assistants etc. all became a bit wearying after a while, especially when you have others with you or you're needing to get somewhere else... and then worse, someone will eventually ask you what you think of New Zealand, which is an invitation to open a can of worms or slip away after muttering that it's beautiful, as if Kiwis designed and built all those mountains, rivers and lakes all by themselves.
New Zealand is a great place for certain activities and for certain types of people, but it's not paradise by any means and what I find surprising is that you expect different behaviour in London. With all due respect, it sounds like you've gone a bit native in Mosgiel, expecting the world to be like Otago.
And finally, I'm kinda thinking that if someone was serious about addressing, dispelling or rebutting other's supposed 'moaning and whinging' about New Zealand, you'd deal with their specific arguments in the relevant threads, so as to help give a balanced picture instead of providing some random anecdote.
Sheesh.
Aug 10th 2013, 3:16 pm
#3
slanderer of the innocent
Joined: Dec 2008
Location: Vancouver, BC
Posts: 6,695
Re: Sick of people moaning about NZ....its a great place if you give it a chance.
Well said Purr.
Aug 10th 2013, 6:21 pm
#4
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Sep 2009
Location: Yorkshire
Posts: 1,111
Re: Sick of people moaning about NZ....its a great place if you give it a chance.
Hook line and sinker
Aug 10th 2013, 6:35 pm
#5
Forum Regular
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 197
Re: Sick of people moaning about NZ....its a great place if you give it a chance.
Yeah, but I knew that.
Was a bit bored on the Mac earlier today. Just looking for excuses to write anything anywhere... except tackling a long letter to my mother in New Zealand.
There's such a huge range of opinions and experiences of what New Zealand is like, but there will be certain consistencies that most people will touch upon. Funny, though, that as an expat Kiwi, I find myself here paying far more attention to what expat Brits have to say about NZ, than I can ever learn from Kiwis in New Zealand. For some reason, most of them over there — friends and family — are pretty circumspect about the shortcomings and some of them seriously think they live in the best country in the world.
Aug 10th 2013, 9:16 pm
#6
My word is my bond.
Thread Starter
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 75
Re: Sick of people moaning about NZ....its a great place if you give it a chance.
OK, I'll bite.
I may be wrong, but I would have imagined that this forum serves a useful purpose and resource, not only for expats to help find their feet and ask for advice, but also for those researching a potential move to the other side of the planet, spending tens of thousands of pounds in the process on a huge life decision, uprooting their family's lives and in search of insights and opinions on matters such as jobs, housing, salaries, medical care, transport, schools etc.
As I've said, I could be way off the mark, but the selling point of being able to say 'hello' to a stranger in the street wouldn't probably factor in many people's planning process. After all, I could go to many parts of the UK, Yorkshire comes to mind, and people would be the same...
Secondly, you're in South London. What do you expect? If you're going to say hello to every stranger, how many of those do you think you'll pass by every day? Some of us like living in cities and we keep a certain bubble of space and privacy around ourselves; we don't want to get into a chat with the cashier at the supermarket or a stranger in the street, especially if we've had a crap day.
Of course, we'll say hello to those we know, but there's also an element of what is known as minding your business. When I was last in New Zealand, the small town charm of chatting to bus drivers, strangers, shop assistants etc. all became a bit wearying after a while, especially when you have others with you or you're needing to get somewhere else... and then worse, someone will eventually ask you what you think of New Zealand, which is an invitation to open a can of worms or slip away after muttering that it's beautiful, as if Kiwis designed and built all those mountains, rivers and lakes all by themselves.
New Zealand is a great place for certain activities and for certain types of people, but it's not paradise by any means and what I find surprising is that you expect different behaviour in London. With all due respect, it sounds like you've gone a bit native in Mosgiel, expecting the world to be like Otago.
And finally, I'm kinda thinking that if someone was serious about addressing, dispelling or rebutting other's supposed 'moaning and whinging' about New Zealand, you'd deal with their specific arguments in the relevant threads, so as to help give a balanced picture instead of providing some random anecdote.
Sheesh.
I may be wrong, but I would have imagined that this forum serves a useful purpose and resource, not only for expats to help find their feet and ask for advice, but also for those researching a potential move to the other side of the planet, spending tens of thousands of pounds in the process on a huge life decision, uprooting their family's lives and in search of insights and opinions on matters such as jobs, housing, salaries, medical care, transport, schools etc.
As I've said, I could be way off the mark, but the selling point of being able to say 'hello' to a stranger in the street wouldn't probably factor in many people's planning process. After all, I could go to many parts of the UK, Yorkshire comes to mind, and people would be the same...
Secondly, you're in South London. What do you expect? If you're going to say hello to every stranger, how many of those do you think you'll pass by every day? Some of us like living in cities and we keep a certain bubble of space and privacy around ourselves; we don't want to get into a chat with the cashier at the supermarket or a stranger in the street, especially if we've had a crap day.
Of course, we'll say hello to those we know, but there's also an element of what is known as minding your business. When I was last in New Zealand, the small town charm of chatting to bus drivers, strangers, shop assistants etc. all became a bit wearying after a while, especially when you have others with you or you're needing to get somewhere else... and then worse, someone will eventually ask you what you think of New Zealand, which is an invitation to open a can of worms or slip away after muttering that it's beautiful, as if Kiwis designed and built all those mountains, rivers and lakes all by themselves.
New Zealand is a great place for certain activities and for certain types of people, but it's not paradise by any means and what I find surprising is that you expect different behaviour in London. With all due respect, it sounds like you've gone a bit native in Mosgiel, expecting the world to be like Otago.
And finally, I'm kinda thinking that if someone was serious about addressing, dispelling or rebutting other's supposed 'moaning and whinging' about New Zealand, you'd deal with their specific arguments in the relevant threads, so as to help give a balanced picture instead of providing some random anecdote.
Sheesh.
It was just a light hearted comment about saying hello to people when walking down the street which is different in the UK , that's all. You and some others seem to think that my intent was just to get a bite. How pathetic.
This site used to be really good fun, full of banter, decent info on living in NZ and a good source of advice for those thinking about taking the plunge.
Now every harmless thread is over analysed by self appointed forum police who waffle on like professors of life and at the same time slip in a few subtle insults, like - it sounds like you have gone a bit native and its London what do you expect.
Random anecdote my arse!
Arthur has left the building...........for good.
Last edited by Arthur Daley; Aug 10th 2013 at 9:39 pm.
Aug 10th 2013, 10:21 pm
#7
*********
Joined: May 2008
Location: Up in dem hills.........
Posts: 1,458
Re: Sick of people moaning about NZ....its a great place if you give it a chance.
Everyone is entitled to express their own opinion. We all have different experiences when coming to a new country, some of us flourish, others can't wait to get back "home".
Everyone is free to start their own thread and it is not down to individual posters to tell others on how they should behave. Thats my job!
If you find yourself disagreeing with a posters viewpoint too much, then use the "ignore" button. Try it! It works wonders!
At the OP's request I am shutting down this thread.
Everyone is free to start their own thread and it is not down to individual posters to tell others on how they should behave. Thats my job!
If you find yourself disagreeing with a posters viewpoint too much, then use the "ignore" button. Try it! It works wonders!
At the OP's request I am shutting down this thread.
