Batty

I think for me it was when I recognised 'personalities' and politicians on the radio without needing to be told who they were.

CAN2NZ

I don't feel assimilated, I don't think I ever will. However, I think a better question is when did I feel at home? I have found that I feel much more at home now. I am at the 16 month mark now. I have been at the same job for over a year and we are on the verge of moving into a new home. So, I feel more settled and I really like the weather. I also got a B plus on the uni course I did and made my first loaf of bread ever tonight.

happynz

Milestones, eh...

zaras dad

Still not there I think...........assimilated that is.

Despite being/living here for 1 year on/off around 2001-2002 (when i met the Mrs) I knew it would be hard for me to emigrate (in Aug 06) after giving up my family and friends - but when the wifes mum died about 6 weeks after we got here, that just put us into a tailspin....................only just managing to stabilize things now. The Mrs (who is kiwi) has found it very very hard to cope with and I think with hindsight I couldve handled things better.

We're both in permanent jobs but because of the nature of our jobs (Im on shifts 4 on/4 off and she works in accounts so has to put in extra hours at month/year end) and with a 2 year old to look after - we dont get much time together - quality time. I find that aspect very hard to cope with especially as I have no family to call on. Thank god my folks are coming out for their 1st visit to this hemisphere in March for 3 weeks. Its been a long wait and I hope it doesnt send me into a spin (much) when they head back north.

We also rent on North Shore at the moment - its a nice place where we're at but even with a modest deposit a mortgage we would have to take would be such a millstone around our necks and I havent come here to do that.

I will plod on.......................

whitesand

I don't think it's a continuous thing. At times you can like the place and accept things as they are, at other times NZ simply does not satisfy. It can be the smallest thing that tips the balance. Certainly, with me it's the driving again. Having just spent the last few weeks driving around Northland, I think the main road system north from Auckland is diabolical. The major road out of Auckland is a disgrace - really primitive and dangerous.

Also, I could count on one hand the number of drivers who know how to drive safely. The general way of driving here is to get up the backside of the driver in front and stay there, even knowing that there is no chance of passing in the narrow curvy road. They clearly haven't heard of leaving a safe space between cars. Trucks and commercial vehicles are just as guilty of this. What are they teaching learner drivers? The driving here, outside the cities, is just not compatible with the road conditions. It makes travelling around NZ a dangerous pastime and spoils the opportunlity to experience some wonderful scenery.


I also feel that NZ, and especially Auckland, has not improved in the past few years. House price and rentals are far too high, and food and electricity prices are getting ridiculous. I see that the popular places in the Far North are also trying to cash in on Auckland's high prices by charging crazy prices themselvses. The four dollar cappuccino is now available up there!

I, too felt the Warehouse was a very strange place when I first arrived. Now, as they say, I like it for the good prices. They have got the market just right for here. The trouble is when you move to another place you take your past experiences with you. It's not wrong to remember how better things were elsewhere. It's more, how much compromise you wish to accept. Can you accept the lack of good newspapers, good supermarkets, reasonably prices rentals and houses, good quality, lack of house insulation, poor salaries, in exchange for a slightly warmer climate with sone green scenery? The answer will depend, I think, on how varied your travelling and experiences have been as to whether you will 'accept' NZ.

It's more complicated than gradually accepting things as they are.

Nerine

Good post Whitesand. In the end we weren't prepared to compromise any more. Give it 10-20 years and the country may get there but it will still be behind the rest of the westernised world with a substantial proportion of its population claiming benefits and living near/below the poverty line.

hjmilligan

Got invited to neighbours barbie who are kiwi along with all the neighbours in the street,a few beers and chatted for hours got blue stickers in passports the following week or so. So now feel assimilated!!