Thursday, September 22, 2011

First impression of the new land....

Everyone is asking what my first impression of NZ is. Honestly, and sorry to harp on this, but my first thought is "It's really cold here! yikes!"

So our first outing was to the supercenter for some warmer clothes for me, as well as a rain parka. I need a hat, badly. And thanks, mom, for insisting that I bring a few extra of those small cashmere scarves in my suitcase. They are perfect for warming up my neck when it's chilly. So don't give away any extras that I might have returned to you if they are good colors. I have a feeling they will quickly be a part of my daily wardrobe.

Anyone coming to visit will need to bring warm layers, keep that in mind. I think in the summer it's much warmer, but the nights still get chilly.

The house is great. Will start posting pics this afternoon. The angles that looked slightly off in photos are actually really cool. The landlord came in and painted my studio and got rid of the crazy two toned (USC cardinal and gold), so now it's a soft butter yellow which is cheerful and clean so I can live with it for now. The colors are still a bit outdated in person, which was my concern from looking at the pictures. But, they aren't nearly as bright as they looked on Dave's skype. I think we need to get our furniture in here before making any major changes. The problem is, this house has such a great open floor plan, each room leads into another one, so you really have to make sure all the colors are in the same palette. However, that said, the kitchen needs to be white. The view from the kitchen sink is amazing, I don't think anyone has thought to take a pic, but I will. I promise. It looks out into the front yard and the window box screams for orchids, melding the outside with the inside. I'm turning into my mother's daughter and already planning the garden! Ferns & Callas & Peonies, oh my! :)

The landscape really reminds me of Hawaii- the rainy side. There's an amazing mix of tropical and pine trees and rolling hills that's just spectacular.

And the people are amazingly friendly. Made my first friend the other morning in the bakery, some crazy happy lady named Judith who told me all the yummy things that I needed to try. Surprisingly I'm feeling a bit shy, I feel like my accent makes me stick out like a sore thumb. And some of the dialect and the names make me feel like a total foreigner. I'm sure that will wear off very soon. As soon as I have to stop asking people to repeat themselves.

I made Dave practice driving with me last night. I have some errands to run and I wanted to drive the loop that I would be taking with him with me. But in about an hour I'll have to do it all by my lonesome. I'll report back after.

Cheers!
Amery

2 comments:

  1. You realise that spring has just begun, right? It really will get warmer. Nights and all...

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  2. I know, it's already getting warmer. I haven't made a fire in almost a week and haven't turned the heater on in 2 or 3 days. It was just such a shock after coming here from 100 plus degree weather in LA.

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