Perin's First Update

I start work tomorrow and I figured it was time I put an update on the blog. Its been interesting how different, yet how similar Wellington is to San Francisco. I must admit that at first I was dissappointed. I mean why move all the way around the world to live in a city that is so similar to where you left? But as we have been here for over a week, I'm noticing a lot of differences. 

The first difference is that I have a lot of trouble understanding what people are saying. Paul and I do a lot of "uh-huh's" and "sures" after we have asked people to repeat things for a second or third time and we still don't understand them (and I thought the Irish accent was hard to follow). I think I will find this most difficult at work. Nodding and saying yes isn't going to cut it there (hehe).

The second difference is that people here walk incredibly fast. Paul and I thought we had a pretty fast gate, but we get passed left and right everywhere by people of every age. We have decided that since it rains here so much, they have learned to pick up their pace!

The third difference is that the hills here make San Francisco look flat! I remember my Aunt Barbara once saying that she had to get in shape to live in San Francisco, well I'm going to have to get in shape to live in Wellington. 

We met the landlord of the house we wanted yesterday and she liked us, so now we get to move in next week! The house is huge and it has three full bedrooms, a kitchen/living room, an office, 1 full bathroom and 1 3/4 bathroom a laundry room and the main attraction, a big deck with an incredible view of the city. I'm excited to have so much space, especially after our 1 bedroom/ 1 bathroom apartment. Our house is in Brooklyn, Wellington and is very near Central Park (named after the one in NYC).

When we were coming into the city from the airport we passed a penguin crossing sign. The taxi driver told us that little blue penguins live around there and they cross the street mostly at night. We are going to have to check this out! I will also make sure to grab a picture and post it to the blog.

Today we go car shopping. I'm not willing to test drive as I'm not comfortable driving on the other side of the road just yet and really all that matters is that Paul can fit in the driver seat comfortably. Looks like we are going to buy a mid-sized SUV so that we can camp in the back. Because of the delicate ecosystem here, they didn't allow us to bring any of our camping gear (tent, mattress pads, etc.) so we are hoping to find a car that can substitute.

I have to fly to Auckland next Thursday for work. Its our annual meeting and I think a great way to start my first week as it gives me a chance to meet everyone. Of course everyone is a total of 120 people for all of New Zealand.  That's pretty neat as well considering we had 700 practitioners in just our Bay Area offices. I also learned from our local banker that Deloitte is considered one of the most prestigous places to work in Wellington and that was a very nice ego boost!

The rain has subsided at least for now and New Zealand is heading into spring. But even with the sun its still pretty cold (I can see my breath). I wear my red rain jacket with my multi-colored hat everyday and I get some pretty silly looks. Its not that I look silly but I'm not adhering to the dress code of all black! I guess I must stand out as a foreigner.

Mostly we've been shocked by the cost of living. We heard that our cost of living would go down, but since groceries, rent and auto's are more expensive (even considering the exchange rate) we are beginning to think its only less expensive to London or Tokyo. That being said, I am still excited to be here.

The grocery stores here have a really smart idea. They took the little baskets that you carry, put wheels on them and added a long handle so you can basically drag them around the grocery without having to hold them. Its like a mini shopping cart and I love it, it makes buying soda and other heavy, yet small items quite easy.

Also, a quick way to figure out the time difference is to subtract 8 hours (if you live on the east coast) and remember it's the next day for us. So for example, if it's 9pm on Friday in NJ, it's 1pm on Saturday in Wellington.

Ok, I'll end my post here and add more as I start work and find more interesting things to tell you all about. We miss everyone tons, though it feels like we are just on vacation!

Much Love,

Perin