NZ Tidbits

While waiting for our chicken pastry dinner to finish cooking, I figure I should update our blog before everyone loses interest in it! Here are some random tidbits of information concerning our every day life:

1. I am currently teaching To Kill a Mockingbird in my Year 12 and 13 English class. I am a real admirer of this masterpiece by Harper Lee, and am ecstatic that my students have also connected with the story. Every day I look forward to our lively discussions surrounding racial injustice, identity, superstition, law, prejudice and innocence. If you have not read this novel, please log onto amazon.com or sprint to your nearest library.


2. Sam played a superb game of rugby last Saturday, which earned him the title: "Player of the Week". He came home with a fat glass mug as his reward.

3. I bought a funky silver hand on sale in our town. "Whatever for?" you may ask. Sam thought his wife was rather bizarre when she pulled it out of the shopping bag. It's my new necklace holder-- kind of a creepy/ultra-modern look. Like I said...random information.














4. There is a Dutch family in our church who has recently started making stroopwaffels. Sam and I were so excited about this that we ordered two packages which totaled 16 individual waffles. Um... we ate them all within 24 hours. If only someone would start making droppies.

5. A common phrase around here is "Sweet as". When I first heard it come from one of my student's mouths, I thought they were swearing. I was shocked at the blatant audacity of this person saying it to my face! However, I soon realized that the last word truly does contain only ONE "s" -- rather annoying for an English teacher to constantly hear these "half similes".

6. I miss Ontario "green bins" for compost.

7. New Zealand's most famous icecream is called "Hokey Pokey". It's a sweet butterscotch flavour and contains "heaps" of honeycomb chunks.


8. Almost every week we are invited to a family's home for dinner. We feel blessed to belong to such an incredibly hospitable and welcoming church, where the gospel is faithfully preached every Sunday.

9. I never thought I would say this, but I am thankful for facebook and how it keeps me up-to-date with family and friends back home!

10. Most people in New Zealand do not own dryers because the warm weather works fine.

My chicken dinner is probably burning by now... Hope you enjoyed reading a bit about our lives. Thanks for checking in!