Our 3-month List of Mosts

We get asked these questions a lot, so we’ve compiled a list for everyone. The negatives aren’t meant to be really negative (unless it’s glass or boy racers). PLEASE remember, we’ve been here only 3 short months (though it seems like forever!)

Most surprising thing since we’ve arrived
Angela: I’ve found it amazingly easy to meet people and make friends, we were told by several people Nelson would be cliquish and closed off, we’ve not found it to be that way in regards to socialising. Jobs, maybe.
Also, the cost of electronics is super high here, that is really surprising considering they have so many Asian manufacturers and are in economically beneficial agreements with all of them, you’d think a TV would cost less??

Don: In my new line of work I deal with a lot of blue collar labourers – certainly not what I’m used to. A large percentage of them actually check the box for having convictions against the law (drink driving, common assault, etc). Most are very nice. Also takes extra effort to understand the accents down here but I’m getting used to it.

Most annoying thing so far:
Angela: youths, boy racers, glass. What’s new?? I also don’t care for the fact that the windows here have no screens—way more bugs here than in Colorado. And I don’t like that they have no food delivery service, I actually have to go out, drive and get my own damn Pizza Hut.

Don: ditto all above, especially the boy racers – simply ridiculous, I hate all the cars with the obnoxiously loud mufflers. The dryers here are annoying – they don’t dry and don’t take lint off. Everyone hangs wet clothing outside so I guess the dryers are set up not to work (i.e. putting a couple items in for an hour will not dry them). I don’t like the faucets either. I’m worried about UV rays. [Don was attacked by a UV ray when he was a boy, childhood issues.]

Coolest thing so far:
Angela: Walking everywhere, walking to work, walking home for lunch so I don’t have to make lunch in the morning, walking back to work and then walking home from work. Walking to club to workout. Walking instead of driving, totally awesome. Now that our bikes are built, you can add mountain biking to this category, we also run errands this way now. Gas is sooo much cheaper when you don’t drive :) (current petrol prices: NZ$1.43/litre, or NZ$5.72 per gallon—or US$3.72 per gallon, shocking for you, but lower for us by more than 80c per gallon since we arrived). We just filled up today, first time in a month.
Come December, coolest thing will be the beach, baby.

Don: Swedish rounding is cool – no 1 or 5 cent pieces and when you pay cash everything is rounded either up or down to the nearest 10 cents.
Not sure it is the coolest but something I’ve noticed – the cyclists that are geared out in team kits look like they belong on a bike. You don’t have the overweight chubby guys who wear the skin tight Lycra just to head down the road to get a cup of coffee. I’ve yet to see one heavy set person decked out in a team kit – everyone in gear looks fit enough to be in the peloton. I’m pretty excited because I did find a place that has group rides 3 times/ week – looks like a group between 10 - 20 people all with high end gear, hope I can keep up.
I also love the Nelson area’s geography – we are bordered by hills on a couple sides and a bay on the other. I love the weather here too – a lot of sun but some days of just clouds and rain. The city center is lively with all sorts of great cafés and the Saturday market is a great place to get fresh vegetables and fruit.


What do you miss most about Colorado?
Angela: I really miss the NHL, the Avalanche. I’ve sent off numerous emails about watching or listening via the NHL site, no go so far.

Don: Friends (Tequila night) & Parents (LePeep breakfasts). Chipotle. Cheap beer.

What do you miss most about the US?
Angela: family and friends, of course!! But also LINT ROLLERS! No one in this country uses clothes dryers. And the dryers we’ve used don’t take off lint, so arggghhhhh, very annoying if you have cats, especially. Mom already sent me a stash of lint rollers for my bday.
I thought it might be shopping and clothes, but I really haven’t been in the mood to shop or spend money on clothes here, there is no money to spend! We’ve really downshifted coming here and excess money is a luxury right now. Even if we have it, we’ll probably buy a house with a view and then I can wear that one day and night.

Don: Chipotle [surprise]. TV season starting on time – we’re off by at least a month, if not months. Football – although I can watch the Sunday night and Monday night games live (Monday afternoon and Tuesday afternoon respectively).


What have you found that is drastically different than in the States?
Angela: One thing I can think of right off hand is that you will see nudity on television here and hear swearing on TV and radio. Songs aren’t bleeped out, they play the explicit versions of everything. (Not that I like the song, but Fergie’s London Bridge—in the chorus the background singers are really saying “oh shit” not what you hear there.)

People don’t have an issue here with nudity on TV shows or even the news. Remember we wrote about the erotica festival in Auckland some weeks back? First time we heard of it was on the 6pm news, boobs everywhere during the story. Three days later they commented that some people wrote them and called them, suddenly the boobs were blurred out. But blurring is not the norm.

Don: side of the road that people drive on. The weather report on the news – gets about 3 minutes at the end of the show not the typical 20 minutes like in the States.

Anything the same?
Angela: More appropriate to Colorado or even the Denver/Boulder area, lots of cyclists all over and people in Nelson are very particular about natural foods and are very green.

Don: They have mountains here. Weather report – they can’t predict it down here either.

What don’t I miss?
Angela: Stress of a high-powered job, the dry climate and cracked skin and fingernails, traffic and cars for miles and miles, listening to that a-hole who runs our country say the most idiotic things ever.

Don: This time of year at my old job – after 6 years of it I was ready for something new. The urban sprawl of the Denver/ Boulder area – I love that you can just drive a short distance to be away from the city (loosely termed city since Nelson is only pop 45k).

American politics- I don’t like that lying deceitful a-hole bastard either. To quote Teddy Roosevelt, “To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public. Nothing but the truth should be spoken about him or any one else. But it is even more important to tell the truth, pleasant or unpleasant, about him than about any one else.” Also by TR, “Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by the president.” And he was a Republican.

Do you have a wish list of items you’d want from the States?
Angela: (YES, we have been asked this a few times!!) What a GREAT question for any of you visiting or just clamoring to send a care package :) Lint rollers, any except 3M brand. glucosamine chondroitin from Walgreens, COLD EAZE, plastic hangers (they are like 3 for US$4 here) good tequila (ask first), cinnamon chewing gum, lint rollers (did I mention that?), something totally awesome from Banana Republic—perhaps a dress. A good selection of sandals from Nordy Rack for the upcoming summer season. A great leather Fossil purse, red.

Don: bike tires – new set of high performance treads will set me back $75 each. SLR Pentax digital camera – very expensive here. Energy gel packs and power bars are very expensive too.