So I have been thinking lately....

Outside of my Classroom! Rm 12

Why don’t they have screens? I mean I have been fine with the no air conditioning thing. That just means the windows need to be opened and I am all for the fresh air. They don’t have a ton of bugs here, but there is definitely a fair share of moths, mosquitos, and the most commonly seen, daddy long legs inside our room. I am not so much of a bug lover.  Emily and I successfully killed 4 daddy long leg spiders before school yesterday (3 in our bedroom and 1 in the bathroom). I have worked up the courage to smash them because I know I must in order to keep them from reproducing in my bedroom. I just think it is funny how in the states every house has screens and they don’t even open the windows. Then here they are always open and it is said screens are more of of a luxury, not necessity because they don’t have any poisonous bugs. So now creepy crawlers don’t matter at all as long as they are not poisonous? Hmm.. 

Next thing. I sometimes find it awkward trying to use their slang, like I belong here. I feel like a poser every time something comes out of my mouth that is not was I was raised saying. So the prime example, MUM. Do I refer to my mom as my mum just because that is how they say it, or do I hold true to the O? Some words, like togs for swimming suit, I feel funny using, but the kids don’t know what a swimming suit is. Well I mean I am sure they could figure it out. If someone were in the states from NZ and they called them their togs and I told them we call them swimming suits, I would be annoyed if they continued to call them their togs. Another odd difference is tense of swimming suit. We call it singular, but to New Zealanders it is always plural. One swimming suit is togs. Funny when used in a sentence. So I guess I should try to use some of their lingo? It’s a bit weird I am referring to things with the word “as” now. At the meet the parent picnic I was giving out ice cream and I was like this one is “big as” just for you. I am starting to fit right in!

I am still getting used to their different spelling of things here. Why on earth it differs, I have no idea, but I am scared to tell a child how to spell a word, so I always suggest their dictionaries for words such as the following: colour, harbour, favourite, recognise, organisation, realise. That’s just weird as, eh? (That last sentence has been said word for word by so many students here). Another thing, the letter z is called zed? Why? I have no idea. It just is, so NZ is said N Zed…..interesting fact.

At the grocery store the other day I asked for frozen rolls or bread or anything like that. The boy looked at me like I was crazy, but then checked the entire fridge section. I don’t know why but they don’t have any frozen rolls or breads and no on the go, like Pillsbury canisters or anything similar. At least they have sliced bread! I then asked another worker for pepperonis. He had no clue what I was asking so I described them as the red toppings on pizza. He then responded. “Oh pizza paste?” I was like um no! Ha I guess they don’t really have pepperonis and pizza sauce is pizza paste! After eating my lunch today I reached past a teacher to grab a wrapper and I said excuse me I just need to grab my garbage. She responded well that is something we do not hear, it makes sense, but no one calls it garbage. It is rubbish. Also just the other night my host mum said she would be ordering take out chinese for dinner and what did we want. I am the picky eater so I was just like oh anything is fine, I am pretty plain. I usually like just generic things like orange chicken or sesame chicken. She grabs the menu and sits down by me and says maybe you should look because I have never heard of either of those. It is times like those I remember I am in a different country!!

Meet the Parents Picnic/Sausage Sizzle