Some general observations and commentary

Inspired by my friend John Herman, I thought I'd post a little commentary about what I've observed so far here in NZ. This is gonna be pretty random, so hold on ...

• "Man"--everyone says 'man.' Yesterday we went over to Waltham Primary School with Connor's daycare class to watch the student performing arts groups and the 'cultural exhibit' (more on that below). The Principal, who apparently is just named 'Gordon' (I heard *no one* call him anything other than that), acted as MC for the show. At one point he said, "Wow, that was really awesome man." And everyone says 'cool'; it must be the NZ version of 'alright.' Oh, and 'shit.' I've heard 'shit' more than nearly any other word in NZ. People here are just really, really informal. You can go into just about any place and strike up a conversation with just about anyone--and chances are if you go into some place, someone is going to strike up a conversation with you.
• Multiculturalism--Christchurch is a very multi-culti city. There are Asians (I saw on TV last night that there are 30 different nations represented in the Asian population here), Maori, Indians, Pakistanis, Greeks, Eastern Europeans, and the occasional black African. Every shopping center has at least one sushi place, and most of the food courts have Indian and kebab places, and just about every type of food can be found here in Chch ... even Mexican. (Okay, I like food!)
  
• Asians--There's a lot of discussion about the relations between NZ's Asians and everyone else. They're kind of like Mexicans in the US--anything that's wrong here gets blamed on them (by some people, of course, not all). They have a reputation for being bad drivers, for keeping to themselves, for driving up the real estate prices. My observation is that many Asians don't really seem to fit in here--while Kiwis are not gregarious, they are friendly and outgoing in that respect. Many of the Asians I've encountered fit the quiet, unassuming, keep to themselves stereotype--except when they are in large groups with other Asians, when they can be loud and outgoing. I think those two extremes just culturally don't fit with the Kiwi way of life--in fact, they are probably the exact opposite of one another.
• Maori--I don't know why, but the euphemism for seeing Maori dance, song, and haka is 'cultural experience.' When we went to Waltham Elementary, it was cool to see Maori, Asian, and white (pakeha) children doing Maori dances and singing Maori songs all together. It's as though Maori culture is just a part of New Zealand culture, and so it belongs to everyone, not just the Maori. I don't think there's a real analog in American life. It goes beyond the kind of co-opting of black culture by white kids we see in the States. I wouldn't go so far as to say that 6 year olds understand the importance of preserving Maori language and cultural tradition, but it is almost as though that underlies the way of life here. For example, when the national anthem was sung (while we stood in awkward silence) is was sung in Maori first then in English. Everyone--except for us, of course--knew the Maori words, not just the English verses.
• Media--TV and radio pretty much suck here. I'm sorry, but it's true. There are some good, entertaining shows, with engaging personalities, but ... There's not much on TV, and most of it is imported from the States anyway, but it's last year's shows--and some of the shows have already been canceled in the US! Radio is crazy. Just like in the US, there's a lot of pop-top 40, which is strange to me because I never listen to that kind of station and have been forced to listen to it here. Hip-hop is just as much part of the music scene here as it is in the US, which is strange, too, when you think about it. And that damn Delilah song!
• School uniforms--Okay, it is really, really weird to see a 17 year old boy in a jacket, shirt, tie, black shoes, and ... SHORTS!
  
• Baseball hats--I've seen them in the stores, but my Red Sox hat is the only one I've seen on anyone's head. Okay, that's a little bit of an exaggeration; I did see a Maori kid dressed in hip-hop garb with an askew baseball hat on his head.
• Eating at restaurants--At the mall, when you eat in the food court, you keep leave your tray on the table and the food court attendant comes over and cleans it up. In many restaurants (and I don't mean fast food places), you order at the counter, are given a number, and your food is brought to your table. In some places, you order your food at one counter and your alcohol at another counter. At McDonalds, if if the lines are long, someone moves down the line with a little hand-held and takes your order while you are in line so when you get to the counter, you just pay and pick up your food--and they make your burgers when you order them so they don't sit under a heatlamp!
  
• The grocery store--There seems to be a philosophy here that life is too short to wait in line. I've been to the grocery store when it was crazy busy and when it was nearly empty. Every time I've gone, though, every single checkout was open. I've never had more than one person in line in front of me. In retail stores, the same is pretty much true, too. You find lots of help.
• Pedestrians--Think Boston, without any traffic lights, crosswalks, or laws. Okay, think Deathrace 2000 instead. Honestly, every time you cross the street here, you take your life into your own hands. Drivers don't stop, or even slow down, for pedestrians. There are 'zebra crossings' in some places where drivers *must* (and do) stop for pedestrians, but other than that, forget it. In fact, when I encounter a pedestrian and stop for them, they don't know what to do. Rather than walk in front of me, they usually just stand there in the median or other lane and look at me like a deer in the headlights. I've learned to just essentially ignore them when I drive and RUN when I cross the street.

As I said, this was pretty much random.