Southern Hemsiphere...LET'S SEE YA!: 4 - 8 squished white tails, 4 Pavlovas, 3 flat batteries, 2 trips up the mountain and one AWESOME family

November 2011

I leave Stratford in 3 days!

I always said that I would spend 3 months MAX with who ever I ended up being an Au Pair for. Well, I didn't factor in that the family might actually be amazing! So I stayed for 4 and a bit months, And I'm so glad that I did :)

The last few weeks I have been getting more and more excited about leaving though, just because it's going to be so much fun.

I am headed to Auckland, and staying with Gemma or Claire - both are happy to put me up - and then I think Gemma, Kate and I are going to go on a trip up to Paihia this weekend.

It's funny to think that I only met these girls for 5 days whilst in HK and Auckland .. yet I think of them as my good friends because they are my connection to England.

I might just get off the bus and stay in Paihia and find a job for a few weeks until New Years on Waiheke... who knows?! I don't. And that's why I'm so excited :)

Last week I went and stayed out at Opunake. My manager at the bar I'm working in - Andrea - has a beach house out there, and Andrea is a perfect example of the kiwi hospitality ... she just took me out to stay for a few days. It's the PERFECT house, you can see the sea on one side and the mountain on the other.

The summer is on its way here, which means super busy weekends full of swimming, cricket, athletics and all sorts of other things going on. This family really make the most of everything and it's so cool to have been a part of it.

Keith told me that he is coming with me when I go home to England because he wants to see my doggies ... he is so cute I might just let him! :)

Hannah has been getting a bit upset about me leaving but she has decided that when she is old enough she is going to go travelling and come stay with me in England (if I haven't moved over here by then! In that scenario, Hannah is just going to come and live with me here haha)

So my last few weeks have been spent doing all sorts of outdoors things, including jumping into the river in my undies ... kiwi as!

When I talk to people at home, although I'm really far away I have realised that the further you travel, the smaller the world seems to feel. Before I left I would think of visiting Scotland as a 'long trip' but in actual fact .. it's nothing!

Some of the kiwi lingo I've picked up is:

wop wops (middle of nowhere)
jandals (flip flops)
chippies (crisps)
togs (swimming costume)
rattle your dags! (hurry up!)
true?! (oh really?!)
sweet/choice (cool)
jersey (jumper)

I have picked up a few Maori words too, Hannah has taught me how to sing head, shoulders, knees and toes in Maori, and Cooper taught me how to sing Happy Birthday - and he is only 4! :)

I will update again at some point in the near future, with hopefully more fun things that aren't based around family life

But for now, see ya later Stratford, Auckland - lets see ya! :)

Here are some pictures from my time here...