cultural learning.

Things I am learning about Kiwis:

• For being a small country, many of them have never really traveled around New Zealand. They've been to Europe or North America (California is a popular place), yet haven't seen some of the key beautiful places that I at least want to go. Like the South Island and Northland.
  
• For being so influenced by American culture, they don't know all that much about Americans. My flatmates thought I was going to be like the people on American Idol who are way overemotional and wear too much makeup and are crazy just because I'm from America.
• They make fun of America a lot.
  
• It was really hard for me to find things like peppers in the grocery store. They have different words for things, which is confusing because it is still English. For example: green capsicums (green peppers), papers (classes/courses - SO confusing at first), sweet as (really sweet/awesome - though the first time I heard someone say it I thought they were saying sweet ass and I was like ...excuse me??), chips (fries), fortnight (two weeks), kumara (sweet potato), pissed (drunk), togs (swimsuit), wagging (skipping, like skipping class), pakeha (person of European descent), stubbies (short shorts for guys - one of my flatmates wears them ALL THE TIME haha), jandals (flip flops), chilly bin (cooler).. etc. I have an entire handbook on Kiwi names for things. Also, they say things like "dodgy" and "heaps" quite often. And many British slang words are also used here.
• They think 10˚C (50˚F) is freezing. Then again, last weekend it was 60˚F and I was in jeans and a sweater and still cold. I guess I'm just getting used to the climate here.
• They do not care about being politically correct. My Kiwi flatmates use the words "gay" and "retarded" in inappropriate and incorrect situations more than any people I have ever been around. And when I yelled at them for saying "gay" as the same as "stupid", they told me that it's not offensive here, it's different. Right, like it's not offensive in America regardless of if you mean it offensively or not, either. Stupid ≠ gay or retarded!!
• Kiwis love Obama. When trying to tell them where I'm from (I've learned the best tactic is to say in the middle of the States by Canada now) I used to say I was about 8 hours north of Chicago (and still by Canada). When I mentioned Chicago, many of their faces would light up and make a comment about how great Obama is or the like. I have also seen many Obama shirts being worn here, and I can't even remember the last time I saw someone on the street back home wearing an Obama shirt.
  
• My flatmates, at least, watch a lot of tv! I guess they don't really watch tv online here though as we do in America. My flatmates love this super dramatic show called Shortland Street. I feel like I watch it every night (it's on when I'm cooking dinner usually) yet I still don't understand the plot. I also don't really care.
• It is much more laid-back here. People aren't as stressed out as they are in the States and they take more time for themselves. I like that.
• However, school is much less rigorous than it is back home. With the exception of one of my flatmates who's in med school (and is younger than me. Oh yeah - pre-med is one year long which means he's been in med school for two weeks and is YOUNGER THAN ME) studying is not super important. It's more laid back in New Zealand and school is no exception. I don't really mind not having a ton of homework (though I haven't done mine yet and have a lot to do before tomorrow, go me) but I already miss critical thought and discussion. Summarizing is boooooring.

That's all for now. I'll probably add more and edit later.