north

We're on holiday in Canada right now. In a lot of ways, our neighbor to the north reminds me of New Zealand. They use the metric system. Uhhh... maybe that's the only similarity. It's the only one I can think of right now, at least. Oh, and parts of it look like parts of New Zealand. We're out west in Alberta, and the Rockies are lovely stand-ins for the Southern Alps.





While here, I got an email from Felicity in the New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs, saying they had received my huge pack of applications (whew!), but that my credit card was declined (suck!). Turns out that my credit card company flagged my account because of the suspicious attempt to rent a car in Calgary. Annoying. I cleared that up and sent Felicity an email telling her to try the charge again. Done. So now you can see on the update in the side bar table of expenses. NZ$581.95 ($21.95 of which is for the international courier). With the kiwi dollar almost 80 US cents, the final charge came to US$458.59. When I return home, it's time to start my NZ residency application.

sent and received

With their heights duly entered on the passport application forms, I finally was able to compile all 4 applications (2 citizenship registrations and 2 passports) in one big stack and mail them off to the New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs. I sent it USPS priority international for $11. Hopefully it gets there. I have doubts, because the US Postal Service SUCKS. I have to call today and issue a complaint about a domestic priority package I sent with delivery confirmation over 2 weeks ago that still hasn't registered as arriving yet.

Something that did arrive in the mail yesterday was a cute little box that had Homeland Security tape all over it indicating that it had been opened and searched by customs. Must have been because the box had no indication whatsoever of where it came from (other than that it came from New Zealand) and what was in it and the x-ray would have showed it containing nothing but a mysterious brown powdery substance. Not to worry though, we weren't the target of a chemical or biological attack.



Yes, despite being able to purchase Milo here in the States at certain stores that specialize in foreign food items, Aidan doesn't like the Jamaican made Milo as much as NZ made Milo, so he ordered it from New Zealand online. For American's not in the know, Milo touts itself as an "energy drink" but it's really just a slightly malted version of Nesquik (formerly Quik). Drunk mainly as a hot drink, because it doesn't dissolve well in cold. A good alternative to coffee or tea in cuppa obsessed Kiwi culture.

what's the opposite of procrastination?

2' 9" and 3' 6".

Aren't you proud of me?

:)

procrastination, part 2 - the beet burger

Yes, I have been seriously remiss in posting updates here. Reason? Because I am seriously good at procrastinating. I've slooooowly been filling out the citizenship and passport applications for the girls. Like, filling out a line or 2 per day. Ha. The hold up now is that I need to get their heights for the passports, and I usually work on the apps while they're asleep and can't measure them. Totally lame excuse, I know. But it's all I've got. ;)

So how about a silly photo to pass the time till something productive actually happens?


It's a half-eaten burger. But not just any half-eaten burger. It's a half-eaten Kiwi burger. What makes it a Kiwi burger? (It's half-eaten because I ate half of it.) Look closely. There's a slice of beet (known as beet root in NZ) on there. New Zealanders love to put beet root on their burgers. I'm not a fan of beets, but we joined a vegetable CSA this summer, and we've been getting some beets. I thought I'd better start getting used to Kiwi cuisine. It was okay.

procrastination

I don't know what's wrong with me. A week ago, my teacher friend Marya filled out the witness forms for the girls' NZ passport applications (as I previously noted she would) and I still haven't put them all together and mailed them yet. I'm such a procrastinator. I obviously have also not started yet on my residency app. Gotta get on that.

Oh, helpful tidbit of information... A biro pen (the writing implement required for filling out the NZ passport application for) is just a ballpoint pen.

happy independence

Well, it's the Fourth of July, an American only holiday. Weird to think that after the next one, we won't celebrate one for a long time. Another thing I'll actually kinda miss - the patriotism here. Don't get me wrong, I cringe over and mock the "USA! USA!" chanters, and I abhor the whole "America is the best country in the whole wide world" attitude of so many here. But I am actually pretty patriotic. I get choked up every time I hear the Star Spangled Banner (the US national anthem). I vote. I watch baseball and American football (the Red Sox and the Patriots no less). I support our troops (though not the war in Iraq).

From what I've gathered, New Zealand is not so patriotic. Kiwis are proud to be Kiwis, but there isn't the same feeling of belonging as I sense here. It's probably a good thing, because at the core patriotism is just a "we're better than everyone else" attitude. Oh well, I'll let you know after I live there what the difference really is.

other things to miss

Big Sister Bou turned 4 years old on Friday, and on Saturday we had all her mates from school over for some cake and ice cream. And some beating on a Buzz Lightyear piñata. They had such fun. The families from her preschool and the teachers are so great, the preschool itself is high on our list of things we'll miss when we move (see sidebar). Big Sister will complete the 2 year schedule, but Little Sis Nys won't be old enough to even start before we move. Hopefully we'll find a place for her in Wellington with a similar quality environment.

doggie

I gave our dog Giles a bath this past weekend, and I realized I'm really going to miss him when we move. It is possible to bring dogs over, but I've read it's quite a drawn out, expensive procedure. Like several months pre-move of tests, at least 1 month post-move quarantine, and over $3000. I love Giles, and he totally is family, but I've come to the decision that it's best for us, and for him, to leave him behind. I have plenty of family and friends who love him, so I'm sure he'll end up in a loving home. Any of you reading who wish to submit and application for him, let me know. ;)

He's sulking at me under the desk right now.

4 applications at once

The application for registration of New Zealand citizenship by descent mentions that 2 photos are needed, 4 if applying for passports as well. This implied to me that it was possible to apply for both the citizenship registrations and the passports at the same time. To be sure, I emailed the Citizenship Office (at the amusing official email address: staykiwi at dia.govt.nz). I received a prompt reply that yes, I could in fact send both citizenship registration applications and both passport applications, all in the same envelope. Neat!

But that means I need to delay a bit, because the passport photos need to be witnessed by either someone with a New Zealand passport (not related), or else by someone who fits in one of the following groups (again, not related):

• lawyer


• teacher


• minister of religion


• police officer


• kaumatua


• registered medical professional


• Justice of the Peace


• applicant's employer

Unfortunately, the girls don't yet have employers. Just kidding. About it being unfortunate. And I don't feel comfortable going to the girls' pediatrician just for this. So the only other option is for my best friend, who's a teacher, to do it. She lives 4 hours away. But she's visiting next weekend, so we'll be good to do it then. Maybe I'll start working on my residency application in the mean time...

photo fun

The weekend was way too nice to spend anytime trying to get good passport photos of the girls, so we frolicked in the kiddie pool instead. Today was still a gorgeous day, but as it was a Monday, I felt an annoying, essential errand was appropriate.

A recap... These photos are actually for the registration of their New Zealand citizenship by descent first, but since we'll want New Zealand passports for them as soon as their citizenship is registered, I figured we'd get all the photos as once, rather than having to do this annoying errand again in a few months. Two points that make this errand especially annoying here in the US... The requirements are for photos that are 45mm x 35mm, which is substantially smaller than US passport picture requirements. That's the easy one though, you just cut the photos smaller. But they also state that they be taken "with a plain light coloured background (not white)". Well, every single one of the 5 local places that does passport photos (as well as 3 more distant places we called) only had white backgrounds. When DH recently renewed his Kiwi passport, we just risked it and sent in photos with the white background. The renewal went through, so we're risking it again.

Baby had the same terror at Walgreens as she had the other day, so we had to hit Cold Stone for some ice cream to calm her down before trying again at Motophoto. This time we hit the jackpot, and she was fine, though I did have to hold her for it. And I did have to pay $45(!) for the 4 sets. The end result: