Differences between NZ and USA

[jamesthecarman]

Kiwi's drive on the other side of the road (duh), and yes, the pedals are still the same (right gas, left brake).

Light Switches - up is off, down is on
Central heating - Kiwi's don't know what it is (I've heard some in the south Island have this strange contraption).
Insulation - Kiwi's don't know what it is

Racism/diversity - The US looks like pre-Martin Luther King Jr compared to NZ

Everything is smaller - Fridges, soda, etc.

Burger King, Wendy's, McDonalds, KFC, Pizza Hut - They have all of them. But all Burger King's are styled like diners with jukebox's.

Now at the movie theatre: Hellboy, Walking Tall, Chronicles of Riddick. They came out 4-9 months ago in the US. And Borne Supremecy just came out this past weekend (I think it's been out in the states for 2-3 months).

Cars are different, but the same - some have modified names, but the same thing. Some have the same name, with some modifications (wagons). No "sub-brands" i.e. Chevy, Pontiac, Buick, Cadillac. Like the Acura Integra is the Honda Integra (and lots of them are 4 doors). And Chevy's are Holdens. And the old El-camino styled cars from the 70's are fairly popular (car front, truck bed in the back).

Sorry about the long cars part, with a middle name of Carman, it kind of happens. ;)

Less natural disasters (Florida has hurricanes, heat waves, thunderstorms, tornado's, etc. NZ doesn't have any of those).

I've written about my experiences so far, and posted some pictures. www.jamesthecarman.com/nzhome.htm - I also have a page full of links (and of course this site is on there).

I'll put some more up when they come to me. I'm hungry, and must go eat a pie (hehe. You guys are in for a treat. Mmm, pies....as Homer Simpson would say).

James Carman Parsons
P.S. mmmmm, pies.

Heh, facinating seeing it from another viewpoint.

What do you think about TV in NZ,

Or food?

Friends who went to the US for a holiday found that the servings were too big, mostly meat, and few vegies.

How do you cope without the American sports?

Keep it up!

::):

Hi

I too enjoyed reading the New Zealand experience from an American perspective, I enjoyed seeing your photo's too, thankyou for sharing. Oh yes.... do you like Lord of the rings by any chance? lol
Lisa :icon_biggrin:

TV? They have that here? J/k. I'm not much of a TV watcher any more. I made an effort to watch 2 shows all the way through this past season in the US, and that was tough. But I did watch a lot of the Olympics (gotta love those Kiwi's playing badminton and table tennis). That was about 9 hrs worth. Another 4 has been watching Rugby. Maybe 1-2 of regular TV. Only movie I've seen since getting here is LOTR Return of the King. And yes, I loved the book series, and the movies. (And I'm sure that was a question from my "preciousss" impersonation picture ;))

Movies are expensive. Around $15 NZ (not including popcorn).

I have heard the TV programs can be a bit risque, which I don't particularly care for.

Food: Yeah, small portions. There's this chinese place that my friends like that's $4.50. I usually had a lunch special back in Florida for 4.50, that was 2x the size.

All you can eat buffet's: Oh man I miss them. I'm not a big guy by any stretch of the imagination, but I could down food when hungry.

Speeding - Yikes they go slow here. 100 kmh is the max. In the states it's 75 mph which is around 125 kmh. We can go 100 kmh on major roads. Most side roads here are 50 kmh (30 mph)

Speed traps - There are speed camera's set up at various locations. It stinks, b/c 30 mph is slooow. They look like bird houses, and when the flash goes off, you know you'll be getting something in the mail in a few days (hasn't happened to me, as I haven't driven much yet).

Florida is flat. NZ is anything but. And the scenery is awesome. Not to mention no hurricanes to worry about.

Note on TV Show's: One of the show's I was getting into was Line of Fire, a FBI vs. Mob kind of show. It was canceled in teh US. But they are showing it here. I doubt they are new episodes, but still cool to know it's being shown. It was a great show, good actors, etc. And they have lots of the popular US shows here. Even HBO's Soprano's, Six feet under, and Sex and the City are on public stations (no cable/satellite needed).

James, I'm trying to put together a website slanted towards americans looking to immigrate. Would you be willing to help out with some more info? I'm browsing while cooking breakfast, so I haven't been able to read this thread in detail, but it looks like you'll have some good info to add.

J

I think the website idea for the us is great!

Ive just emailed Dick Smith a nz retailer of electronics re the feasability of taking all of our electronics except the tvs...particularly the fridge/freezer. So info re electrics would be good.

Another big difference between nz and us is in the needs of the people. Money is far more important to Americans and the need to be part of the team. So much of American life is centered around cheerleading..be it politics, religion or achieving the "American Dream".

Having said that a family of 5 in my area ( Ca) qualifies for free breakfast and lunch at school for the kids if they make less than 40k. So there is an element of the welfare state here also.

I would love to. There is probably a pretty big need/want for a good site about it. I didn't even think this thread would get a reply.

My website is only $30 a year. No database support (for forums), but I'm sure I could talk them into doing it for $45 a year. These phpbb forums are the best if we want to go that route.

You can PM me and I'll give you my contact info.

Now if only I can find a job so I can stay here longer than 3 months. :icon_lol:

If anyone else wants a good laugh, go to www.jamesthecarman.com/milk.htm (warning - Anti Milk propaganda ;))

or www.jamesthecarman.com/nzjokes.htm

Electronics: I have my laptop and PS2 hooked up. I have some converters, got them before I came over. But DON'T take the chance of seeing if it works without a voltage converter. My flatmate did that for my surge protector. Needless to say it's useless now ;)

One of them was plugged in for 3 weeks straight. I didn't think much of it. One day I checked it and it was melting. Wasn't horrible, a bit morphed, and still works, but I unplug it when it's not in use. I don't have anything that's on 24/7, so not sure if an adapter can handle that (like a fridge would need).

I do have a converter for big appliances that use 1600W. The only problem with it is that it's 2 pronged, and not the 3 that most big appliances need. This is also the converter that was melting.

I can check with them if I get into a store. It might be more feasible to buy a new one. Seems like shipping costs would be pretty high ($500+).

James,
I loved your site.
I add links on my site to any I think are good.
Usually just one link.
You have the 'honour' of getting three !
One as 'peoples experiences'
Two for the hurricane watch page
Three for the milk page (loved that)

You didn't acknowledge my suggestions on finding a job :icon_eek: icon_exclaim.gif
Are you going through agencies only ?
Or, are you 'knocking on doors' ?

For stats on ways of finding jobs, check this out:

http://www.workandincome.govt.nz/pdf..._find_work.pdf

Cheers

Steve

DrumminJ, Jamesthecarman and eoi 25,

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