A Bout About Speech

Imagine Sir Anthony Hopkins in a scene on the movie Meet Joe Black, explaining the intricacies of a board meeting to Brad Pitt. I know you can almost hear that perfect English gentleman accent, delivered in a very well mannered way. I used to fancy myself having that same accent. Little did I know then that I will be living among Englishmen in a country replete with British heritage. Alas, what I know now is that I will never, even in my wildest dreams, acquire such eloquence.

Yeah mate. I'm mo'e li'e the ol' Benny Hill o'er the abbey. If you can catch Jamie Oliver on food channel; that, my dear, is what I would probably sound in a couple more years. Rough on the edges, brusque, and not much of a finesse.

In almost three months' stay here in New Zealand, I have my fair share of floundering speech. I would start out beautifully with my discourse and, in the middle of a sentence, start to loose my thoughts and stutter to oblivion, hoping the person I am talking to catches me and finishes off the conversation.

But I guess I am not the only one struggling in this ever growing multi cultural society. I have made quite a few trips to Auckland the past two months. It is the city with the most immigrants; Asian, Indians, and Pacific Islanders alike. Christchurch, by the way has the smallest immigrant population among the big three cities.

There I would find comfort among my fellow brown skins. There I would build my confidence, knowing I have far superior grasp of the English language than my brethren. Then it all crashes down at the first sight of a pale skin approaching to engage in a repartee.

In one recent conversation with a colleague, a gentleman who hails from London, I confessed to him my struggle with their English, explaining that I grew up learning the American English. His reaction was that of sympathy and understanding, lecturing me that what I know is 'englishy' and not the real one. And this view is shared by almost every single bloke in this very English country as I hear this term used quite often.

Ah, but the continued influx of the Asian immigrants will someday change all this. English will never be the same. Let me give you an example. When I was in Auckland last week, my taxi cab driver, a Fijian, asked me "How's yow moniy seh?" (translates: "How's your morning, sir" as I would learn from Onie later who perfectly understands Fijians), and to which my answer was a very vague "Yes!". That, my dear, may be our glimpse of the future!

An Enlightened Adventure

Ah, what a week it was... full of adventure, but not of the thrilling, scream inducing, gut wrenching New Zealand kind. Nope, we have not been to Queenstown yet, not without adrenaline junky Pio in tow. Let me explain.

Last Tuesday, Onie and I braved the stormy weather that was engulfing the whole of New Zealand and most part of the Tasman Sea. Here in Christchurch, it was literally raining the whole day, seriously. It is testament to how beautiful this country is. The storm left the nation last week but has to go back for a second look. And it seems it wants to stay... must be like us balut eating blokes.

Well, we rode the bus to The Palms (yup, the mall near where we stay) and had to go under the rain. Like normal kiwis, we pretended to be unaffected by the drizzle and walked to the bus stop without an umbrella. Take note that we pretended, because deep down inside our brown skins are an urge to run for shelter as if the rain will kill us instantly. But we resisted, proof that we are integrating beautifully to the kiwi way of life.

It was turning dark at 5pm when we got to the mall. We went to watch Angels and Demons, the Tom Hanks starred movie, courtesy of Christine who was ever generous to us. After that wonderful movie, we trudged our way to this fancy eatery called 'Coyote'.

Again, Christine paid for our most wonderful meal. As we were almost done, the fire alarm suddenly came alive. I took a glance at the kitchen area, which can be partially viewed from where I was sitting, to see if it was serious. Alas, the cooks were laughing, proof that nothing bad was happening.

A recorded voice from the PA repetitively blurted 'please evacuate immediately', and people started to do so. Again, the token brown skins were the last to react, and I was even more concerned with the unfinished food than with the danger.

We were herded just outside the restaurant and were told to wait until a fire officer has cleared the building. The alarm must have been set off inside the mall and it was a false call. After ten minutes out in the cold, we were allowed to pile in again. And true to the balut's code of conduct, we went back to finishing our meal as if nothing interrupted us. Now, who can deny the fact that we have truly integrated into the kiwi society? If we were still brown inside, we would have walked away during the fire alarm and 'forgot' about paying the bill, blaming the establishment for disrupting our meal. (caveat: I do not speak for all brownies)

That was our adventure. See, I told you it was not as exciting as a Kiwi adventure, and yet an adventure, but the kind that takes you deep into your psyche. It was an adventure into an old experience, but with a new outlook and frame of mind. It was an adventure that only smart Nathan can explain. So do not worry if you cannot get it now. Someday Nathan will explain it to you. Be patient and all you have to do is wait. Oh, and do not try asking Nathan's father, because, like you, he is probably scratching his head as well, only his hands will be lower. *wink* :)

One Fine Winter's Day

Kia Ora! Greetings from Aeotoroa! It is 'he rangi mokupua', a fine winter's day here, as the Maoris would say. The sun is up and the sky is as blue as it can get.

The end of long days had come to this land and I thought we should not put this day to waste. So as mid day arrived, we packed our lunch and headed out to the park.

As we reached the forest, we decided to eat on top of a hill with a magnificent view of the snow capped mountains to the west and the vast ocean to the east. Our feast consisted of pesto pasta, roasted chicken, and a side of baked potatoes, kumara, carrots, and parsnips. We also had chocolates for dessert.

After a filling lunch, we decided to walk down to the beach for a stroll. There were lots of people out on such a fine day as well. The temperature was beginning to be a warmer 18 degress Celsius, but we were still wrapped up in layers of clothing. We felt warm, but not warm enough to shed off some of the layers. The funny thing though is that we saw a man in teeny weeny swimming trunks, jogging near the water, muscles rippling in all directions, unmindful of the cold. Onie's eyes were glued, of course, as propriety escaped her for quite a few seconds. Then we burst into subdued laughter while we plotted how to inconspicuously take a picture of him to share here. But by the time I got my mobile phone out, he was already too far away. It would have been quite funny, with us in winter clothes and a guy running in just his underwear. Oh well, you girls have to wait until December when the summer heat hits Christchurch.

We took the long way home today. We wandered through the neighborhood to gawk at the houses... imagining... wishing...

Someday, we will own a house of our own here. But it is still uncertain at this point where in New Zealand we will end up. I have a feeling my boss might want me to relocate to Auckland, but I keep on hoping it will not come to that point.

I love our way of life here in Christchurch. I love the fact that nature is just a doorstep away from the city.

*Images taken from my mobile phone

A lookout atop a hill

This is where we ate our lunch.

Mountain bike path

A horse rider on the beach

A path to the beach

One Kiwi Week

I was reminiscing the week's events a while ago. Monday felt like yesterday. I still remember waking up to what would officially be the start of winter here in New Zealand. Then it started to rain and never seemed to stop.

Tuesday saw Onie and I spending the day in Northlands Mall and watching a movie (Wolverine) in the afternoon. I had my free day (or free week, which was more like it) since my boss was in Melbourne, Australia for a conference.

It still rained on Wednesday and Thursday while I was conveniently working at home. Temperatures never went higher than 9 degrees Celsius, and you can already see the snow capped mountains from the window.

Friday was a free day again, theoretically speaking since I really never felt hard at work, and we decided to troop to the Northlands Mall again. Later in the afternoon, we transferred to the Palms, another mall just a few minutes from where we are staying, to meet up with Simon, Christine, and Bea. We had early dinner, or early tea as what we kiwis would call it, then watched the Star Trek movie.

Saturday saw us having tea (yup, dinner) at a friend's house with a bunch of other Filipino chaps. It was one fine evening with great company and good food to boot.

Then today, we drove to New Brighton beach and had gourmet lunch at the 'Salt on the Pier' with Simon, Bea, Christine, and her mom Carol. Raquel (Christine's sister), her husband Joel, and their child Nathan caught up with us.

Yup, it was a busy week, and it felt like time really has wings. In fact, Onie and I were talking the other night and both of us felt like we have been in New Zealand more than we actually are. It would just be our 70th day in Christchurch today but it seems we have adjusted well with our lives here in our new country. By now I am used to their funny 'bisaya' accent and understands them pretty well. Plus I had very good practice with Bea (who is turning 12 this month).

I may never get the true kiwi accent but the next generation will, and it is something Onie and I are really working on. So I am signing off again to get back to work! *wink* ;)

Early Winter Banter

When we arrived here in New Zealand last March, autumn was just beginning to creep in. We would see people wearing their light jackets on the streets but all around us were verdant trees and nary a sign of what just a couple of months will do to them. Of course, Onie and I had our 'winter clothes' on already, having just transplanted from lush tropical Philippines with coconut trees a swayin' and a lone guitar man singing "wilcam tu di hutil kali purnya". 

Zip to the present. We just woke up to a very cold 1 degree celsius morning (outside temperature). I was warm inside my blanket, with a comforter on top, and Onie beside me. My ears and nose were cold though. One look at the temperature gauge beside the the bed, which read 9 deg C inside, and I knew it was going to be very difficult for me to leave my warm bed. It was already 8:30am on the clock and I still have to shower and dress up. It's a good thing I do not need to go the office today.

Just after shower, I saw Onie coming into the house from outside, telling me the grass seem pale this morning and reckoned that there is frost. I donned my sweater, grabbed my camera and made a dash for the grass. Talk about dedication to the craft. And true enough, after less than 3 minutes in the freeze, I had to hastily retreat into the warm confines of the house.

The frost slowly dissipates though as the day grows warmer.

Winter has arrived, albeit early. The once verdant trees have turned into golden colors, and most have already shed its leaves. The kiwis now wear the same kind of clothes that trendsetters Onie and I have been wearing for the past few months. A smug grin on our faces betray that feeling of 'practice makes perfect' attitude as we walk out and unto the streets this morning!