I went to a festival called Toast on Saturday. It was a kiwi festival, celebrating everything kiwi!! I paid £5 for a NZ lamb and mint-sauce burger, that’s almost $15 for a burger, but I would do it again, I didn’t realize how much I missed NZ meat... by the way, all donations of meat from NZ greatly appreciated!! Just throw it in an envelope and send it this way!! :) For sale were t-shirts for Africa with Kiwi designs, Tim Tams, Minties, Grainwaves, not to mention the Monteiths and Speights, and kiwi wine. Appearances by Dan Carter and Zin Zan Brooke and Opshop and Supergroove played!! Scorpi-oprpi-orpio Girl!!! It was a fantastic day out, I say day as we started drinking around midday... :) Good times!
But the biggest thing I realised was how amazing it was to see the turnout and the pride and enthusiasm everyone had for everything from home. Practically everyone had a piece of ‘kiwiana’ on be it a ‘next Palmy mayor’ t-shirt to greenstone and bone carvings as far as the eye could see. Its an amazing culture here, there is no Pakeha, Maori or Polynesian, everyone is just ... Kiwi, and we proudly display New Zealand like walking billboards with our clothing, jewelry, bags, blow up kiwis, hats and yes even the tricky art of wearing flags. It is not so much where you come from as it is an identity that we all relate to, we are kiwis and we are proud of it. It makes you realise if all the expats went home the culture of New Zealand would be for the better.
We are all so far from home, its nice to be in a room with people whom you can relate... and mourn the loss of Snifters, Tangy Fruits and Sparkles together.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Monday, September 29, 2008
Photos from Contiki Part 2
Venice
Corfu, Greece
Sunrise in Greece
Pompeii
Trivi Fountain
Colosseum
Rome
St Pauls
Florence
Fake David
Pisa
The Chateau we stayed at in France
Corfu, Greece
Sunrise in Greece
Pompeii
Trivi Fountain
Colosseum
Rome
St Pauls
Florence
Fake David
Pisa
The Chateau we stayed at in France
Monday, September 15, 2008
Photos from Contiki Part 1
Beach and town of Nice
Beaujelais Wine Region France
The Grand Casino, Monaco
Mona Lisa
Me and the Eiffel Tower
Eiffel Tower
Arc de Triumph
Monday, September 01, 2008
Tea with the Queen
Mum and I went to Buckingham Palace today to take a look through the Queens pad.
We went through the state rooms and the banquet room all laid out like it would for a state banquet. Gold and silver... complete with 6 glasses each!!! Talk about over the top!!
After walking through the palace we took a leisurely stroll through the gardens, straight to the gift shop :) nothing like a £5 key ring to top off your day!
After being asked AGAIN what part of Australia I’m from, Mum and I went and had a pub lunch then home for mum to pack to get out to the airport on time.
With Mum leaving, Lindsay being in Europe and no more travel planned for a while, home sickness has started to kick in. for those that don’t know, it is this overwhelming impulse to jump on the next plane home, which is difficult seeing them fly over work to Heathrow everyday. Everything is easier at home, traveling anywhere, work, socializing all easier at home… London is another way of life I suppose, but that doesn’t help a whole lot.
Homesickness is not knowing how to get exactly where you want to go without asking or looking at your trusty A-Z. It’s being given directions to places which involve turn left after the third McDonalds. Homesickness is not knowing where to go for a few drinks, what time they stop letting you in or what time they close. Its having to put aside an entire day to have coffee with a friend. It’s knowing exactly where you stand at your job, or knowing exactly what’s expected of you! It’s not being surrounded by family and friends and having to stand on your own two feet...
We went through the state rooms and the banquet room all laid out like it would for a state banquet. Gold and silver... complete with 6 glasses each!!! Talk about over the top!!
After walking through the palace we took a leisurely stroll through the gardens, straight to the gift shop :) nothing like a £5 key ring to top off your day!
After being asked AGAIN what part of Australia I’m from, Mum and I went and had a pub lunch then home for mum to pack to get out to the airport on time.
With Mum leaving, Lindsay being in Europe and no more travel planned for a while, home sickness has started to kick in. for those that don’t know, it is this overwhelming impulse to jump on the next plane home, which is difficult seeing them fly over work to Heathrow everyday. Everything is easier at home, traveling anywhere, work, socializing all easier at home… London is another way of life I suppose, but that doesn’t help a whole lot.
Homesickness is not knowing how to get exactly where you want to go without asking or looking at your trusty A-Z. It’s being given directions to places which involve turn left after the third McDonalds. Homesickness is not knowing where to go for a few drinks, what time they stop letting you in or what time they close. Its having to put aside an entire day to have coffee with a friend. It’s knowing exactly where you stand at your job, or knowing exactly what’s expected of you! It’s not being surrounded by family and friends and having to stand on your own two feet...
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