It seems a strange phenomena that I often find myself struggling to understand the New Zealanders even though we speak the same language. Sometimes asking a Kiwi to repeat something leaves you even more confused than you were before they repeated it. I find the best way to communicate is to periodically ask them to spell whatever the heck they just said. The only problem with that is if you are talking to a Kiwi who can't spell.

Communicating becomes much easier after you learn the differences in what things are called. For example if a kiwi says, Grab your jandals and your togs and I'll meet you at the beach, they mean, Grab your sandals and your swimming suit and I'll meet you at the beach.

Sometimes they throw out phrases like "sweet as mate" (no I did not spell that middle word wrong). Sweet As means : I confirm that whatever you are proposing is good. They don't have friends here they have mates.

If you choose to wave at someone on the street they might say something like, "how you goin?" That does not mean what form of transportation are you using to get from here to wherever you are going, it just means how are you.

If someone asks you if want some chips don't expect them to hand you a bag of your favorite sour cream and cheddar chips. Instead, they'll hand you french fries.

If you had a lot of shoes in your closet don't tell a kiwi " I have lots of shoes in my closet" say, " I have heaps of shoes in my closet."

Candy is called Lollies, and 'good on you' is a way to congratulate on a job well done.

I'm starting to catch on, slowly and will probably have it down by the time I get home. I love the Kiwi language. :)

ARe you Read for a TIM TAM SLAM?

Last week we had Tim Tam Slam Tuesday. Tim Tam's are really good chocolate cookies filled with chocolate or caramel or raspberry or anything really. THey're native to New Zealand. This is how you have a TIm Tam Slam Party:

First, you ride your bikes to your friends house and park them in the back.

Next, you whip out the Tim Tams

Get the Milo. Milo is an energy drink that all Kiwi kids love. It's basically chocolate milk. You heat up the water and put a couple spoonful's of Milo in the cup and stir it up.

Next you add cold milk so the milo is the perfect temperature and creaminess.

You then proceed to bite off two diagonal ends of your favorite Tim Tam.

Dip the Tim Tam in your Milo and suck through it, using it as a straw. Once the Tim Tam becomes slightly melted, eat it and ENJOY.

Most people think this is the best way to enjoy a Tim Tam. I think it makes for a great party at Helen's, but I prefer my Tim Tam's hard and crunchy, not soggy.

click here to see photos


Well my first week in Invercargill has been so eventful! The first day I got here I went to the river and showed off my knee-boarding skills to a bunch of old (by old I mean in their 30's) men who were saying knee boarding from the middle of the lake instead of the shore was too hard. I showed them! I biked to the beach (9 miles) and back, swam with dolphins and met some of the most interesting people in my life! On Sunday I played the piano in Sacrament Meeting for my first time. I was really nervous but my new friend Tori (she is 3 years old) Walked up and sat right down beside me and began playing the closing Hymn with me. It was really funny and nobody could hear my mistakes over her pounding! I ride my bike everywhere including church and most of the time I like it. The bruises on my butt are almost healed. We had a picnic with the branch yesterday where I did a sack race, egg throw, wheel-barrow race, and 3 legged race (which are all things I haven't done in a long time!) We played volleyball with the branch on Friday for 3 hours--volleball with the polynesians is BRUTAL! But it was fun. I learned how to play touch Rugby and I ate pavlova. It's a dessert that tasts like foam with cream and fruit on top.

Tomorrow will be my real day of Adventure New Zealand 101. We're doing confidence exercises in the pool and then by next week we'll be learning kayaking, surfing, rock climbing and tramping.

I live with the sweetest lady in the world. Helen von Randow is her name and she is magical. She cooks the best meals and has the most interesting life history. She's so sweet to Janessa (my flatmate) and I, we really love her. I have some pictures of her home and our room and her dogs. Janessa fell on a slide in Christchurch and got her tooth knocked out--it was really funny. She has a temporary denture for now and will fix her self permanently once we get home. The weather here is beautiful! I love every minute of it!