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. :)