I'm going home tomorrow! What?!? I did New Zealand for five months, and in 24 hours I'll be quitting cold turkey. No more driving on the wrong side of the road, no more adorable Kiwi accents, and no more Tim Tams. If I ask myself how I feel about the States after being away for so long, the answers sort of come to me in lists...
- Top ten things I missed about America:
1. Diners
2. American slang
3. Summer in July
4. Paper towels (Kiwis don't really do paper towels)
5. Separation of church and state (in New Zealand you can't buy alcohol on Easter, Good Friday, or Christmas. Why??)
6. Jews
7. Decent prices (gas, food, clothes, manicures, books...you name it, it's cheaper in the States)
8. Real cities
9. Reasonably sized roads
10. People whose entire perception of New Jersey does not come from Jersey Shore
- Top ten things I like about New Zealand:
1. The drinking age
2. Getting paid time-and-a-half for working on a public holiday
3. The natives (Maoris) haven't been reduced to alcoholism and the gambling business
4. White people do manual labor
5. Men are allowed to wear short shorts
6. There's like 3 roads in the whole country, therefore it's nearly impossible to get lost
7. All the travellers
8. Coffee shops that aren't Starbucks
9. It's not hated by the rest of the world
10. Sweet accents
An important (and slightly disturbing) part of my trip was talking to non-Americans about how they view the US.
- Ten most common perceptions of America:
1. Fat/lazy
2. Loud/rude
3. Ignorant about anything that takes place outside US borders
4. Uneducated in the history of other countries
5. Lots of fast food
6. Gullible
7. Big fat political bullies
8. Everyone owns a gun
9. Ridiculous oil consumption
10. War-causing
I don't want to blog about how I feel about all these accusations, but I think they're important for us to think about. What I will say is that Australia has recently become fatter than the US, which is either good for us or really really bad for them.
(I did, however, meet a very experienced psychologist who loved Americans. He explained that because of the liberal parenting philosophy, American kids end up being more creative and free-thinking. Basically, he believes that kids 'round the world should have the freedom to talk back to their parents the way us Americans do.)
I've made one more list, a list of my favorite New Zealand memories.
- Top ten best (bloggable) NZ experiences:
1. Making amazing friends
2. Learning from and about all those amazing friends
3. Going out in Queenstown
5. Driving the spectacular road in the Coromandel
6. Sunbathing on Onetangi Beach, Waiheke Island
7. Eating Cinema Paradiso's freshly baked cookies in Wanaka (seriously, they were that good)
8. Bungy jumping off Karawau Bridge
9. Zorbing in Rotorua
10. Staying at the Global Village in Greymouth
I think the most important part of this trip was the growing up. I genuinely believe I came to New Zealand a teenager and am leaving an adult. I made my own money, did my own laundry, cooked my own food, made my own plans. Despite the independence, I was never really alone. The New Zealand backpacker community truly thrives nationwide. Not one story I have begins with "I," because there was always someone to join forces with, whether for a few days or just an hour or two. Coming here was without a doubt the best decision I've ever made. I hope one day I'll return to this beautiful country and see everything I didn't have time for on this trip.
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