With Love, NEw ZEALAND
Hemraj
“You might go through a BIG culture-shock, so you need to be very understanding, cautious and patient”— that’s one piece of advice I vividly remember, my eldest brother had given me as I was leaving my hometown to pursue my Master’s degree from Wellington, New Zealand. Before and during the travel I was a bit nervous, bubbling with anxiousness and my brother’s “heads-up notion” always ran at the back of my mind. By then all I knew was that it’s a country with a breath-taking landscape (straight out of your windows laptop wallpaper!), having a rich Maori culture and had one of the windiest city, and a land which witnessed the clashes of Gandalf, Sauron and Aragon. Apart from that I had little clue of what was coming.
As I stay exhausted and a little nervous waiting at the boarding gate (in Singapore, during the flight route from Singapore to New Zealand) for the plane to arrive, I could literally see the difference and observe an elated environment. The whole Kiwi mob that had gathered at the bay area, rarely looked stranger to each other. They smiled and greeted each other as if everyone knew everybody (including other foreigners). At one point, a young couple struggled to soothe her wailing baby, I saw a teen sitting two seats away coming to the couple’s rescue, offering her help, cuddling, playing and talking to the baby to calm her down.
“You might go through a BIG culture-shock, so you need to be very understanding, cautious and patient”
One of the things that still surprise me to this day is Kiwi’s often look genuinely happy and if you happen to lock your eyes with them there is a very high probability that they will smile at you. One of the striking thing that you’ll observe is that before you wish to jot straight to the business, people would like to strike a conversation and wish to know how your day was. Quite embarrassingly, I struggled in this area for first few weeks but once I warmed up to it I began loving to share snippets of my chores, activities and lifestyle and even more loved hearing theirs.
Another thing that really caught my attention is how the local commuters respect the bus drivers by greeting them as they enter and saying out loud “Thank You Driver!” when they exit. And believe me, I have been surprised at times when the bus driver has responded to me with a nod, thumps-up or raised hand sign as a good-bye. I might be wrong, but back where I come from or have visited places, these things are rarely seen probably because no one cares, indecency or doesn’t exist in a culture.
“A simple act of kindness” runs in New Zealand’s vein. I have found most of the people to be compassionate and kind towards other. A gentleman/woman from NZ can hold the door for others to pass even if the queue is as long as the great wall of china.
“A simple act of kindness” runs in New Zealand’s vein.
One of the greatest things that I have learned here is that people give priority to family and friends. One of the project manager during one of our discussion had stated “…I don’t like over-slogging. I like to finish my work by 6pm, and go home to my family…”. Our working hours may vary depending on the job profile, role or client requirement, but finding a time for family and friends is what really matters.
Another fascinating thing about New Zealand is that it’s community fosters socializing. Don’t be surprised if you find most of the restaurants and dining area crowded and noisy. You even might have to raise your voice tone to a 5-level-up for the acquaintance to hear you, who is sitting right in front of you. Interestingly, people here love being chatty and want to know real person inside you – what pushes you to be melodramatic, petrified, enliven or makes you despise. And as surprising as it may sound, but there is little or no boundary between a formal and informal talk.
…and there is a preferred cordial kiwi-way of giving a “light-hug” when friends are parting.
Quite embarrassingly once I remember, our weekly university classes had just ended and we were saying goodbyes to our classmates. As I extended my hand to shake theirs (something from my old habits I presumed, that it was a cordial was to say “goodbyes” among friends), my kiwi friends had a confused look on their faces. Only later I realized that shaking hands among friends are considered weird here and there is a preferred cordial kiwi-way of giving a “light-hug” when friends are parting.
Among all its uniqueness there is a sense of beauty, warmth and purity in New Zealand with which I am personally in love with. By now I am sure you must have grasped the significance of “New Zeal” in New Zealand, nevertheless, whether short-term, long-term, visiting for business or pleasure – New Zealand is a place to be! And as of now, my journey and experiences here has not ended….but it has just began.