New Zealand: The Doctoral Candidate Years

I didn’t want to jinx the whole process but I’ve been jumping through hoops for the last year to get here and it finally happened. I am now in a PhD program at Lincoln University in New Zealand. I am doing comparative case studies between the Maori and Mapuche and I just met with my advisors today.

The NPR has been registered at the local high school where she will be sporting a “winter kilt” as part of her daily uniform.

We arrived here on her 15^th birthday and were greeted by snow flurries and icy rain. Since arriving, I’ve managed to locate the nearest Indian restaurant, join the local library, acclimate to driving on the wrong side of the road and familiarize myself with centigrade, kilometers and centimeters.

Yesterday the NPR and I got up close and personal with some lemurs at the local wildlife park. We saw some kiwis in their nocturnal house and I chased after some wallabies while the NPR laughed at my inability to coerce them into a photo op.

We have almost completely settled into our small house here in Lincoln Township and are just awaiting a wi-fi hook up. The house came with a sofa, desk and a couple of chairs. It smelled faintly of expired mouse when we moved in but that has been eradicated by several overzealous Glade air fresheners which take their scenting duties very seriously.

Several people have asked if I’m Canadian and I’ve since learned it’s because the Canadians become rather irate if someone mistakes them for American so people around here try to play it safe.

Although it’s really cold out, several men in town still wear shorts and show off their pasty legs. Everything else on them makes sense; sweaters, waterproof shoes with wool socks. I guess that’s how you prove your mettle as a Kiwi male.

They are laying down a new broadband line in town and I stepped out of the house one morning to find a bunch of blue-jumpered young men milling about in my yard. When I returned from running errands two of them were sprawled out in my grass while the rest were sipping on something hot from their thermoses. They don’t speak to me but as soon as I go into the house they become very lively in their conversations. I guess I’ll have to go to the local pub if I want to be spoken to.