How do you feel when you travel. Is there anything you adapt from other cultures? The Spanish siesta, some favourite dish or just being down-to-earth and take life as it goes? Here is my top 5 New Zealand things I love:
- ENJOY LIFE – Private life and family and friends are key and such an important factor. The always come first. Work is important but life is priority. If there is something with family or friends, they come first and community supports you. You enjoy your life and work needs to get done, but well, it could be done as well tomorrow or the day after if your friends feel like talking or are in town.
- MAKE IT EASY – Done is better than perfect. If is is pictures, videos, graphics for companies. Just get it done. It doesn’t have to be perfect. The important thing is more about the connection with other people. If you didn’t get it done you tell the other and they’ll understand. Don’t worry about it being perfect. You are a human being and should enjoy life. Just get it done and make it work.
- AFTER-WORK DRINKS – Celebrating and having drinks is quite a big thing. Well and there is as well morning tea at work at about 10.30/11am and there is afternoon tea at about 2pm when people get together and there is after work drinks. Yep, it is how it is and people still get work done with it being rather done than being perfect. It’s about the community
- COMMUNITY – Talking about drinks, getting together is a big thing. Having had my birthday this year in New Zealand I learnt that POTLUCK is quite common. As the birthday kid is it about the other talking care of you, bringing food and so on. Everybody brings just something and you are lucky if it works out well. Usually it is a super yummy and healthy combination, to go with a wine. It is never about one person cooking for all, it is about just bringing something you love. If you are just coming from work and didn’t have time to cook, it is all good. No judging. Community is a big thing. Like tree planting with your friends, going out with your friends and neighbours or just anything. You come spontaneously together, no matter from which culture you are, if you know each other or if you speak the same language, you are part of the community.
- SHARING IS CARING. New Zealanders share cars, food and everything you can think of. Maybe it is the island culture, maybe it is the community, whatever is it, you share and don’t care. I got everyday a new car key when my friends were like, oh just use my car anytime. There was always I car I could use everywhere I went and people wouldn’t mind. Never ever would this happen in the german culture. Giving your car key to a person you don’t know. At concerts there is security guides bringing you their private blanket from their car because you are cold, people handing you their rain jacket, giving you shoes when your are soaked and so on.
I do love to spread it to the world as this is such a good way of living life. The kiwi way.
See you tomorrow in Europe. Will spend there summer and probably the first time as well winter after skipping winter for a few years.
Michaela
