Our Biggest Adventure in KiwiLand!

(This photo was taken at about 11 weeks)

In case you haven't already heard, we're expecting an addition to the Gilbert clan in April 2012, making me almost 13 weeks now! We are very excited as we begin this new adventure, but there is so much to learn.

In New Zealand, your primary maternity provider is typically a midwife if you have an uncomplicated pregnancy. You can pay for an obstetrician if you choose, but care provided by a midwife is free. If at any point in the pregnancy the midwife notices something of concern, she refers the mom to a specialist (at no cost). I was a bit hesitant at first about using a midwife when I'm used to the idea of medical doctors. When we first found out, I asked a friend who she had as a midwife, and she told me the name of a woman who also delivered several babies of 2 other women in the church. When I looked on the list of midwives I had, it said she only takes return clients. So I called her, said I know these 3 ladies who say she's the best, it's my first pregnancy, and will you please make an exception?? And she did! I have met with her twice and really like her; she has over 30 years of experience so I feel comfortable with that.

I have unfortunately experienced the lovely side effect of morning sickness that usually reappears late afternoon. It was quite unpleasant for several weeks, and I dreaded being one of the unlucky ones for whom it lasts 9 months! However, I am happy to say it is definitely diminishing in frequency and intensity, so I am hoping to enjoy this next phase a bit more. I have also been surprised at how much more rest I need! I don't often nap or lie down during the day, but I find it to be a necessity most days now. In a way, I think it's God's way of saying "You'll be busy enough in several months...take this rest now and enjoy it!" Kris has been very supportive by helping pick up the extra work that I normally do, but he feels so bad that he can't do anything to make me feel better.

We have had two scans now, one to check how far along I was and to determine my due date, and a screening one at about 12 weeks. The picture from the first one was labelled "Baby", but it hardly looked like more than a spiky little bean. But just 4 weeks later it was clear to see a small, kicking little boy or girl on the screen! What an amazing experience that really helped us realize the miracle of what is happening! Our next scan will be at 20 weeks, the point when we could find out the sex of the baby if we want to. We are undecided on this, but I think we will probably just wait and be surprised!

We are blessed to have such wonderful, supportive people around us, both here and back home, people who will help us in many ways as we embark on this exciting new journey of parenthood!

Our new digs

Just over a month ago, Kris and I moved out of the big old house and into a tiny studio flat in Petone, the suburb nearest the waterfront. The unit is one of two behind a house owned by the landlord; he's a funny Dutch guy who is very particular but very helpful. When we moved in the front unit was occupied, but they moved out within a week; Albert offered us the chance to switch while it was empty, and we agreed. For just a little bit extra, we have quite a bit more space and storage than the other side. With that said, it's still just one room with kitchen, lounge, and bedroom all in one. It's in a nice neighborhood, just a short walk to the beach and to all the cafes and shopping on Jackson Street. We are especially enjoying the fact that rent includes Sky TV and all utilities, so we can run the heat pump as often and as high as we want! We have had to store quite a bit of our things, as this place is fully furnished and doesn't have much wardrobe space, but it will be a temporary place for us (not more than 6 months). It also doesn't have a full stove and oven, just a hot plate and a borrowed countertop convection oven, which requires some creative planning with cooking.

All in all, we are loving this new neighborhood, and just being on our own again after more than a year of shared accommodations. Here are a few photos of the new place:

Snow Day!

Yes, I said Snow Day! For the first time in 40 years, the Wellington region had snow for 2 consecutive days, along with strong icy winds, rain, hail, thunder and lightning. This is a country that has emergency plans for earthquakes, floods, fires, you name it...but not for snow in Wellington. Where we live is very hilly, with steep windy roads and steep driveways that are not built for freezing conditions. So when the ground was covered with a few centimeters of snow (yes, just a few centimeters) and the streets with ice, things shut down! Schools up in the hills closed, and some on the valley floor closed because teachers couldn't make it to work.

Obviously snow is nothing new for us, but it has been fun to see how excited everyone is over it! Kids (and grown-ups) making snow balls and snow men, enjoying 2 unexpected days off of school (which made things quite difficult for their parents who work).

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/5451951/Snow-in-Wellington-Aerial-photos#share

Hen's Night

Yes, I said "hen's night". What is that, you say? That is the Kiwi version of a bachelorette party. The male counterpart, or bachelor party, is referred to as a "stag do." Last weekend I attended the pre-wedding festivities for one of the youth leaders in the church, including a "kitchen tea" (AKA bridal shower) and the hen's night.

Having attended many and recently been through my own, I was curious how it would compare to what I have experienced in America. I found that it was actually quite similar! The kitchen tea involved the ever-popular toilet paper wedding dress contest (with a few added frills), the "memorize the items on a platter" game, contributing a favorite recipe, and kitchen-related gifts. We also played a traditional Kiwi game called "Pass the parcel", which is played at children's parties. You pass a wrapped package around the circle to music, and when the music stops, the person holding it unwraps a layer, finding a small piece of candy taped to the next layer of wrapping. The music resumes, the package is passed, and the process is repeated over and over until the gift is finally revealed.

The hen's night games included another toilet paper dress contest, writing the order of events in planning a wedding, the one where the bride answers questions about her groom the way he answered them, a fun "what if" game, and a scavenger hunt of sorts. We went out and took photos doing silly things like the congo line across the street, standing in the roundabout, sitting with a group of strangers at their dinner table...while wearing the bridal veil and sash. It was fun to be a part of my first hen's night, and it reminded me of my own festivities not so long ago!

In other news, my job is going well. I enjoy the random odd jobs I do for it and I enjoy the women I work with. I drive their work vehicles occasionally, so yesterday I finally got my New Zealand driver's license! We are looking forward to Kris' parents coming for a visit in a month as well.

Random note: I have found A&W root beer (made in Malaysia) and Reese's Peanut Butter cups at the Asian market. Seems a strange place to find those things, but it makes me happy!

Finally, a job!

We have now been in New Zealand for over 6 months! It is hard to believe; at times it seems like longer than that. We do feel quite settled, which is the question we are asked most often.

The big news is that I now have a job! I am working in the office of Open Home Foundation, a Christian social work organization in downtown Lower Hutt. I will be working 10 hours a week, on Tuesday mornings and Thursday afternoons. This is totally an answer to prayer in every way! I found out about the job when the lady who I am replacing came by the church office one day when I was there to inform them that OHF was looking for someone for this position. Since I was there, she gave me name and phone number of the person to call. I did so, and she talked to the boss about me. That weekend, I spent further time talking with this lady about the job, which she painted in a great light. The next week I filled out the application, which was unlike any other application I have ever filled out. They asked things like, "What does being a Christian mean to you?" and "How does your mission/vision/values fit in with ours?" (which were very Christ--centered). I went in for an interview the next week, and again I was asked some unique questions. They called the next day and offered me the job, and I accepted right away! The hours are perfect: enough, but not so much that I can't keep doing the things I'm already doing. The location is perfect: right by the bus stop. The environment is perfect: the ladies are all very friendly, and we start each day with a praise, prayer, and devotional time.

It has been worth waiting this long to find the right job! I started this past week, training with the lady I'm replacing, and I think it will be a great thing.

Camp, Easter, & the coming of Winter

The weekend before Easter Knox had its first family camp in years at El Rancho, less than an hour from Lower Hutt on the west coast. Many asked us if we have church camps back home, to which we replied that they look pretty much the same as the one here. Bunks, the large mess hall, a confidence course and other outdoor activities, a cafe and canteen, music, and even the "camp concert" (like a talent show). It rained most of Saturday (the kids didn't mind at all), which led to most of the adults spending time in conversation and indoor games. It was a really neat time where we were able to get to know some people better than we could have on a Sunday morning after church. The speaker, a man in the church who runs Global Volunteer Network, spoke to us about loving God with our whole hearts. After 3 sessions, there was definitely a sense of renewed desire to grow closer to God. The highlight of Saturday evening's camp concert was an original composition of "God Loves Scandinavians" played on the piano accordion!

In New Zealand, Good Friday and Easter are public holidays, as well as Easter Monday. In addition, this year Easter Monday falls on ANZAC Day (Australia New Zealand Army Corps), the day when they remember the fallen soldiers at Gallipoli. As a result, everything was closed on Friday, Sunday, and at least the first half of Monday. I found it interesting that in the US, a "Christian nation", we no longer celebrate Good Friday as a public holiday. Here, because Easter is a long weekend (and this year at the end of the 2-week school holiday), many people go away for awhile.

On Thursday, Knox had a Tenebrae service; it was a contemplative service alternating readings from the Gospels with singing a verse from "When I Survey" with moments of reflection, with the lights gradually dimming throughout the service. After the last reading, the lights went out to signify to death of Jesus...but only briefly. To end the service, a candle was lit to remind us that it didn't stay dark for long. Friday morning we had a Good Friday service, which was more of a traditional family service. On Sunday we had a combined service in the big hall, complete with a child dedication. After service, we had the pastor and his wife over, as well as a new friend, an American girl who is going to university in Wellington. I made a ham (my first one), and sweet potato casserole, which they eyed suspiciously...it seemed quite strange to them that you would combine "sweet and savory" foods like kumara (sweet potato) and marshmallows!

In other news...winter has arrived. It has been cold and raining, and thus it is cold and damp in the house. No insulation + no central heat + humidity = me wearing lots of layers in the house! We just purchased an electric blanket and are looking forward to using it!

A taste of New Zealand

It has been brought to my attention that I am overdue for another blog entry; I often forget to write when we don't have any trips or events to tell about. Well, the other night we had an event that triggered an idea in my mind--the foods we have come to like and dislike in NZ, and the foods we miss most from the US.

There is a great farmer's market in town that runs every Saturday year round, and the produce is half the cost of the produce in the stores. Last week, we decided we should be a bit adventurous and try some new, unknown items, so we picked up passion fruit and tamarillos. We're still waiting to try the passion fruit since it wasn't ripe yet, but we did go for the tamarillos. They are small reddish-orange "fruits" in the tomato, potato, eggplant, and bell pepper family:

When we bit into them we almost spit it back out! I just can't even explain the taste, but it's not one I want to experience again. Maybe it was bad because we expected them to be sweet like fruit! We have learned some new names for some produce as well: zucchini = courgette, bell pepper = capsicum, Swiss chard = silverbeet, sweet potato = kumara. Sometimes I come across US recipes where it's hard (or impossible) to find the equivalent here. Like graham crackers--I have not been able to find them anywhere! I know, this is tragic!

Feijoas are another unique Kiwi fruit. You cut them in half and scoop out the inside, like a kiwifruit. They are like a combination between a kiwifruit, pear, and apple...yet that doesn't quite describe it. I heard someone at church today describe it as "sandy perfume"! Kris likes them, but the jury is still out for me. We did make feijoa poppyseed muffins that were tasty!

Here are some other Kiwi foods that we like:

-Sausages: to be placed diagonally on a slice of white bread with onions and tomato sauce (ketchup); the "sausage sizzle" is the iconic Kiwi fundraiser event

-pavlova: a meringue-like dessert slathered with whipped cream, strawberries, and kiwifruit

-pies: as in meat pies! When you talk about pies here, it's not referring to fruit pies. Rather, it's small meat and veggie filled pastry crust, like mini pot pies

A Kiwi food we don't particularly like:

-Marmite: similar to VegeMite (the Australian version); it's a yeast spread that they put on toast or crackers. Thick, dark, salty, very strong!

What we miss from the US:

-Lucky Charms and Peanut Butter Captain Crunch!

-Cheetos and Fritos

-Rubio's fish tacos

-the bottomless cup of coffee

-flavored coffee creamer (not the powdered kind)

-Jiff peanut butter

-Kraft mac and cheese

-Dairy Queen blizzards

All in all, it has been a good culinary experience so far. One of my first big trips to the grocery store, I was almost in tears--overwhelmed by the different brands and names for things, the prices, learning a new place and new measurements. I have come a long ways! Sometimes I have to improvise, but that's what cooking is all about. Mom bought me my first Kiwi cookbook, and I look forward to trying out some new recipes here, and when we come back for a visit.