Blog 5: Cultural Immersion
- Jennifer
- Mar 4, 2024
- 5 min read
Updated: Mar 6, 2024
● Talk about your experiences immersing in the local culture, including food, language, and interactions with locals.
● Highlight any cultural events or festivals you've attended.
I have spent the first few weeks here trying to plan what I would like to do each weekend and what I should save for during the school's Easter break. The couple I am staying with has had differing ideas and has tried to create a schedule for me to fill my weekends since there is not much time after school to do anything before places close for the night. I have still yet to solidify a plan, but I am more comfortable with the idea of finding places to go out on my own. I have gotten a lot planned for during the Easter break and am excited to get more immersed in their culture at that time.
On my first weekend, I went to Howick Beach, Cockle Bay Beach, Howick Village, a car show, and Piha Beach. After school on Friday, Marilyn picked me up and took me down to see Howick Beach on our way home. The tide was very far out but it is the beach within walking distance to their house and I wanted to see it still. Afterward, we went and picked up fish and chips, and drove to Cockle Bay Beach to eat there. This beach had a larger grassy area to sit and eat at. The tide was still a ways out though as seen in the picture below. Fish and chips at the beach on Friday afternoons is a common occurrence for many families in this area. Russell and Marilyn might not go to the beach each week, but they will go to the same little shop to buy the meal.
Saturday, I walked up to Howick Village with Russell and Marilyn to meet a couple of their friends at a coffee shop. It was a longer walk than I expected based on what they had suggested, but so is the walk to school so I should have been more prepared. I enjoyed the little cafe and hope to go back on my own at some point to fully enjoy the markets around the area. The next day, we went to a small car show while on our way to Piha Beach. Russell and I had talked a little about cars and was excited to take me to this show, especially since it included American cars whereas the other one later on focuses on European cars. Next, we drove to the west coast to Piha Beach, a popular black sand beach for surfing. Swimming is not advised because of how rough the waters are. Lion and Camel Rock are along the beach. They are both named based on the appearance of the animal when viewed from a certain angle. The images I took of these areas don't show it clearly, but the Lion can be seen when you are looking for it, especially if you find the divot for the eye first. We didn't spend much time here, but I was able to see the black sand and the views as we drove down the winding road to get there which were remarkable.
On my second weekend, I went to the Chinese New Year Lantern Festival and Botany Towne Center, a shopping mall. Marilyn and I went to their Chinese New Year Lantern Festival on Saturday night. Russell dropped us off though because there was very limited parking. There were so many people at the festival that Marilyn did not want to stay too long. We watched a few dances on the main stage, walked around to see the lanterns, and got food from the booth with the shortest line. The dumplings and kebabs were incredible, but I did not like the dessert I tried. It was gelatin-based and too slimy to find enjoyable. I ended up just picking the fruit out. Watching the dances was my favorite part. Each dance was introduced by the area the dancers were representing and the type of dance they would be performing.
The next day, we were going to go to the museum but I mentioned to Marilyn that I would like to be able to take my time and read about each item in the museum. We decided to go to the mall and get lunch instead and I would go to the museum on my own the next weekend. We walked around the mall together and tried a chicken restaurant neither of us had tried before. I thought the food was really good, and liked their peach tea. It was a fun mix of fast food and a sit-down restaurant. Everyone ordered in the same spot and then went and found somewhere to sit and the food was brought out to us. The mall itself was bigger than I had expected because I was told it would be disappointing compared to American malls. However, I thought it was bigger and nicer because of the openness in the center where the food court area was.
This past weekend, I went to the Auckland War Memorial Museum and spent time at home trying to catch up on homework while the couple I am with was gone. It was a good decision to go on my own because I spent four hours there until they closed and took over 800 pictures. There were three floors with various galleries on each. My favorite was their top floor which was designated for the wars. It was interesting to learn about World Wars 1 and 2 from their perspectives. They also had sections on this floor designated to the Holocaust, Regimental Colors, The Boar Wars, and New Zealand at War. Other galleries included Stories of Auckland, Pacific Masterpieces and Lifeways, Māori Court, Volacanos, Ancient Worlds, Māori Natural History, Arts of Asia, Origins, Weird and Wonderful, and an Imaginarium.
Foods specific to New Zealand that I have tried so far include pavlova, L&P, sparkling lemonade, hokey-pokey ice cream, and fish and chips. Pavlova is a dessert that Marilyn and Russell made for me on my first night here. It is a light and airy dessert that has cool whip and fruit on top. L&P and sparkling lemonade are types of drinks. L&P is Lemon & Paero, it is a lemon-flavored pop that I initially thought was similar to Sprite. However, their sparkling lemonade is actually more similar to Sprite. I am not sure I would be able to tell the difference between the two. Other foods I haven't tried yet that I have been told to try include hangi, mince and cheese/steak and cheese pies, manuka honey, chocolate fish, feijoa, cheeses, and trumpet ice creams. Hangi is a Māori method where they cook food underground. Over Easter break, I will be going down to Rotorua where I have booked a dinner outing that will be done in this manner.
For language and interactions with others, I haven't talked to many people outside of the teachers and couple that I am staying with. When I converse with others, it tends to be short, they have commented on my accent, knowing I am from America, and just asked why I am here and how long. Most will give me ideas of places they feel I need to visit while I am here. I have loved this extra interaction that helps me with my planning.
A few words that stick out as different than what I am used to are:
trash can - rubbish bin
ground beef- mincemeat
french fries- (hot) chips
shrimp- (shrimp) prawn
cookie-biscuit
candy- lollies
fast food/takeout- takeaways
cooler- chilly bag
paper cutter- guillotine
flashlight-torch
sweater- jersey
flip flops-jandles
trunk- boot
windshield-windscreen
blinker- indicator
hitch-towbar
highway-motorway
parking lot/driveway- carpark
sidewalk-footpath
cart-trolley
convience store- dairy
pharmacy-chemist
high school- college
middle school-intermediate school
elementary school-primary school
college-university
first floor-ground floor (1st floor is 2nd)
vacation-holiday
period-full stop
Another thing I noticed is their use of British English for spelling such as organise instead of organize.