Mary Newman's Blog, page 7

Surviving the Wet

This has been a less than typical spring in Northeast Oklahoma. We're used to rain here in the spring, but not quite like this. Some of our lakes are well above their normal levels and locally, there's still quite a bit of flooding.

Which is why I'm sitting on my little hilltop instead of traveling like I normally would by this time of year. Well, that and the fact poor Myrtle has probably traveled her last. I had such high hopes for her, but living and traveling in an almost 30 year old RV when you're not mechanically inclined is a bit of pipe dream.

The good news is all the rain and lack of traveling means I've sat at my laptop and written, and written, and written. I've published a new book a couple of days ago - Following Fael, Book 2 in The Hashani series - and written two others that still need to go through the editing/beta reading process.

Hopefully, the wet will eventually die down or out, but the writing will continue since I've got a couple of other ideas that will need to come to life.

Kiwis are People, Too

My first excursion outside of the U.S. was a trip to Christchurch, New Zealand in July and August of this year, to visit with a stepson and his wife. You would think since both America and New Zealand are English-speaking nations, there wouldn't be a communication barrier. Well, I didn't think there would be, at least. I've since been educated.

The first inkling I had that I wasn't in Kansas (or Oklahoma) anymore occurred when my stepson picked me up at the airport. New Zealand drives to the left, just like Australia and Britain. Do you know how hard it is not to bury your head in your lap when you feel as if you're going to hit the oncoming traffic? I'm sure I've left fingernail marks in the door of my stepson's car.

I already knew there were some differences in the language, since I'm a pretty avid reader. The simple things like biscuits are cookies were expected. However, the evening my daughter-in-law's father came out of the kitchen and asked me if I'd like a "hottie", I know I had a deer in the headlights look on my face. How do you answer a question when you're not sure you're being offered what you think you are? As it turns out, I was not being offered a sexy young man, but a hot water bottle to curl up with and take the chill off.

Chips are fries. Not necessarily the skinny french fries I was used to, either. Think more in the line of a steak fry. However the flavor is not something you've ever tasted if you're used to American fast food. Think crispier, more tender, and lots more flavor. Fish and chips became one of my favorite meals. My daughter-in-law did relate the experience she'd had years earlier when she'd visited the states. She'd ordered a burger and "chips" and was unimpressed when the waitress brought her potato chips.

My next life lesson was that everything is metric. When the weatherman says its going to be 17 degrees outside, don't go looking for your parka; a jacket, maybe. That's about 62 degrees for those of us used to the fahrenheit version of temperatures. I found that while shopping at the grocery store, no one is going to sell you anything by the pound; learn how much a kilo, gram and litre are. When the road sign says 100, that's not miles; think kilometers. 100 kph isn't that fast, only about 63 mph.

Native New Zealanders refer to themselves as Kiwis. A kiwi is also a flightless, nocturnal bird, and a green-fleshed fruit. Just pay attention when someone says "kiwi", though, and you'll catch on quickly who or what they're referring to. I also learned that Kiwi's have a fantastic sense of humor and a wonderful fighting spirit. My visit occurred about a year after the last big earthquake in Christchurch. They are rebuilding buildings as well as lives, all the while laughing with and at themselves. They are a great people.

Three weeks after I'd left America's West coast, I returned; with an accent. Not my normal Okie, southern accent; I'd picked up several kiwisms, which coupled with my normal way of speaking could best be described as a "Southern Kiwi". My family is still laughing and saying "what?" as they try to understand me now.