From the very beginning I’ve felt like an alien peering through a looking glass into the strange world on a island down under. I’ve heard a few other au pairs refer to me and my fellow Americans as the “united girls”. I am assuming that is short for United States girls. Either way, I found it very amusing. And although I played it safe this time and chose to throw myself into an english-speaking culture. There is far more that I don’t understand in the language itself than I would have anticipated.
I feel as though everyone who is unfamiliar with the NZ lifestyle, or more specifically people who have never been here, tend to ask me about the weirdest things that I’ve come across. And so I thought I would list a few out for those curious cats:
For instance, let us begin with some every day words that don’t exist here: jacket, outfit, oatmeal, laundry, sweet potato, bell pepper, rain boots, french fries, bath robe, parking lot.
Instead we have:
- “Jumpa” (Jumper)
- Clowthes (clothes)
- “Pooridge” (poridge)
- “The Wooshing” (the washing)
- “Koomara”- (Kumara)
- “Capsicoom”- (Capsicum vegetable)
- “Gaum Boots” (Gum boots)
- “Haute Chips” (Hot Chips)
- “Dressing Gown” (Dressing Gown)
- “Caw Park” (Car Park)
The other hilarious thing I have found is the irony of the American English language. We use the same word for so many things, and some of these words are used twice as a form of slang. For example, you could call a bathtub a tub for short, but then I would also call a plastic bin a plastic tub. I told the 4 year old boy that I am an au pair for the other day to look in the tub for the paint set. He calls me from the bathroom letting me know that the tub is empty and still cannot find the paint. I definitely LOL’s and realized what had happened there…
I love being immersed in a new culture that is not so foreign that I feel completely lost, but foreign enough to feel like i’m learning something new everyday. I can’t wait to find myself saying the same words as my host family and using the same phrases as them as well. If i’m lucky maybe i’ll even pick up an NZ accent of my own.
I would very much love that. But for now to all the locals, I am simply a “united girl” from California.
Joyful Thinking 