Taken for Granted

I (Rob) spent my first days off shopping yesterday and today. Unfortunately we found out a couple of days ago that we have to buy a washer, a dryer and a fridge. We thought they were going to be provided, but....guess not. So there cuts out around $5000 from what we would have for a car.

Buying a car has been challenging. All the brands are there, but the models are different. It is hard to know what car to trust and what we really need. All cars are smaller here in general. I saw a car today. Toyota Estima. It is New Zealand's version of the Previa. It was a decent car, but may have had a gasket leak, so I think I may hold off. I may be keen on a Mazda MPV at this point. We are looking to spend 12,000 NZD or less on it.

Yesterday was shopping for curtains. Who would have thought that could be hard? We went to three stores, looked at 17 billion fabrics, ready-mades, verticals, ventians, etc. We finally picked a mix of cheapy curtains and nice ones. I also decided to get an Iphone yesterday. The bummer being, you can't get it right away. I have to wait a few more days for them to ship it to me. Stores don't keep much stock here, so we have to learn to wait a couple days to get things. I guess this is delayed gratification.

I also went looking for many of the electronics we need today. What an overwhelming experience! Not only is everything super expensive, but there are so many brands and choices that I don't know. I am realising (that's how they spell it here) how much I take for granted the familiar things. You really don't think about how much you value something until you don't have it. Here there are different cars, stores, words and ways. It will take time to bring my attention to what I have gained over what I have lost. Interesting how life happens that way.

So I bought nothing today besides a laundry basket and a proper size coffee mug (total sale? 26 bucks!), came home and had a beer. A Monteith's Radler Bier.

A nice nose, fruity light and tart finish. Here's the description:

MONTEITH'S LEMON AND LIME FLAVOURED RADLER® is a refreshing fruity lager, based on the style brewed in Bavaria in the 1920's. In search of an invigorating brew, locals developed an easy drinking lager bier with a citrus twist - flavoured with lemon and lime. Monteith's Radler® faithfully recreates the experience, brewed to full strength with distinctive hoppy notes, a hint of natural lemon juice and a zesty citrus finish.

It added insult to injury when we found out our container is now delayed! It won't arrive to port till 3 May. That will be quite a bummer. It will delay our move in a bit and ultimately the feeling of settling in.

We are staying in Baker 6, one of the camp accommodations. It is one of the nicer spots, but not super comfortable. I look forward to having the "Colo:pete" back and to sit in the corner and relax. For now, I'm going to open another Radler and relax. Overall, we have much for which we are thankful. We have shelter, food and clothing. We have each other and that's more than most. We'll try not to take that for granted. Cheers!