As of now, I’ve been in New Zealand for a full month. A little over, actually. Crazy.
It doesn’t feel that long. Partly because I’m south of Auckland for the first time this trip. I’ve done “heaps” of stuff so far, but there’s so much more on the agenda that I’m excited about.
A month in feels like a good time for a temperature check. There’s obviously some fun verbal/pronunciation items that I’ve noticed – all vowels have a different sound; “wh” = “f”; they refer to a pharmacy as “the chemist” which is sweet.
There’s also random things like everybody having a compost pile, being able to sign a receipt in pencil, and bathrooms having a heat switch (genius). The biggest standout, though, is the “No worries” culture. Kiwis in general are so pleasant and helpful. When asking your opinion, the phrasing is even, “Are you happy to/if/when/with…” It’s a subtle, yet big difference in the way an American would direct that type of question. I’ve been wondering why that’s the case.
Is it because there are inherently less complications for a country with a population roughly the size of Kentucky? Are infrastructure, health care, and agriculture industries easier to institute and maintain because they service substantially fewer people? It must be simpler just being an island, period. Also, less political pressure on the world stage – no question. I’m not sure if any of those factors actually affect an American’s day to day happiness levels though. Like, sure, there’s a certain amount of face-palm embarrassment based on Trump’s tweet for the day but that’s not creating a palpable negativity that limits me from carrying on with my life. Is that a dismissive attitude? It could be a sad realization that the US standard is, shall we say, less encouraging than other countries.
They do have their own issues here – Mauri relations, housing prices, fishing regulations. While they’re important, things of that nature don’t seem to have a prying impact on life.
I was having a conversation with my most recent Workaway hosts. I guess they were more bickering to me about their recent trip to the US while I sat and listened politely. They complained about the food scene in New York. That they didn’t get a consistent recommendation after asking a handful of people where to eat. As if there should have been a clear favorite among the thousands of restaurants in the city. I mentioned the sheer scale and diversity of a single neighborhood in a place that size, which didn’t quell their dispute. They brought up tip culture and claimed that restaurant workers being predominantly women and minorities — whose low wages need to be supplemented by everyday customers — was a new form of slavery. Wow. Mouth agape. Persnickety people content in their perception that what they like is right, not just different. Other cultures offer a variety of differences in everything – tastes, opportunities, values. The beauty of traveling is experiencing those differences, not passing judgement on them. Of course you might have a preference, but that’s not set in stone as the best thing for everybody else. And if I’m being honest, for a so-called “foodie,” the meals I had ranked last out of all the Workaways I’ve been to date. But that’s just my preference.
At least they had one of the sweetest dogs on the planet.
Anyway, I digressed big time there. But I think I landed on what I was looking for. Perception being the reason behind happiness. I mean, some of the most kind and down to earth people I’ve met have been those with the “less desirable” jobs. I was hitchhiking and got picked up by a painter on his way into work. He said he’s lived here all his life and isn’t going anywhere because “why leave paradise?” Can’t argue with that.
I guess it could be something in the air though. The ocean breeze mixing with volcanic fumes to create some sort of euphoric oxygen compound. Is that science? Nah. That’s most certainly not a real thing. But it’s still nice.
The ultimate question is: how can you change your perception? It’s pretty easy to get bogged down in the shitty details of this or that. Wiser to just focus on the simple things that are positively influencing your daily life. Priorities, man. No worries.