Illegal and legal immigration (video)

A video showcasing stunning views of NZ nature, accompanied by background talking on immigration and a comparison of various countries' immigration policies and their outcomes.

(Russian)

The mp3 version of the video above.

Strange price aberrations

In Russia, there was a visible difference in price between New Balance and other sports brands. In NZ, prices for all sports brands like Puma, Adidas, New Balance, Nike, Asics, etc., are about the same. New Balance does not stand out from the line. I have no explanation for that, but looks logical – all the brands are about the same in terms of quality and have both basic (cheaper) and advanced (more expensive) models.

It's the same with Timberland. In Russia, at some point, Timberland became somewhat special, and prices jumped up. In NZ, it’s just yet another brand with the same prices as any other.

Probably, they have different price policies for different countries.

(Russian)

Pre-Christmas mood

I filmed the pre-Christmas atmosphere in our office. Kiwis, at least those I work with, when celebrating anything, often listen to songs by Eagles, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Dire Straits, Black Sabbath, etc. The songs that I also like. I filmed this because this specific performance of this particular song (Deep Purple - Child In Time) is, for me, one of humanity's greatest musical achievements. An eternal masterpiece. I’ve listened to it hundreds of times and know every single second of it.

This music has always been something personal to me, as I had never heard these songs anywhere except on my PC. Until I moved to NZ. They know. They like. They sing. They even play it themselves.

P.S. Our office billiard table is behind the wall to the right. The kitchen, with coffee, food, and drinks (including alcohol), is near to it. However, the culture here is a bit different – nobody gets drunk. One or two shots during a party, and that's it. Everyone goes home by car.

(Russian)

Immigrants' children

The Russian Duma recently prohibited non-Russian-speaking children from attending Russian schools. It's another mistake that will lead to more trouble in the future. These children will not integrate into society, and instead of gaining new Russian citizens, the country will face even more division than it already has. Yet another insane mistake. Nobody is surprised.

NZ solves it differently. Many immigrants (in NZ, they are legal only, but that doesn't matter in this case) come to NZ with their children. In the picture above are my son's classmates' self-portraits - you will find many non-English names there. Of course, immigrants' children usually don't know their new language well, even if their parents do. It's absolutely fine. These children normally go to the same free schools as any local children. In the schools, teachers assign each non-English-speaking child a so-called "buddy". The buddy is ...

(Continued in comments)

A video version of one of my posts on why people leave NZ.

mp3 version of the video above

About New Zealanders

I remember talks with friends and family before leaving Russia. There were many cautions about the hardships of an immigrant’s life:

- I will have to apologise for what Russia did.
- I will have to feel like an immigrant, a second-class citizen.
- I will have no friends because all foreigners are cold and fake-friendly.

It all turned out to be false.

Firstly,
I haven’t heard a single word about “bad Russians”. People are aware of the situation but tend to avoid judgements, as they feel they don’t know enough. Typically, they only ask about what’s happening and comment on how terrible it is from every angle. They also separate people from governments. The same approach is applied to Palestine and Israel.

I was worried it might be different for my son at school - children are usually cruel and lack politeness. But my son hasn’t heard anything bad about being Russian either. Not. A. Single. Word. In 1.5 years. At schools, children are taught to respect all cultures. For example, they held a concert where all the children performed traditional dances from various countries, wearing national outfits. Russia was included, even though there are only a few Russian children at the school.

Secondly,
I’ve never felt like an outsider here. That was really unexpected for me. People aren’t divided here at all. There are so many accents around, and everybody is so used to it that nobody cares about them anymore.

I asked Kiwis about why it’s so, and they told me that they are all immigrants here. There are no natives around. And even Māori, according to some opinions, were not the first people on the islands.

To be fair – I’ve heard from my Indian, Sri Lankan, and Chinese colleagues living here for 5-10 years that they have experienced prejudice because of their nationality a few times, and they told me I don’t face such things because I am looking like a native.

Thirdly,
There are no fake smiles or fake friendliness here, it’s a wrong stereotype. There are more smiles here than in Russia, but people here just have more reasons to smile. And that’s it.

I like to talk to people and, as a proper Russian, usually go straight to the point, skipping all formalities. And it’s completely fine with the locals. I’ve had many deep and good conversations with New Zealanders. They’re completely fine with sharing anything about themselves. Just like us, and, probably, even more.

Of course, there are different people – some are open, others not. But there is nothing “fake” about them. The only difference in conversations with them is that they are usually more moderate in their opinions. They tend not to use harsh words without serious reasons. They always try to be as polite as possible, even when they’re angry.

To summarise,
I like New Zealanders, and I feel completely comfortable with them. I was optimistic about moving to another county, but it turned out to be better than I’ve ever thought. Yes, it’s been just 1.5 years of living in NZ, and my rose-tinted glasses are still on (statistically, this stage lasts up to 2 years), but still, that’s exactly how I feel right now. And, as a proper Russian, I share it with you immediately.

(Russian)