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)

A new video about property and utilities prices comparison between Auckland and Moscow.

An mp3 version of the video above.

Sporty guy

You probably haven’t noticed, but the sporty macho in the video above is disabled. He has a prosthetic right leg, and, as you can see, he feels better than many of us.

In Auckland, I see disabled people daily in the city. They are an absolutely normal part of society. All streets and stores are designed so that they can move freely around in wheelchairs (they use only automatic golf car-like ones here).

For instance, our forklift driver is a disabled person. He has underdeveloped hands (like Stephen Hawking, I don't know the name of the illness), but he operates his forklift like a god. He drives a car, he makes enough money to live a full life, he plays poker at a competitive level in NZ and Australia. He is a fan of dark humour and constantly mocks everyone, and we respond in kind, including jokes about his condition. He has no issues with this at all and feels completely comfortable in society. And that is how it should be.

(Russian)

New video on how I feel as an immigrant in New Zealand.

An MP3 version of the video above.

Frankly, it's a bit hard to feel the New Year vibe while it's summer, with no snow around and being surrounded by blooming greenery, beaches, and palm trees. Yet another immigrant's sacrifice.

Here's our view on 1 January – the photo is from today's track at Shakespear Regional Park. There's not much of a New Year atmosphere, but at least the view isn’t too bad.

Wishing you peace, and the happiness of being where you truly want to be. Happy New Year! 🎉

(Russian)

Auckland is a big village

Auckland feels less like a city and more like a village.

There is the Central Business District (CBD) in the city, with all the attributes of a megapolis, including hurrying people with coffee, skyscrapers, street musicians, Teslas, and so on. But in fact, it’s just a well-decorated, well-equipped, and prosperous village. You won’t feel it from the picture, but you’ll surely feel it if you live here.

A couple of examples: ...

(Continued in comments)

Fun fact

Annually, the tax service of NZ reviews all taxes paid by people, checks them for possible optimisations, recalculates, and… sends some money back to people. Everyone receives a letter notifying them of a tax refund (usually a few thousand dollars) and the money appears in their accounts within two working days.

Technically, they could find you owe them instead, but I’ve never seen it happen.

Living here, you gradually begin to see the government as regular people working for society. It’s mind-blowing, I know. But that strange, unnatural feeling of liking the government is creeping up on me.

(Russian)

New video listing small "quality of life" things that are better in Auckland than in Moscow. Next week, there will be a vice versa video. Stay tuned!

An MP3 version of the video above.

What does an 8-year-old New Zealander know?

Many Russians in NZ find the schools here too relaxed. There’s no strict discipline, no yelling, punishments, military-style lines, or "stand when the teacher enters!"

So, what’s there instead? Attached is a screenshot of my son’s maths homework after one year in an NZ school, showing what he has studied:

- Reading, short stories writing (not shown here)
- Addition and subtraction of 1-3 digit numbers
- Division and multiplication of 1-2 digit numbers
- Reading clocks and calculating time
- Coordinates
- Simple arrays
- Basic probability calculations
- Basic geometry (edges, sides, symmetry, etc.)
- Money calculations
- Logical "fill in the blank" exercises
- Simple text-based problems
- Basic fractions

As far as I remember, in my first year of school, we filled pages with letters, solved basics like 1+3=4, and practised simple reading (no story writing). Maybe my experience is outdated, and first graders in Russia now learn more?

(Russian)

A policeman with a speed radar

Took this picture this morning. While we were driving past, he stopped and fined two cars for speeding. Just like in Russia, he had positioned himself in a barely visible spot, right after a steep downhill slope. Drivers in NZ are generally disciplined but often exceed the speed limit on that slope—though not by much. I’m sure he caught plenty of people there this morning.

The policeman’s tactic is just as sneaky as in Russia. The only difference is that here, there’s no chance of bribing your way out of it.

(Russian)

Want to feel the true NZ vibe?

Someone drove to the grocery store, left their cute dog alone in the car on a hot day, rolled down all the windows to let the dog catch the breeze, and went shopping. The doge is fine. The car is fine. The stuff in the car is fine too.

In NZ, another day of nothing happening.

(Russian)

Today, Matvey (YouTube channel "Travel or Die") released the third and final part of his movie series about New Zealand. I've watched all the YouTube content about NZ available in both Russian and English, and I'm confident that Matvey’s three-part film is the best. You simply must not miss it if you like NZ.

So, if you're looking for the best travel videos about the country, these are a must-see before anything else:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

(Russian)

New video of me walking around Auckland CBD and ranting about the cons of Auckland. They will never tell you about this. Who are "they"? I don't know.

MP3 version of the above

Marmite

Do you know which black, dense, and gooey toast spread is well known to every English, Australian, and New Zealander, but completely unfamiliar to Russians?

It's Marmite – a yeast extract with a very intense salty, yeasty, beer-like taste that is used as a spread for toasts. Everyone here knows it, and they were surprised I hadn't heard of it.

It's a highly controversial product: you either hate it and think it tastes like shoe wax, or you love it.

It turns out I like it. My family hates it. My colleagues are evenly split. There are loads of YouTube videos of people trying it for the first time and filming their reactions – funny stuff.

Give it a try if you get the chance.

(Russian)

Accents in NZ

Before coming to NZ, I studied the Kiwi accent by subscribing to Kiwi channels on YouTube, a few Kiwi podcasts, etc.

When I arrived, it turned out that the Kiwi accent, in 90% of cases, is super easy – it’s just English with a few minor changes in the pronunciation of “e”. They say “tin” instead of “ten” and “dick” instead of “deck”, which is hilarious, and there is a funny sketch about it on YouTube.

And the real problem is not the Kiwi accent but all the other accents around.

Indians were initially hard for me to understand, but when I talked to them more, it got easier, and now it’s fine. They just have a few standard quirks in their pronunciation, and once you know them, it’s easy to understand them.

Chinese speakers are usually hard to understand – the hardest, I would say. They do not pronounce hard sounds at all; everything is very soft, and some words are hard to catch.

Japanese and Korean speakers are a bit easier, as they, like Indians, have their own style of pronunciation. Once you get the pattern, you can adjust.

Maori speakers, formally speaking, have no accent, as they are natives, but they have a rather special way of speaking, different intonations, phrases, and overall style of talking.

Samoans can be quite hard to understand at times; their accent is hard to explain. They often mumble.

English and Americans are the best – clean and pure language, just as I’ve gotten used to after watching YouTube and listening to podcasts.

South Africans sound very Russian. They also have a harsh “R” sound, and as English is their second language, they are generally easy to understand.

Irish speakers are insanely hard to understand. I know two of them, and I talk to them intentionally to improve my understanding of them. It’s still a challenge.

Europeans are easy to understand. They know English well, so it’s always smooth and straightforward.

I also know a few Sri Lankan, Egyptians, Iranians, and Afghan. They are vary depending on their English proficiency.

Russians (self-reflection) – sometimes I notice people listening more intently to understand me better, which is visible in their facial expressions. The Russian accent is rare, so not many people are used to hearing it. However, all English speakers seem fine with it – I’m easily understandable to them.

The conclusion here is – there’s no way to fully prepare yourself for living in an immigrant country like NZ, Australia, Canada, or the USA. It will be hard in any case. The only solution is to consume as much English-language content as possible: YouTube, TV shows, books, movies, games. This will help you adjust to the new environment faster.

And the last thing to mention is that I see patterns in how immigrants feel about the country depending on their level of English. Usually, the better they know English, the better they feel in NZ. There’s a strict correlation. So, in my opinion, language is the main skill you need to develop to feel comfortable in a new country.

P.S. I’m training my English right now by writing this post. And you are training yours if you’re reading it in English.

(Russian)