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 Maybe my experience is outdated, and first graders in Russia now learn more?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)
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 Maybe my experience is outdated, and first graders in Russia now learn more?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)
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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)
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)
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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)
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)
👍12❤4🤔1
YouTube
Новая Зеландия: путешествие длиною в год. Часть 1. Северный остров
Всем привет! Меня зовут Матвей и фактически это первое видео на этом канале. Вообще, этого фильма не должно было быть. Я не видео-блогер, никогда не снимал ничего осмысленней коротких видосиков с дрона в инсту. И собираясь в НЗ я совершенно не ожидал, что…
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)
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)
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YouTube
20 мелочей, в которых Москва лучше Окленда
Без банальностей и фактов из вики. Только личный опыт и то, о чём не говорили другие.
MP3-версия - https://t.me/OutsidersInsight/81
Видео о плюсах НЗ - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQgSQSr7VeE
Видео о том, почему НЗ - лучшая страна - https://www.yout…
MP3-версия - https://t.me/OutsidersInsight/81
Видео о плюсах НЗ - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQgSQSr7VeE
Видео о том, почему НЗ - лучшая страна - https://www.yout…
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.
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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)
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)
✍3👍3❤1
YouTube
All Three New Zealand Deck Ads
Videos originally by "The Key of Awesome"
0:03 - Deck Maintenance
2:01 - Keeping it Hard
4:29 - Deck Presentations
0:03 - Deck Maintenance
2:01 - Keeping it Hard
4:29 - Deck Presentations
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)
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)
👍12🔥1🤓1
Gangs in NZ
In the pictures (by Jono Rotman), are typical gang members in NZ. These guys are from Mongrel Mob.
You might see such people around here sometimes. For example, one of the forklift drivers on our site has similar facial tattoos, so everyone knows he's a gang member. Also, once, I saw a group of bikers, stereotypical ones, just like from a Hollywood film, riding near our office. Colleagues simply and routinely said, “That is the Mongrel Mob.” So the gangs don’t seem to care much about stealthiness, and everybody knows who they are.
Kiwis say they aren’t too worried because the gangs don’t mess with ordinary people – they just do their own stuff, like selling drugs and weapons and fighting rival gangs. And, as we can see, doing photoshoots.
Some politicians propose banning gang badges, but these are just discussions for now - it's difficult to prosecute people just for clothes or tattoos. Police just run special operations to catch them while doing illegal stuff, and that’s it.
(Russian)
In the pictures (by Jono Rotman), are typical gang members in NZ. These guys are from Mongrel Mob.
You might see such people around here sometimes. For example, one of the forklift drivers on our site has similar facial tattoos, so everyone knows he's a gang member. Also, once, I saw a group of bikers, stereotypical ones, just like from a Hollywood film, riding near our office. Colleagues simply and routinely said, “That is the Mongrel Mob.” So the gangs don’t seem to care much about stealthiness, and everybody knows who they are.
Kiwis say they aren’t too worried because the gangs don’t mess with ordinary people – they just do their own stuff, like selling drugs and weapons and fighting rival gangs. And, as we can see, doing photoshoots.
Some politicians propose banning gang badges, but these are just discussions for now - it's difficult to prosecute people just for clothes or tattoos. Police just run special operations to catch them while doing illegal stuff, and that’s it.
(Russian)
👍9
The best coffee
I’m a big fan of coffee. I prefer an Americano – just espresso and water, no additions.
Back in Russia, I tried all coffee beans available – from supermarket basics to freshly roasted ones. In every cafe, I’d usually order an Americano. Just to see how good it was - usually, it was bad.
And, of course, I tried all the coffee-focused places, like Starbucks (worse than average), its clones (sometimes better), and smaller takeaway chains (often better). I even visited Artemy Lebedev’s cafe specifically to try coffee there because he is known as a big coffee lover and advertised his coffee as the best in Russia. Indeed, his coffee is good and one of the best I tried in Russia.
Plus, I’ve tasted coffee in every country I’ve visited and tried many different ways of making coffee: espresso, V60, French press, Turkish coffee, etc.
So… I like coffee and have some data to compare. And I must say, the best coffee in the world is in...
(Continued in comments)
I’m a big fan of coffee. I prefer an Americano – just espresso and water, no additions.
Back in Russia, I tried all coffee beans available – from supermarket basics to freshly roasted ones. In every cafe, I’d usually order an Americano. Just to see how good it was - usually, it was bad.
And, of course, I tried all the coffee-focused places, like Starbucks (worse than average), its clones (sometimes better), and smaller takeaway chains (often better). I even visited Artemy Lebedev’s cafe specifically to try coffee there because he is known as a big coffee lover and advertised his coffee as the best in Russia. Indeed, his coffee is good and one of the best I tried in Russia.
Plus, I’ve tasted coffee in every country I’ve visited and tried many different ways of making coffee: espresso, V60, French press, Turkish coffee, etc.
So… I like coffee and have some data to compare. And I must say, the best coffee in the world is in...
(Continued in comments)
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Minimum wage in NZ
Every time I mention in a YouTube video that the minimum wage in New Zealand is enough for a single person to live comfortably, and even save a bit, someone in the comments calls me a liar. No arguments, no figures - just a statement that it’s a lie.
So, let’s settle this once and for all and explain why I’m so sure about this. I made a simple calculation explaining all the maths behind my statement. All sums are after tax in NZD. The numbers below match those in the picture above.
1️⃣ The minimum wage in NZ is $19.5/h or $780/week, which means employers legally can’t pay less. Cleaners, checkout operators, hairdressers, construction labourers, and students flipping burgers at McDonald’s, etc., can’t earn less than this. The calculation is made for a single person - if there were two, they’d have double the income, meaning way more savings.
Now, to expenses…
(Continued in comments)
Every time I mention in a YouTube video that the minimum wage in New Zealand is enough for a single person to live comfortably, and even save a bit, someone in the comments calls me a liar. No arguments, no figures - just a statement that it’s a lie.
So, let’s settle this once and for all and explain why I’m so sure about this. I made a simple calculation explaining all the maths behind my statement. All sums are after tax in NZD. The numbers below match those in the picture above.
1️⃣ The minimum wage in NZ is $19.5/h or $780/week, which means employers legally can’t pay less. Cleaners, checkout operators, hairdressers, construction labourers, and students flipping burgers at McDonald’s, etc., can’t earn less than this. The calculation is made for a single person - if there were two, they’d have double the income, meaning way more savings.
Now, to expenses…
(Continued in comments)
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IMG_9194.JPG
7.8 MB
Just a nice picture I took on yesterday's track. The picture was taken from this point. It's cool to have such views around and the freedom to visit them whenever I want. A one-hour drive, and I'm there.
(Russian)
(Russian)
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YouTube
Основное отличие новозеландцев
Основное отличие новозеландского общества от других.
MP3-версия - https://t.me/OutsidersInsight/94
Менталитет новозеландцев #2 - https://youtu.be/Mh7mx3d1Uf0
Менталитет новозеландцев #3 - https://youtu.be/OWxO1oB2JCQ
*Chapters*
00:00 Интро
01:05 Причем…
MP3-версия - https://t.me/OutsidersInsight/94
Менталитет новозеландцев #2 - https://youtu.be/Mh7mx3d1Uf0
Менталитет новозеландцев #3 - https://youtu.be/OWxO1oB2JCQ
*Chapters*
00:00 Интро
01:05 Причем…
New video about the mentality of New Zealanders, the prisoner's dilemma, a society of trust, and how they differ from us.
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Media is too big
VIEW IN TELEGRAM
A graffiti creation process that I photographed in Auckland city centre in April 2024. The artist finished it in just a month. The location is here. The man pictured on the mural is an MMA fighter, Israel Adesanya.
I’ll be walking there in my next YouTube video.
(Russian)
I’ll be walking there in my next YouTube video.
(Russian)
👍7🔥5😱3
YouTube
Особенности менталитета новозеландцев
Разные особенности языка, общения, стиля жизни.
MP3-версия - https://t.me/OutsidersInsight/97
Менталитет новозеландцев #1 - https://youtu.be/GbZH6AVouAg
Менталитет новозеландцев #3 - https://youtu.be/OWxO1oB2JCQ
*Chapters*
00:00 Интро
00:49 Дружелюбие и…
MP3-версия - https://t.me/OutsidersInsight/97
Менталитет новозеландцев #1 - https://youtu.be/GbZH6AVouAg
Менталитет новозеландцев #3 - https://youtu.be/OWxO1oB2JCQ
*Chapters*
00:00 Интро
00:49 Дружелюбие и…
The second part of the video about mentality of New Zealanders
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