A Kiwi Weekend

This past weekend, the Lawrences (My hosy family) and I had what Neil would like to call, "A Kiwi Weekend".  This basically meant that most of what we did as a family and the activities we took part in were very "Kiwi"... very New Zealander.  When Neil mentioned wanting to do this, I got a little nervous... I mean, I have been living here for two months but I don't actually know what that means...

Here's what we did:

• Went on a walk around one of the few parks that isn't infested with sewage and fed the ducks and geese.
• Had a Roast... which was absolutely delicious!  It was roast lamb with savory (salty) pumpkin, kumara (sweet potato), roast potato, parsnip, and peas... I even got to try some mint sauce.  Saying that I enjoyed the meal was an understatement.
• Watched two movies: "The World's Fastest Indian" and "A Dog's Tale"... The latter was VERY kiwi and told a lot of farming/country jokes I didn't really get, but I loved "The World's Fastest Indian".  Watch it if you can!
• Listened to Dave Dobbyn
• Watched the Earthquake Memorial service on TV.  It was super special and heaps awesome.  I wish I had actually gone to the service itself, but it was still incredible to hear different world leaders come up and speak (including Prince William himself!) and to see how determined the city is to get back on it's feet.
• Had pavlova, a kiwi dessert that is basically just whipped sugar with a meringue coating, fresh whipped cream, and strawberries on top.  Super good, super sweet.

It's nice to have simple moments and memories like these.  I guess they weren't kidding when they told me that they wanted me to have a full Kiwi experience.