I thought it was about time to give you another glimpse into the small day-to-day variations from the American norm that I find noteworthy.
A tight fit:
--You won't see many enormous SUVs (yay!), big rigs (especially like
these), or many billboards.
--To my daily chagrin, the standard-issue refrigerator here is too small. A typical family-size fridge here is like what you'd find in an upscale hotel-with-a-kitchenette in the US.
--NZers' personal space is about three inches smaller than Americans'.
Foods:
--You won't find peanut butter and chocolate candies. You will get blank stares when describing a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
--There are no free condiments.
Sometimes a cafe will give you butter or jam with your scone, if you ask. Usually, though, that'll be 20 cents. Asking for extra onions, or whatever, on your sandwich will get you a grudging scowl. Same with asking for more than one napkin, or a plastic bag to carry your things.
--Anything on a bun is called a burger; this term does not only apply to ground beef patties. The last chicken burger I bought surprised me: slivered
kebab meat.
Traffic rules:
--You know how you can make a right turn on a red light in the US? That concept doesn't exist here. Even if it's clear, you just stay put until you're told.
--Jaywalking, although technically illegal, isn't really enforceable. As such, people dash willy-nilly across streets amongst the cars who have the right-of-way. And, even though there are no set fines for jaywalking, I suppose someone
pays the price.
Geez, so many of these are near our house...
Retail trust:
--Not a lot of 'sidewalk sale' or parking-lot displays that require you to select your item without supervision and then bring it inside to pay.
--Prominent and densely-seeded surveillance video cameras.
--No 'take a penny, give a penny' dishes.
Well, then again, there's no pennies.
--You can return a product and get a refund if it's defective. If you just don't like it, or you've changed your mind, well, you should have chosen more carefully.
Miscellaneous:
--You don't build up big jars of spare change. Because of the denominations here, your change is actually useful as
money.
--Much like the metric system, I find
sizes of office paper to be very sensible.
--When you write a date, you write DD/MM/YY.
Wait, are they talking about the fourth of May or the fifth of April? First of December or twelfth of January?
--Ever notice how bathroom stalls have these big gaps between the door and the wall, so that you can peek right in at the occupant? Here, they don't! They meet right up with no gaps! Apparently it IS possible to line these things up!
--Light switches are upside down here. This one is on.
