My dog has one on her collar. She got lost once, after chasing a squirrel, so it was a no brainer. The cool thing is that you can make it go off, by pressing a button, and train the dog to come to you when it chirps. I hope I never need to use it in an emergency, but it’s good to know I’m prepared.
American married to a Kiwi. I’ve got a Kiwi Terminology Quiz that I’m happy to send over, if you want. Budgie Smugglers, Jandals, Togs… and that’s just the beach section.
Be prepared, Americans talk way too much for most Kiwis. The kiwi accent can be monotone/robotic, so you might be getting a compliment, but not realize it is one. Yeah naw and naw yeah don’t always mean what you think. My family and Kiwi mates don’t like how hyperbolic Americans are… if you say something is awesome, it better be literally awe inspiring. You’ll learn not to exaggerate too much. Don’t boast on your resumes, like we have to do in the States, or you could be looked over.
If you use the ratio of housing expenses to income, Nurses are not paid well in the big cities. My friend was making about that, as a nurse, and until she got married to my husband’s best friend, who’s a farmer; she was in her 30s and still living with parents.
If you use over the counter medications like melatonin, cough drops, vitamins, ibuprofen, bring it yourself. Healthcare might be inexpensive, but the cost of stuff you’d find on the shelves at a CVS are RIDICULOUSLY priced, compared to the USA. Do not bring any cough syrup. Pack ibuprofen… get costco sized ibuprofen to bring with you. Trust me. It’s called Nurofen and it’s so so freaking expensive.
Be prepared to have yourself and your stuff thoroughly searched, inspected, and sprayed. Your cat will be quarantined for a few weeks (on your dime) to make sure it’s safe. NZ takes their environment and ecosystem VERY seriously and you WILL be fined if you don’t declare every single food/seed/dirt/drink/fur/weapon you have. If you get an apple on the plane, dispose of it before you get to customs or you WILL be fined. If you’re bringing any shoes, camping equipment, hiking gear, etc., make sure it’s clean and free of dirt/mud. Your stuff will be secretly sprayed with an insecticide. It’s normal, safe, and happens to everyone.
Be prepared to learn to garden in whatever space you have. Stacking pots that can be indoors or out on a patio, are your friends. The costs of food and produce are an EXTREME culture shock to Americans. A basket full of food at Aldi might reach $150. That same basket in NZ is gonna be about $500. Learn to take kitchen scraps and grow food from it. You can’t have seeds from other countries imported, so you get creative.
It’s a beautiful place, the people are kind, and the weather is pretty mild. It’s home, but the financial aspects are still jarring. Be prepared… the minimum wage is higher, but so is the cost of almost everything else.
Edit: only small farming communities will be upset by LGBTQ people. There’s so many queer people here, and it’s a very accepting country… the first to give women the right to vote.
You’re not wrong for wanting to avoid a situation because of the potential of screaming children, but it’s important to remember that, with parents, it’s a package deal. To avoid overstimulation, try and go to a park for the first meeting. Like get coffee and go to a place with a playground where the toddler can run wild, and the 6 month can be in a stroller or rocker. Being outside vs bring in a building where screams can echo, makes a big difference.
Something that helps me hang-outs with my friends who have kids, is remembering that screaming children are inevitable… but most of the time, I’m not enjoying the company of my friends alongside the random, misbehaving ones. This time, you can make a friend.
I really hope it’s still Lord of the Rings related …
I’ve never met a farmer who didn’t give their dogs a large area to roam, with the exception of when the girls are in heat. Yeah, only two of my mates let their farm dogs into the house, but it’s not fair to make blanket statements.
Something I’m seeing a lot is the statement “I’m not distancing myself because of political differences, I’m distancing myself because of moral differences”
Anyone who is happy at the expense of others losing rights, is not different from you politically, they’re different from humanity, as far as basic ethics.
You’re not selfish. You’re strong. Stronger than me and I’m proud of you for trying to fight to help your dad, but please don’t do it at your own expensive. I’m pan and non-monagamous but buried further in the closet than a cable that “definitely will be useful in the future” because my family would turn on me in a heartbeat.
I can verify this! My roommate works for the DOD. He can’t tell me much, but every federal worker has been warned they’re going to be purged and replaced with staff Elon chooses. In addition, mandatory Return To Work orders have meant that many of his coworkers will be let go for “missing work” despite the fact that the military knows they moved and they’ve been working remotely for almost 5 years. It’s skuzzy as fuck.
The thing that got me in this article was the idiot politician saying that “Christians are being targeted”… oh you dumb toddler… you don’t like how it feels to be “discriminated against” and your solution is to target and discriminate?! An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind.
Some people have no regards for lives other than their own… and often get violent if a living being won’t obey them. I’m a domestic abuse survivor, so there was no way I was gonna leave without him.
And thank you! He’s dressed as Wolf Link. 😁 I am a cosplayer, and since he’s my medical alert dog, he goes with me to comic cons.
I got sterilized because I have a painful, degenerative, genetic condition (with no cure), that I feel is too cruel to pass on. I won’t risk letting a child be born with this syndrome, so I made the choice so I never have to deal with getting pregnant. If I ever want a kid, I’ll adopt. (Doubtful. I can barely take care of myself like this)
Every day hurts, there’s LOTS of days I wish I was aborted but I look at my rescue dog (who had been my service dog for 9 years now) and everything is OK. He was thrown away twice before I came along and his first owner kicked his teeth in. If I wasn’t here, who knows what could have happened to him.
Pet Tax. You can see where his face was kicked, but nothing stops him from smiling
We took a trip to Chicago and decided to go to Navy Pier. Traffic was basically gridlocked and the car behind us was not happy that my friend didn’t break the law and block an intersection. After the light turned green, the idiot took his massive, shiny, brand new, white pickup truck onto the SIDEWALK to cut in front of us.
When we got to the parking garage, there was a HUGE sign saying the clearance was 6ft 3in and tall vehicles needed to go to a different garage. The idiot didn’t read it and, even with the windows shut, we heard the screeching and scraping of his roof on the top of the structure.
The best part was watching him back out, hearing more scraping, seeing his surprised pikachu face, and the disappointment on the face of the woman in the passenger seat.
He’s not only hot; he’s making an example out of cruel millionaires … millionaires who prefer money and let people die, without ANY hesitation. So yeah, it’s not like being attracted to Dahmer, it’s more like being attracted to Katniss Everdeen.
I spent 37.5 hours (I document EVERYTHING) on hold with Wellcare trying to get them to pay for Narcolepsy medication I’ve been on since 2021… “Has the patient tried this ADHD medication, as an alternate?” “No. I prescribed my patient the only FDA approved medication, in the United States that treats Narcolepsy and Cataplexy, and she needs to stay on it”. Luckily my doctor is wonderful.
It’s draining, but I’ve learned that the trick is to tell each of the outsourced customer service reps that you have no problem staying on hold for however long it takes. I’m disabled and have that ability. My partner works from home, so I do the same for their Blue Cross. When the insurance companies realize you’re willing to fill out ALL their paperwork, appeal higher and higher up, so that well-paid people get involved, clog their phone lines, and keep documenting every step of the way, they’ll give you what you want… but it is a full time job. 😮💨
I go all out for Halloween. I’ve learned it’s cheaper to buy Garage sale/thrift store stuff like this for creepy decorations, than it is to get stuff from Halloween stores or even the dollar store sometimes. I have the coolest “potion” bottles made of old decanters. The massive influx of stuff that came into thrift stores after covid started, was awesome, in the most morbid way.
What is on said tech. 10 years ago was only 2014. I miss when my ad blocker worked, when I could access news without paying, I miss when tech was stronger… though I’m glad my phone is waterproof though… I keep my phone in my bra and have destroyed like 4 from water damage 😅
Tech is better, but content is worse. I have a smart TV from 2014 that I’m gonna use until it’s dead. When a new technology comes out, it’s all about gaining market trust, so the product is built to last and has cool features (generally) without the ads and data theft. My TV doesn’t play ads, but still has all the tech I need. Anything it can’t do, my PS4 can.
I got banned from (later re-added to) r/neopets… a person was seeking help about getting back their old account, and I said they’d know which email was used because the MASSIVE neopets hack is on most people’s identity theft reports and online security data. They don’t want scammers to know about the hack, even enough over 40,000 accounts have been already stolen and a group in Brazil is making over $20K USD a month selling the rare/limited digital items, for real money, to those who don’t want to grind.
I pleaded and they let me back in. They take it very seriously.
🎵 This is the ultimate showdown of ultimate destiny. Good guys bad guys and explosions, as far as the eye can see. 🎵
Pansexual woman chiming in; boobs are distractingly wonderful!. I’m more of a butt girl, but always appreciate nice boobs 😅
Being a dominatrix, might help though. Nipple clamps, biting them, teasing them; it all adds to my pleasure.
My friend’s daughter works at a Starbucks and has been dealing with this, because they’re not allowed to write political names. I told her to start calling out the name Charles, because it’s his legal name, and it’s not inherently political.