Wow it feels like I haven’t written since last year! Ok, New Year jokes apart. So guys, how was your New Year? I hope you had a great time with family and friends! I have been working a lot during these past weeks, and now finally, I got a day off after so many weeks working, right now I’m on the beach writting this very text while I appreciate my lemonade, if you were wondering. So, let’s start 2018 with another interview for the Through Foreigner Eyes series.
This month we gonna get to know Scott and Hayley from International Hotdish
Hey guys! Tell us a little bit about you, who you are where you are from, where you are living, etc?
We’re a married American couple from Minnesota who decided to ditch our 9-5 job lifestyles and hit the road. We’ve been working and traveling full time for 3 months and plan on continuing for another year or so. We’re currently living in Wellington, New Zealand but will be moving to Melbourne, Australia shortly. After that, we’ll move to southeast Asia and then to Europe.
What brings you to New Zealand and specifically, Wellington?
We decided to travel to New Zealand from the USA because we were planning on traveling around the world, and going to New Zeaand first meant we would be visiting it in the summertime, which is very attractive to us. We chose Wellington specifically because it is centrally located in the country and feels like a smaller city, even though it is the capital.
What were your expectations before arriving in Wellington?
We didn’t know what to expect really. We knew some of the major differences would be traffic on the left side, a different currency, and new accents to get used to. Other than that the jury was out. We thought it would be “big city” life and hectic.
What was your first impression?
Wellington feels like a small large town. It is very safe and has easy to navigate public transportation. Prices are expensive, though. Food is moderately so and alcohol and cigarettes extremely so – although this is true all over the country. The people are mostly polite and there are plenty of things to do.
Did you have any cultural shock? What was that?
Traffic on the left and the smaller sizes of pretty much everything. Vehicles are way smaller than back home. Plus the cost of eating out is high.
What’s your favorite historical or cultural spot nearby?
Parliament, also known as the Bee Hive. It’s one of the few parliaments in the world that you can actually go in and experience the whole building.
What would you miss the most if you moved away?
The natural beauty.
If you could add anything from your country in New Zealand, what would it be?
We would add our family and friends. It’s nice to be in this part of the world but it’s always a bonus if you can have your friends and family nearby to have special memories with.
Follow Scott & Hayley on Instagram
Are you an expat that wish to share with us your opinions about your new home? Send an email to [email protected] with the subject “Through Foreigner Eyes”.
Interesting…I envy people who could leave their 9-5 jobs and can travel and see the world. What a fantastic experience it must be.
hahaha so truue, it must be awesome!
great post – I love reading about other people & their adventures – the traffic thing would be a huge shock for me to get used to also!
I have always wanted to go to NZ so badly!!! My Dad travels there for work and I’m always so jealous. Loved this post!
What a great post! I love reading about other people’s adventures… it’s so nice to see travelling through many different people’s eye. 🙂
Me too!! It is so nice because each person has a different experience, so you can always learn new thing even if it is about the same places!
I’ve never been to New Zealand and have heard great things about Wellington, but never expected prices to be expensive! Thanks for sharing.