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Returning to New Zealand after a twelve-month backpacking trip around the world, Liz started a podcast with her teenage son, Sonny.
They talked about all things travel and living in New Zealand with teenagers.
She told others that the podcast was designed to help other parents with teenagers.
But that wasn’t entirely true.
It was her way of legitimately sticking her nose into her son’s business while she slurped lots of green tea.
When Sonny finally grew tired of spending his days recording conversations with his ma, Liz roped her long-suffering husband, Brian, onto the show.
The couple now records weekly videos on YouTube about life in New Zealand and other very cool stuff.
They like to drink wine and chew the fat. They talk about life, travel, kids, money, being British and living in New Zealand.
Our Latest Podcast Episodes
Typical New Zealand People. 4 Stereotypes (That May Be Getting Old)
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If I were asked to describe what typical New Zealand people are like, the last word that would come to mind would be 'rugged'. Yet, apparently, according to the people on the washing line, this is a label that goes hand in hand with the folks down under.
In this weeks show, Brian and I thought it would be fun to take four of New Zealand's national stereotypes and discuss whether we found them to be true...
12 Years Living in New Zealand. 7 Things That Are (STILL) Baffling!
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You'd think that after living in New Zealand for 12 years we'd have adjusted to the kiwi ways. And we have. To most things.
But not all.
We moved to New Zealand from England in 2009 and it was the best move that we have ever made. We have raised our kids in a country that embraces innovation and creativity, and have been warmly welcomed by the wonderful New Zealand people.
But. There are times when we are reminded that this is not Kansas. That we still need to work a little harder to truly fit in. Whenever these seven events show up in life down under, we realise that try as we may, we are still adapting to life in New Zealand.
Here are the seven culprits that still baffle these two slow learning brits...
Behind The Scenes #6. Feeling Fear, Having Courage & Learning To Trust.
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It's on days like this that I tend to reminisce. Go back in my mind ten years to when Brian was working in his plumbing and heating business and I was at home with kids, doing my best to provide them with a rounded education.
Through my rose-tinted glasses, I see a calm and harmonious family who had a regular wage popping through the door every week. A life where the mother felt no need to put herself onto Youtube and make big fat mistakes in front of the world.
And then I take the glasses off and wipe them. And I remember that fear was always present.
There was the fear of some stuffing up my kid's life by homeschooling them. Fear of Brian drowning in the pool of stress that filled his fifty-hour workweek. Fear of using cling film when the whole world had adopted that rubbery Honeywrap organic stretchy stuff. Fear of doing things differently.
Is New Zealand NEGLECTING These 7 (Essential) Life Skills?
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New Zealand is often referred to as being, 'like England was fifty years ago.' At first, I wasn't sure what this statement meant but after living in New Zealand and witnessing the life skills and the values that New Zealand people work hard to retain, the expression became a whole lot clearer.
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