Winter is officially here.....

Once again I am overdue with updating you all on my latest adventures! My holiday seems like a long time ago. Must be time for another holiday! I have been keeping myself busy working 4 days a week. I can't believe I only have 2 more months left of my contract. Then I will have a whole month off in August to travel down to the South Island and hopefully over to Australia before I head home in September. Right now as I sit at my computer on this cold and rainy Saturday evening September seems like a long ways off, but I'm sure the time will fly by!
Last week I got to celebrate my birthday with my co-workers. I was a bit bummed to be working on my birthday, but was thankful to surrounded by my new friends at work. They have a tradition here on your birthday that you get to bring morning tea for everyone. I thought it would be fun to bring something American---so I brought bagels and chai tea. It ended up being a hit with everyone. After work I went to my friend's house to celebrate with her twins who turned 1 on my birthday. It was a great way to end a special day.
As I contemplate my time here in NZ sometimes I am amazed that I am actually here. At times I feel like I am back home in the States. And then there are other times when I realize I am far away from home! Coming to another English-speaking country you wouldn't think there would be much of a difference for me, but it is interesting how the accent can make such a difference. Coming from the NW I always felt like I didn't have an accent, but as soon as I open my mouth the locals are quick to ask if I am from the States or from Canada. The Kiwis also have some interesting sayings. When someone asks, "How are you doing?", the other person commonly responds, "Good as gold!" Another common saying is "Good on you" which is something people say to express something good that you have done. Another saying is "Sweet as..." which is like saying something is cool. The Kiwis also have a lot of "hard cases" over here which refers to someone being a character. There are plenty of other sayings, but these are some of the more common ones.