After all of the planning, dreaming, packing and traveling. We are finally here. So what is it like to live and work in a new country? Turns out, more different than you would expect!
First Things First – Work
Before we moved to New Zealand, one of the local doctors told Dusty it would be very different, and to give it time. We questioned this – how different can it be? Medicine is medicine. Sick people are the same everywhere right? Turns out he was right. It was a whole different world, in subtle ways.
Gone are the days where you feel pressure to see a certain number of patients per hour. The expectation is for providers to spend time with the patients. Small talk is always expected before you get to the chief complaint. And once you have talked to the patient and figured out what’s going on – how do you order labs or get an x-ray? Write in on a slip of paper and give it to a nurse! Gone are the days of integrated electronic medical records. I think Dusty would give his right arm to be able to use Epic again!
The emergency department is a melting pot of people from around the world. There are Americans, Brits, Irish, South Africans, Indians, Malaysians, Filipinos, and people from all over. Each bringing their own culture, practice, and unique way of looking at things. And the stories they can tell!
The patients are extremely kind and thankful for your help. Dusty typically gets a few sentences in before he is asked, “So … where are you from?” People routinely guess he is from Texas, given the southern accent. And his name is generally a big hit – apparently Dusty is a great American name!
And best of all, there is no stress over how a patient will pay for their treatment. There are no conversations about whether you have insurance or what a deductible will be. Typically, emergency services are covered by the Government. So a car accident or an unexpected fall will not bankrupt someone.
But it has been a challenge to start over in a place where everything and everyone are new. In Gulfport, Dusty knew everyone’s names, where to find supplies, and who to call for help. Now, he supervises trainee doctors who he sometimes has to ask how to do or find something. Here, the doctors go to the waiting room to get the patients. Which means he has to say the names (sometimes impossible to pronounce) out loud. And the terminology is a little different now: A-Fib is “fast AF,” labs are “bloods,” vitals are “obs,” and basic lab values are all different.
Back to School
Lauren is a student again! The process of becoming a lawyer in New Zealand is a bit more involved than medicine. Understandable, since the laws are similar but different in significant ways. From February to November, Lauren will be enrolled in law courses at Victoria University in Wellington (the capitol). She will also sit for the New Zealand Law Practice Exam. If all goes well, the courses and exam will be completed in November. Fingers crossed!
It is quite a change going from experienced courtroom lawyer to law student. The lectures are in big halls and very reminiscent of first year at Ole Miss. Except the professors are so kind. They rarely call on anyone cold and if the student does not know the answer – no worries! Socratic method lite? But getting to travel to Wellington and explore the area is such a treat!
One of the courses includes a weekly small group meeting – tutorials they call them – to discuss the cases covered in the lectures. This is the funniest part. The sessions are led by tutors that are senior law students. New Zealanders can study law right out of high school – so the majority of students are in their late teens or early 20s. It is easy to forget how long ago you were a law student (2006-2009) until you are face-to-face with current students. Between Lauren’s age and accent, fair to say she stands out. But the students have been very kind and welcoming. And are very interested in what it’s like to be an American lawyer – is it like tv!?
Transitioning to student life took a little time. At first, it was hard to shed the identity of a trial lawyer and a public defender. Instead of cross-examining cops, days are spent reading English case law from the 1800’s! But she is starting to enjoy the process. It is exciting to learn something new everyday.
New Zealand law is really beautiful. They are a former English colony, so there is a lot of British common law. But New Zealand has incorporated Māori culture and people into the Western system. Students learn about principles like kaitiakitanga (the obligation to care for one’s own) and tikanga (practices and customs) which are acknowledged and honored, even in dry legal topics. It isn’t perfect, but they have definitely made an effort to integreate the indigenous people into the system of law. We are lucky to get to learn a little bit about this incredibly rich culture, history, and people.
It’s the Little Things
We naively thought that living in New Zealand would be just like living in the US. But there are some major differences. For starters, we now drive on the left side of the road and our car’s steering wheel is on the right (formerly passenger) side. It took a little while, but now we are used to it. We live in the Southern Hemisphere – so Easter marks the start of autumn and Christmas will be in the middle of summer.
New Zealanders really care about the environment. Recycling is really big here – both curbside and drop-off centers. Most of the electricity is generated by renewable energy. People are less likely to buy brand new things and make their older things last or buy used from others. You do not see a lot of luxury cars. People are generally less flashy and more humble.
The food is familiar but a little bit different. There are no good Mexican restaurants. And attempts to make cheese dip at home have mostly been unsuccessful – the cheese isn’t the right consistency. At the grocery store, bell peppers are “capsicum,” zucchini are “corguettes” and sweet potatoes are “kūmara.” The beef and chicken are really good quality. But they don’t really sell turkey, including lunch meat. So next trip home, we are eating Mexican and turkey sandwiches for every meal!
We quickly found a nice, big house in a good neighborhood to rent. But, like most houses, it does not have central air. So we have had to adjust to leaving windows open for ventilation and invest in fans. And the house is totally carpeted – also very common here. We have been told that the houses are not well insulated, so we will see when winter arrives!
And some of the practical things – opening a bank account, getting insurance, driver’s licenses – have been comical. When we arrived at the bank, they asked what kind of account we wanted. We answered, checking. And they responded that they have not used “cheques” in years. Car insurance is not required, mostly because everyone injured in a car accident in New Zealand is covered by the no-fault scheme put into law, the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC). So personal injury litigation is not a thing here and you do not have to worry about being sued if involved in a car accident. Luckily we were able to get a driver’s license using our US version. But it took some time to explain the Mississippi license and convince them that we really do have motorcycle endorsements.
And the biggest adjustment – trying to take our time, slow down, and realize that there is no need to rush. When we first arrived, we were constantly reminded to take our time, have a look around, ask any questions that you want, have a cup of tea. We did not realize how fast paced we moved and expected everything else to be. It can still be frustrating, but it really is nice to be able to slow down and relax.
We are about three months in and we feel pretty settled. There are still funny things that happen to remind us, we are not in the US anymore. But it is all part of the journey. If we are unsure about something, the Kiwis are very happy to help and answer our seemingly silly questions. Meanwhile, the area is beautiful and we have found lovely walking trails and enjoyed amazing sunsets.
Thank you for reading along. We hope you enjoy!
