Changes....
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Needs: a home a good school for kids a job for wife a car insurance a reliable bank a map of ChCh (post earthquake) .... Do you have any left overs ? :)
Seulement, dans certains cas, n'est-ce pas, on n'entend guère que ce qu'on désire entendre et ce qui vous arrange le mieux... [^] Joe never complained of anything but ever did his duty in his way of life, with a strong hand, a quiet tongue, and a gentle heart [^]
I live just south of ChCh :) Google maps satelite pics are up to date, if you want some post-quake views. Are you going to be living in the city? Might be tough to find a home there at the moment. Plenty of the suburbs to the south and west are getting lots of new builds, and there are some going in to the north of the city too. How old are the kids? A lot of schools are 'zoned' here so the school is more-or-less decided by where you live. My son goes to an un-zoned school - but he is only 6, so it probably doesn't matter too much at his age. See here http://nzschools.tki.org.nz/[^]. Preference is given to 'in-zone' kids, but you can go out-of-zone if there is space - the good schools tend to wait lists though! What does the wife do? Car insurance is not mandatory here (but I'd still recommend it, it's cheap (compared to the UK at least)) We've been with KiwiBank since we arrived and had absolutely no problems (and we are on our second mortgage!)
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I took decision to leave for New Zealand (furthest possible from mum :-) ) I have spent two (personally miserable) years in the Philippines. My kids loved it and wife just started enjoying having a driver, maids and all blah-blah that you would never think of having in Europe (or Oceania). But when I say my kids loved it I mean it! I am even meaning something stronger! Being french (don't get me started on [this thread] :-( ) I have no stronger words in english than 'love'... but they really ADJUSTED. I am pretty sure we will all feel well in NZ but I am somehow feeling quite alone now that dices have been thrown... Amy kiwi (or whoever) here to support?
Seulement, dans certains cas, n'est-ce pas, on n'entend guère que ce qu'on désire entendre et ce qui vous arrange le mieux... [^] Joe never complained of anything but ever did his duty in his way of life, with a strong hand, a quiet tongue, and a gentle heart [^]
You'll be right mate! Make sure you fully understand the rules of that great game rugby, and being from the country of the All Blacks nemesis be ready to wind up the locals about when and where 'Les bleus' have beaten them. Canterbury does not recognise any other sports (except cricket in summer). :) And as someone else pointed out, the Rainbow Warrior is still a bit of a sore point, just be ready in your newly acquired role as the French governments local representative to take the blame. If you're arriving in August then be prepared for it to still be cold and probably a bit wet. The bonus is that the Mt. Hutt skifield (an hour from Christchurch at the most) will most likely still be open. Car insurance - shop around, there's plenty of choice. If you've got evidence of past insurance history all the better (no claims bonus = reduced premiums). Most insurers will also offer a significant discount for bundling all your insurance (house, contents, car(s), etc) together. Personally I'm with AMP, and have made a few claims over the years and have never had an issue with them. Banks - Any of the retail banks are OK, most are Australian owned. Make of that what you will. Most of us just think they're screwing us with excessive fees and charges! Again, shop around. Check out their websites... KiwiBank - www.kiwibank.co.nz BNZ - www.bnz.co.nz ANZ - www.anz.co.nz Westpac - www.westpac.co.nz ASB - www.asb.co.nz TSB - www.tsbbank.co.nz They'll all happily lend you money if you have an income. And since you're aiming for Christchurch, take a drive over to Akaroa sometime. The French who landed here were the first permanent European settlers in the South Island. A lot of the streets still retain French names, eg: Rue Benoit, Rue Lavaud (my wife's sister has a holiday home in Rue Noyer). One of the hotels is simply called "L'Hotel" - but don't be surprised to hear it being call "La Hotel". Those south islanders aren't too good at handling foreign pronunciation. :) Any other questions, just fire away.
If your neighbours don't listen to The Ramones, turn it up real loud so they can. “We didn't have a positive song until we wrote 'Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue!'” ― Dee Dee Ramone "The Democrats want my guns and the Republicans want my porno mags and I ain't giving up either" - Joey Ramone
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Guirec Le Bars wrote:
I definitely do my best.
I'm sure you do! Please keep up the good work:thumbsup:
Guirec Le Bars wrote:
So hopefuly they won't have the feeling of not having a home.
My parents were very strict that I should behave in accordance to our native culture whenever possible, and that I learned to read and write my mother language and to learn my motherland's history. I'm just saying, despite their much appreciated efforts, my life has been interesting at times but often confused and difficult. And the struggle never seems to end... Having said that I know people that have turned out OK (much better than, in some cases) so I hope your kids go that way too!
Almost, but not quite, entirely unlike... me...
I grew up in different countries.. Growing up with the same friends from a young age and keeping those friendships is a huge benefit of "staying put". You can rarely get those friendships with people you meet as an adult... But moving around when young gives you some advantages too, learning extra language(s) & customs & seeing more of the world at a young age. It's hard to keep good friendships going after you leave though. I guess you can buy a trip at any time in life, but you can't get good friendships from a store :)
"For fifty bucks I'd put my face in their soup and blow." - George Costanza
CP article: SmartPager - a Flickr-style pager control with go-to-page popup layer.
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PaulowniaK wrote:
please do look after them
my eldest is 10 and the more she grows the more I'd like it had come with a manual... but I definitely do my best. My kids have roots, or I like to think so. Our homeland is Britanny[^]. All family's there and we have a holiday house there as well. We go as often as we can. I gave my 2 kids breton's name and remember them very often that THEY ARE bretons. Any french can tell you that being breton is really something for us, it's a culture, a mindset, something unique... So hopefuly they won't have the feeling of not having a home.
Seulement, dans certains cas, n'est-ce pas, on n'entend guère que ce qu'on désire entendre et ce qui vous arrange le mieux... [^] Joe never complained of anything but ever did his duty in his way of life, with a strong hand, a quiet tongue, and a gentle heart [^]
The flight back home will take you a loootttt longer. But if it's a yearly thing, not a huge issue I guess. Bon chance!
"For fifty bucks I'd put my face in their soup and blow." - George Costanza
CP article: SmartPager - a Flickr-style pager control with go-to-page popup layer.
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I grew up in different countries.. Growing up with the same friends from a young age and keeping those friendships is a huge benefit of "staying put". You can rarely get those friendships with people you meet as an adult... But moving around when young gives you some advantages too, learning extra language(s) & customs & seeing more of the world at a young age. It's hard to keep good friendships going after you leave though. I guess you can buy a trip at any time in life, but you can't get good friendships from a store :)
"For fifty bucks I'd put my face in their soup and blow." - George Costanza
CP article: SmartPager - a Flickr-style pager control with go-to-page popup layer.
I stayed put when growing up and never managed to have a long lasting friend either...
Seulement, dans certains cas, n'est-ce pas, on n'entend guère que ce qu'on désire entendre et ce qui vous arrange le mieux... [^] Joe never complained of anything but ever did his duty in his way of life, with a strong hand, a quiet tongue, and a gentle heart [^]
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The flight back home will take you a loootttt longer. But if it's a yearly thing, not a huge issue I guess. Bon chance!
"For fifty bucks I'd put my face in their soup and blow." - George Costanza
CP article: SmartPager - a Flickr-style pager control with go-to-page popup layer.
Indeed! Something like 36 hours travel time :~ Thanks mate!
Seulement, dans certains cas, n'est-ce pas, on n'entend guère que ce qu'on désire entendre et ce qui vous arrange le mieux... [^] Joe never complained of anything but ever did his duty in his way of life, with a strong hand, a quiet tongue, and a gentle heart [^]
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I stayed put when growing up and never managed to have a long lasting friend either...
Seulement, dans certains cas, n'est-ce pas, on n'entend guère que ce qu'on désire entendre et ce qui vous arrange le mieux... [^] Joe never complained of anything but ever did his duty in his way of life, with a strong hand, a quiet tongue, and a gentle heart [^]
OK. But moving frequently you have to make new friends each time. As people get older it gets more difficult IMO. Another thing - You might stay put and your friends might move overseas for work after finishing education.
"For fifty bucks I'd put my face in their soup and blow." - George Costanza
CP article: SmartPager - a Flickr-style pager control with go-to-page popup layer.
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I live just south of ChCh :) Google maps satelite pics are up to date, if you want some post-quake views. Are you going to be living in the city? Might be tough to find a home there at the moment. Plenty of the suburbs to the south and west are getting lots of new builds, and there are some going in to the north of the city too. How old are the kids? A lot of schools are 'zoned' here so the school is more-or-less decided by where you live. My son goes to an un-zoned school - but he is only 6, so it probably doesn't matter too much at his age. See here http://nzschools.tki.org.nz/[^]. Preference is given to 'in-zone' kids, but you can go out-of-zone if there is space - the good schools tend to wait lists though! What does the wife do? Car insurance is not mandatory here (but I'd still recommend it, it's cheap (compared to the UK at least)) We've been with KiwiBank since we arrived and had absolutely no problems (and we are on our second mortgage!)
Thanks for your inputs. I am not sure where I'll be living. It is very diificult to make one's self opinion without seeing, feeling... So I'll start with a motel and find out once I am there. Kids are 10 and 6. The youngest will probably need some kind of ESL support (to make things worse :)) The wife is business analyst / PMP. Should go fairly easily...
Kyudos wrote:
Car insurance is not mandatory
Seriously???
Seulement, dans certains cas, n'est-ce pas, on n'entend guère que ce qu'on désire entendre et ce qui vous arrange le mieux... [^] Joe never complained of anything but ever did his duty in his way of life, with a strong hand, a quiet tongue, and a gentle heart [^]
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You'll be right mate! Make sure you fully understand the rules of that great game rugby, and being from the country of the All Blacks nemesis be ready to wind up the locals about when and where 'Les bleus' have beaten them. Canterbury does not recognise any other sports (except cricket in summer). :) And as someone else pointed out, the Rainbow Warrior is still a bit of a sore point, just be ready in your newly acquired role as the French governments local representative to take the blame. If you're arriving in August then be prepared for it to still be cold and probably a bit wet. The bonus is that the Mt. Hutt skifield (an hour from Christchurch at the most) will most likely still be open. Car insurance - shop around, there's plenty of choice. If you've got evidence of past insurance history all the better (no claims bonus = reduced premiums). Most insurers will also offer a significant discount for bundling all your insurance (house, contents, car(s), etc) together. Personally I'm with AMP, and have made a few claims over the years and have never had an issue with them. Banks - Any of the retail banks are OK, most are Australian owned. Make of that what you will. Most of us just think they're screwing us with excessive fees and charges! Again, shop around. Check out their websites... KiwiBank - www.kiwibank.co.nz BNZ - www.bnz.co.nz ANZ - www.anz.co.nz Westpac - www.westpac.co.nz ASB - www.asb.co.nz TSB - www.tsbbank.co.nz They'll all happily lend you money if you have an income. And since you're aiming for Christchurch, take a drive over to Akaroa sometime. The French who landed here were the first permanent European settlers in the South Island. A lot of the streets still retain French names, eg: Rue Benoit, Rue Lavaud (my wife's sister has a holiday home in Rue Noyer). One of the hotels is simply called "L'Hotel" - but don't be surprised to hear it being call "La Hotel". Those south islanders aren't too good at handling foreign pronunciation. :) Any other questions, just fire away.
If your neighbours don't listen to The Ramones, turn it up real loud so they can. “We didn't have a positive song until we wrote 'Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue!'” ― Dee Dee Ramone "The Democrats want my guns and the Republicans want my porno mags and I ain't giving up either" - Joey Ramone
Our pair of skis are already pretty excited! Thanks Mark! Plenty of useful infos!
Seulement, dans certains cas, n'est-ce pas, on n'entend guère que ce qu'on désire entendre et ce qui vous arrange le mieux... [^] Joe never complained of anything but ever did his duty in his way of life, with a strong hand, a quiet tongue, and a gentle heart [^]
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Thanks for your inputs. I am not sure where I'll be living. It is very diificult to make one's self opinion without seeing, feeling... So I'll start with a motel and find out once I am there. Kids are 10 and 6. The youngest will probably need some kind of ESL support (to make things worse :)) The wife is business analyst / PMP. Should go fairly easily...
Kyudos wrote:
Car insurance is not mandatory
Seriously???
Seulement, dans certains cas, n'est-ce pas, on n'entend guère que ce qu'on désire entendre et ce qui vous arrange le mieux... [^] Joe never complained of anything but ever did his duty in his way of life, with a strong hand, a quiet tongue, and a gentle heart [^]