Residents in Aotearoa

What does 'Strangers in a Strange Land' mean?

In everyday use, the word strange gets used in many different ways.  Some of them might not have particularly good connotations, as in, "He's a strange old man," or "It's a strange and spooky old mansion." These phrases hint that there is something different but also slightly wrong or dangerous about their subject.

The dictionary however makes it clear that 'strange' can be thought of in different lights.

Here are some of the definitions:

1. Unusual, extraordinary or curious
2. Feeling estranged or alienated as a result of being outside one's natural environment
3. Outside one's previous experience

As I read these three definitions, and after each one, I said, "Yup, that fits perfectly with my feelings about New Zealand."

New Zealand is definitely unusual and extraordinary. I have talked many times about the unique and unusual here, and will again, because I continue to be amazed.  Consider the moa, glow worms, honeys, plants, birds, shells, beaches and lavas (there are four types on Rangitoto alone) just to name a few.

Practically Everything that I encounter is outside my own natural environment (the U.P.), and certainly outside my personal experience. Even things as mundane as walking down the street become 'strange' when the sun moves opposite the way it "always did", and when traffic moves on the opposite side of the road from the way it "should."

When many of the constellations I always knew are suddenly missing and the ones I still see like Orion are upside down, I call that 'strange'. Each night I see a 'strange' moon.  It too is upside down.

I think the people here are extraordinary.(see the definition above)  When I came here, I didn't realise that I would also be meeting people from quite a few Pacific Islands, but I have.  Jeanne and I toy with the idea of 'taking a vacation' sometime to Fiji, Samoa or even Niue.(my favorite right now)

They are also extraordinary because of what they have accomplished.  This is a country of 4.4 million people.  That's it!  They are workers, and builders, and do-ers.

I don't always agree with what they decide to do. (we all have our opinions, don't we?) For example, they are talking about making New Zealand Smoke Free by 2020. Part of the way they are doing that now is to raise the taxes on all tobacco by 10% every year.  I still love a good cigar (or even a cheap one)((there are no cheap ones here)) now and then so I question that way of thinking, but you have to give them credit for do-ing.

So there you have it, my short essay on why this is a 'strange' place and I haven't even scratched the surface.  Notice I haven't even mentioned the food? Oh, don't get me started....

It's cherimoya season and my goal this year is to learn how to know when one is perfectly ripe. So far, it seems to me that any given cherimoya must spend approximately 5 minutes being perfectly ripe. Before that it is too hard and the sugars haven't developed, and after that it starts to become too soft.  And, the 5 minutes that it chooses during which to be perfect come during times that no human being is present. (They must feel vibrations or auras or something.) I've considered watching one 24/7 so I'll catch it at that perfect peak, but the same rule about watched pots never boiling probably covers cherimoyas ripening as well.  Very strange.

New Zealand is a popular place. Here is yet another cruise ship at Queen's Wharf, full of strangers.

 A cherimoya and kiwi

Kind of like a firm custard.  I can't describe the taste.  It's rather strange...as in extraordinary.













BTW.  Some of you have said that you weren't able to make comments.  I asked Allie to check it out and she discovered that my settings had defaulted to 'restricted' for those who could comment.  It is now set to  'anyone', so whether or not you have a google account should not matter.  Give it another try.
-djf