Out and about is a column where we talk to people that live in a foreign country or lived and worked there. This week we talk to Hannah Boshoff (26), currently living in New Zealand.
Where in South Africa are you from and why did you decide to go and live in a foreign country?
My household and I are from Rustenburg in North West. We owned a house and lived quite comfortably. My parents really encouraged us to return to a foreign country with the option to emigrate. I previously lived and worked in New Jersey, USA for a year (2010–2011). And it was wonderful. So after experiencing some work-related problems on the mines in Rustenburg, we decided to grab the opportunity after all and move to New Zealand.
In addition, it is much easier for South Africans holding a qualification to move over here. There are a lot of doctors, pharmacists, builders, teachers, HR officials, technicians and electricians that work here. And our household was lucky enough to immigrate as a result of my husband’s qualifications.
Was it a big adjustment?
It will be much more difficult for people who have never travelled, flown in an aeroplane or visited a foreign country before. But New Zealand’s roads and road directions are the same; all that differs is the fact that there are no potholes over here. The roads and the pavements are being maintained quite well. It doesn’t feel like as if I am in another country, except that it is cleaner, the air is clear, and the roads, parks and even the city are very clean. The shops go to extremes to treat us South Africans by making provision for selling South African products to us, such as chutney and Aromat. We also eat more or less like we did in SA. So it is basically all about how you handle the move and whether you make the situation and circumstances work in your favour. We are comfortable and happy, and even our children are adjusting quite nicely.
Tell us more about your household?
We are a household of four. My husband, Vincent (29), works in Auckland at a firm known as StrechSence. He enjoys the people working alongside him and he is a much happier person. He performs technical instrumentation work there. I was a laboratory manager in South Africa, but hasn’t yet started working here. After our arrival, I started house hunting, enrolling the children at school, finding a GP and dentist; my first three weeks were thus basically used to help our household adjust everywhere. However, I am currently busy looking out for management positions in order to start working fulltime one again.
We have two children, namely Jonathan (5) and Vinique (16 months). Jonathan is already enrolled in school, in “Year One” as they call it over here. In NZ, children already start school at the age of five. He attends Howick Primary and enjoys it very much. He really likes his new teacher, Miss Blest, and is currently busy learning new English words whilst also learning to read three-word sentences. It is unbelievable how quickly he is adjusting and learning. Vinique though is still staying with me; nursery school is extremely expensive seeing as the state prefers that children only start attending nursery school at the age of three. She and I frequently go for a stroll on the beach in the mornings and also go and play in the parks. She really enjoys nature and to explore new things. During weekends, Vincent will accompany the children to the beach and show them how to explore small crabs and other ocean creatures.
There are quite a lot of South Africans in New Zealand. Do you sometimes come together?
There are an unbelievable large number of South Africans in NZ. One meets new people around every corner and subsequently become friends. Everyone comes from SA, albeit from different towns. So even though people differ, we like to come together, prepare a potjie, braai a piece of meat, bake malva pudding or anything else that we crave. We often listen to Afrikaans music, while the children like watching Lollos together. It is so nice; our household is very privileged to have met so many nice people who over time became our new friends.
What was the weirdest to come to terms with?
In New Zealand, you can take home with you anything that people leave on the pavement in front of their homes, such as furniture. It was so weird. And still is. Upon our arrival, we were short of a baby eating chair for Vinique. However, we got our hands onto one as a result of the above-mentioned custom. We were so quick when loading it and it just felt strange.
And of course, it is super weird to see women walking or jogging alone or with their small children at 21:00. Children between the ages of eight and twelve surprise me when they walk home alone in the afternoons after school. They simply walk home alone without being worried at all.
The other thing that is also quite weird is the free fruit one receives in supermarkets. Whist busy doing grocery shopping, your children are allowed to chew on fruit. Jonathan thinks it is Christmas every week; he can’t wait to take a banana and eat it on his own time.
Do you get the chance to travel?
Yes of course, it is unbelievable what New Zealand has to offer, and over long weekends one can break away and go camping. Seeing as we live on the North Island, we would like to explore this area first before traveling to the South Island. We are also considering visiting the South Island during the winter months, as it is snow season. We also live only a block away from the beach, so there are a lot of activities around us to enjoy with the children, such as the aquarium, the zoo, as well as farm and animal markets.
What do you like most about your life there?
Everyone seems to think that it is all about the freedom and the clean and beautiful air, but if I am to give my own opinion, I would say that I absolutely admire the respect which people have for each other. We get along much easier with people over here, people seem to take each other into consideration. Kiwis are extremely helpful and make one feel at home. And of course, we have more time together as husband and wife, and for our children. Life is not such a hustle as in SA. It is a comfortable and much more relaxed lifestyle.
How does the cost of living compare with that in South Africa?
We find some things to be more expensive and other things much cheaper. But we try not to compare the dollar with the rand, because we get paid in dollars. In New Zealand, you also get paid weekly and not monthly.
Housing and nursery schools are extremely expensive, while fuel and vehicles are quite cheap on the other hand.
The New Zealand government also offers things like education (school and university fees) and medical aid which we do not pay for, which means that we have fewer expenses.
What is the biggest difference from your life in South Africa?
Since our arrival, we are not worried anymore about the challenges that may unfold the next day. Our life is much more relaxed and it doesn’t even feel as if we are living on an island.
Do you still have contact with South Africa and would you ever return?
We came over with everything that we owned, even with one of those containers. We created an entire new life for ourselves over here and we are adjusting well. We will never again go and live permanently in South Africa, but we might go over for a vacation. We keep close contact with our family and friends in South Africa, and then we also have contact with other South Africans that frequently phone Vincent or me to hear about our life in NZ. I even started a blog with the name The World Of Hannah Boshoff in order to help other South Africans with the immigration process and also to share our experiences with them. I also regularly upload videos about the scenic beauty of NZ and of how nice it is over here.
Go and “like” Hannah’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/theworldofhannah/
