The top ten things I miss about New Zealand

10. Education

This one is mainly directed at when I was living in the Cook Islands, technically not NZ, but also holds true to my school in New Zealand. It is probably not fair to compare a primary/middle school to a high school, but that is not all I'm talking about. At my old schools I was much closer to my friends than I am now, and the New Zealand Curriculum is much more relaxed in study and is much more hands-on and engaged. Exams would not be written until much later. My old schools were a lot more outdoors and had fields to play sports at.

I also miss all the magazine/book shops and Public Libraries that there are in New Zealand has well as all the cool Museum and Science Fair type events.

9. The scenery and nature

Sunsets on the sparkling beaches,  majestic rolling hills, sub-tropical forests, off-shore islands, ice-capped mountains, magical glaciers, rocky shores and bays, breathtaking valleys and waterfalls, volcanoes, hot-springs, lakes, plains and fiords; it is no wonder countless films have been filmed in New Zealand, including the Lord of the Rings series, the Hobbit series, the Avatar films, Bridge to Terabithia, Whale Rider and more. I miss the untouched nature which is purposely conserved and well-looked after by the people.
It is also the youngest country in the world, not politically speaking.

8. The Friendly People

In New Zealand, nearly everyone is friendly and life is not nearly as rushed and busy. Most Kiwis are more laid-back and relaxed than other places and have a great sense of humour and attitude. It is much more common for strangers to smile at you on the street. Customer service may not be the best but it is much more professional and better than some places (I'm talking to you Vietnam).

New Zealanders, or Kiwis, have a reputation for being friendly and welcoming, and for being adventurous at heart. This is one of the reasons why New Zealand is the Adventure Capital of the World. 
Did I mention that New Zealand that New Zealand was voted the friendliest country in the world in world in 2011 and the best country for customer satisfaction in 2013? 

7. The absence of people

I think a large part of me is an Introvert and I often need time alone to myself. With all the motorbikes honking, dogs barking, babies crying, people shouting, etc, I just simply cannot get that in Vietnam I really miss the peace and quiet of towns in New Zealand and the space I can have to myself. New Zealand is only a little bit smaller than Viet Nam and it has just over 4 million people, while Vietnam has 90 million! That's more than 20 TIMES the population; no wonder I feel so cramped and claustrophobic here. Also, in NZ and the Cook Islands the space meant that there were backyards and front yards for every house and there were just generally more bushes, trees and grass all around.
Fun fact: Sheep outnumber humans about 7 to 1!

6.  Diversity (or People, continued)

This has numerous parts to it.
Firstly, New Zealand has so many immigrants from so many countries and cultures which makes life very interesting. The Maori native culture is fascinating to learn about. How can you not like a hill called "Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateapokaiwhenua- kitanatahu"!
I'm not bragging but New Zealanders are kind of known for being 'Backyard Geniuses' as well as Outdoor people. Along with sportspeople, singers and directors like Daniel Vettori, Richie McCaw, John Walker, Neil Finn and Peter Jackson, there are also many famous authors, explorers, scientists and inventors. From Margaret Mahy and Maurice Gee to Sir Edmund Hillary and Sir Ernest Rutherford. New Zealanders have invented the whistle, bungy-jumping, egg-beaters, hairpins, jet-boats, zorbing, spring-free trampolines, the land-yacht, an amphibious vehicle, the Shweeb, the Agro-jet, and jogging, yes, jogging. Viet Nam has, apart from some actors and singers, Ho Chi Minh and Flappy Bird. Also, I think in Viet Nam there is clearly defined social classes, defined by wealth, sex, age, power, and the gap in between is quite wide. You are either rich or poor. The rich will get the education, the big houses, flash lifestyle, etc. Of course this is found in all countries but I definitely notice it more in Viet Nam.
Secondly, as I already mentioned, the landscapes of New Zealand are extremely diverse as well as the wildlife, mentioned below.

5. Sports and activities

The popular sports in Viet Nam are very different to what's popular in New Zealand. My favourite sports to play and watch are Cricket and Rugby, they have a little bit of rugby here and no cricket. I do way less exercise and there are less places to for young people to "have fun", eg: Te Papa Museum in Wellington is an awesome place to go for a day.
New Zealand has a lot of hiking, walking and biking opportunities everywhere. New Zealand is known for it's extreme sports and activities, like bungy-jumping, sky-diving and rock-climbing, but it is also great for just a walk around the street, quite the opposite of here.

4. Cleanliness

The first factor to this is that (the vast majority of) New Zealanders are aware and want a clean, green country. There's almost no litter on the streets, which means you can just walk normally on the footpath with having to dodge litter, potholes, cracks, street-sellers, fruit stalls and most of all motorbikes. Come on people, it's a footpath, not a road. The traffic here is horrendously chaotic and noisy.

3. Wildlife

New Zealand has an amazing array of endangered and unique wildlife that cannot be found anywhere else in the world or even compared to anything else in the world. Tuataras are animals that look like lizards that survived from the time of dinosaurs but are in a whole animal category of its own. There are many other birds, bats, marine mammals and other animals that I could mention that are native to New Zealand as well. The best thing is you don't have to drive thousands of kilometers to a national park to see local amazing birdlife. A local park could host fantails, tuis, kererus, harriers, falcons, owls, ducks, swans, geese, lizards, and insects. In Hanoi I'll be glad to just see a sparrow.

 

2.  Food

Everybody, close your eyes, relax, and breath in very deeply. Imagine you are sitting on the shore with the scent of heavenly battered fish and crispy chips with some tomato or tartar sauce and a lemon to squeeze in the mix, all wrapped in yesterdays newspaper. You can even add a few calamari rings to the meal if you want. Ahhhhh...
Breakfast now isn't that different from when I lived in New Zealand, but Lunch and Dinner certainly are,a s well as snacks. I wouldn't normally have a big lunch and save my appetite for dinner, except on weekends, especially Sunday.

Just some of the foods I miss are Meat pies, Salt and vinegar bluebird chips, K-bar, Moros, Jet planes, Jaffas, Pineapple lumps, Burger-rings, Choc-fish, and Crunchies!

1. Stars

I miss being able to look up at night and see the glorious galaxies and breathing in the fresh, cool air. Something about the air pollution here just gets to me.