Our 5 Hardest Adjustments When Moving to New Zealand
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- čas přidán 13. 09. 2024
- Hello everyone,
In this video we talk about the adjustments we have struggled with when adapting to life in New Zealand. As always, this is just our opinion and by no means intended to upset or offend anyone. We hope you appreciate our honesty and can enjoy this video.
Thank you as always,
The Foley Family
On the lack of academic rigour in Early Learning, the New Zealand education system focuses on what it calls 'creating confident learners'. This de-emphasises rote learning and subject expertise, and concentrates on education of the 'whole person'. It's 'education for everyone', not just those who are academically gifted. One consequence is that subject-based learning is pushed back to middle high school, while elementary schoolchildren students acquire skills about how to learn. At the K-4 level, that means a really strong emphasis away from testing, especially where the testing becomes the objective rather than the process of learning. The final years of high school are subject-focused, but the results indicate that there is no deficit in subject knowledge compared to other countries.
Migrants to NZ of Chinese and Indian backgrounds are often very concerned about the lack of subject focus in K-14, so there is a whole subculture of after-school private 'Chinese schools'. Kids in those schools get lots of rote learning and staged repetition, which unsurprisingly fits very well alongside the NZ 'confident learner' approach, and gives rise to a cohort of highly-able Kiwis [the children of migrants] who do exceptionally well.
I’m in my 60’s and have moved into a primary Maori region. We never had the opportunity to learn Te Reo back in the day.
However Hubby and l are keen to learn, as Te Reo is the norm where we live now.
We are struggling with the pronunciation as well, but we are focused on getting it right.
The locals laugh at our attempts and politely correct us when we get it wrong.
I lived for a short time in rural Quebec, where English was rarely spoken at that time. I struggled with the québécois French as it is light years away from school room French.
When l have stayed in New York, l struggled with the food and my body was not happy. There are so many additives in American foods.
I found it very difficult to source healthy foods.
You guys are correct about the NZ education system. I feel the modern education system has thrown the ABC’s out the door.
We are having to teach our 15 yr old basic times tables, and she is a very bright person.
Her mum, my daughter was a gifted child who talked full sentences before she was one yr old. She could read before two.
When she started school at five years old. I was reprimanded by her new entrance teacher, because she could read and write.
I was told it was the teachers role at school to teach the child, and my child was disadvantaging the other children who couldn’t read and write. What bull shit. My eldest daughter started school at 4 years old as a gifted child, my nephew was going to university at 10.
The gifted child program has been shelved here in New Zealand. What are we the parents, and our children supposed to do??
Keep smiling, it’s still early days for you two. Our country is lucky to have you, and you will adjust to our very mixed life style.
Welcome to NZ! Moving to another country always has some culture shock attached to it and eventually you will find that most of these things will become the "norm" in your life. Your comments about early childhood education are interesting. As a recently retired early childhood teacher may I just say that, having taught in structured and unstructured early learning centres and kindergartens, I find the best ones have play based programmes and teachers who are actively involved in childrens learning on a one to one basis and in small groups. The "getting ready for school" concerns that primary teachers promote has little to do with children's learning needs in the early years. Being ready for school needs to be focussed on self management, social skills, building confidence and resilience and learning to communicate their needs. If primary teachers want children to be able to count and say their alphabet then they can teach them. The best schools have play based programmes that take into consideration brain development theory and recent research. It's not easy for primary teachers who have a class of children with differing abilities but it is not the role of early childhood teachers to compensate for that. As the years have gone on there is such a strong focus on academic learning in early childhood and pressure on teachers to get children "ready" but in my experience we don't have brighter and more intelligent children as a result. There are good play based progammes and not so good ones just like there are good schools and not so good schools.Every school and kindergarten is different and has their own teaching and learning philosophy. Anyone choosing an early childhood educaton centre for their child needs to visit and ask questions about the things they want for their child before enrolling. Any way, I will climb down from my hobby horse now and wish you well for your settling in journey.
Most kiwis will be happy your here, and trying hard to fit in ,just be yourselves and
And you will get your head around our culture,most of us are understanding of these issues when you come from another country , Our slang can be quite hard to understand I’ve been told , but you guys will pick up on what it means quite quickly
Anyway thank you guys for bringing your skills to help out ,we need teachers ,
I hope you guys can make our country a good home for yourselves to .
You can add learning opportunities into free play by following the kids interests. If they are playing shopping help them to 'write' a shopping list. If they are playing with water make a list of what sinks and floats and get them to predict each item. If they are drawing with chalk on the concrete help them to write their names next to their work. It can be an adjustment to fit these learning opportunities into play time rather than formal 'learning' times but it does enable you offer scaffolding to suit the stages of individual children's development and interests. Providing prompts within the environment can help too. If you have a group of children who only like to play outside and you feel are missing out on traditionally indoor activites then set up some puzzles, writing, board games, art etc opportunites outside. Make an obstacle course for the kids where they follow the alphabet or numbers from one activity to the next. Create scavenger hunts for them using pictures, or treasure maps of the playground. I struggled with this at times when I was teaching too, but there are lots of ways to extend children's learning while they think they are playing rather than being forced into a strict routine and that is the joy of play based learning - just make it fun!
I was going to say the same thing! The opportunities that play based learning provides to learn the more academic side is immense. It just involves the teacher learning to take them when they seem them and not relying completely on structured learning to do it. It is more creative and requires an adult to seize the moment and build on what the child is interested in or doing at that time. Thanks for your comment!
You guys are doing awesome and it must be a massive culture shock between the U.S & N.Z. No one will hassle you over the language & culture, at least you guys are trying but you will never learn unless you ask. In Moari WH is pronounced "F" if that helps.
*Maori
@@jeringatai3156 yeah sorry, combination of fat fingers, little letters & predictive txt. My wife is maori, should get her to spell check my posts before posting.
Hey guys, thanks for the videos! Can you do short video about recycling in NZ? What you need to do with the garbage specifically - how much do you need to sort it? do you need to wash packaging/conteiners from food? ect.
I think we plan on covering that sooner or later!
If you know Spanish, Maori have the say vowel pronounciation as Spanish phonetically. There's an audiobook by Scotty Morrison on Audible I think.
As an older person who lived in an area with no pre school when I was a child, I did well at school and wound up with dual tertiary qualifications,
so don't panic. Your daughter will get plenty of structured learning from age 5 onwards.
By far and away most people will choose not to correct mispronounciations of te reo....especially in a rude or condescending manner. It's apparent when someone's learning to tackle a new language, so going crook at them for not getting it right is hardly going to encourage them to continue trying. Just the fact that you guys are willing to attempt te reo is so encouraging...keep it up! On to education. We in our family are supporters of the Incredible Years program and have been for over 4 decades. We homeschooled our now adult children and are doing the same with our 6 year old granddaughter. It is our belief that the education system in Aotearoa is flawed after years of underfunding. Not only that though, the education system, world-wide I might add, as a whole is outdated...what might have worked 100 years ago, is simply no longer applicable. If you are interested in looking 'outside the box' take a few moments to check out Issy Buttson aka Stark Raving Dad, based in Nelson. Cynthia Hancox is Aotearoa's number one 'go to' for all things homeschool and she also liasons closely with the MoE. I sincerely hope you both, and your wee girl too, are happy and safe in your new adopted country....my whanau and I are pleased you've come to live here!😊
Thank you for sharing your experiences. I cannot imagine how hard it would be for you to make these adjustments. (Only because I have never been anywhere else, and this is all I know). Hang in there. I am sure you will find your feet eventually and you will fit right in, and feel a whole lot more comfortable in the end. After a while, it might feel like you have always been here and it will all be perfectly normal. Well, as much as it can be. I think you are doing great.
Perhaps Kindy or Primary School teaching may be an option a little further down the track. Maybe new doors will open for you along the way. I hope it all goes well for you.
All the best with everything. I hope today is awesome for you. :)
Your humbleness and openness to learn is what is going to make your big move a successful one! Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts and challenges with us. 😊
Welcome, you both seem like a great addition. It’ll get better
Agree with your observations re the structure and academic environment.
No one will ever think badly of you you for having a crack at te reo, in fact most people will go out of their way to help if you just ask. We are all learning as a country. NZ has some of the smartest people in the world, there is a time and a place for strict education but we just let kids be kids, they will have a whole life of structure and routine and intense learning ahead of them but what they learn from play can't be taught in books. Imagination, hand eye, social skills are way more important at this age. As an analogy, you would have done heaps of research and read lots of books before coming to NZ, but I bet you learnt everything you know from being here, hands on, trying to work things out, failing, laughing, crying. Life isn't always a tick box of multichoice questions.
Good video! Hang in there! I'm sure it will get easier. I'm guessing that most people immigrating go through similar issues! Kia kaha! Which means stand tall, hang in there, be brave, and similar. And yes, you're right! I don't speak te reo! And at age 78 probably never will - but picking up a few words and pleased to see te reo becoming more accepted in NZ!
I love your videos, I went to Kindergarten in Christchurch and I’m sure we begin with a little formality? NZ being such a small country (pop size) has huge differences in population demographics so the east coast of the North Island is very different to the South Islands east coast etc and you may notice totally different accents and speeds people speak in other parts of the country.
If you are trying to pronounce unfamiliar words from a language you didn't grow up with, you are doing it right.
I can't pronounce "Placerville" properly and I can't speak Spanish at all.
Welcome.
Can't help with the time difference.
Kia Ora e te whānau! (hey guys!), as a half-American Māori who didn’t know any of my tikanga (cultural norms) or Reo (language) until the past few years, I totally get not understanding and needing to ask questions, which is completely normal. My advice would be to just try your best, ask questions and you’ll see that the vast majority of Maori are happy to help you learn.
At the end of the day, what matters in our culture is making community. We have a saying: “He aha te mea nui o te ao? Maku e ki atu, he tangata, he tangata, he tangata.”/ What is the most important thing in the world? I will say to you, it is the people, the people, the people!
Kia Kaha! Kia Maia! Kia Manawanui!
Be strong! Be brave! Be kind!
Hang in there, those adjustments will be over before you know it. Change day cares, get more structure for your baby especially if it’s a core value for you. You’ll be fine, and yes time zones… I have to schedule ahead of time to sit down and talk with friends and family. But you and they will get used to it. I highly recommend learning the Māori language even if it’s just introduction, you’ll learn the Vowels and be able to sound the words out and suddenly everything clicks. Many Lewis can’t speak Te Reo, but keep trying.
Kiwis love to help. Ask your colleagues, I almost guarantee that someone at work will know some old granny etc who will be delighted to baby sit when required
Just a suggestion guys.
Y'all could hire a nanny. We have a friend who is French and another that is Chilean. Both did short stints as live in child minders.
That could help free up time for you guys to do other things.
Wait, what? American early childhood centres make 3- and 4-year-olds sit tests?!
No they don't, but they do in primary schools and further along unfortunately.
A lot of your communication with overseas friends and family can be had by regularly recording videos to keep them up to date with your marvellous new Papamoa lifestyle.Would it help to send your connections a card that shows wide awake hours that applies here in NZ?Also you could list on this the USA belt times that they might catch you at home mid week.I guess you don’t want the sleeping hours of Bub disrupted by a call in the middle of the night(nite).Kia Kaha.
Keep it up guys! I can understand your worry about Maori words however even Kiwis struggle from time to time. It's the effort that counts so don't worry.
My child goes to Kindy and it is playbased. And we totally love it. There is a lot of data to show that it is the best for children's development in the long term.
In regards to the time difference. Just look at it as you are living 17 hours into the future compared to the US :) By the time you are starting the weekend, they are still starting Friday. On New Years Day, you will be in 2023, whilst they are stuck in the previous year ;)
You can pay for the sports you are missing on our free Tv by subscribing to sports channels or you can
record sports and then watch them when it is convenient. The main reason to live in NZ is it is safer. I doubt anyone will shoot up your workplace or your daughter's school, when she goes to school. We have longer holidays for the most part in NZ. Health care may be different but for the most part you can live with the free system. Private health insurance is not that expensive if you want it at your age. You are lucky that you moved here with occupations that NZ wants. As an American who did not move here using the high skilled category, I have experienced discrimination, including for my American accent. One ends up being less extroverted. There are several facebook groups for Americans you might want
to look at.
11:26 well yeah .. i mean when you say early childhood edu i assume you mean like 5 y.o and younger right ... i mean why would they be taking any tests at that age lol
The sickness amongst young kids has really come back with a vengeance since our borders opened, as they haven’t developed the usual level of immunity against common infections that they normally would have. It means bugs are spreading a lot quicker amongst kids and adults and a lot of people are getting recurring infections. I’ve noticed that in-home childcare such as Porse is healthier for young kids especially under 1’s, as they care for much smaller groups of kids and have less sickness going around. A really great way to get family meals in is to try meal box deliveries such as My Good Bag or Hello Fresh, it is pre-organised, affordable, healthy, convenient, time saving, and lots of Kiwi families use this.
Given New Zealand's lackluster performance in reading and maths in recent years, you may have a point that there needs to be a slightly bigger emphasis on academics as well as play learning.
I agree here we do want to move to new zealand and playing is very important but there is a time for structure
its better to try speaking te reo maori and end up sounding goofy then to not try at all or to make excuses but regardless i hope yall are setteling in well
We have a lot of slang mixed in our language
Well here is one for you folks ..this is how to Pronounce Tauranga using everyday english words (Tau = toe ......rang = wrong (if you can't roll your 'R' ..and the last of that word that is said as one but im breaking it down into two ..so the last one is 'A' = Ah) ..Toe-wrong-ah ..say it all as one and dont draw it out 👌
"American speaking country" - maybe should have edited that out. Of course there are a variety of playcentre/daycare structures/offerings - find one that suits your values. Playcentre/daycare is not kindergarten. As you mentioned kindergarten will offer more formal preschool educational development.
I offer the following with the utmost of respect - just chill, let your defences down. Enjoy that New Zealanders can be far more relaxed and easy going than other countries. Look around to the adults you are in contact with daily, do you observe and criticise "Oh they are a product of their pre-school daycare, they lack structure"? There is an abundance of research on the benefits of free-play in early childhood. I would rather children develop vivid imaginations, be bold and adventurous in their activities, robust and caring in their socialising than turn into timid little robots.
If you are concerned for pronunciation of te reo words, just ask. If you are friendly and open you will get a friendly and open response back. It is not disrespectful having a desire to learn, in fact you will be treated with respect for asking.
Rather than talk of “hardships” embrace the experience of new. Things may well be different in many ways yet to come for you but you didn’t travel to the other side of the globe to experience the same.
Yeah - should have edited out "American speaking country" 🙂
Most kids start primary school at 5 instead of 6 years old and I think the only requirement for year 1 / primmer 1 was you had to be able to write your name, sing the alphabet and count to 10. Though I remember in kindergarten it did have sitting time, singing and some learning etc.
People appreciate when you try or acknowledge when you say a word wrong and ask how to pronounce something correctly.
Academic is a choice to further skills but the money for the young people is to go over seas, education is based on a well worldwide experience learning is not based on academic intelligence, but sport,music,intelligence is as important as good social skills
Try Barnados for sitters or ask your jp/doctor if they may know of anyone, you will be surprised with a family doctor
Enjoying your videos and your honesty. Nothing there that came as a huge surprise 😀 and don’t discount that you too are adding to our interesting diversity . Apparently almost 30% of kiwis were born overseas so don’t feel you are alone !! I’m probably the odd one out at five generations here !!
Aw it's hard eh. You'll get there. Try not to stress too much about anything. You won't be expected to know everything immediately by anyone 🙂
I think most parents want their kids to be little Einsteins, but most valued educators will tell you that play based learning is best, and starting school at 7 is common in other countries.
I've seen a lot of Americans on CZcams having trouble getting to grips with the lack of working so many hours, not getting holidays or paid overtime that is the norm in USA that it's rubbed onto their stressed parenting manner that their kids won't "succeed" unless there's more academia from a young age. I've also seen them relax, over the years, about how whole child learning fosters independent and critical thinking.
Re language, I'm sure that if people see you making an effort, they will be fine. But yeah, there's s lot of new stuff for sure! Australia is more like a mini USA, not so much us....
I agree with the structure in preschool, but my kids went to a pre school that was actually very structured, and actually got the kids ready for school. My kids learnt how to spell their names and a lot more. I think it depends on want preschool you put your kids in.
Could you record your sport & watch it later?
Yes! But Daniel likes watching sports live, otherwise he can read about the game instead to save time.
You are looking at it from an American perspective, and when you have been here a while you will understand why us kiwis have a No8 wire mentality, which means we will look at certain situations or problems from a practical perspective which is developed by this style of learning. Just go with the flow and you will see that this is not all bad. Enjoy your life here guys and hope to see more of your NZ experiences 👍
Three main languages spoken in New Zealand 🇳🇿 is English, maori and sign languages
I think you'll find that the vast majority of kiwis and kiwis who are also Maori that they will be happy to answer your questions and will most likely be flattered in your interest in pronunciation. There'll always be the odd asshole as there is anywhere but try and ignore that noise. There are some really good resources on pronunciation via google and I would just say try your best.
well you could always ask if she would be amenable to cooking extra each time if you pay for the extra ingredient :)
Don't struggle with the pronunciation. You can speak American English, you can therefore get reo Māori correct enough. Vowels are either short or long; (fast or slow) and the a e i o u is Are there three or two. That's all. sound out each vowel on that model, and it'll do . Nau mai haere mai ki Aotearoa
Hi Guy's. Hang in there, you are doing OK believe me. It not easy moving to another culture as we are all a little different and hell even us NZers don't sometimes understand each other. Re the education system, you will get the hang of it, it does work out OK and you are correct, not every school is exactly the same as subtle differences do occur. You doing just fine.
welcome to NZ...................
nzonscreen has free content to watch, Maori pronounce words differently in regions, NZ is small enough yet still have regional twangs,
dont sweat it too much,
Everywhere in the world chews on the English language differently, try talking to a Paddy a Scouser a Geordie a Mac a Cockney or even an Aussie😁😁😁 Correct pronunciation of Maori words escape everyone at first
For a US perspective on play-based learning I'd recommend following Teacher Tom's blog - he's a very good and clear writer.
In NZ centres "mat-time" (US - "circle-time") is an opportunity for more formal "academic" style learning, such as learning to love books and reading and some phonics and the beginnings of writing - but can be done in a fun informal style. Some centres do advertise that they have specific academic-style - preparing for school - programmes for their 4 year olds.
There is still debate over "Mat-time" though as some teachers think it is too formal and too strict to match with play-based learning. I think it has its place, but like all teaching it needs to done with a clear purpose and understanding rather than a "oh, what book do I feel like reading" or "let's keep the kids all together because the teachers have to clean up after lunch". (I'm an NZ EC teacher too BTW).
As an aside - please don't call it "daycare" - that's a big no no for NZ EC teachers. It's "childcare" or sometimes "preschool". "Daycare" has connotations of mere "baby-sitting".
Thanks for keeping it real. Keep well
You'll adjust to the changes pretty quickly bro. With the pronunciation of Te Reo the Maori understand and are happy that you try, that's all anyone can ask. Try pronouncing the word Maori as mouldy. That will get you pretty close to the correct pronunciation
My wife the Kindergarten teacher is nodding along with your points about thge desireability of structure !
A kid robbed a jewelry store up in Akld with a hammer and the 1st words out of his mouth was, I'm only 14 you can't touch me, let me go. That's a kid with no discipline & no thought for others. Anyway you guys are doing great trying to fit in & that's all you can do. The way N.Z is these days I would have chosen a different place so all the best to you. Stay Safe
You need to identify the type of learner your working with, and adjust your teaching style to how best they learn, audio, visual and kinstic is all you need to understand, most learn by hands on doing/play, and allow for flexibility as to much structure becomes boring and no one wants to come to your class, creating creative fun while learning is best
'academics' in early childhood?
10:06 yeah .. its not... great here in nz tbh... defo needs work..
You are not the first people to emigrate to New Zealand. And you are also not the first to find it sometimes challenging. No one is going to judge you harshly, since so many of us have taken the same journey. It does get easier BTW.
You’re doing fine. Don’t overthink things. Māori Culture is a nightmare. You know how in English (well UK English) there is Received English/Received Pronunciation or RE/RP which is the final say in correct pronunciation, it’s what all the BBC announcers were originally taught, but now they let various British dialects through and they manage OK. New Zealand only has two really distinctive English accents, the one you hear everywhere, and the one where they roll their “r”s which is from the Deep South. Nothing like the difference between say, Glaswegian, Geordie and Mancunian. New Zealand has set itself up a bit by trying to be so precious about “correct” pronunciation of Te Reo Māori. There are actually as many regional Māori dialects in NZ as there are English dialects in the UK. A few fast facts (no doubt someone will disagree) but Māori tribes have been at war with each other for centuries. They’re still not quite over it. For example, I live in the South Island and the biggest tribe here is a Ngai Tahu, and they (we) have a slightly dismissive relationship to the famous Kamate haka, as performed by the All Blacks, mainly because it was written by Te Raupuraha, a genocidal Māori leader who invaded the South Island with his Ngati Toa warriors and slaughtered (and ate!) everybody on their way to Otautahi (now Christchurch) to secure the Greenstone trade routes from the West Coast. As for the so called Māori King (the Kingitanga movement) - outside of the Waikato it’s treated with far less respect than for example, the Government gives it. Another thing with pronunciation - the original colonists who wrote it down wrote what they heard. If “wh” had been an “f” sound they would have written it like that. To me, the grammar nazis trying to force a Received Pronunciation on Te Reo Māori are totally guilty of cultural appropriation and treating the diverse and multi faceted Māori language as one big homogenised entity. I guarantee your Māori pronunciation is no worse than hundreds of thousands of other New Zealanders, so you’re doing fine. And finally, pre schools - as educators yourselves you’re no doubt aware of Montessori and what they offer, they might be worth a thought. The thing is they’re not really going to learn a lot at preschool or even primary school. I think NZ has taken too long a look at Nordic countries where they don’t really start school until they’re 7 or so and homework doesn’t exist. But for some reason, they’re turning out highly educated adults so something’s working. So does New Zealand so trust in the process and step back a bit. There are some horrifying CZcams videos of American graduates with little to no knowledge of the world outside of the US borders so all that teaching to exams, and fact cramming is not really working. Anyway, I think you’re doing really well, I lived in Hungary as an English only speaker back in the 90s, only a few years after the walls went down and the Russians moved out, so I understand a little how difficult it can be to make your way in another culture. Our first child was born in Budapest, our second in the UK, but we’ve always gone where the work is and I wouldn’t give up that sort of cultural education for anything.
You think Maori aren't over our tribal misadventures I think you'll find that's a worldwide thing and the UK is a classic example. I notice you don't mention the treaty???? Which is the biggest injustice.
Let me apologize for the south african accent. It's the worst😅😅
Nah, Scots takes that one ...followed by Cockney.
I love the SA accent 🤗
I guess coming from south Africa I just don't like it. Sounds terrible when hearing it over broadcasts 🤢😂
Not true. As a Kiwi I find the South African accent really pleasant.
@@heatherharvey7669 as a south African I find it really unpleasant..
14:09 meh you'll get there dw :)
Great vid, you guys are doing fine.
It will take time to adjust.👍🏻
We gave 2 kids then the government brought out the Anti-Smacking Law (not that we had to smack our kids) but since that law was introduced, kids have got out of control. My daughter said to us "you can't touch me, I'll call the cops". We said call them at least you know what's right & wrong & DONT think there's no consequences to your actions. Kids need discipline. There's a difference between beating a child & disciplining one.
Congratulations. You've won the "most stupid comment" award.
It wasn't an "anti-smacking" law - it was a "you can't beat up your kids and escape punishment by calling it discipline" law. Sad that after so many years you still don't understand that.
@@jumpingjohnflash actually it is a anti-smack law. Beating a child has ALWAYS been against the law. That's just common sense. You are not allowed to lay any type of hand on your child. And as I said I NEVER had to as my kids were raised with respect. So maybe it's SAD you don't know the law. Saying you that it's against the law to beat a child .. DOAH...that's always been against the law. Can't believe that you think they had to pass an ANTI-BEATING LAW...WOW.
@@rogerb4436 no, parents who beat their child used the defense of 'reasonable force'. This defense was taken away. A woman used 'reasonable force' to horse whip her child and got away with it. Hence the law change.
You carry on hitting your kids if you want though, you seem the type.
Chill out your pronunciation of te reo will get better. Bare in mind most nzers including Maori have difficulty pronouncing Maori correctly
You definitely need to get used to learning how to decipher all types of english - especialy in Auckland 😂
We have cricket here a much better game than baseball
Hiya guys don't knock yourselves back cause you don't understand or pronounce maori place names properly for we don't expect you to the French or Italians cultures said the same thing to me while doing my big oe in their countries so I know where your coming from the maori of today would either have a giggle, correct you or even say nothing cause they understood what you were tryna say in the first place, infact they would quietly praise you for trying, pronunciation comes with time careful though it's a beautiful language soon you'll be wanting to learn how to speak it...lol love your journey take care guys
Best recovery wishes to your daughter 😊, NZ winters is a b*tch for toddlers sometimes. But yes, roll on Summer!
My all-time favorite "online" Americans to follow comes from Missouri - Andy Frisella, Emily Frisella and many of the 1stPhorm Phamily 😊 Off topic, but your mention of the St Louis Cardinals, made me think of them, haha. czcams.com/users/AndyFrisella
In 3 years or less, you'll be back in the US or somewhere else. Honestly, I just don't see you guys adjusting to NZ life.
I am so impressed with you guys and the way yous are approaching your change of life style I am a Maori with white ancestry and like what you have been saying ,,, the good , the bad , and the rest ,,,lol So learning how to say/ pronounce Maori is all about the vowels and how they are pronounced,,,,,,A as in cAR,,,,E as in Egg,,,,I as in kEY,,,O as in OR,,,U as in yOU,,,,,,AEIOU,,,I hope this helps ,,,,if you wanted to learn just how to pronounce words ,, that is awesome ,,,I only live an hour down the road if you need a bit of informal help ,,, you dont have to learn how to speak a group of words ,, just the pronunciation and Maoridom would be more than happy