So when I moved south of the Equator, I was pretty excited for the seasons to be reversed (and to clarify the rumour that toilets flush in the opposite direction compared to up north).
When I arrived summer was already in its dying days, so I had to wait a few months to see what spring was really like here.
After enduring a long winter in the lower South Island, I was as downright giddy as a school child when September finally rolled around.
But then, nothing.
September 1 was just as cold as August 31. I still wore at least five layers everywhere I went. All the flowers still looked dead. What was going on? I was confused. Completely, utterly confused.
Why does spring baffle me so? Allow me to explain.
My bewilderment begins with when spring arrives. Serious question: why does spring start on September 1 and not the equinox, after which the days are longer than the nights?
Administrative reasons? Someone a long time ago forgot to measure how much light and darkness there was from day to day? It just doesn't make sense.
And then there's the weather. Or, more specifically, what people seem to prefer to wear in the springtime weather here.
Ok, so it's no secret that I loathe any temperatures below 40 degrees Celsius as much as I loathe eating anything classified as a "vegetable".
So when I recently attended an event in Auckland wearing no fewer than six layers, that was about average for me. Everyone else seemed to be in shorts and T-shirts.
There could be an explanation for this. It could be that most Kiwis are simply far hardier than myself, and think anything above 15 degrees Celsius is "warm".
Or, it could be that there's some kind of law about not wearing long sleeves past August that I've simply missed the memo on.
There's also the lack of spring-related things being sold in stores. I mean, why isn't there a huge sign every three metres on every street with some variation of the words "spring" and "sale?"
Don't get me wrong - it's great that New Zealand appears to be less of a consumerist society than the United States, or even Germany. But it's just weird. I mean, isn't the real reason shops so heavily promote "spring cleaning" so you can buy the things you need to clear your place out, then come back to buy more stuff to fill it up again?
I could keep going on about this, but I have a funny feeling you get the idea. Besides, I probably shouldn't complain too much - I did choose to move here of my own free will, after all.
Things are just different in New Zealand. If I wanted things to be similar to what I was used to (at least in terms of when the different seasons are), I could've accepted that job offer on Kodiak Island, Alaska.
Cold as it still is here in Aotearoa right now, I'm really glad I didn't.
