The New Zealand OE

In trying to give you an understanding of a New Zealander's Psyche, it is impossible to do so with out discussing the "The big OE". In non-Kiwi Speak, "Overseas experience'. This seems to be an innate part of our culture. Kind of like one of those migration flights, except there is no definite destination, just the whole world.

Maybe its partly because we are isolated at the bottom of the world, you can't get further from Greenwich than us, or maybe its just a need to spread our madness to the rest of the world. But for a large extent of young New Zealanders, our ultimate goal is to go in search of "The big overseas Experience".

Now this is not just crossing the ditch, visiting Australia that is, but to travel to the rest of the world. To visit the British Isles, Europe, Asia, North and South America, Africa... I mean some New Zealanders even climb Mt. Everest. Have I missed anywhere? I mentioned in Search for New Zealand of a small incident from my own OE experience. This is really only just a tip of the iceberg. Personally I have never been to Australia, but I have been to North America, England and Europe. This travelling is not usually done in a 6-week trip, but takes much longer years in fact. My brother conceded to return about 10yrs later.

To fund this experience we usually work somewhere. Often that means in pubs in London, or driving Tour-buses in Europe, maybe even teaching English in China. You name a job and you will find a New Zealander has done it at some time. I slightly bucked the trend; my attempt was working in a Fish n Chip shop in Canada. But then I am married to a Canadian.

This pre-destined psyche to travel is so inbred; you could be looked at as if a little challenged if you haven't at some stage got your passport stamped. More recently there is the extra drive, which is the Student Loan scheme. Here if you want to go to University and your parents choose not to or can't afford to pay, you get a government loan. This you don't pay back until you start to work. If you leave the country, well it takes even longer, like never. My daughter has it all planned, and she doesn't go to University until next year. All I've said is make sure you get a decent job overseas to at least pay for me to visit once a year.

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