Kiwi In Training

One of the most common questions I heard prior to leaving Canada was Do you think Mikaela will develop a Kiwi accent? This seemed a highly unlikely possibility since she would continue to spend most of her time with me, the most she/ could hope for were some grammatical errors to drive Dave crazy. What I didn't account for, was the variation in her vocabulary as a result of our time in New Zealand.

A few months ago, Mikaela started referring to the bathroom as the toilet. This is not unheard of in Canada, but we do seem to prefer the more polite term. As I strive to make the toilet training a strife-free experience, in the desperate hope that she may (again) embrace the idea someday, I changed my vocabulary to be in sync with her daycare. I would ask if she needed to go to the toilet or make wees. This morning, she went one better, and referred to garbage as rubbish. With the hiring of a part-time Kiwi nanny last week, I wonder if she'll soon be calling the living room the lounge, her stroller the buggy, and searching for her togs to wear to the pool. On the day she exclaims Sweet As, I'll know she's been officially converted.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=sweet%20as