In search of a home

We have started house-hunting in Auckland and yesterday went to three open homes. I limited it to three because I thought that was probably about as many as my husband and children could tolerate in one day but how wrong I was. Daniel just loved it and begged to see more. Elizabeth spent most of the time asleep in the car so Ben and I took turns viewing each house with Daniel. Ben and Daniel went in first while I waited in the car then I went in with Daniel and he showed me around. For some reason Daniel has decided that the features of most interest to me are the washing machine and dryer and he always shows me these first following closely by the fridge.

New Zealanders are more likely to commit suicide than be killed in a car crash with the national suicide rate at over 500 people per year and growing while the road toll was 375 in 2010. What is interesting though is that the rate in Christchurch bucks the trend and declined sharply following the February 22nd earthquake. Apparently this is typical for suicide rates to fall following a major natural disaster and has been mirrored in other parts of the world. They attribute it to a greater sense of community and belonging despite the increased alcohol and drug abuse as well as domestic violence evident in Christchurch following the quake. Perhaps the people who are committing suicide are not the ones using drugs and alcohol and beating their wives and children. There’s probably also a greater sense of our own mortality and primitive survival instincts kick in. It sounds clichéd but you also develop a sense of what is really important in life: friends and family.