Midwest Kiwis

Growing up in South Dakota, living amongst a homogeneous, predominantly white, Christian community, we had little exposure to other cultures and beliefs. The extent of diversity around me was limited to the few Jewish or African American classmates who were put on display for Hannukah or Kwanza, expected to teach the rest of us about…

It’s only been nine days since we landed in New Zealand, yet somehow it feels as though we’ve lived a month’s worth of experiences. We’ve settled into our small, but cozy Airbnb in Rothesay Bay, growing more and more accustomed to the slower, quiet life of living on the North Shore. We wake up each…

It’s early morning as Larsen and I sit together at our small Airbnb in Rothesay Bay, listening to “Cozy Jazz” on Spotify, Austin still snoozing in bed. The Tui birds can be heard chirping outside, a small reminder that we are half a world away from our family, friends and former lives. We arrived in…

A (big) life update from The Krause House Sunday, March 9th, 2025. It’s a warm, spring Sunday as I’m sitting at the kitchen table watching Austin putzing around outside through the window. Larsen is downstairs giggling with two friends, and I’m just starting to smell the banana bread baking in the oven. It’s a seemingly perfect…