Power Drill Envy

On my birthday, I decided to buy a power drill and some wooden shelves to build a cabinet for my 200 plus pairs of shoes (not including boots). I went to a big DIY shop and a very nice guy called Mack in the timber section helped me to choose what I needed for my little project. He was very friendly so I asked if they gave any discount for birthday girls. And he did! I suspect it had something to do with that demure yet tight-fitted sleeveless summer dress I was wearing although I am not entirely sure.

After Mack cut out all the shelves for me, he took me to find a power drill. We found a good one on sale so he asked his colleague there how much. The guy looked at me and my cheeky smile then said it was free with a smile like that. But of course I paid for it later. It’s my first power drill and I bet it’s hard for my friends back in Tokyo to imagine me using one in my high-heels.

When I was leaving, Mack helped and carried all my purchase to the car. At the exit we saw some other staff loading a truck outside. He announced to them that it was my birthday. So I walked away accompanied by the chorus of “Happy Birthday” sung in top volume by about 15 big burly men. It was the most bizarrely funny birthday experience I’ve ever had.

DIY is huge here. Many Kiwis are quite handy at home. They build the deck in the backyard, mend the fence, retile the bathroom, paint the kitchen and re-carpet the living room. And it’s not only men doing DIY here, Kiwi women are very much into it too.

In fact, I was thoroughly tempted to buy this beautiful pink tool kit there once. It’s specifically designed for women. But in the end I didn’t get it because it only had a power screwdriver instead of the traditional ones. I suppose they think women are too weak to use men’s tools properly without any help of batteries.

Many DIY shops also offer lessons for women. So I’m planning to go back to that shop and find my buddy Mack and let him impress me with his (DIY) skills. Perhaps one day I will learn to build a 4-bedroom house complete with a garage full of different power tools. Now that would be really cool!