Soon after I moved to Auckland a colleague said my development into a JAFA was ‘coming along nicely.’ I can’t remember what I had done or said to earn this comment, but I was horrified.
The calendar has just clicked over and I can now say I’ve lived in Auckland for a year. I don’t really think I’ve changed that much over the year, which begs the question – was I always a JAFA and just in the wrong city?
To be sure, I did a quick poll of my facebook buddies, asking them:
- Am I a JAFA?
- What defines one?
Turns out my mates out of Auckland don’t think I’m one, and my mates in Auckland just think I’m a Shore Girl (hopefully only because I live on the Shore!).
One friend gave quite a fierce response, saying:
“No, because you were not born and bred in Auckland. A JAFA is a person who doesn’t realize that New Zealand includes the rest of the country and that the rest of the country could cope quite well if Auckland suddenly disappeared!”
Wowza! Other friends tell me being a JAFA is all in the attitude (adding “please don’t become one!”).
I can’t tell if Aucklanders think being a JAFA is a good thing or not, so I’m quickly going to school up and try it out for awhile.
First stop – Ponsonby for a latte while reading Metro. What other activities define JAFA?
Then I'm definitely not a Jafa - my car couldn't be accused of being flash! And no.. not a photo of me. That's the great sense of humour from the viewauckland folks coming through!