My Humble Abode

Three weeks ago I decided it was time to get serious about the apartment hunting.  Two weeks ago I set up an appointment to meet with potential flatmates and check out the space.  One week ago I moved in.  This weekend we had our housewarming party.

I found a furnished apartment just south of the downtown Auckland area.  It’s within walking distance of shops, a grocery store, a running path, and other great conveniences of the city.  I met with my potential flatmates after coming in from being on the boat.  I was soaking wet, wearing my swimsuit under my clothes, and instead of arriving late as I had feared, I arrived 15 minutes early.  Despite all of this, they still thought I would be worth keeping around. 

Originally I planned to move into a small bedroom (it literally only fits a twin bed and nightstand – no closet), however, my good sense won out over my tight budget.  Since I haven’t lived with anyone for over three years I decided some space might be nice.  My room is now on the lower level with a window that looks out onto our front entry way.  Now, after spending over $200 on bedding and other random things for the room, I am starting to feel like I have a home. 

My flatmates are from all over the world and so far we get along really well.  I live with a German girl, Indian guy, English girl, and another American girl.  It’s a four bedroom, two bathroom, three level town home in Parnell.

Next on the social calendar: my 30th birthday.  It has officially been decided we will have a fancy dress party (which you may have noticed is on my list of things to do while I’m here).  The question is, do I dress as a Cowgirl or an Indian?

About the photos: Front of town house; second level with an open floor plan (living room, dining room, kitchen, balcony); my bedroom on the day I moved in.

Adjusting to Life in New Zealand

I have know been here for over one month.  I'm already starting to work on plans for my birthday celebration.  I thought this was an appropriate time to remind people (and myself) why I chose New Zealand in the first place. 

It's easy to say that the people make the difference. But New Zealand doesn't throw me into an entirely new culture and it doesn't offer as much bang for the American buck as other countries could....they even claim to speak English here.  Here are some fun facts (that may or may not be true - depending on the reliability of the Internet) about the country I'm now living in:

• There are over 9 million beef and dairy cattle in NZ.  (There are only 4.3 million people.)  Actually, less than 5% of New Zealand's population is human - the rest are animals. This is one of the highest ratios of animals to humans in the world 
• The world's first commercial bungy jump took place in Queenstown, NZ in 1988. (The city is now the self-professed "Adventure Capital of the World" due to the wide variety of crazy stuff they come up with to pass the time.)
• At 41.2^o South, Wellington is the most southerly capital city on the planet. Cities on similar latitudes in the Northern hemisphere are Barcelona, Istanbul and Chicago.
• The last fatal earthquake in New Zealand was on the West Coast of the South Island in May 1968. Three deaths resulted. (However, smaller earthquakes hit the islands annually)
• New Zealand gave its women the right to vote in 1893, a quarter century before Britain or the US.
• New Zealand has 15,811 km (9,824 miles) of coastline, and no matter where you are in the country, you are never more than 128km (79.5 miles) from the ocean.
• Auckland, the City of Sails, has more boats per capita than anywhere in the world with 80,000 privately-owned boats - one for every eight Aucklanders.
• New Zealand was named after a group of Dutch islands called Zeeland, thanks to the Dutch cartographers that mapped the area.  "Zee Land" is loosely translated to "Sea Land."  (This is all assuming that Wikipedia is correct). 

And some random information about my own experiences:

• I watch just as many (sometimes more) American television shows here than I did back home.
• I occasionally catch what could be an American accent, and feel a rush of excitement when it turns out to be true.
• I'm living in a big small town.  Everyone knows everyone within a few degrees and it only took one month to insert myself into this small world and start playing the game.
• I love that the toilets have two flush options (a half flush and a full flush).
• But clearly the flushing isn't about the environment, because all of the towel bars are heated so that you not only have a dry towel every time, it's also toasty warm.
• Among other things I've discovered that Americans have a reputation of getting overly enthusiastic about things - Me, get excited about ridiculously small trivial things?  Never.

Things to be thankful for (more on all of these topics later):
- A new flat in a great location with fun new flatmates
- A job offer that should be coming this week
- 30th birthday plans that could include a "Cowboys and Indians" theme party

What a Difference a Week Makes

Job...check (even if it is temporary); Job Prospects...check (second interview planned, more recruiting agencies in the waiting); Apartment...check.   This week I am working at a temp job, I have an apartment, I have an interview with a company regarding a more permanent position, and I've decided to buy a car - a big change from just one week ago.

Working 9 to 5:
Over the last few weeks, I have been contacting recruiting companies in order to find some temp work.  I met with one particular agency about two weeks ago, when they had me come in for an "interview."  I arrived, filled out piles of paperwork, and then they set me in front of a computer for testing.  What I thought would be a few brief tests turned into 2 1/2 hours of mind numbing delirium.  First came the Word and Excel tests.  These tests were based on Word and Excel circa 1957 and only allowed 2 tries before assuming you were a moron and wouldn't get the answer.  Keyboard shortcuts were only partially working and descriptions of icons didn't show up when hovering with the mouse - I was crippled.  (Sample question:  Move to page 8 of this document without using the page down key or scrolling.  Seriously?)  I would like to know who scrolls using the "Go to" function.  Clearly, the creators of the tests aren't users of the software itself. 

I managed through the software testing and typing test (over 70 wpm - I can't believe that was my only B in highschool).  And then they set up three more tests - verbal, math, and analytical.  Despite having regular flashbacks to the GRE, I managed to pull through and score pretty well.  (1 of 30 verbal questions:  Which one does not belong:  Sister, Daughter, Mother, Man, Child, Husband).  At the end of the tests, I met with not one but three lovely ladies who were in charge of the recruiting.

It all paid off when I received a call for a job from one of them last Thursday.  I was enjoying my day exploring the zoo with a friend and her kids (I can now mark "see a kiwi" off of my list).  I started working at the Museum of Transportation and Technology (MOTAT), on the following day.  My role has been working with the Director of Operations to update the budget and prepare the presentation for the board. It's quite interesting stuff considering I'm just a 2 week temp.  Trolleys drive by my office occasionally as they move around the facility and I get to enjoy planes, trains and automobiles during my lunch break. (Pictured: A view of a portion of the campus, courtesy of the MOTAT website)

And, in the meantime, through a friend I heard about a position that had recently opened in the marketing department of an international company with an office in Auckland.  Although they were looking for a permanent hire, they agreed to look at my resume.  I sent it in on Tuesday.  By Friday, I had spoken with the HR department in Sydney and agreed to apply officially online.  I did on Saturday afternoon.  On Monday morning I received a call from Sydney again, this time to set up an interview for the position on Wednesday.  Immediately after the interview on Wednesday they called to set up a second meeting on Friday morning.  Things certainly move quickly.

Off the Streets of Auckland:
While trying to find work, I've also managed to find an apartment in Auckland.  As of this week, I will be moving into a townhouse in Parnell (a nice area downtown just south of the CBD). I have a tiny room (somehow I found something even smaller than my studio apartment in Chicago) but the three levels I share with flatmates more than make up for it.  Unfortunately, you'll have to use your imagination to determine its greatness until I can properly post some photos and details.

Things to be thankful for:
- Networking: still the best way to find a job hands down
- Sea fishing trips, even if everything I caught had to be thrown back, I still count it
- Things falling into place at just the right time