Hello friends, it's your favorite American gal in Kiwiland here.
I have a half an hour until my pizza arrives (I do hope they remember no cheese) so I figured I'd write this. I've been craving pizza in a big bad American way. I feel very American right now, which I'm sure you could tell, because rarely have I used the word American so prominently in a paragraph.
I have just gotten off the phone with the Dominos pizza guy (hey globalization, what'dya say!) and never in my life have I felt so... foreign. It's the accent, of course, but seriously, at one point the pizza guy asked me what kind of crust I wanted (or so I'm guessing as the miscommunication was never discussed in full detail) and I had no idea what he said, but thought perhaps he asked me what kind of sauce I'd like, so I replied, "Marinara," to which he replied, "...your choices are classic, thin and crusty..." etc. Yikes. I could tell the moment I drawled "Hey" across the phone line this guy rolled his eyes. I don't blame him for being impatient--but I honestly could not understand him to save my life.
I would dub this one of the most trying language moments so far. I am both floored and fascinated at how technically he and I speak the same language when we really don't. Of course, it's not just accents, it's slang too (did you know that to throw a wobbly means to have a tantrum? Neither did I...) but in this instance, it was accents all the way. And it's not just the pizza guy either, it's people at work too. I have to ask for simple resayings (is that a word?) of simple words like "hair" because here it is pronounced "hehyear" instead of what I'm used to, which would be "hayre". One guy I work with--he's great, very nice--but, I cannot understand him 75% of the time (I am not exaggerating), so I can only nod and smile. It's quite likely that I've nodded and smiled to some weird sentiments and likewise, odds are he thinks I'm either very spacey, or very agreeable. Perhaps both.
I really do hope they remember no cheese. But I bet when I said it they probably heard "yo, cheese!" and assumed it was my American slang.
Cheer up Charlie:
I'm trying to focus on the positives--I know this year will be incredible, but I'm still waiting for some companions to pop out of the Welly woodwork. I'm getting a smidge depressed (it's near my time of the month, so that might be part of it) but I'm trying to keep my chin up. I am excited--and very blessed--and of course, having the time of my life. Because by all definitions--every time spent anywhere I choose for myself is the time of my life. I'm living it up... but that doesn't mean it's easy or that I'm happy all the time. I think there's a part of me that fears people back home see me as a sort of adventuresome heroine, and I don't want to let them down by going, "Wahhhh I want friends!" But that's probably just my irrational self-criticism speaking. Hold on, I'll check. Yeah, it is.
My roommates are watching 10 Things I Hate About You in the other room. I could have joined them... but, nah. It's weird--as lonely as I am, I'm still picky about the when where and who of the company I keep. Don't get me wrong, my roommates are lovely, but I like hanging out on my own terms... (I'm probably thwarting myself here on the friendship front.) Anyway, instead, I was googling theatre in Wellington. I'm itching to get back into it (I know, I know, I was going on a break, but I've had my break, and now I'm back); I was thinking that perhaps I could make some friends that way, you know? I thought it was a reasonable train of thought. Plus, I've seen that movie loads of times. I used to loooove it, but in my adulthood it strikes me as a mixed-message kind of movie.
Another train of thought. I love organics. Love them. They make my body dance; they make my bank account cry. I don't want to get cancer from all the bad bad chemicals (still very scared of death here, this is me we're talking about) but I also don't want to go broke and die from on the streets by the hand of the ominous Wellington wind. So obviously, I'm not buying too much on the organic front. But oh, Mr. Wizard, I wish I could! When will the market expand so that these obviously superior items will not cost an arm, a leg, a pound of flesh, a kingdom for a horse? I mean, seriously. Get with the program, 2009.
Choo choooo. In other news, I've begun to chip at my writer's block. I realized that, as much as I enjoy writing memoir pieces and the occasional short story--I'm a playwright. I'm a dialogue girl, and I always have been. Even since I was a small child, I told stories in my head, and they would always be interchanges between people, not long descriptions of the mood of a shopping mall. So shook myself, and went back to my Chaos theory play from way back--and did some decent work. I've got a ways to go to make this play work--it's probably the hardest thing I've written--but I'm happy doing it, and that's big right now.
Chug a chug. I'm seeing a play tomorrow at a real theatre and everything. Well, if I can get tickets.
Allll aboard! You're probably wondering about my job, no? Well, I'm not silly enough to go into super detail on a public internet blog, but I will say that I am loving working with the kids, (one of them drew me a welcome poster and it is on my wall!) but there are some other rather lofty work challenges that are making my head spin, even after only one. Even better, the next two weeks I work full time--8am to 6pm days for two weeks. Grrrrreat money, but I'll probably want to cry at the end of each day.
Come on pizza...and Coke... I ordered a coke. I KNOW, okay? I know it's cancer in a bottle and I'm afraid of dying but I wanted a Coke.
Why is life so complicated? I just want to live a long, healthy, successful life with my loved ones, see the world, fall in love, and be the best Sarah I can be. So why is that difficult, hmmm hmmm hmmmmm?
This entry is bordering on angst when it's supposed to be a rather factual update of my NZ extravanagaza.
...oops?
Edit later: they left off the cheese. Huzzah!
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Monday, September 21, 2009
Learning to Line Dry My Laundry (And other Wellingtonian Tales)
Good evening friends.
I do hope you'll forgive the delay, I have such a hard time keeping a detailed document of everything that happens to me... it's simply just the actual getting myself to do the writing that gets in the way. And I'm a week behind in the updation in my own documentation. (Rhymes are yummy.)Insert the angst, frustration, and fear about stunting my own creative genius and I'll never amount to my full potential and die a nameless unremarkable no one, blah, blah, blah. Moving on.
Speaking of moving on, I've been doing a lot of that. Not in the metaphorical "growth" definition of the word, but the literal meaning... I've been doing a hella lot of moving. Where did we leave off? It doesn't really matter, actually, because I'm really just going to talk about today...
Some cool things about Petone (pronounced Petohnee):
1. Mountains all around.
2. A Salvation Army Store.
3. A Public Artesian water tap--it just sits outside, and people come and fill jugs, bottles, etc... totally eco-friendly and healthy to boot. Well done P-town.
Oh my gosh I'm living in another Ptown.
That's weird.
Well, trust me, Petone is nothing like Peoria.
So yes, I'm in Petone. I'm flatting (aka living with two other people in a small house) inexpensively with two nice ladies (one of which told me she wanted to take me out to the pub for drinks and introduce me to the Petone lads... how shall I break it to her? It may not be worth it...) and my room is small, but cozy. I made it much cozier, too. I have a shelving unit, a single bed, and I rigged my sheetliner into a laundry bag... I hang my jewelry from a sort of wall/coat hanger thing, and I use the chair in my room as a desk to hold me computer. I've put up my pictures of family and friends in my windows--that way it doesn't damage the paint on the walls--and today I bought a pillow! It's the little things.
For those of you just tuning in, I moved to Petone (aka Lower Hutt, Wellington) because I got a job as a Group Leader for an after school program, which is cool. I've worked there two days, and so far I like it. The kids are great--and rather funny. Today we had the final installment in a fuseball tournament--we had two finalists, Toby and Melissa. We really went all out, or well, Adam did, one of the other Group Leaders in charge. He arranged the chairs around the fuseball table like an arena, and played music like "We are the Champions" and "We will rock you" after each goal. Melissa completely beat Toby, something like 17 to 9... and although I was cheering for Melissa (we sistahs gotta stick togethah) I felt bad for Toby who got rather upset, but his sister was there to comfort him. They are a sweet brother sister team. It made me miss my brother. I love you Stephen. :)
Other tales of note... I purchased some books today--alas! I shouldn't have done it, but they called to me loudly and sweetly, like bloody sirens. But now I have reading material, and since I'm a wee bit lonely, it's a good thing.
I've got some inner angst over my writing--why am I not writing like I used to in high school and blah blah blahdity blah...
Oh! The title story!
Two things New Zealand does not have (in general):
1. Central heating. (Grrrr... or really, brrrr.)
2. Drying Machines/Dryers.
Here in NZ, and especially in Windy Wellington, people hang their clothes on CLOTHES LINES. Yesterday morning I was doing this and was swearing under my breath and the primitive nature of it--though to be honest, I know that it's a more environmentally sound option. But it's a bit of a hassle, really. It takes almost two days for things to dry completely, things fall to the ground, you can run out of clothes pins... it's truly bizarre. Anyway... the point is, that when I got up and wanted to get dressed today, I quickly realized that ALL of my clothes were on the line, and that they were all wet. Still.
I couldn't wear yesterdays clothes to work now, could I?
So, I went to the Salvation Army store and bought a new outfit. As I was paying for it, I looked at the lady and said, "Strange question--but look, I don't mean to go all homeless on you, but can I buy these and then, um, change into them?" She said certainly, and I changed in the fitting room, chuckling to myself at the absurdity that is my current life.
Well, I think that's all for now. I'm going to go read... although I should be writing... my memories will slip through the cracks of time if I don't record them... angst!
Aw, shove it, self.
I'm reading.
Peace mates!
I do hope you'll forgive the delay, I have such a hard time keeping a detailed document of everything that happens to me... it's simply just the actual getting myself to do the writing that gets in the way. And I'm a week behind in the updation in my own documentation. (Rhymes are yummy.)Insert the angst, frustration, and fear about stunting my own creative genius and I'll never amount to my full potential and die a nameless unremarkable no one, blah, blah, blah. Moving on.
Speaking of moving on, I've been doing a lot of that. Not in the metaphorical "growth" definition of the word, but the literal meaning... I've been doing a hella lot of moving. Where did we leave off? It doesn't really matter, actually, because I'm really just going to talk about today...
Some cool things about Petone (pronounced Petohnee):
1. Mountains all around.
2. A Salvation Army Store.
3. A Public Artesian water tap--it just sits outside, and people come and fill jugs, bottles, etc... totally eco-friendly and healthy to boot. Well done P-town.
Oh my gosh I'm living in another Ptown.
That's weird.
Well, trust me, Petone is nothing like Peoria.
So yes, I'm in Petone. I'm flatting (aka living with two other people in a small house) inexpensively with two nice ladies (one of which told me she wanted to take me out to the pub for drinks and introduce me to the Petone lads... how shall I break it to her? It may not be worth it...) and my room is small, but cozy. I made it much cozier, too. I have a shelving unit, a single bed, and I rigged my sheetliner into a laundry bag... I hang my jewelry from a sort of wall/coat hanger thing, and I use the chair in my room as a desk to hold me computer. I've put up my pictures of family and friends in my windows--that way it doesn't damage the paint on the walls--and today I bought a pillow! It's the little things.
For those of you just tuning in, I moved to Petone (aka Lower Hutt, Wellington) because I got a job as a Group Leader for an after school program, which is cool. I've worked there two days, and so far I like it. The kids are great--and rather funny. Today we had the final installment in a fuseball tournament--we had two finalists, Toby and Melissa. We really went all out, or well, Adam did, one of the other Group Leaders in charge. He arranged the chairs around the fuseball table like an arena, and played music like "We are the Champions" and "We will rock you" after each goal. Melissa completely beat Toby, something like 17 to 9... and although I was cheering for Melissa (we sistahs gotta stick togethah) I felt bad for Toby who got rather upset, but his sister was there to comfort him. They are a sweet brother sister team. It made me miss my brother. I love you Stephen. :)
Other tales of note... I purchased some books today--alas! I shouldn't have done it, but they called to me loudly and sweetly, like bloody sirens. But now I have reading material, and since I'm a wee bit lonely, it's a good thing.
I've got some inner angst over my writing--why am I not writing like I used to in high school and blah blah blahdity blah...
Oh! The title story!
Two things New Zealand does not have (in general):
1. Central heating. (Grrrr... or really, brrrr.)
2. Drying Machines/Dryers.
Here in NZ, and especially in Windy Wellington, people hang their clothes on CLOTHES LINES. Yesterday morning I was doing this and was swearing under my breath and the primitive nature of it--though to be honest, I know that it's a more environmentally sound option. But it's a bit of a hassle, really. It takes almost two days for things to dry completely, things fall to the ground, you can run out of clothes pins... it's truly bizarre. Anyway... the point is, that when I got up and wanted to get dressed today, I quickly realized that ALL of my clothes were on the line, and that they were all wet. Still.
I couldn't wear yesterdays clothes to work now, could I?
So, I went to the Salvation Army store and bought a new outfit. As I was paying for it, I looked at the lady and said, "Strange question--but look, I don't mean to go all homeless on you, but can I buy these and then, um, change into them?" She said certainly, and I changed in the fitting room, chuckling to myself at the absurdity that is my current life.
Well, I think that's all for now. I'm going to go read... although I should be writing... my memories will slip through the cracks of time if I don't record them... angst!
Aw, shove it, self.
I'm reading.
Peace mates!
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Devonport-astic
So, I've been a bit behind on this. I've actually been typing out almost everything I've done in a word document because I want to write it all out as a story-a sort of annualism non-fiction thing, the idea of "I lived in NZ for a year, here's my story" dealio. But, for the time being, I think it will simply behoove us to just jump right to today. If you want to know what I've done in the past few days (job hunting, talent scout interview, met a few new cool people, hung out with England, hung out with Tara, decided to re-learn french-bought a novel in french and a dictionary-wrote a bit, went to a stand-up comedy show, moved out of Kat's into a kind of crappy--but gloriously cheap!--hostel, failing at my budgeting because food is so expensive and well, I have to eat, embarking on couch surfing, skycity interviewing, loads of veggie sushi eating) you'll just have to wait for the book. ;)
I woke up today at around 9 but stayed in bed till around noon. I was just sleepy and lazy for some reason. I wrote a little bit, which was good. Steve text me and wanted to know if I wanted to go to Devonport (not to be confused with Davenport, Iowa) and I figured, why not, I'm not doing anything else. I agreed, but at this point was still in my pjs and cuddled up in my kind of smelly room (this hostel smells a bit.) After talking to both Karly and Ben online, I hauled myself out of bed and hit the shower. This shower had a curtain (unlike the last place I was staying which led to a bit of mess and subsequent tension) but it also did not have a shower head. It was, in fact, a hole in the wall. I couldn't believe that the water would actually come out of there, but when I turned the faucet, out it spewed. It was certainly functional, but still, the shock was a little hard to ignore. I showered and padded back to my little room. There was a guy in the hallway whitewalling the walls, or at least I think that's what it was. He could have just been painting them white, but he was doing it with a sharp pancake looking flipper, not a paintbrush. Regardless. [It has brought to my attention that this is in fact called 'plastering.' Mais, bien sur! Silly me.]
I got ready, locked my backpack (can't be too careful) and headed out to meet Steve for our Devonport adventure. I didn't know if the rest of England would be coming along --[For those of just tuning in, I have three British guy friends, Steve 1, Steve 2, and Nick and I refer to the trio of them as "England." I spend most of my time here with either Steve 1, Tara (who is from all sorts of places--born in Ireland, half Maori, half Irish, (right Tara?) lived on a boat, lived in the Middle East and Dublin, now back here for school), all of England, or Ana from Germany] --but when I got to the corner where we were meeting, only two thirds of England were present--we were missing a Steve, who had had a rough night (they like their alcohol) and wanted to stay in bed.
By the time we got down to the Ferry pier, Nick had changed his mind and headed back to the hostel, leaving just me and Steve 1. We spend loads of time palling around, so this wasn't a problem in the slightest. The Ferry was only 10 dollars (which is like 7 US dollars I LOVE this exchange rate, seriously) and we only had to wait a bit before one showed up. Steve got some soup that turned out to be absymal and I got a chai that was wonderful. NZ really knows how to make chai, I'm telling you. The Ferry ride was nice, but fairly (or ferrily?) uneventful.
We arrived in Devonport and I liked it instantly. I should probably explain what "Devonport" is. Devonport is a borough of Auckland. It's not an island, but it's quicker to get there by ferry than car. So far, it's my favorite part of Auckland. When I laned in Devonport, I felt like I was in a foreign country for one of the first times since I've been in New Zealand. Although Auckland is a fine city, it is not much more than a city. If people didn't have accents and there weren't sushi places littering the streets, I would think I was in Chicago.
But Devonport looked like a seaside town. The houses were very nice, but quaint, small, some of them worn but in a loved fashion, not simply destroyed. Think older picket fences, swings from trees in the front yards of little houses with gardens, palm trees, and all sorts of other exotic looking shrubbery. The cool thing is that Devonport is in (or well, built around) a giant hill that is in fact a dormant volcano. Naturally, Steve and I decided to climb to the top... but not until after we took a...
horse drawn carriage ride! It was only 5 dollars per person, and Steve spotted me the 5 since I only had my debit on me. Steve's much richer than me :) Merci, Steve. There were three Clydesdale (sp?) horses, and I felt sort of bad for them, all chained up, but at the same time, the ride was nice. Slow--we simply circled about two blocks--but cool. To be honest I could barely understand a word that came out of the driver, and the only others in the wagon were two women from Australia. When I told the driver (or I guess driver isn't the right word? it's not a car...) I was from "near Chicago" (I absolutely HAVE to tell people that here or they'll have no clue where I live-- "I live in Illinois" often means nothing to them) he told me he could see that--because I looked like Al Capone. I joked back, flipping my hair and saying I get that a lot. Funny stuff. Another cool thing was that this driver let a bunch of kids with skateboards hang on to the back of the carriage/wagon as we walked around the main street. I thought that was pretty awesome.
After this, we embarked on our hike, which took a lot less time than we expected. We found some cool things a long the way--half way up there was a building called "The Bunker" and when we went to investigate, we discovered that "The Bunker" is the name of a folk music club meeting place. We were both thrown by this--we had not expected there to be a folk music building half way up a dormant Volcano. I love this place.
We kept going and going until we got to the top, and there other people up there. The top was pretty cool--there were little painted mushrooms (I'm sure they served an actual purpose but had been painted decoratively--you'll see when I get the pics up) as well as an old historical "gun" that had been built to fend off the Russians way back in the day (I don't actually think the Russians ever made it out to NZ, but if they had, the Kiwis were prepared). It looked more like a giant cannon, and it was built to stay hidden in the ground, so we could go down through a little "fort" and see the rest of it. We could also climb allll over it and we took loads of pictures. Steve took one of me balanced on top of the cannon itself doing a yoga pose, because I'm cheeky like that.
This volcano was beautiful--it really just looks like a hill, but very green and living. Karly said it best in her blog--the air in New Zealand just smells green and healthy and alive. There's no hole or anything at the top--and it is VERY steep to go down. Especially since Steve and I decided to abandon the path and just walk down the side of the Mountain/Volcano--which, in case you were wondering, is quite steep, and was rather foolhardy of us. But we survived the descension in one piece. We resumed the path after that. ;)
I should also mention that the view of Auckland and Devonport from the top of the Volcano was incredible. I almost cried. I looked out and thought yes, yes, I'm in New Zealand. Here is the beauty you don't see everyday when you pass shop after shop on Queen Street. It was a beautiful reminder of why I was here and where I was... and it was awesome to share that with such a cool friend--Steve's fab, we had such a great day.
We then wandered around from there--up at the top of the mountain I had seen this beach looking thing--it just looked like really dark sand, but Steve thought it was a marsh, so we decided to check it out. It took us a bit to get there since when we weren't on the mountain, we couldn't see it as easily, but we got there eventually, and as it turns out, it was most definitely a marsh. Not terribly exciting, but the stuff around it was. Loads of very smooth "football" and rugby fields, and this one we went to had three swings--but where there should be a seat for the swings was an iron pole on each one! They were the weirdest swings ever. There is a chance that they weren't swings... but they REALLY looked like 'em. You'll see when I post pictures (I have to wait for Steve to put them up first, my memory card is wonky on mine.) We passed some beautiful beautiful houses--especially one in particular. It took us a bit to walk back to town, but we simply wandered around talking about the women in our lives (heh) among other things. We made it back to the hub of town by pretty much luck--and by that time the sun was up and it was beautiful. This was around 5 o'clock, and the whole day (not to mention the last two days) have been rainy and grey grey grey. But tonight, walking around beautiful seaside residential but humming Devonport, the sun came out in full glory.
Hallelujah.
I woke up today at around 9 but stayed in bed till around noon. I was just sleepy and lazy for some reason. I wrote a little bit, which was good. Steve text me and wanted to know if I wanted to go to Devonport (not to be confused with Davenport, Iowa) and I figured, why not, I'm not doing anything else. I agreed, but at this point was still in my pjs and cuddled up in my kind of smelly room (this hostel smells a bit.) After talking to both Karly and Ben online, I hauled myself out of bed and hit the shower. This shower had a curtain (unlike the last place I was staying which led to a bit of mess and subsequent tension) but it also did not have a shower head. It was, in fact, a hole in the wall. I couldn't believe that the water would actually come out of there, but when I turned the faucet, out it spewed. It was certainly functional, but still, the shock was a little hard to ignore. I showered and padded back to my little room. There was a guy in the hallway whitewalling the walls, or at least I think that's what it was. He could have just been painting them white, but he was doing it with a sharp pancake looking flipper, not a paintbrush. Regardless. [It has brought to my attention that this is in fact called 'plastering.' Mais, bien sur! Silly me.]
I got ready, locked my backpack (can't be too careful) and headed out to meet Steve for our Devonport adventure. I didn't know if the rest of England would be coming along --[For those of just tuning in, I have three British guy friends, Steve 1, Steve 2, and Nick and I refer to the trio of them as "England." I spend most of my time here with either Steve 1, Tara (who is from all sorts of places--born in Ireland, half Maori, half Irish, (right Tara?) lived on a boat, lived in the Middle East and Dublin, now back here for school), all of England, or Ana from Germany] --but when I got to the corner where we were meeting, only two thirds of England were present--we were missing a Steve, who had had a rough night (they like their alcohol) and wanted to stay in bed.
By the time we got down to the Ferry pier, Nick had changed his mind and headed back to the hostel, leaving just me and Steve 1. We spend loads of time palling around, so this wasn't a problem in the slightest. The Ferry was only 10 dollars (which is like 7 US dollars I LOVE this exchange rate, seriously) and we only had to wait a bit before one showed up. Steve got some soup that turned out to be absymal and I got a chai that was wonderful. NZ really knows how to make chai, I'm telling you. The Ferry ride was nice, but fairly (or ferrily?) uneventful.
We arrived in Devonport and I liked it instantly. I should probably explain what "Devonport" is. Devonport is a borough of Auckland. It's not an island, but it's quicker to get there by ferry than car. So far, it's my favorite part of Auckland. When I laned in Devonport, I felt like I was in a foreign country for one of the first times since I've been in New Zealand. Although Auckland is a fine city, it is not much more than a city. If people didn't have accents and there weren't sushi places littering the streets, I would think I was in Chicago.
But Devonport looked like a seaside town. The houses were very nice, but quaint, small, some of them worn but in a loved fashion, not simply destroyed. Think older picket fences, swings from trees in the front yards of little houses with gardens, palm trees, and all sorts of other exotic looking shrubbery. The cool thing is that Devonport is in (or well, built around) a giant hill that is in fact a dormant volcano. Naturally, Steve and I decided to climb to the top... but not until after we took a...
horse drawn carriage ride! It was only 5 dollars per person, and Steve spotted me the 5 since I only had my debit on me. Steve's much richer than me :) Merci, Steve. There were three Clydesdale (sp?) horses, and I felt sort of bad for them, all chained up, but at the same time, the ride was nice. Slow--we simply circled about two blocks--but cool. To be honest I could barely understand a word that came out of the driver, and the only others in the wagon were two women from Australia. When I told the driver (or I guess driver isn't the right word? it's not a car...) I was from "near Chicago" (I absolutely HAVE to tell people that here or they'll have no clue where I live-- "I live in Illinois" often means nothing to them) he told me he could see that--because I looked like Al Capone. I joked back, flipping my hair and saying I get that a lot. Funny stuff. Another cool thing was that this driver let a bunch of kids with skateboards hang on to the back of the carriage/wagon as we walked around the main street. I thought that was pretty awesome.
After this, we embarked on our hike, which took a lot less time than we expected. We found some cool things a long the way--half way up there was a building called "The Bunker" and when we went to investigate, we discovered that "The Bunker" is the name of a folk music club meeting place. We were both thrown by this--we had not expected there to be a folk music building half way up a dormant Volcano. I love this place.
We kept going and going until we got to the top, and there other people up there. The top was pretty cool--there were little painted mushrooms (I'm sure they served an actual purpose but had been painted decoratively--you'll see when I get the pics up) as well as an old historical "gun" that had been built to fend off the Russians way back in the day (I don't actually think the Russians ever made it out to NZ, but if they had, the Kiwis were prepared). It looked more like a giant cannon, and it was built to stay hidden in the ground, so we could go down through a little "fort" and see the rest of it. We could also climb allll over it and we took loads of pictures. Steve took one of me balanced on top of the cannon itself doing a yoga pose, because I'm cheeky like that.
This volcano was beautiful--it really just looks like a hill, but very green and living. Karly said it best in her blog--the air in New Zealand just smells green and healthy and alive. There's no hole or anything at the top--and it is VERY steep to go down. Especially since Steve and I decided to abandon the path and just walk down the side of the Mountain/Volcano--which, in case you were wondering, is quite steep, and was rather foolhardy of us. But we survived the descension in one piece. We resumed the path after that. ;)
I should also mention that the view of Auckland and Devonport from the top of the Volcano was incredible. I almost cried. I looked out and thought yes, yes, I'm in New Zealand. Here is the beauty you don't see everyday when you pass shop after shop on Queen Street. It was a beautiful reminder of why I was here and where I was... and it was awesome to share that with such a cool friend--Steve's fab, we had such a great day.
We then wandered around from there--up at the top of the mountain I had seen this beach looking thing--it just looked like really dark sand, but Steve thought it was a marsh, so we decided to check it out. It took us a bit to get there since when we weren't on the mountain, we couldn't see it as easily, but we got there eventually, and as it turns out, it was most definitely a marsh. Not terribly exciting, but the stuff around it was. Loads of very smooth "football" and rugby fields, and this one we went to had three swings--but where there should be a seat for the swings was an iron pole on each one! They were the weirdest swings ever. There is a chance that they weren't swings... but they REALLY looked like 'em. You'll see when I post pictures (I have to wait for Steve to put them up first, my memory card is wonky on mine.) We passed some beautiful beautiful houses--especially one in particular. It took us a bit to walk back to town, but we simply wandered around talking about the women in our lives (heh) among other things. We made it back to the hub of town by pretty much luck--and by that time the sun was up and it was beautiful. This was around 5 o'clock, and the whole day (not to mention the last two days) have been rainy and grey grey grey. But tonight, walking around beautiful seaside residential but humming Devonport, the sun came out in full glory.
Hallelujah.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
And on the sixth day...
Welllllll.
I sent out a mass email, which I should probably repost here, eh?
Here it is--loads has happened since then, and I'll admit that the magic of arrival has worn off a bit--don't get me wrong, I'm still happy to be here, but I'm a bit lonelier than I'd like to admit, and I'm very weary from job hunting and very early mornings. But, onward and upward, oui? Oui. Here's the email...
***
Kia Ora mates! I am currently sitting at a cafe called Revels, which specializes in vegan/vegetarian food--I just had a vegan peanut butter cup! Quite delicious. This cafe is on K Road, and the K is short for a really really long Maori word that I can't spell out right now. The street I'm looking out on looks quite like a busy sidestreet in New York or Brooklyn, except that everyone sounds like the Flight of the Conchords, and the Pacific Islander population is much, much higher here. An update, shall we?
When I arrived in Auckland, I got to my hostel, the ACB Backpackers on Queen Street (the main street of Auckland) at around 5:30 am--and I kept myself awake! I showered, locked up my stuff, and went exploring. Auckland is quite big, and VERY hilly--so I should have some real killer calves when I get home. I walked up and down queen street for awhile, and then went back to the room where I met my other hostel companions--three 28 year old men from Leeds! It was a little weird at first, being a girl in a hostel room full of guys--we women are trained to see that as an "uh, this isn't a good idea" situation, but they turned out to be lovely. Drunks, but lovely ;) Their names are Steve 1, Steve 2, and Nick. Nick looks especially british--he wears these pointed black shoes and tight pants. You'd know what I meant if you saw him. We got on famously, and I got to be rather good pals with Steve 1. The first day, Steve 2 and Nick stayed in bed the entire day, but Steve 1 and I ventured out and did more exploring--we found a beautiful park called Albert Park with MASSIVE trees. I didn't have a camera on me at that point, but there will be pictures eventually. It is a little cold here--at first I scoffed at it, but it can actually get a little chilly, especially in the morning. Plus, central heating isn't common here--meaning.... houses are cold cold cold. And you know how I feel about cold... However, during the day it's just beautiful--clearest skies you've ever seen, it's almost surreal. Anyway, back to Steve 1. We did a lot more exploring over the next few days together...
I had an orientation that Friday (I arrived on thursday) which was very helpful. I bought a pay as I go phone that day--there's a huge text culture here because phone calls are REALLY expensive in New Zealand--went out with a new friend named Tara whom I met on that new zealand dating site (she's quite excellent, she's lived on a boat and speaks french) and we got vegan food and sorbet, and then headed back to the hostel. I met a german student named Ana at something called the Globe bar--which was FREEZING. I just couldn't comprehend why a bar would be that cold. Sticking to my usual dorkiness, I had a coca cola. ;) Then I turned in.
Saturday I spent the day walking up and down Ponsonby road, another long popular and cool road in Auckland, New Zealand. Steve 1 and I had a grand time (we have hilarious banter, think a british and midwestern american beatrice and benedict) walking around, looking in shops, and looking for a new place for me to live. I settled on a place called Verandahs (really because it was there and they had a room) which was very very pretty--all white and latticed--and had a HUGE backyard which led into another huge park which was gorgeous. It dipped down right in the center--so it was like a canyonesque park. Very cool. The room was a bit pricey, so I knew I'd only be there a day. Plus, I think the owner/manager/hostel proprietor? thought I was a bit scatter brained. I just had to keep digging in my purse for such and such document, and then the next day when I checked out, I lost the keys... heh, typical me. Saturday night I went out for indian food with another new friend named Kat whom I had also met on that website (it's just a network, some dating, some friends, Kat's a friend) and she was lovely too--and incredibly incredibly helpful. She showed me around K road, and over dinner, offered to let me stay at her place in the spare room for the house she is house sitting. As traveling and backpacking is sort of reliant on the kindness of strangers, I accepted, tsk all you'd like. It's turned out to be a grand arrangement--except that I have to get up and leave the house when she does which is at (wait for it) 6:40am. Take that in for a second. Allow yourself a giggle. And... we're back.
But it takes LOADS of expenses off of me, since it's free laundry, free room and board, a kitchen, and internet.
Sunday Steve 1 & 2 and Nick and I went exploring Rangitoto Island--we took a ferry there, and spent about three hours. It was beautiful--it's an ACTIVE volcano, and very well preserved. There is plenty of volcanic ash, and "lava rocks" or whatever the technical term is... we took some great pictures (which I don't have uploaded yet, sorry.) We did some "off roading" too, exploring places without paths and the like. It was great. Well, Steve 1 and I did most of the off roading.... Nick had worn his very tight black British shoes, and his feet hurt. We also saw what are called "baches"--summer huts that are about 3/4ths the size of a trailer and they're really cute--these were "historical" but Steve and I were convinced that that was 'bollocks' because they looked VERY lived in. To quote myself, "There is no way that is an ancient maori historical towel."
Which takes us to today... I spent the bulk of the morning applying for jobs online, and tomorrow I'll hit the streets looking for work. I really wanted a cruise ship job, but they didn't want me :( Alas, but onward and upward! I may have to move around with the work, so although I think I'd like to stay in Auckland, I may have to move to Wellington for jobs and the like... but that's alright with me! I'll go where the wind takes me. Today I also got myself a bank account and bank card, which is a good step. My four steps to living successfully in NZ are as follows: Phone. Bank Account. Job. Place to stay. So far I have 2 of the 4--50%, not bad, eh? Except the last two are obviously more complicated ;)
Well, I'm off. I've got to meet Kat at her work and we're going to go grocery shopping and then head back to her house.
Much love to all of you!
Sarah
I sent out a mass email, which I should probably repost here, eh?
Here it is--loads has happened since then, and I'll admit that the magic of arrival has worn off a bit--don't get me wrong, I'm still happy to be here, but I'm a bit lonelier than I'd like to admit, and I'm very weary from job hunting and very early mornings. But, onward and upward, oui? Oui. Here's the email...
***
Kia Ora mates! I am currently sitting at a cafe called Revels, which specializes in vegan/vegetarian food--I just had a vegan peanut butter cup! Quite delicious. This cafe is on K Road, and the K is short for a really really long Maori word that I can't spell out right now. The street I'm looking out on looks quite like a busy sidestreet in New York or Brooklyn, except that everyone sounds like the Flight of the Conchords, and the Pacific Islander population is much, much higher here. An update, shall we?
When I arrived in Auckland, I got to my hostel, the ACB Backpackers on Queen Street (the main street of Auckland) at around 5:30 am--and I kept myself awake! I showered, locked up my stuff, and went exploring. Auckland is quite big, and VERY hilly--so I should have some real killer calves when I get home. I walked up and down queen street for awhile, and then went back to the room where I met my other hostel companions--three 28 year old men from Leeds! It was a little weird at first, being a girl in a hostel room full of guys--we women are trained to see that as an "uh, this isn't a good idea" situation, but they turned out to be lovely. Drunks, but lovely ;) Their names are Steve 1, Steve 2, and Nick. Nick looks especially british--he wears these pointed black shoes and tight pants. You'd know what I meant if you saw him. We got on famously, and I got to be rather good pals with Steve 1. The first day, Steve 2 and Nick stayed in bed the entire day, but Steve 1 and I ventured out and did more exploring--we found a beautiful park called Albert Park with MASSIVE trees. I didn't have a camera on me at that point, but there will be pictures eventually. It is a little cold here--at first I scoffed at it, but it can actually get a little chilly, especially in the morning. Plus, central heating isn't common here--meaning.... houses are cold cold cold. And you know how I feel about cold... However, during the day it's just beautiful--clearest skies you've ever seen, it's almost surreal. Anyway, back to Steve 1. We did a lot more exploring over the next few days together...
I had an orientation that Friday (I arrived on thursday) which was very helpful. I bought a pay as I go phone that day--there's a huge text culture here because phone calls are REALLY expensive in New Zealand--went out with a new friend named Tara whom I met on that new zealand dating site (she's quite excellent, she's lived on a boat and speaks french) and we got vegan food and sorbet, and then headed back to the hostel. I met a german student named Ana at something called the Globe bar--which was FREEZING. I just couldn't comprehend why a bar would be that cold. Sticking to my usual dorkiness, I had a coca cola. ;) Then I turned in.
Saturday I spent the day walking up and down Ponsonby road, another long popular and cool road in Auckland, New Zealand. Steve 1 and I had a grand time (we have hilarious banter, think a british and midwestern american beatrice and benedict) walking around, looking in shops, and looking for a new place for me to live. I settled on a place called Verandahs (really because it was there and they had a room) which was very very pretty--all white and latticed--and had a HUGE backyard which led into another huge park which was gorgeous. It dipped down right in the center--so it was like a canyonesque park. Very cool. The room was a bit pricey, so I knew I'd only be there a day. Plus, I think the owner/manager/hostel proprietor? thought I was a bit scatter brained. I just had to keep digging in my purse for such and such document, and then the next day when I checked out, I lost the keys... heh, typical me. Saturday night I went out for indian food with another new friend named Kat whom I had also met on that website (it's just a network, some dating, some friends, Kat's a friend) and she was lovely too--and incredibly incredibly helpful. She showed me around K road, and over dinner, offered to let me stay at her place in the spare room for the house she is house sitting. As traveling and backpacking is sort of reliant on the kindness of strangers, I accepted, tsk all you'd like. It's turned out to be a grand arrangement--except that I have to get up and leave the house when she does which is at (wait for it) 6:40am. Take that in for a second. Allow yourself a giggle. And... we're back.
But it takes LOADS of expenses off of me, since it's free laundry, free room and board, a kitchen, and internet.
Sunday Steve 1 & 2 and Nick and I went exploring Rangitoto Island--we took a ferry there, and spent about three hours. It was beautiful--it's an ACTIVE volcano, and very well preserved. There is plenty of volcanic ash, and "lava rocks" or whatever the technical term is... we took some great pictures (which I don't have uploaded yet, sorry.) We did some "off roading" too, exploring places without paths and the like. It was great. Well, Steve 1 and I did most of the off roading.... Nick had worn his very tight black British shoes, and his feet hurt. We also saw what are called "baches"--summer huts that are about 3/4ths the size of a trailer and they're really cute--these were "historical" but Steve and I were convinced that that was 'bollocks' because they looked VERY lived in. To quote myself, "There is no way that is an ancient maori historical towel."
Which takes us to today... I spent the bulk of the morning applying for jobs online, and tomorrow I'll hit the streets looking for work. I really wanted a cruise ship job, but they didn't want me :( Alas, but onward and upward! I may have to move around with the work, so although I think I'd like to stay in Auckland, I may have to move to Wellington for jobs and the like... but that's alright with me! I'll go where the wind takes me. Today I also got myself a bank account and bank card, which is a good step. My four steps to living successfully in NZ are as follows: Phone. Bank Account. Job. Place to stay. So far I have 2 of the 4--50%, not bad, eh? Except the last two are obviously more complicated ;)
Well, I'm off. I've got to meet Kat at her work and we're going to go grocery shopping and then head back to her house.
Much love to all of you!
Sarah
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