Semi-settling in Auckland

So I don't know if you've noticed but I took the 'NZ' preface away from the blog title...I guess because Auck will be my home for a wee while. HOW EXCITING AYE!   Except I am still semi living in a tent and still in a backpacker mentality where I think it's acceptable to not shower for 2 days and have greasy hair and eat pasta all day long...But that shall soon change, my friend. Maybe.

Anyway I have been in Auck for 3 weeks now, and the first two weeks were pretty damn depressing and boring and I was feeling a bit sorry for myself but then feeling annoyed at myself for feeling sorry for myself because I am in a super awesome position of being able to travel and live in another country.  I applied for tons of jobs and didn't get any of them, had some people reject me on grounds of my Visa which worried me about getting work, and was worried about living arrangements.  However last week I managed to get a job for a month or so temping as an Office Manager, so that bit is sorted at least for 4 weeks (and I get free food! I do a food shop on the company card each week and then eat what I have purchased throughout the week.  And others eat too what I don't manage to cram into my mouth).

It's too hard to remember what I have been up to so I made a list whilst at work the other day of things I remember that I have done and I'll try to put some pictures to it too and hopefully it'll make an acceptable blog post:


  • Met up with Amin for lunch.  This was really nice as we met on a train in Sri Lanka and met up again once in London and haven't seen eachother since, and that was 3 years ago.  He came out to NZ 2 months before I did on a work exchange and he's working at Auckland City Hospital.  We went for dumplings, took a drive to Parnell, saw his sweet pad, and he kindly took me to the AA centre so I could get my kiwi drivers licence - rock on! (Mainly so that I don't have to carry my passport round with me all the time when I buy alcohol)

accidental shoe and jacket matching


didn't realise they'd be so hot

  • Spent ages job hunting.  Signed up to some agencies, the first one I was very unprepared and wasn't expecting a proper job interview so had a huge brain freeze when asked a simple interview question. Sigh!
  • Lindsay (Amy's housemate) invited us to a friend's gig which was SO Shoreditch.  The band were pretty cool but everyone was dressed in very odd clothing and I felt like I could have been in London.  They also had a dulux dog on stage which was amazing.



  • Went to the Portland Public House (a really cool pub/venue in Kingsland near where I live) on a Friday night with Wouter and Rinse, Irene (Rinse's dutch travel buddy) and Justine.  Had an awesome night out, there was a 1950s rock band on and we danced the night away.
looks like we're holding hands but we're not, nothing to see here


rain rain go away....

  • The following day spent the entire day with Rinse and Wouter which was great until the end when Rinse got a bit too drunk and turned into a total arsehole.  But until that point it was great - had brunch then wandered around the CBD, went to the cinema (it was raining) and saw 'Hunt for the Wildepeople' which is possibly the funniest film I have ever seen and I probably disturbed everyone else with my laughter, 10 popcorns. Then we found a Belgian beer bar and the boys sat drinking for 7 hours as I was designated driver, this was mostly fun until it was time to leave and it turned into a bit of a disaster, but we all made it home safe and sound.
  • Also went to the cinema with Wouter the following week to see X Men Apocalypse, which should be named 'the story of how Xavier loses all his hair'.  It isn't amazing but also not terrible, 5 popcorns. 
  • After a week and a bit of job hunting to no avail I was going a bit mad sitting at home so drove out to Piha.  My heart was singing as I got further out of Auckland and did a huge leap when I saw the sea.  I went for a walk along the beach, then did a little 40 minute track to a waterfall in the rain, then headed back into Auck again as the weather was getting worse.
stormy scenes mean a stormy selfie face




  • Went to my first pot luck, where you go to a party and bring a dish and everyone ends up eating random stuff. I made a spanish tortilla and it was delicious if I do say so myself. I was hoping to make tons of friends but I didn't really make any except the people I was with (Wouter and his cousin.)

  • The following day me and Wouter took a drive to the coast.  Again it was SO nice to escape Auckland (this is becoming a theme) and especially nice doing it with Wouter as it was like being back on the South Island with my travel buddies! We stopped at a few beaches and chilled out before heading back into town again. 



  • Went to a random drum and bass gig (David, if you're reading, I really missed you!) that Amy's housemate's band was playing.  Me and Shanyn (Amy's other housemate) couldn't decide if we should go or not and I had just got home soaked and put on my PJS, but then we listened to some of their music on youtube and liked it and flipped a coin and it told us to go, so we did. It was AWESOME and we were both glad we went, plus good housemate bonding time.  (Amy's housemates will hopefully become my housemates as a room in her house is becoming free and my plan is to take it). 
Being a basic bitch with a mirror selfie

  • I have been rock climbing again - the first time I went I felt quite confident but the second time for some reason I was so scared and doing really badly, but I was paired with a really nice girl called Camilla who was really encouraging and nice and over the session I got a lot better. Yay!
Peter Pan climbing shoes

  • Oh yeah so my job.  I am currently paid to answer the phone occasionally (and put the person through to the wrong person...accidentally keep doing that), and type up letters for my boss. He is VERY old school, and he handwrites a letter, then I type it into a word template, print it out, he scribbles on any amendments, I amend, we go back and forth like this for a while, then finally I PDF the final word document and email it to him, and he then sends it as an email attachment to someone. Seems very longwinded but that's the way he likes to do things...I could just teach him to type and email himself and that'd save himself a PA but then I'd be out of a job so hey...It's OK but a bit dull, there's 5 old guys in the office and me so it's not the most sociable of places, but I am getting paid so that's all that matters! And I have an awesome view of the sea from the window. 


So that's a little catch up and hopefully satisfies everyone's curiosity (when I say everyone, I mean all 4 of my readers. I love you all)
 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

End of year roundup

Yoga

30