Getting It All Sorted

Kia Ora!

Little by little, we’re getting our Paihia life straightened out. We have jobs, and a place to live. We know where the supermarket, postshop, library, popular bars, public green, and pharmacy are. We have a NZ cell phone with $27 on it (we’re sharing it; our manager, Jack, gave us his old phone.) Today we had an appointment at the Kiwi Bank and set up our very own NZ bank accounts. When we go out, we usually run into someone we know (Paihia is a small town), and we’re learning the new NZ vocabulary. (For example, a debit card is known as an “Eft Pos” card, and we now each have one. Very exciting.)

As Jen said, the coffee is weird here. There’s instant coffee (the most common thing that people drink at home), filter coffee (our typical brewed coffee – an option here in most restaurants and cafes), and espressos. As far as espresso goes, they have short blacks, tall blacks, and flat whites. My first time at a coffee shop here, in Auckland, I asked for a medium coffee, and the woman said, “Black or white?” I was like, “Eh? What? White coffee?” Turns out, that just means there’s steamed milk in it; a white coffee is basically a latte. “Black” coffee might still have cream or sugar added, but there’s no steamed milk; it’s an Americano, espresso with hot water.

Okay, sorry, sorry, that was boring as hell.

Anyway, the point is, we no longer feel so floundering. For a little while, it was like, “Wow – are we going to find jobs? Are we going to wither away, friendless and starving? Are we in way over our heads?” Maybe not quite that extreme. But there was a day where I was like, What the crap are we doing. We are surrounded by ocean and sheep. But things are genuinely working out.

We did spend a solid five hours today cleaning. Money is money, right? We spent three hours on one kitchen in the five star hotel where we’ve started work. You should have seen me literally climbing inside the cupboards and Jen waltzing around atop the counter. I would literally eat off that kitchen’s floor. Or off the surface of any one of the cupboards. I would actually eat the cupboard itself, that’s how clean we made it.

Jen’s started working at the Swiss Café; tonight is her third night in a row. I start tomorrow, for my three days. We’re getting trained up for NZ’s big “Labour Weekend,” which starts the 22nd. I’ll let Jen tell you about the job, as so far I know nothing except that they make their wiener schnitzel with pork, not veal (thank god), and there are literally only two things on the menu that could be called “Swiss.”

We went on an Amazing Hike yesterday to the Haruru Falls, but I’m going to leave that story for my next post.

Au revoir,
Liz