Hey and hello! I finally got some time to sit down and write something to my blog. Counting today in, I have been here almost for two weeks and It just happens that I don’t have too much to write about here. But I try to make some short overview how I have been doing here in beautiful and sunny (for now) New Zealand.
Living in New Zealand
Danielle’s boys
My little nest in their house.
Right now I am living in Hamilton with my good friend Danielle. We met some 8 years ago in the forum called TheABY, which was dedicated to Bones fandom. I think I lingered there for quite a few years before I moved to Castletv.net. I still have quite a many people friends in Facebook who were my chat-mates in the ABY. I think Danielle was one of my first facebook-friends, cause I remember making my Facebook account about 9-10 years ago just because of my ABY friends, I wanted to keep up with them and they were there. So, we have been knowing each other for quite a time now. I asked specifically about me coming to New Zealand and living with her family for a short while even before I bought the tickets for my trip here. I am really happy she agreed to take me in, because she is a really awesome woman and I am really happy to get to meet her and to get to know her. Danielle has a very awesome husband and three boys, aged 9, 6 and 4. They all have an awesome New Zealand accent when they talk and it is so very awesome, since I love the Australia-Pacific way of speaking in English. Anyway, they have given me my “own room”. Its basically their media room, but alas, I am living here and they cannot use it now. I bet they’ll be happily using it when I finally leave for work.
About the weather
Playground we had to fill with the wood stuff… 😛
It’s hot but sweet sitting in the sunshine.
As long as I have been in here, the weather in here has been very great. It has been sunny and very warm. Okay, at first, it may have been a bit stormy and rainy, but it cleared out really soon. And last weekend, when we all were working around the house doing some physical labour, the temperatures hit 27 or more. It definately felt like I was in the oven but … apparenty it was mild. And to quote my Australian friend: “This is nothing”. The sun can be really intensive and doing stuff under the hot scorching sun can feel like hell at times. But when you find a shade, it will be very cool and comfy. Sometimes even downright cold. So that’s the difference between Estonian and NZ hotness. When we have hot days in Estonia (well, rarely it happens), the heat tends to stay for days and nights and shade is of no use, even during the night it will still be very hot. But here, when the sun is turned off, its very cool and chilly. And it has been one of the things I have to get used to. And I like it. Because when its cool during the night time, it is like the balm of my burned shoulders and neck.
My sun-fighting gear.
From the day I arrived here, Danielle has been reminding me to always wear sunscreen. Since New Zealand is really close to Antarctica and since the world has almost destroyed the ozone layer here, the UV is so much intense here than in anywhere else in the world. And since I look like a ghost with my super white skin, I really have to wear 50+ SPF cream before I step into the sunshine. And even when you are wearing your sunscreen, you can feel the sun slowly burning you. And lo and behold, even with using the 50+ SPF sunscreen, I already sport a little bit of the tan. I am quite curious how tanned I will get when I leave these islands in less than a year. Well, to be honest, its summer here and it is passing fast. The winter will be here soon and it has been said that winter time can be quite cold and chilly. Well, not the Estonian equivalent to cold and chilly but NZ one.
I think it was during the first day of me being here Danielle also said about the typical New Zealand weather. “There can be four seasons in one day.” And it completely takes New Zealand’s weather into one sentence. Being in the middle of the ocean with water around you, it makes the weather to be really quickly changing. Like even today, when I am writing – it was pouring rain before and the world was gray. After few hours it cleared up and now its scorchingly hot again.
About the work
No, I am not that lucky yet. I still do not have a
I tried to do Estonian style potato salad with NZ ingredients. I think it went well?
job here.
Danielle’s home
I have actually written to many places and tried to apply to local stores, restaurants and tourism centers, but seems that there is no luck yet. Maybe its the season? Who knows. I do have two possible jobs waiting for me in the future, if I would want. But one would start around march and another one in April. It’s still a long time till that and I would love to have something before that. But hopefully I will fish out something by that time. We will see. And like Danielle said: “You have been here only for two weeks – breathe too.”
Luckily, everything about my IRD number and bank account went really well. Even the Transferwise took only half a day to take my money from Estonian account and put it to my New Zealand one. I was happy about the efficiency of online banking and companies. Bless them.
Well, the fact that I don’t have a “real job” yet, doesn’t stop me for doing stuff around Danielle’s house. I have been working on and off around her house and done stuff inside and outside. So I am never actually sitting my fat arse down and doing nothing. There are lots of stuffs to do. Well, maybe I do sit down sometimes, but I try to “earn my keep”, as I am always saying to Danielle when she gives me the evil eye again.
Travelling and living
Nature around Hamilton
I haven’t been around much here. The only place I have yet been has been Hamilton proper. We usually go to supermarket there and or shopping. I do hope that we will go to the Waimoto Glowworm caves at some point and since Hobbiton is close by, I would love to visit that soon too. And, I have a friend living in Tauranga (Lou), who I might go to visit too in coming weeks. It would be lovely to see that city too.
Sweet dreams come with sweet thoughts
My everyday life is pretty boring. I’m like a housekeeper for now, doing the jobs around the house that are needed to do and I like puttering around. I do have my free time to browse on the job sites to find myself a job too. The fact that I had a very stressful time before I started coming to New Zealand, I am loving the fact that I have had time to relax and have a time for myself. Hopefully soon this too changes.
Anyway, if there are any specific questions you like to ask from me, just let me know. I am always ready to answer you guys! 🙂
Bit of pictures:
poialliisi.wordpress.com 