Sandals & Jandals

We have passed stage 1 of applying to be permanent residents in NZ ... just waiting on them to offer us an Invitation to Apply .. should be interesting to see if they do. Not sure if they will, but here's hoping.

Lots of things will happen if we become residents.. you'll have to stay tuned to find out.

So I got a permanent job here in New Zealand.. looks like I won't be doing anything but what I love for the next while anyways! Am really excited - these opportunities do not exist in Canada unfortunately. Auckland is quite a bit different than "rural" New Zealand - good and bad in many ways, but man, I've met so many new people and had heaps of experiences here.

Things I Love:

the culture - especially the Polynesians

the nightlife - always something going on, every night of the week

options - for food, shopping, movies, trips, etc..

the people - generally very friendly and helpful, even in a massive city

Things I Miss:

trees, grass and parks - there aren't a lot around this concrete jungle, but we do have the stunning harbour and waterfront out my door

the cat - our fake pet

walking to work - man, I miss that

All in all, I'm super excited to be recognized for hard work for once. It's taken me 6 years to reach a point of permanent job status, and I've worked hard the entire time. I just wonder what will be in the next 5 years .. we'll have to consider residency sooner than later!

Love to all,

I have no Christmas spirit. It does NOT exist in me, and I do believe it's because of a few reasons.

1. No snow. While I'm NOT sad about this, this does contribute to the whole concept of a white Christmas. Here, you just see a lot of Santa is shorts with a surfboard.

2. No family. None. Not one visitor, noone coming for the SUMMER in New Zealand - why? Because the economy sucks, and everyone is broke.

3. No tree. Yeahhh.. I don't think people really "DO" real trees here. They're too busy right now going to the beach, and working on tans.

4. No lights. Haven't seen any .. do they really do them here?? I don't know..

5. It's summer. I have an amazing tan developing, wear tank-tops, and have a desire to go jump in a swimming pool. There are some definite positives to having a Christmas down here!

I am thankful we're not getting deported though. I have a new job coming up teaching Year 7/8, am now an English "specialist" and am going to teach Japanese as well .. and we are moving to the "big city" of Auckland mid-January..

Bring it.

- bj

1,477 kms, or 918 miles.. made it back alive, I'd call that success in this crazy country!

So, recently I heard of this dollar store chain called DollarTree. We drove past one once on a road trip, but it was too late to stop. I didn't think much of it, because we had gone to a 99¢ Store, and I was disappointed (it was like a ghetto version of a dollar store... SOOOO not the same!). I saw on someone's vlog that they went to DollarTree though, and it looked remarkably similar to Dollarama! I am freaking out! The closest one is over 30 miles (almost 50 kms) away, but WHO CARES!?!! We're going anyway! LOL Will update with a full report later. I'm going to see if I can get some back-to-school shopping done! haha

This could be a momentous event in the 'Adjustment to American Life' saga.

Don't get me wrong. There are dollar stores in the U.S., but there just happen to be none in the town I live in. Yeah. Wtf.

I deeply miss Dollarama. It was a great place to get a ton of different stuff. And seriously amazing prices. Even when they RAISED their prices, it was still no more than $2 or $3 per item! And the quality was actually kind of decent! This is important, especially for a cheap person, like me.

Now when I have a need for some random prop or costume or holiday item or whatever, I have NO idea where to go. Dollarama was a one-stop shop for those kinds of things for me. Also for random knick-knacks or stocking stuffers, or gag-gifts, or whatever. Sigh. We have the 99¢ store, which is no where near as good, but the closest one is 40 miles away anyways, so it's not like that's even convenient. I lose all my benefits of shopping there with what I pay in gas just to get there! UGH.

People do a lot of things via text message - everything from doctor's appointments, to businesses texting you to remind you to pick up orders.. it's amazing! Talk about efficient.

Also, it's VERY common here to pay for your food/drinks BEFORE you get them. Even in full on restaurants that aren't considered "take away" shops - it baffled me at first, but in all honesty I think it's a MUCH better system. That way, when you're done, there's no waiting for someone to help you pay your bill.

It snowed here for the 2nd time in TWENTY YEARS. Right. NOT our fault we're from Canada.. but ironic as we left home because of the snow.

Huh.

Forgot for a second that this happened today. There has been some seismic activity here but nothing major. I was at school doing something with a colleague and we were sitting in her class at the computers.. when they started swaying. It's always weird because at first you don't quite believe you're feeling it, and it never seems to last for long, so it leaves you asking "Did that really just happen?"

Not that I want a big one, but it's funny how many I've felt from years in Japan .. I just know but still doubt at the time. Peter finally felt his first one as he says his desk started moving back and forth and his chair wiggled. Hah.

It was really deep and apparently they do get some of these each year. I've already felt more than once since living here, but it just reminds me of Japan.

Happy Birthday Canada!!

I, for one, wish I could be there to celebrate my home country, and frankly, just to stand on Canadian soil. I miss Canada so much, and feel I'm losing part of my identity by not being able to visit on a regular basis (though I mention I'm Canadian every time the opportunity arises here).

I am forever Canadian, no matter where I live.

Beat Junkie suggested I show off my neighbourhood, and I started to collect some videos of us walking around, but my husband was nervous that we'd show off where we live. LOL  I'm not really worried about it, since I don't give away our address or apartment number. No one would really know where this is unless they live here. So, anyway, I made this video yesterday of my commute to college. There are alternative routes, but this is my favourite. :)

Sorry for the shakiness and jolts of camera movement at the beginning. I was having issues getting the camera to stay in a good spot (I duct-taped it to the dash... LOL). Next time will be smoother ;)

In Central/Southern California we have a thing we like to call June Gloom, so called because during June (and May, when it's referred to as May Grey), a layer of fog and clouds hangs over the coast for a significant portion of the morning, and everyone gets depressed about it. Sometimes it burns off in the afternoon and sunny skies return, but quite often it stays that way all day. Personally, I hate it. It does bring cooler temperatures with it though, and I get to wear my beloved scarves in the a.m.

Since we're nearing July (omg, we're nearing July), this weather phenomenon is nearing its end for the year, and hot temperatures are returning. For this town, hot still means usually around low-mid 80s (upper 20s Celsius). Back in southwestern Ontario, 'hot' meant a disgusting, sit-in-sweat, humid, exhaustion-inducing upper 90s (mid-30s Celsius), or more in a heat wave. So, all things considered, 'hot' here is not too bad.

It's 83º in our apartment right now, and I can't help but be grateful that it really won't get all that much worse. I mean, it will a few times throughout the summer, but it's overall pretty tolerable. For most people. The hubby is passed out on the couch now after several bouts of whining repeatedly about how hot it is, and it's so hot, and why is it so hot, and I just want to take a cool shower, and it's hot... repeat. Again, I can't help but be grateful that it really won't get all that much worse. :P

I didn't expect to talk about them on this blog, but considering they'll be visiting the city I live in next month I had to briefly mention it. I find it surreal that a royal is purposely making a visit to somewhere I live. Then I remember that despite my own financial struggles, and those of most people I've met here, a significant portion of this town and the surrounding area is filthy stinking rich, and thus this area has that reputation. It's ridiculous.

Prince William and Catherine are not directly being paid to come here (that I know of), but their charity is. You have to pay $400-$4000 just to get tickets to see them at their polo match. Sorry my lowly self can not afford the 'social event of the decade'. Barf. I suppose I will try to see them in L.A., where hopefully they'll be more accessible to the public, like they should be. Too bad I'm not in a Commonwealth country anymore, where the public might be more willing to put up a stink about this. Also, many people here frankly don't care. I think I'm one of those people now.

So, they'll make a few bucks while they're in America. Yay Capitalism... ?

So this isn't so much about anything specific locally, but just an observance of opportunities in this community that I either couldn't find, or didn't seek out before I moved here. I've only lived in California for a year and a 1/2, and in that time I've forced myself to find ways to get out of the apartment and into the community. For me that means going to school. Yah, nerd. But really, the local college has a wonderful Continuing Education program, with free, or nearly free, classes available to adults in the area.

So far, I've taken a class on Edible and Medicinal Plants, Ukulele, Bookbinding, and Bunka Shishu (Japanese embroidery). I didn't depend on a friend or family member to go with me, because I had none to do so. Back home I might have hesitated because 'oh, boo hoo, no one wants to go with me'. Well screw it. When you know no one in the area, you have no choice. I met some people and curtailed some loneliness by surrounding myself with like-minded folks. That said, like-minded folks are hard to find around here, which is another post all together.

I guess what I'm trying to say, if I'm trying to say anything, is that I am grateful for the opportunity to learn new skills and feel productive, useful, and mentally fulfilled. Don't wait until you've put yourself into a situation where you're forced to get out and do something. Go out today and find out what your local community can do for you.

On top of the Continuing Ed classes, I took a for-credit (NOT free!) course at the college as well (thanks to a very supportive intern at the career centre of said college). I'm now enrolled in a full time program in the fall term, and am taking a summer class right now about film. I'm learning to watch films in an entirely new way, paying attention to incredible details and meaning that I never bothered with before. I even sat through a pleasant Adam Sandler movie without wanting to kill myself (Punch Drunk Love, perhaps tolerable for its differences from other Adam Sandler movies). Might not seem like a useful skill, but it's getting me pumped for the fact that Film Production will be my major.

Also, in line with talk of skills, my mother-in-law has taught me to make jam. I had a roommate who made jam once, but I never bothered to learn from her. I suppose my mind has been forcibly opened, or I am just feeling more confident in my learning abilities, but I am pretty excited about having made another great batch of apricot jam today. With fruit I picked directly from the tree myself. More on that soon. :)

Learn something new every day, no matter where you live, or why. Just do it™.

My brain still can't understand what's going on with the seasons here. Father's Day in NZ isn't until SEPTEMBER.

I never stopped to consider they might celebrate things on different days, nevermind in different months!