New Zealand: week 7- July 24-30

Friday July 24
I worked another long shift. My poor lil feet & knees were tired. It was a good night though. I got to work with the other newbie who was hired at the same time as me. She dyed her hair purple & it made me sad because my pink has all but faded away. It's like this weird neon color that I should really fix. But, ya know, money. No late night bus weirdos to report.


Saturday July 25
Today was a short day for me at work. This was great because I had to get home & get ready pretty quickly because after we picked Emerald up from work, we went to help set up for a 21st birthday party. 21 used to be a big milestone birthday because that's when you became legal for everything, but since everything was moved down to 18 it's not as big of a deal but they still have big parties for it. The one last Friday & tonight seemed like they were more family orientated rather than just friends partying & acting crazy. Anyway, so the theme was sports & dinner consisted of lamb, salad, & coleslaw. There was also an apple berry crumble. I helped get food prepared & cleaned. The family hosting the party is super nice & so were the few other people I got to meet as well.


Sunday July 26
I didn't have to work until a bit later. I was glad because I got to sleep in and I needed that. Finally got caught up on "Pretty Little Liars" which just keeps getting more and more ridiculous.

Monday July 27
I was off today. I met up with on of Andy's friends who happens to work in Papakura. We met at a little café for lunch & stayed for about two hours. During this meet up, I was roped into giving a speech next month for Limmud. I'm not a public speaker, like, at all, so this is a bit nerve racking for me..here's to hoping I don't wimp out. I guess the good news is that I can talk about something I'm passionate about so maybe that'll be helpful (with the topic being about taking your Jewish journey one step further.) Try new things, right? Anyway, it was a very nice time, easy conversation, also nice that he's Jewish as well and maybe that'll lead to more Jewish connections. Baked some cookies…I think they were better than the last ones because they are thinner but the family liked the others because they were thicker. Win some, lose some ;)


Tuesday July 28
Worked. It rained like crazy so the bus smelled terrible on the way home from work. We made roasted salad (my fav), baked chicken, & rice with white gravy. They thought I was weird for making rice and not to mention the gravy which they kept calling white sauce. Brown gravy is a thing, how can mine not be a thing as well? Don't they ever have biscuits and gravy?? Well, scones or muffins…I'm not sure what to call biscuits here because that's a cookie.


Wednesday July 29
Worked and made plans for the weekend.


Thursday July 30
Worked and stressed about what to do since I'm off on Friday…I want to go to Waiheke Island ideally. If not there then Mt Eden or One Tree Hill (not to be confused with the show.) We'll see what happens, weather dependent and other stuff. Since I got off early today, I decided to go to the mall by my work finally. I think I might like it than the Sylvia Park mall.

If you're in Auckland, make sure you try this place ;)

 

So…basically I worked a lot, which I am super happy about. My check on Tuesday said I worked 33 hours the previous week! Sorry there's not much to talk about this week. But considering I'm off practically all weekend, I'll hopefully have something more interesting to talk about in the next post.

New Zealand: week 6- July 17-23

Friday July 17

I worked :)

Saturday July 18

It was a rainy day, so I stayed home. I had a left-over chicken breast from dinner a couple of days before so I cut it up and fried it. It made enough to feed three of us a small lunch. Also made some mashed potatoes because what's fried chicken strips without it? Today was Emerald's first day at her first job. How exciting for her! I went with Suz to pick her up and we went over to the Sylvia Park shopping center and got to see Bonnie for a bit. I really need to go there by myself one day to see what all they have.

Sunday July 19

I went walking around Papakura so I can know more about where I live. It ended up getting very windy (which made it cold) during my walk so I went back home after about an hour.

This one is for you, Michelle. I have not eaten there yet, but I will! :)

Just a small town girl...

...livin' in a Kiwi world ;)

The American Embassy.

I was shocked to see a video store, let alone one that still has good business. Good for them!

See you tomorrow!

Monday July 20

I've been meaning to go to the library and museum in Papakura and today seemed like a good day for it. It was very interesting to see how much history has been collected in such a short amount of time.

If you talk to people who have lived here all their lives, I'm sure they'd have a lot to say about how much their tiny town has grown.

Letters to home.

How funny is it that children asked Santa for swim shorts (because Christmas is in the summer.) 

In case you are interested in the settlements...

I'd like to see a kiwi bird that's not...stuffed.

As part of the museum's exhibit, they have on display WWII artifacts and history about New Zealand's involvement in the war.

The medical box in the picture is actually Italian, but New Zealand medics would have a box similar to that.

The following are short videos showing the displays instead of taking a picture of every single thing.

I made cinnamon rolls last week and they were a hit. So when they asked if I'd make them again of course I said yes.

Also made some fajitas...no big deal.

Tuesday July 21 & Wednesday July 22

Worked :) Also found out that we get paid weekly…woo-hoo! Money! :)

Thursday July 23

I met with my friend, Andy, in the city. We took the ferry to Rangitoto island for our 3 hour outdoor activity. About the island...long story short, the island wasn't there until about 600 years ago when a volcano erupted. There's chunks of lava everywhere and trees that have grown up around it. We hiked nearly an hour to the summit and looked into the crater. From the summit, we had a beautiful view of other islands nearby and the city. We went thru lava caves before we hiked back down to catch the ferry back to Auckland. It was a nice day and I was glad we got to meet up before he moves to Sydney. Good luck on your next adventure, Andy!

I'm unnecessarily prepared for a freezing day, yet somehow think I wouldn't need my water bottle that I always have with me for a hike. Glad Andy thought to bring two bottles!

A bit of information about how the island was formed.

View of another nearby island.

View of the city.

Lava rocks everywhere, but somehow trees were still able to grow.

That is a crater behind me.

Hard to believe that's an actual background, isn't it?

Lava cave.

Still amused a flashlight is called a torch...I read we'd need one for this part of the hike and thought, "but won't it be dangerous to light a fire.......oh. Right...torch=flashlight."

View of the island as we were walking to the ferry.

The island from the ferry...we climbed to the top of that thing :)

It's been a good week. Now that I have a bit of income generating, I will attempt to stop being so lazy on my off days and actually make plans to do stuff. I didn't exactly come here to sleep my time away, which I'm guilty of doing. Work has been going really well and I am still liking what I do and the people I work with. The bus situation isn't as annoying as it was at the beginning. It really just is what it is. Thinking maybe I'll buy a car if I ever make and keep enough money when it comes time to start traveling around the country. So that probably means ditching the bike idea. And let's be honest here, the thought of riding a bike for 40 minutes to work and 40 minutes back sounds like a nightmare, but riding it into town wouldn't be so bad. Just a hassle. Every day may not be interesting to read about because I'll be working, but I'll make the days I'm not working worth the read.

Lately, I've been watching this show with Suz and the girls called "Miranda." It's a British comedy show…you know what, just watch this. I find it very funny. Enjoy!

How do I do it?

I have had a lot of people ask me how I can afford to travel. The truthful answer is that I have no idea. I've always been really good at saving money, but also allowing myself to spend when it comes to something I really want. I've worked since I was 16 and have been fortunate enough to save because (thanks to my nana) I didn't have the expense of having to pay for miscellaneous insurances, my cell phone, car notes, and if in a bind I knew I could count on my incredible nana to help. For as long as I can remember, I've always had a decent savings account from working. It was kind of an obsession to watch it grow so I did everything I could to make that happen. Yes, I still had bills to pay (rent and whatnot), but there were times when I was living at home or someone else's home for a bit and was able to save from that (thanks for that, you know who you are!)

There's no special formula to my savings and spending. Right now I'm watching my poor bank account bleed because I didn't stick around in the States long enough after getting back from Israel to replenish it. I made enough money to pay for the couple of trips I took while I was home (and most of the flights were paid using Southwest points or a voucher I received because I volunteered to stay an extra day in Las Vegas), I was able to pay for my one-way ticket to Auckland, and buy a new Surface 3 (didn't really *need* it and could've bought a new Macbook instead, but I went with this because I was obsessed with it…more on that later.) While I might spend money on things like this, I don't usually go out and get my nails done (maybe on a special occasion), buy new clothes to be trendy, etc.

Let's face it. You're never going to have enough money. It's never going to be the right time. And whatever excuse you have, use it. But that's just it. It's an excuse. But why though? For me, I have different priorities. I don't care about a career, owning a home, starting a family…things people my age are already starting to do or have done. I'm just not there yet. You, on the other hand, might be there already and that's wonderful. It might make planning for travel and other things a bit more difficult, but not impossible!

In all honesty, I am super responsible with money…but if I get an idea in my head, it's going to gnaw at me until I see it through. It could be something as little as wanting a Dr Pepper. When I was in Arkansas, my sister would drink them all if we had any in the house, so if I wanted one I actually had to make the effort to go get one and I would go get a can. Same as with the Surface 3 I mentioned earlier. Sure, I still had my 2008 Macbook, but it was on it's last legs. And heavy!! Were there other models of tablet/laptops I could've gotten for cheaper? Of course. But was it a Surface that had this cool ass pen (that I've used like 3 times)? Okay then…shut up and give me my over priced tablet. "Hmm…there's a working holiday visa I could acquire and go live/work in New Zealand? I'm gonna do that," thought 2011 Starr who planned it out so that she'd be there by January 2014. Life had other plans for me, so it took a year and a half longer, but I still did it.

You want to travel? Just do it. You don't have to drop everything like I did, but you can use your vacation days wisely. There are all kind of people who know how to work the system when it comes to scoring deals on flights and hotels. I'm still learning, and you can too. Be flexible when possible. DON'T WAIT ON OTHERS TO GO WITH YOU. I promise, if you're sitting around waiting for your best friend to go with you to *insert place* you might just be waiting a lifetime. It's okay to travel on your own. The world is not a big, scary place just waiting to rape and murder you. Most of the people you meet along the way are more than happy to help you and be your friend. Just always use your head and follow your instincts. Sure, there are weirdos out there, but guess what? They're in your hometown too. Shocker, right? You might die bungee jumping, but you might also die walking to your mailbox. You can't live in fear. Take small steps if you need to. Take a weekend trip somewhere by yourself and you'll see what I mean. You get to do what you want to do without having someone nag about how they'd rather be doing something else instead.

Here are some links you might find helpful :) 

Nomadic Matt -He travels nonstop and offers many tips...def my go to site.

A Dangerous Business Travel Blog -She hasn't given up a "normal" life for long-term travel and will show you that you don't have to either.

Twenty-something travel: Why wait to see the world?

Young Adventuress 

I will teach you to be rich: How to travel cheap -sounds like a scam, right? But it's not; you will find some pretty useful tips on how to, like the title says, travel cheaply.
Matador Network: you don't have to be a privileged white girl to travel****

My advice: just go. Do a bit of research, book a ticket, and go. Have fun, live life. We all have a choice, even when we think we don't, we do. What will your choice be?


****I really hope I don't come off as a spoiled brat. That is not my intention because I greatly appreciate the fact that I have had help financially when it came to certain things, but do not think that I've never had bills to pay. I do try to do things on my own, but if I ever find myself in a bind I know I can ask for some help...however, for the most part, I try not to do this. Nobody else pays for the trips I take; I pay for them. The only exception would be when I went to Israel on the Masa program in which my grandma paid for the program fee and another relative gave me a monetary gift. I guess I'm including this to say that it may not be as easy for everybody, but it can be done. The last link above includes people with various backgrounds that also show that it can be done. 

New Zealand: week 5- July 10-16

Friday July 10

Emerald actually came home early from camp and since all of us would be busy on Saturday, the two of us combined forces and got the house work done. I went to the store and it was really nice out…until I started home, and then it was noticeably cooler. We had brinner (breakfast for dinner), which is one of my favorite meals to have when I'm over at the Prewitt home in Little Rock. We even made banana and walnut pancakes like I have at the Prewitt's. I'd also like to point out that not all potatoes are made equal…I found this out when I attempted to make hash-browns. I ended up letting Emerald take over cooking the bacon since every time it popped I would shriek.

Saturday July 11

One month, ALREADY. Wow. I started my first shift at Sal's today. I only worked until 15:00 and it went by so quickly. It didn't get that busy, but it was a nice shift. I don't think I really have anything I should be afraid of like I thought I would. I mean, the menu is pretty small and straightforward, as is the POS and food procedures. I took the bus home and actually beat the family home which I was surprised.  I was in the middle of making cheese biscuits like Jasmine made once before when they finally got home. We had minced meat pie which I don't remember having before now, but it was good. I'm not sure if Suz remembered me saying I love anything lemon or if it was luck, but she brought home little lemon meringue pies…I love lemon treats! We watched Exodus and all agreed it was an interesting take on the story. I found it amusing the actor playing Moses (a Hebrew) is named Christian. Haha.

Sunday July 12

Today I worked 11-16:00. It was a bit slower today than the day before, but we always find ways to keep busy so that's good. I was in such a hyper mood, and even more so because of the music we get to listen to. Yesterday it was Janet Jackson station on Pandora; today it was Kanye (but like more popular songs rather than rappy songs…if that makes sense because not everybody is into rap like me hah) and The Strokes on Pandora. Totally grooving all day long. I'm really into my book because I spent an hour reading before bed. I'm looking forward to finishing because I plan to watch the movie…it's been so long! Memories. I was considering going to a concert (Yellowcard and Mayday Parade), but it was really more than I was wanting to pay for a band I like but not in love with if that makes any sense. Maybe I'll go to see The Used when they are in South East Asia in the next couple of months. We'll see what happens.

Monday July 13

After spending the morning half of my day chillin', I decided I'd go on a little walk and then make my way to the grocery store. Really what I wanted to do was go to this second-hand shop where I'd noticed a cute dress that I passed by one day while riding the bus. It was at this shop where I've found some cute dresses, but they're proud of their used clothes (pricey) so I passed on that dress. Today was no different. The dress I saw from the bus turned out to be ugly. Oh, well. I didn't need a dress anyway. I popped into a few of these cheap as* stores and kind of laughed. You know those cheap, kinda crap quality, but it'll do in a pinch things you buy on Amazon? That's basically what these stores are. I was pretty excited, however, to find the phone case I'm currently using for about the same as I paid on Amazon. Woo! After fiddlin' around in those stores, I headed to the market to buy stuff to make for dinner. I have been wanting to make lemon chicken with green beans and potatoes. My friend, Amber, made this a long time ago and I loved it. I found a recipe online and the comments weren't that great for it so I made a few adjustments (didn't add as much lemon, and included mushrooms and almond slices). Turned out really well! I also tried to make a brownie from scratch. It was mostly sugar & butter and cooked kind of weird (a bit burnt on top, crispy on edges, and soggy middle). Maybe I didn't mix it right. Next time.

(*you may have noticed an asterisk by "as" earlier. This was not a cute was of censoring "ass" or an abbreviation for "as shit" like I assumed it meant…this is just a way of describing something. Cool as, big as, stupid as, and so on with out a follow up word. I guess you can think of it like when people say "wanna go with?" And the sentence ends with "with" and doesn't indicate with who or whom. I was going to mention that in my month review but forgot.)

Tuesday July 14

I forgot what working longer than 4-5 hour shifts were like. In order for me to be at work by 11:15, I have to leave the house by 9:45 so I have time to walk to the bus stop & have buffer room in case it shows up a bit early. I get to work just before 11 so that's good. It was a pretty good day. Worked with a girl I hadn't worked with yet & she was friendly. I worked until 18:00 and had to be at the bus stop by 18:15. I'm sitting there minding my own business in the back of the bus near the rear doors when this smelly weirdo gets on. He sits behind me and whispers at me, "excuse me, hey, do you have some change?" Ugh. I partially make eye contact and say, "no, sorry," and start reading again. He keeps it up for a moment or two longer but I just ignore him. Inside, I'm secretly having a paranoid mild panic attack thinking he's probably got a knife and is gonna stab me. I know, this isn't rational, but you never know. Lesson learned: at night, ride in the front, closer to the driver. He hopped around from seat to seat in the back and pulled out this bag of what I thought might be pee, but later asked another passenger what they thought it was and their answer seemed more likely- wine. Dude even started smoking on the bus just before his stop. I was just glad he got off the bus before me. Oh, the joys of public transportation.

Wednesday July 15

I had an all day shift today 11:00-21:00, with an hour break and not including the hour and a half meeting after we closed. I think I can now say that I have worked with everybody employed there and I like them all. Today was easy going and busy because it was "Wing Wednesday," meaning that you can buy one large order of wings and get the second one free. During the day it was a nice pace, but at night it ramped up and got a bit hectic. But we made it and sold out of wings right near closing, so yay us! We had a store meeting and I got to meet one of the owners of the Sal's franchise. I'm a nerd and I enjoy meetings because it gets everyone on the same page. If you don't have a team that works together, then you're going to fail. This is a new store, and I hope it succeeds like the other stores in Auckland. It's doing very well so far and with this team I feel like it absolutely will.

Thursday July 16

What a week! I forgot to mention that I got my first paycheck! It was only for the hours I worked Saturday and Sunday, but hey, still exciting! Soon I won't be dipping into my bank accounts back home and can start relying solely on what I have here. I had intentions to go out today. I even got ready and everything…walked out the door…and it was sprinkling. Womp-womp. I should've just gone because it never actually rained. Oh, well. I ended up making some cinnamon rolls instead. I finished my book, so after dinner we were talking about watching a movie so naturally I suggested "Friend Green Tomatoes." Ah, to relive memories of my favorite movie. However, I'm sure it goes without saying…the book was better.

Sorry there's no pictures this week. Since I'm off this weekend, perhaps I'll go out and take some for next week's update. Yet another week to be proud of :) Here's a song by a band from New Zealand called Avalanche City. It's a really beautiful song, so take a listen. Enjoy!

New Zealand: One Month Review.

Wow. A whole month has passed. Even though I haven't done a lot of sight-seeing and stuff, I think it's still been a successful month. I have a place to live, people who consider me/I consider them family, a bank account, an IRD (tax) number, a job, and learning the lay of the land of Auckland. I'm working on making friends, setting myself up with a Jewish community, learning the public transportation system, etc. Here's a few highlights of this month that I've experienced or realized.

There's really not a lot of Jews in Auckland, or New Zealand for that matter.

There is a small community, but it's small. However, after emailing a lady at one of the synagogues in Auckland, I got a connection who added me to a Facebook group where I introduced myself and this led me to my first Shabbat dinner on my second Friday of being here.

I joined a few interest groups on Meetup.com

The first, and only so far, meetup that I have gone to was with a group of Jewish individuals where we met and ate at a place called Ima's. This was a start and I plan on going to more meetups once I know what my schedule at work will be like.

Jobs and trials

Maybe this is a thing in a lot of places, but I've never had this experience in the States. A place that is considering hiring you will have you come in typically for about 2 hours (unpaid) to see if they like you and/or if you like them. Just think of the benefit this would have if everywhere did this. No more training people who suck and just quit on you because they didn't know what the job would actually be like.

Food

I guess it's pretty typical. Fish and chips, kebabs, sushi can be found everywhere. I tried a fruit called feijoa. It's out of season now, I think, or else I'd try it again so I could mention what it tastes like because I forgot. I remember liking it considering I had like 8 (they're really little though). I also tried lamington which is a sponge cake that is popular in Australia and New Zealand. Sweet potatoes are called kumera. Biscuits are cookies and scones are biscuits. Confusing, right? Hot drinks are huge…coffee, tea, and Milo (hot chocolate) are consumed all day. After hearing so much about hokey-pokey (MORGAN D, I'm lookin at you), I had some...and I understand what all the fuss was about.

Accents

I'm starting to understand a bit better, but there's words like teddy that sounds like titty and so on that make me laugh. The way "fart" sounds when said sounds proper…"fahhrt" you hardly hear the "r" and it just doesn't sound so crude like it does with an American accent. Sometimes I feel like I'm listening to people from Boston talk especially when they say "car"…it must be the "a" or something. Oh and "z" isn't pronounced "zee," it's "zed."

Random

On the electrical outlets, there are switches to turn them on and off. To turn a switch on, you push the switch up (instead of down). You drive on the opposite side of the road. People do not care about pedestrians. Seriously, they will clip you. Things are expensive, but that is to be expected. Doesn't take away the shock when I pay $2.25(USD) for a can of Dr. Pepper or my favorite mascara is $18(USD) when I pay almost less than half that back home. I'm finding myself exploring the kitchen more and trying to cook things. Maybe it's because Suz has a nice kitchen with all the kitchen appliances you could want or need (except for a microwave, they don't have one of those). 

In other news…It only took about 5 months to start feeling like I'm not homesick for Israel, but it finally happened...which comes at a great time since I'm now a month into my new adventure. Before I know it, I'll be nursing homesickness for New Zealand. I guess it's only natural to miss a place where you have amazing memories. Now that I have a foundation, I'm ready to really take off and start exploring…well, after I start making money that is.

New Zealand: week 4- July 3-9

Friday July 3

I had another trial at 8:30 at PizzaBox (I'm not sure I mentioned the name in previous posts, by the way). There were two unfamiliar faces & both were friendly. I only really got to work with one of them as the other worked in the back. It went smoothly and the manager told me the boss would probably talk to me Monday. I went home and ate a light lunch before Jasmine so kindly drove me to my other job trial at Sal's Pizza, the place I was supposed to go to last Friday but got lost. I was there for about two hours and was offered a job. I liked the people I worked with and even though it seemed like it'd be super easy, I know during busy times it'd be overwhelming. It's about 40 minutes by bus and let's not forget that the bus system here is laughable. If it was closer that would be more ideal. I told them I'd get back with them Tuesday after I find out what happens with PizzaBox. At least now I have options and that's good, right? After work, I got to hang out with the girls for a bit. Despite having three cups of coffee, I had to take a nap before dinner. After dinner, a couple of Jasmine & Suz's friends came over to work on some projects they've been working on sewing. Before they got started, they presented Jasmine with a quilt that Suz and her friend made and had people sign it. It was a very sweet gift and Jasmine was super touched by the thoughtfulness. Less than a week now before Jazzy is off to Hawaii for an adventure!

Saturday July 4

After trying to squeeze in a few chores to check off the chore list, I headed into the city to meet up with one of the people I met at the Meetup last week, Andy. We met at the Britomart station and headed to Mission Bay. After walking along the shore, we had lunch at Mission Bay Café. We walked along the beach for quite a while. There were so many shells and I found some beach glass! I really wanted to find a blue piece and Andy found a piece and gave it to me…I decided to wash the sand off them. Mistake. As I was shaking the water off I heard a *tink* and opened my hand to see that the blue glass had flown out of my hand. Sad.each beach area we came to was more neat than the one before. We eventually ended up at a really beautiful view. We stopped at a café on our walk back into town and had some coffee/tea before heading back to Queen Street. He pointed out some cool places to eat/shop. Ended up going to Mexican Café. It was pretty good. We went to SkyCity in the Sky Tower…the casino was comical at best. After living in Las Vegas, it's gonna be hard to impress me when it comes to casinos. ;) He walked me back to the Britomart station and Suz kindly picked me up when I arrived at the Papakura station. Another successful city trip! Now I can finally tell my Uncle Larry I've been on Queen Street. :)

Lava

Sunday July 5

After a big day out yesterday, I felt like I could do it again, especially since it was nice out; but then the clouds came in, then went away, then came back, and so on all day long. I intended on going to the store to buy a couple of things to make dinner, but I ended up literally doing nothing all day…well, with the exception of chatting with a friend from back in the states and trying to convince her to visit by looking up flights. No luck. Yet.

Monday July 6

Emerald left for camp today…who is going to make popcorn while she's gone? She'll be back Saturday so I guess I can make it until then. I went to Sal's today for orientation and met two other new employees. The lady who was going to meet with us couldn't make it so we are to go back Tuesday. We just went over the rules and the manager took the time to answer any questions we might have. So I am proud to say that I made it there (and back!) without any trouble. However, I did arrive about 40 minutes early. Better early than late, right? After the meeting, I went to a bike store to get an estimate on a bike and accessories I would need. I'm looking about $550NZD (~$415USD) which sucks and will be really weird at first (since I've never used a bicycle as a mode of transportation), but I think in the long run it'll be better than relying solely on the bus. It's stressful that it runs so infrequently, or what if I miss it? I suppose there's the added health/reduced carbon footprint benefit as well. However, until I feel comfortable enough (financially), I will take the bus and use that time (~45 minutes) to read…the particular book I'm reading is "Fried Green Tomatoes." I loved the movie as a kid. My best friend, Siobhan, and I would pretend to be Ruth and Idgie (characters from the book (additional note: neither of us knew they had a lesbian relationship as that's not how they were portrayed in the movie/we didn't know what gay was back then)) and the last time I was in Florida, Siobhan gave me the book. I'm excited to see the differences. Anyway, I made pad thai tonight which I had intended to make the night before, but whatever. I made it and it was pretty good. Suz made some juice with the persimmons I had loaded up on last Sunday from their church, carrots, and apples. I LOVE JUICE.

Tuesday July 7

I went back to Sal's and signed my contract and got my work shirts. I am now officially employed! My first official (paid) day of work starts on Saturday. Suz's in-laws came over and the grandma stayed for dinner while grandpa went to a meeting. I have been looking forward to this dinner ever since I found out about it on Saturday. We had what Suz calls "roasted salad." Suz was running late so Bonnie and I got the carrots, kumera, potatoes, zucchini, mushrooms cut up while grandma worked on cutting up the pumpkin. That's all it is basically…tossed in olive oil and some seasoning and in the oven until it's cooked. Leave it to me to take something healthy and make it unhealthy by dipping it in mayonnaise. I would've sat there and ate until there were no left-overs, but I thought it best to not over stuff myself. 

This was my bowl...kidding.

Wednesday July 8

I spent some time with Jasmine and Bonnie at Sylvia Park (where a mall can be found) and Kmart. Now, I'm sure most of the people who read this have been to a Kmart and you're probably thinking "Ew." Well, let me stop you right there. It's like a damn Target here. Okay, maybe that's an exaggeration, but I can say I haven't been to a Kmart more than like 3 times in the past 10 years at least…and none of those times was I impressed by anything in the store really. We got home not too long before Suz. She had gone to the store and bought some ingredients I said I needed to bake cookies the night before, so I got started on that. I also made the "one pot zucchini/mushroom pasta," but it wasn't as yummy as the first time, but it was still good. I was on a roll…WHAT'S HAPPENING TO ME? Haha cookies AND dinner?! I also noticed before bed that the yogurt-maker container was in the dishwasher so that means I can have yogurt, cottage cheese, and muesli for breakfast tomorrow! Again, it's the little things. Oh, and yes, Suz makes her own yogurt…she's supposed to show me how sometime.  I also talked to the manager from PizzaBox today. She told me they'd only give me a day or two a week so if Sal's is going to eventually offer more hours then it might just be best to stick with them. Womp-womp. No worries though, I still had fun learning a bit from there.

Thursday July 9

Four weeks! Saturday marks one whole month in New Zealand! Today was spent mostly with family coming by to see Jasmine off as she makes her journey to Hawaii. I am excited for her because I know what it's like to go to some unfamiliar place for months without knowing anybody and meeting a group of strangers and before you know it they've become your best friends and family…I'm looking at you Masa. I hope she has an amazing time. It's definitely an experience she'll never forget. Damn it. I'm starting to get the feels. If any of you Masa folks are reading this, I love and miss yall. :) 

In the spirit of Jasmine's journey, here's video that captures some of what Masa was like...I still get teary-eyed when I watch it. So, big thanks to Karen for making this amazing video. In just a couple of months it will be a year since we all met. But that's another post for another time :) Enjoy...