Back in NZ

So finally I'm back, and after a month here, finally I'm blogging. No excuse really. I flew over from Melbourne Nov 22. I knew I was back in New Zealand as I exited the plane, there was the guy in the high-vis jacket who directs the big tunnel thing that attaches to the side of the plane leaning against his control panel. His walkie-talkie was turned up stupidly loud and out came the words "Nah, mate, yer kidding me, I've stuffed it right up, ay." I have no idea what he was talking about, but you just don't find that level of professional informality in many places.

I was expecting the usual 40 minutes or so to reach the gate, you know the time it takes to go though the series of halls, finding the correct baggage carousel, customs, immigration... it took only 10 minutes. there were no long halls, only 1 carousel, I think our plane was the only arrival at that time. and I cleared customs pretty fast considering I had spices and two jars of jam. New Zealand is an isolated island and it's important that no foreign insects or bacteria get in. So customs is pretty tight. The beagle (sniffer dog) didn't sit down next to my bag... he sat down next the guy next to me, the officer asked "Do you have any fruits of vegetables in your bag?" "no, none" he replied "Have you had any produce in your bag in the past few days?" 'Er, I had a mango in it yesterday." He got though ok, and the dog got a treat.

My mother, brother, brother's partner and 6 month old niece were waiting for me on the other side. there was a balloon and big painted banner and champagne... I felt all very special.

I stayed at my brother's and then my mother's, then at my brother's again. while at my mother's I got to go though all the stuff I had sent myself while away. masses of saris and beautiful silk fabric from Asia. Venetian masks, and African woodwork. there was also the stuff I thought important enough to pack away before I left, like herbs (now mouldy) and loads of old family photos. Unfortunately my furniture was sold on trademe (New Zealand's very own eBay), there is a big market for second hand good here, so I should be able to pick up some more stuff.

While I was out flouncing around the world, a lot of my friends have worked hard and built up good businesses and careers. Which is handy for someone looking for a job. I popped in to the office of a friend who happened to have a job to spare. before he could give it to me, he had to make sure everyone in the company was ok with me. This meant the other ten members of the office were called over for an informal meeting in which I needed to impress them. There is a way in which (especially in overly informal new Zealand) you interact with people in an informal manner: by using as much self depreciation as possible. And there is another way in which to behave at job interviews: by bigging yourself up as much as possible.

So at this spontaneous, informal meeting, I should have seamlessly maintained a balance between being humble and self-deprecating while also highlighting my skills and experience. I didn't. instead I chose to answer questions with a "yeah-nah, well, I kinda, sorta, worked a bit in doin stuff, but it wasn't really good" type style. Somehow they gave me the job anyway. it was very nice of them.

I work as an office administrator. in a small Wellington company. My boss (who is rather attractive and hilariously funny) occasionally reads this blog. I'm doing the same things as I did when I worked in the print shop in Edinburgh - filing, moving bits of paper about, accounts, picking up the little things that need doing when everybody is busy. The difference in my new job is that everything is VERY high tech and I'm doing a lot more in accounts. I have an overwhelming desire to print everything out and staple it together because that's just how I understand book keeping, I'm slowly taking the office backwards in file management. It's a steep learning curve, I still cant get over silicone bake ware (I mean really, you'd think it melts), but I'm actually keen to learn it. I've even enrolled in an accounting course (I've also enrolled in Argentinian tango, Bollywood dancing and oil painting to balance) and I really like the office environment; the people are cool.

So after getting a job in a week, I then managed to get the first flat that I saw. It's a really lovely two story wooden house in a valley half an hours walk from work. the house is old and cold and dark and damp. The first two people they originally wanted for the room fell though, and as I hadn't bothered looking at more than one house I was still available to move in when they called me. I live with 4 really lovely people: a public relations student, a guy who does CGI for movies, a literature student and a drama student. So we are all very cool and educated, communal, anti-TV and artsy. And yes, I'm the oldest as everyone else my age, seems to have grown up and bought their own place.

I have grand hopes for my flat. a vegie garden, painting wallpaper designs on my walls and building a mezzanine.

I'm off to a good start but I'm still not settled. I'm deeply afraid of being bored, or worse, being boring. Here I'm not exotic or foreign, I'm just like everyone else. Having travelled is a very typical thing. So I'll keep focusing on my job and getting better at it, on my flat and making it spectacular, on my courses so I develop new skills and on my family so I become my niece's favourite aunt and I'll just see where it all leads me.