01.08.-17.08. Time flies

My two weeks at the language school and with the host family went by in a flash. Even though I wasn't with the family for long, I already miss the political and history discussions with John, my host father, a little bit.
On Sunday (07.08) I went on a trip to Rangitoto Island with 3 boys from my language school and Jacqueline. We were incredibly lucky with the weather, as it had been raining non-stop and the sun finally came out on Sunday. Even though I had some muscle soreness in my thighs the next day, the climb and the stairs to the volcanic peak were totally worth it. Exploring the lava caves was very adventurous, as there was no proper path and we had to climb up and down rocks. Nevertheless, the path was beautiful too. On Rangitoto Island, I felt like I was really in New Zealand for the first time, because while Central Auckland is beautiful, it doesn't offer much in terms of nature.

Last week, the stress with the applications started... I should have started sending out my applications a bit earlier, but now it's too late. Out of a total of 10-15 applications that I sent out, only 5 people responded. I met with 3 for a job interview and with two for an observation day. Both were sales and marketing jobs, which currently have the Paralympics as a client. On Monday, I had an appointment with the company that sets up at supermarkets and then tries to sell medals, etc. But just standing in one place was a bit too boring for me. Despite having a job offer, I met with the other company yesterday and observed their daily routine. Here, they sell the same medals, phone cases, etc. for the Paralympics, but they do it door-to-door. At first, I was a bit skeptical because I definitely wouldn't have done that in Germany, but the temperament of the Kiwis is clearly different and I really enjoyed the day. Since I was also accepted here, I decided to take this job and start next week. I think that this job will give me a lot more opportunities to improve my English, as I have to communicate with other people all the time. At first, I wanted to do a fruit picking job or work in a packing facility, but I wouldn't have received anything other than money. So I chose the much more challenging job, because if I don't reach my sales target, I won't receive the full pay either.

Since Sunday, I have been living in the BK Hostel and I don't really have much to do other than the two appointments, so I somehow waste time. I can't or don't want to go on many trips at the moment, because I haven't received any pay yet. So I spend a lot of time in various parks and eat my lunch there, for example. At the beginning, I had hope that I would get to know new people in my hostel, but I quickly lost that hope, because the other residents are all a little bit older than me, around 50 years old, and some of them can't understand or speak English at all. In addition, I live alone in a 4-bed room, which I enjoy on one hand, but also find a bit sad, because I really don't have anyone here to talk to. The hostel is a bit run-down, but I can't expect anything else, because I chose the second cheapest one.

Yesterday evening, so that I don't go crazy, I met up with someone I met at the IEP pub meeting. His travel mate left last week, so he's alone at the moment too. He has been here for a year already and is trying to get a work visa, as he has received a good job offer. So he knows some beautiful places in Auckland and showed me around a bit.

Of course, there is never a week where something strange doesn't happen to me. Last Friday, I had a job interview in Parnell for a fundraiser job, but since I was still at school before, I thought that the quickest way to get there would be through Auckland Domain. On Google Maps, it looks like a normal park, but it isn't. There are incredibly long ascents, which became unbearably exhausting thanks to the sun. Of course, I wanted to think ahead and thought, "Walk straight through, then you'll be faster!" Wrong thought. Because this Domain consists of many, many trees and the paths are just narrow trails. With my sense of direction, I got lost in it and even Google Maps couldn't help me anymore. Thanks to the new, fancy shoes I bought, walking eventually became unbearable, as the blisters got bigger and more painful. I did arrive on time, but I definitely know where I won't walk anymore.

Now I'm looking at some brochures to see what cheap trips I can do this week, or what I can do with Jacqueline on the weekend, since she's free.