Loving Food

Friday 1-29-10

My blisters have turned to calluses. I still ache all over though. None of our days seem to slow down at all. We are always on the go. Today started a little later. As soon as we got up, Alison’s phone went off. It was another job that she really didn’t want, and she had to turn it down. She felt bad about it, but it really didn’t seem worth it.

Then we got ready, me in nice pants, nice shirt, nice black new shoes, and earrings. Alison wore more summer clothes, so of course it was overcast and cold.

So we started on our trek. There were two schools I wanted to give my CV to, but they were out of the city. They were supposedly the closest schools in the suburb Shirley and New Brighton. So we walked and walked for a little less than 1 ½ hours and came to one of the schools…and it was closed. So I wrote down the information and continued to the next primary school. We were already tired at this point, so walking more was hard. We went on Queen Elizabeth II Dr., and it was actually a motorway.

We walked for another hour or so and got to the school, but it said something about a community center….and it was closed too. Something didn’t seem right though, so I walked a little further and found the actual school. It was indeed open and I immediately went in and got to talk to the Deputy Principal. They said they did not have any openings for teachers, but they did need relief teachers (subs) and that since I gave them the CV earlier that I would be further up on the list. I felt kind of awkward asking several questions (and in my red raccoon face), but it made me feel better talking with her.

So then we started back. We got tired, but made it to a subway and got the sub of the day. We just sat there for a long time and then got the famous Rush Manor(?) ice cream. We got the fiejoa flavor (some type of fruit that looks like a smooth lime on the outside and a cucumber on the inside). It was weird at first, but it did taste good.

Then we kind of hobbled back to the Cathedral Square and used the Internet, hoping to find more schools. I found two more, but that was all.

Then we went to the Avon River (the river that cuts through the city). After a couple minutes, Alison realized she left her phone and we turned to go back (she accidentally left it in the bathroom).

Then we walked to the river to write. We also saw a couple bird fights. What is wrong with these birds?

Then we decided to look around for a store. We found one…and bought chocolate. Then we went to a Greek place. I got a chicken Souvlaki, which was amazing. Then we took a shower. I have to say, I love getting my towel when my towel is dry. In Wellington, my towel NEVER dried. If we stayed any longer, it would probably start growing mold on it. I don’t care for the pillow though. It is kind of like a bouncy rock. Not very comfortable.

Well, when we got back to the room, an older lady was there. She was really nice and friendly, but very talkative. We were ready to go, but she continued talking and it was difficult to find a break so we could leave. She did tell us about some places to go to…like an observatory in the rainforest!

A bunch of college people are in the lounge right now making a lot of noise while watching American Idol. It is really loud! A lot of college students are able to stay here long term, during the school year. We might ask what the rates are for long term stay for us.

So my feet have huge blisters from breaking into my shoes today and walking miles and miles. Not the best idea, but I wanted to look presentable to the schools I went into.

So I know I have mentioned a lot about food in my blog. The truth is, we are always hungry. We don’t eat a lot. Sometimes we don’t eat breakfast at all. We walk fast all the time to get from place to place so we are constantly exercising. Basically, we are trying to limit what we spend on food because food is expensive ($1 for a banana and I am not talking about per pound…each).

I know many people, especially in the US live to eat. Well, we have been eating to live. We seriously have been eating when our stomachs hurt so bad we can’t take it. Then we get our food and are out of breath. Then we try to eat slowly and savor it. We end up sighing a lot as our stomachs are satisfied at not aching anymore. Probably not the best way to do things, but that is how it is for now.