Unexpected Happenings

Wednesday 2-3-10

Well, it seemed like every phone in the world was going off this morning. People were getting up and being very noisy. One lady’s phone went off and she was talking on it in another language. Then she hit her head on the bed and got her foot stuck while trying to get down. Then she started moaning every 5 seconds like she was in major pain.

Alison and I started shuffling and repacking things again. We obviously got too comfortable in this dorm. We took a lot of stuff out, so it was difficult trying to get everything back in. We kind of got it together, with everything bulging at the seams.

Then we went down the elevator and checked out. We started the trek down the street. It was an issue just getting out the door. Especially when another lady was trying to come in. She really didn’t make things easier for us.

Well, we slowly made it down the street and had to go up a couple stairs. Then we went through another door to check-in. We got the key and instructions of where to go. So we went down really skinny hallways that our obese luggage did not seem to like. We went outside and down a couple steps. Then we had to turn around, because we were facing the wrong direction. These halls were skinny too; so turning around was not easy. Finally we turned and found our room. It was kind of in a courtyard area, and a guy was sitting in front of our room smoking. We went in and shut the door. The room is for four people and very tiny. We hope we have no roommates or else it will be VERY tight.

So we kind of got organized, and left the room to find the bathroom. We went inside and found one. Alison opened the door and it was a one-person bathroom…and someone was sitting on the toilet. It startled us and it took us a second to process what happened. The lady, quite distressed, said she was using it. We closed the door quickly, and then walked to the reception desk asked where Kings Street was.

We found a flat advertised, online, on Kings Street and wanted to look at it. We then walked to the City Bus Exchange to get a metro card (since we will be using the buses every once in a while, and it is definitely worth it to get a metro card.

I then got a call from some financial place asking for my mom’s number. I couldn’t think of why he would want my mom’s number, since she doesn’t live in New Zealand. I asked who he was looking for, and he said Alison. Weird. So I said I was with a person named Alison, but I really don’t think he has the right number. So then he gave me a last name, I have never heard of. I told him it was definitely the wrong number. I just thought that was a funny coincidence.

Then we went to the flat on Kings Street. It was a walk, but we made it in about ½ hour. Not bad for us. It was kind of in a gated community. The only reason we got through was because a car went through at that time. We heard a horrible noise in the direction we were supposed to go, but we never found out what it was. It made us nervous anyhow.

We had to go up narrow steps, which would be annoying for a suitcase. Then we saw a bedroom. It was nice enough, had a desk and closet. The bed looked nasty. The bathroom would be shared and it was a mess. It had wireless and a nice kitchen, but it smelled like old Asian food.

So then we started our walk back to discuss what we wanted to do. On our way back, we found a place called The Funky Pumpkin. It was a huge place selling fruits and vegetables and it was SO much cheaper than anywhere we have seen. So we kind of went crazy buying fruits and juice! We have been craving fruit juice ever since we have landed in this country and never got to satisfy our craving. So we indulged. We also saw avocados for $0.29! So we bought a few. We were really excited at our purchases and went back to the kitchen and put our stuff away.

We then went to the library to use the Internet. I got many many rejection letters saying, “You are not qualified.” “You are unsuitable” “This position has already been filled”…Kind of discouraging and a little bruise to the ego. Can they say it less bluntly? I have come to find that the US is very different in Early Childhood Education than New Zealand. In The States, teachers only need 12 units of childhood education to be a teacher, which makes me VERY qualified. In New Zealand, you have to have a degree in Early Childhood Education. The classes are different. Basically, I am not qualified, even though I actually have more experience and education than most teachers in preschool and even some Early Childhood majors.

So I went down my list to the last email. It was from a Christian Preschool and it asked if I could call them around 2:00 as they would like to talk to me. Well, it was already after 2:00, so I sent her an email and asked if she would be willing to call me when she could (it would be free for me then, as I can accept all calls. If I call, it cost $0.89 a minute).

I stayed in the library for a while emailing more CVs. About an hour later, the preschool called me. Of course, I was in a seat next to an outlet, and Alison was next to me with her computer plugged in. So I was wrapped in cords. I jumped up and put my laptop down, quickly tried to detangle myself in all the cords, and ran out the library. There were so many people and cars going through at that moment when I answered. It was the preschool. I tried my best to hear her. She told me a little bit about the school and their trying to find a teacher.

She asked if I would like to stay longer than a year and how I could extend my Visa. She asked if I first wanted a Primary job and if I was familiar with the preschool curriculum. All questions that I had to answer honestly and were making me think she wouldn’t want someone like me. Amazingly enough, she seemed very understanding and said it was fine. She told me she would like me to come in tomorrow at 2:00 for an interview. Wow!!!

I came back in to share with Alison and send a quick email to my mom. Then we made it to the hotel. We decided to cook pasta for ourselves. A big step. We actually had to go back to the previous hostel to get our bread we left in the kitchen. Then we went back to our room to get the stuff. We saw stuff in the room indicating we had a roommate. We couldn’t tell if it was a guy or girl. A second later, an attractive guy walks in, so both of us were stunned. I know he was attractive and all, but we didn’t want anyone, even less a guy, to be in our room. So we had to leave the room quickly, because we just started laughing at our luck.

We went to the kitchen and Alison prepared the pan with water to boil. Then we realize…it’s a gas oven. Neither one of us has lit a gas stove before…and there were no matches in sight. It took a while to get a flame on the lighter, but I did. The problem was, when I tried to turn it sideways to light the stove, the flame would come back toward my thumb. Alison turned the gas on, but I didn’t know how high it was. I was so afraid that when I got the lighter closer, that it would ignite and burn my thumb. I tried it, and tried to pass it on to Alison until our fear got the better of us. So we gave up. Back to the peanut butter sandwiches. Only this time, we had oranges and an avocado to go with it. So our roommate would show up in random places we were at. Like the kitchen, or in the hall. We wanted to get away, so we went to the Botanical Gardens to eat our food.

We found a bench near the water. We started with our fruit and sandwiches and even some chips. The avocado was our dessert. The whole time we were laughing about the day. Then a duck kept coming closer and closer. We already have a fear of the birds here. Well this duck was persistent. Even when we chased it, he came back. He was an obese duck too. Then, several more came out. We wanted to get away from the ducks, so after dinner we went back to get our showers and get ready for bed. I went in the bathroom the sitting toilet lady was in earlier. I found out why we were able to open the door. I shut the door and locked it, but the door didn’t latch. You have to force it closed until it clicks then lock it. The fan was loud and kept going faster and faster. It sounded scary, like it would blow up any second.

Plus the toilet paper dispenser was so close to the ground, you have to fold your body in half to reach it and get one square at a time. While you were trying to get the toilet paper, you have to lift your head, so it won’t hit the glass shower door. I know, quite a visual.

We played games for a while, but our backs hurt. We felt like old ladies. Then we brushed our teeth. A person came in, because we didn’t lock the door. Kind of funny. Alison passed the sitting toilet lady who we walked in on. She said they said “hi” to each other and looked away quickly.

We went back to the room to journal, and our roommate walked in. We were facing the wall, and he was behind us. He said “hi”, and we said “hi” back. Then we heard sounds…he took off his belt, then his pants. Wow, he had some nerve. It was so weird. I just kept thinking, whatever you do, don’t turn around. He climbed the shaky ladder and as soon as he got under his covers, we turned off the light and went to bed. Then he started talking to us.

He finally fell asleep and started snoring. The walls are thin, so I also heard the guy in the other room next to me snoring. These hostel experiences are really interesting. We have not yet had a boring day.