Live in the Moment

I don't think with all I had going onto get ready to come to NZ that I actually had time to think about what I was going to do. It wasn't until I got on the plane that I started to get a bit excited about the prospect of moving to Auckland to teach. Sometimes you get so caught up in the doing, that you forget about the moment. I didn't do that on the journey over. I typically hate the hassle of flying, but this time I actually enjoyed the trip.

My flight from Edmonton to Los Angeles was pleasant and uneventful. When I got there, I called a CouchSurfer named Carmen, a woman originally from Veracruz, Mexico. We had arranged that she would come pick me up and take me out for 5-6 hours rather than me spending my whole 9 1/2 hour layover in LAX. She arrived with her adorable 5 year old daughter and her cousin who was there from Mexico to learn English. First we went down to the famous Venice Beach, shown in many a Hollywood movie and TV show. It's a fabulous place for people watching and we walked for a couple hours on Ocean Front Walk in what turned out to be perfect weather, sunny and in the low 20s. It's a place filled with all manner of artists, musicians, street performers, and other interesting types. We did see Harry Perry, the well-known guitar playing street musician on roller skates, but I didn't take a picture because I didn't want to pay. After that it was time to head to Hollywood to have a wander around and look at the stars. Carmen's daughter really wanted to find Minnie Mouse, but we never did. Carmen wasn't sure if she has a star, but based on some of the people who do (Destiny's Child?), I'd be surprised if Minnie doesn't have one. Then of course we had to visit the Chinese Theatre where the stars have left their handprints in the cement. It is stunningly lit up at night. It was so nice to get out and break up my journey.

Since my next flight left at 10:30 PM and I'd be flying for 10 1/2 hours to Fiji, I knew I would want to sleep. So I decided to go to a restaurant/bar and spend my last $6 USD on a beer since one or two always makes me sleepy. As soon as I sat down a young guy turned to me, raised his beer, and said "Cheers!" After a minute of trying to shout over the music, he came to sit with me. Turns out that Ragnar, a Norwegian, is afraid of flying but is doing an around the world trip. He just finished his masters degree and is doing a bit of travelling before starting work. He was headed for a week in Fiji so I tried to convince him to get his scuba certification while there. A couple guys sitting nearby who are Fijian but are now living in the US also tried to help with the convincing. Even though Ragnar had had a few beers to calm his nerves he was sensible enough to head for the boarding gate in good time. The Fijians had to be called to board the plane as they were still in the bar! Turned out that they had seats across from me on the plane so I talked with one of them, Rob, quite a bit. His sales job takes him all over the world and he even lived in Auckland for awhile. He gave me his contact details and told me to let him know if I go to Fiji as he can help me out. Ragnar and I swapped contact details as well. He'll be in Auckland in about a week and I still plan to visit Norway one day. This is what travel is all about!

When I reached the airport in Fiji, I knew the end was near. I would actually be in Auckland that afternoon! I ended up sitting next to a young woman from Fiji who had never left Fiji before. Obviously that meant she had never flown before either. She was so nervous about everything! I had to reassure her that the noise from the plane wouldn't be too loud, I showed her where to get her baggage, I helped her complete her paperwork for customs and immigration. It is hard to imagine being in her shoes. 23 years old, never left your country before, getting on a plane to a strange country to hopefully find work. I suppose people do it all the time because they have to. That's a big difference from doing it because you want to like I am.

Upon arriving in Auckland I was a bit worried about dealing with the Biosecurity part of customs since I had all sorts of things that were on their restricted list - tent, sleeping bag, sleep mat, camping cook pots, hiking boots, scuba gear. Fortunately they decided to just be concerned about the tent which they took and fumigated. Not such a big deal except that it took a long time and my ride was waiting for me. Between that wait and the long line to get my work permit stamp, my ride started to worry about where I was. From the time I landed until he saw me was nearly 2 hours. Despite having already lost a couple of hours, Graham (acting head of Maths) offered to take me to open a bank account. We even went to check out cell phones at Vodafone although I didn't end up getting one because their stock was low. My first impression of Graham is a good one. He's extremely helpful, friendly, and easy to talk to. He's currently acting as the head of Maths and will probably take on the role officially as he has an interview for the position next week. He moved to Auckland 3 1/2 years ago from London so we can definitely relate. He assures me that the Kiwi kids are nothing like the London ones.

I had a lot of difficulty finding a temporary place to stay in Auckland. The school is out in the eastern suburbs, over an hour by bus from central Auckland where all the hostels are. I finally decided on a hostel which is a bit out of the centre, making it a 45 minute bus ride to school. The down side is that the hostel is old and not so clean according to the reviews. Once Graham dropped me off I saw it was all this and worse. The free wireless they claim on their website was a lie. $10 a day if I want wireless access. Or else I can plug my laptop into their LAN if nobody is using the computer at the time. So I will have to make do with that.

After having a quick shower (ooooh how good that felt after 2 days of travel!) I ventured out to a restaurant/bar along the Viaduct Harbour to meet with the Auckland CouchSurfing group for their weekly drinks night. When I got to the bus stop, I asked a young woman how much the bus fare was and she gave me a bus ticket. She was super helpful when we got on the bus, explaining to me where I should get off and how to walk to where I was going (although I got lost anyways and had to ask several more people). She even gave me 4 more bus tickets! I met over a dozen CouchSurfers at the meeting, some Kiwis, some foreigners who now have NZ residence, some on working holidays, and some just travelling through. It was a great mix of people and a fun first night in my new home city!