march 26, 2001
I've started this post about four different times and now I give up except to say that I have a three month job which starts tomorrow and I moved into a nice apartment yesterday afternoon. Rah rah, such is life...
posted by tina 3/26/2001 02:31:09 PM
march 20, 2001
I interviewed with a temporary agency this morning and they figure that they can get me a job very soon. For those who are wondering, I'm basically looking for work as an office lackey since my working holiday visa only allows me to stay in a job for up to three months at a time. Because I have computer skills and have a fast words per minute typing speed, I'm an ideal candidate for temporary word processing and data entry positions. Sadly, my university education will go mostly to waste while here. At least I'm not asking customers if they would like fries with that (although I did entertain the notion when I passed by a McDonald's with a Now Hiring sign in the window).
I walked into the office and the woman asked me some standard interview questions and then told me that I would be tested on Microsoft Word and Excel and then given a speed typing test. The test is basically set up through each application with questions appearing in a little dialog box at the bottom. I didn't even realize that these tests existed. I had 30 minutes to answer 30 questions in each program. I knew that the Word test would be really easy so I finished that in, as my test printout shows, 5.03 minutes. I was a bit worried about the Excel test because, on my resume I say that I know the program, but I really don't know that much about it. Luckily for me, the questions were so unbelievably basic (open a new workbook, save as, change this font to arial, insert a column, bold and centre this text - I mean come on), I lucky guessed several times (Windows based applications are very similar) and slid through the test with a level of "intermediate" and it still only took me about 13 minutes.
So there I am blowing through the tests as fast as I can because I honestly do not care that much and, from the level of the questions, I know that I won't do that badly. But the girl next to me is approaching the tests with this incredibly serious look on her face as if this is a career life and death task before her. And maybe it is, I don't know, but I felt like I wasn't taking things seriously enough. Anyhow, there is a possibility that I will be a "personal assistant" (i.e. lackey/gopher) in some stockbroker cowboy office. I have a feeling that whatever it is, it will be about the equivalent to selling my soul to the devil.
posted by tina 3/20/2001 10:56:35 AM
march 19, 2001
Sydney just feels like a sophisticated city; there's a kind of sculpted perfection on the streets of the downtown core. The women look sleek and lean, with perfectly combed hair, late summer tans, pencil thin skirts and heels. Before I arrived, people told me that Sydney and Vancouver are alike in many ways but this city does not remind me of home. Everything here is on a grander scale; at home, there is a softer feel behind people. Here, the buildings and the people are ultra-modern and good-looking. I can't imagine anyone from Sydney ever wearing a pair of birkenstocks or a MEC waterproof jacket. I often feel out of place in this city of hyper-sophistication where people seem afraid to look anything less than beautiful - beauty definitely comes before comfort here - and nobody leaves their mobile at home.
In some respects, I'm feeling the residual effects of culture shock after New Zealand where the population is small and the "cities" exist in quotation marks. It's like coming into a shiny new world here. Everything feels bigger and trendier, something I'm sure many might dispute, but it is a jarring contrast both to New Zealand and to home as I perceive it two months later.
I didn't really mention before but I was extremely disappointed with Sydney in the week that I spent here before heading off to New Zealand. I couldn't believe that I had made plans to live here and the entire time I was in NZ, I thought about skipping Sydney entirely. I realize now that I was just feeling unbalanced in the initial days in unfamiliar surroundings yet with so few friends to counteract my unease. On returning to Sydney five days ago, I was entirely prepared to throw away my plans and head elsewhere as soon as possible. This time around, however, I am truly enjoying the city, my underdeveloped sophistication notwithstanding.
I can't even begin to describe the astonishment that is Sydney on a sunny day. Or what it's like to swim in the North Sydney Olympic pool, only to look up and see the Harbour Bridge looming over me. Or how it feels to cross the Harbour Bridge on a public bus in the morning and see the Sydney opera house as if it is a regular part of life. Or going to the beach on the weekend, trapped by the warmth of the sunshine on ridiculously soft white sand.
On the other hand, I really dislike job hunting. I feel as if I should be doing more but it's really a matter of waiting. Apply, wait, dive for the phone when it rings, return calls, write countless cover letters, etc. I've decided that if I don't have any really good leads over the next few days, I will go to Melbourne. The good news is that, upon my return, I definitely have an apartment all lined up for me to live in. Finally, I got half of my photos developed and I am rather disappointed with how most of them turned out so I probably won't be posting them.
posted by tina 3/19/2001 01:38:47 PM
march 16, 2001
I have succumbed to the lure of technology and have purchased a mobile phone while here in Sydney. While I generally despise the things, it is necessary if I want potential employers to contact me in any way other than e-mail. Such is life. Anyhow, if you want to hire me and you happen to be in Sydney, take a brief look at my resume and offer me a million bucks.
posted by tina 3/16/2001 02:43:29 PM
march 15, 2001
Two conversations/incidents on my second to last night in Christchurch:
A whistle, followed by a few that are longer and more insistent. I turn to look and see two boys trying to maintain eye contact with me. I turn away and keep walking down the street only to arrive at the next stoplight with the realization that they will catch up to me.
"Hey, how is your night going?" I look up to see a very young man, no more than 18 years old. I make polite conversation as I wait for the light to change.
After a few moments, he asks, "So how long have you been in New Zealand? 'Cause you speak good English."
I laugh and, with a certain amount of irony, reply, "I probably speak good English because I'm from Canada."
He and his friend look slightly bewildered and I don't have the energy to explain. I duck into a convenience store and tell them to have a good night.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
In a cheap Chinese takeaway, I had just finished a meal and ran into a Dutch guy who I met while in Dunedin. I asked him if he had heard much from Rudd, another Dutch guy who was staying at the same Dunedin hostel.
"No, but his girlfriend and I have been e-mailing."
"His girlfriend? I thought that he was traveling alone." Especially considering he had been hitting on me while in Dunedin.
"He is, but she is one of many girlfriends. You know, a little bit of pleasure."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
In my last five days in New Zealand, I think I fielded more questions about my ethnicity than in the entire time that I was in the country. I was mistaken for full Japanese several times, asked why I could speak English so well, questioned about being Canadian and asked where I was really from. None of it really bothered me though, when it was asked the way it was.
It was strange to be leaving a country in which I had been traveling for two months. For the last week, I suffered from a kind of apathy regarding all things related to travel. I spent the first six and half weeks in a state of hyper-motivation; I was absolutely determined to not miss out on anything just because I was by myself. However, with the knowledge that I would be leaving in a week, I basically stopped feeling as if I had to do as much as possible. I spent four full days in Christchurch, two of those in a hostel right on Cathedral Square, but I didn't once enter the famous cathedral. I had this feeling of lethargy while I mentally put the country behind me and I started wondering if and when I would return and how different I might be at that time. I loved New Zealand the first time around for many reasons but with what kind of lenses will I look at New Zealand if I am to return in the future? There are so many places in the world that I still want to visit - will New Zealand even be on my list in two years?
I arrived back in Sydney early yesterday morning and have finally slept off the drug-induced stupor that has become a regular part of flying for me. I'm supposed to be job-hunting but, instead, am toying with the possibility of buying a cheap flight with Quantas and going to Melbourne and the Grampians for a week while the weather is still good. I'm having my photos developed and have access to a scanner so I may be posting a few of my travel photos over the coming days.
posted by tina 3/15/2001 07:28:14 AM
march 9, 2001
My birthday turned out okay. I treated myself to a great meal at a Thai restaurant which was a step up from my usual cheapo backpacker self-catering food (I can't tell you how many meals of bread, hummus and tomato I've had). It was kind of strange eating by myself on my birthday in a semi-nice restaurant. When I go to a small hole in the wall diner or takeaway, it doesn't matter if I sit by myself. It probably doesn't matter anywhere else but there is that feeling of I'm sitting alone and everybody else in the restaurant is looking at me and wondering why I am by myself and feeling sorry for the lonely girl - wearing her backpacker best by the way - at the table for two in the corner with only one place setting. It was like a scene out of some kind of movie where the single girl gets a drink sent over to her table by a dashing single man that she hasn't yet noticed except, in my case, subtract the drink and dashing man scenario. I just sat there and sucked back the seafood by myself. After dinner, as I was wending my way back to the hostel, a sign caught my eye. I was irrisistibly drawn towards the image of chocolate and had something called "Fudged Out" which should be fairly self-explanatory.
Although I do enjoy spending time on my own, I had been feeling a trifle lonely for most of the evening, mostly because I've never had to spend a birthday alone before. However, when I got back to the hostel, I ran into a Danish guy that I was supposed to be meeting up with two days hence. He knew it was my birthday, so he took me out for a drink and we shared that bottle of wine I talked about last time. Anders is a chef back home in Denmark so it was nice to sit down with someone who shares my passion for food. A lot of our conversation has been about various kinds of foods and dishes that we both can't really afford to indulge in while traveling. There's currently an ad running on New Zealand television in which three men adrift on a raft at sea fantasize about their meals. Well, that's pretty much how Anders and I talk. I'm perpetually hungry when I spend time with him. We have gone our separate ways now but today I'm going to fulfill the chirashi sashimi craving drummed up by one of our conversations last night.
posted by tina 3/9/2001 07:50:00 AM
march 7, 2001
This photo was taken a few weeks ago by a Californian girl who I met on the ferry crossing from the North to the South Island. I met her and the Kiwi guy just prior to boarding and they certainly made the crossing interesting. The girl fulfilled many of the stereotypes of American tourists that most other Americans are trying to shed and the Kiwi proceeded to top off the morning with several Heinekins. I went out drinking with them a few days later in a rough Picton pub and enjoyed myself thoroughly. How strange, I thought, that I will likely never see either of them again.
Having arrived in Christchurch, today is the first day that I have felt somewhat lonely and a bit homesick. Needless to say, feeling sorry for myself will get me nowhere so I plan on having a good meal and part of an expensive bottle of wine to celebrate my birthday.
By the way, I return to Sydney in precisely one week.
posted by tina 3/7/2001 01:48:41 PM
march 6, 2001
I didn't really expect anybody to get the answer to my last post but Daniel Wong of Vancouver came closest with his guess of English, Dutch and German. While all three groups are very well represented, the three I was looking for were Dutch, English and Israeli. Yes, you read that right - Israeli. It kind of surprised me too. It seems that almost all Israelis have to serve for a few years in the army, after which most take a year off to travel before starting university. It's quite strange to be meeting people who have served in various capacities in an army, many of whom are younger than I. One person showed me his two bullet wounds, received while fighting recently in Lebanon. I met a guy and a girl who both had served in intelligence, one as an Arab spy (he denied this terminology) and the other scouting out military positions in Syria. In almost every hostel, I have come across someone with an almost unpronouncable Hebrew name and I hear the language everywhere. I have to confess to an almost absolute ignorance of Israel so traveling with some of these people has been eye-opening and rather interesting. Although you didn't get the answer, Daniel, you are the lucky winner of a tacky New Zealand fridge magnet!
I just got back from the Catlins after two days of driving with a couple of Israeli guys (yes, guys) and then switching into another car with another two Israelis. Travel with the first two was less than fantastic. First, let me make a small confession. I have character flaws. I know this may be shocking but it's true. One of those character flaws - and those who know me well can probably attest to this - is that I have a remarkably low level of patience. Another character flaw is that I like things done my way and right away which is why I have never worked particularly well on teams. Now, imagine me traveling with two people who move at a markedly slower pace than I. Granted, I probably move at a bit too fast of a pace but I was with two guys who, while good-hearted, walked slower, talked slower and slept in much later than myself. I now realize why I have been enjoying solo travels. While the Catlins were lovely, I was going insane by the second day. As an alternative, I hitched a ride with another two Israelis and zipped through to Invercargill by the end of yesterday and am back in Dunedin today.
And now for the obligatory mention of sheep (for you, Sandeep). There are sheep here in New Zealand, lots and lots of sheep. Sheep that look soft and fluffy from a distance, dotting the manicured countryside and looking rather pastoral. Sheep that are terrified of humans and other unknown creatures. Sheep who bound in the opposite direction across green fields when you rev your engine or honk your car horn. Sheep who stare warily at you when you stop the car to get a closer look or even an obligatory tourist-looking-at-sheep photograph. Sheep who show you their backends in a hurried race to the opposite end of the field when you make any noise. Also, sheep that smell pretty bad from up close and who have to get the wool from their butts shaved off on a regular basis because of all the crap (literally) that gets stuck to it. I had the opportunity to see this process from up-close. It was not pretty. Ah, the glories of sheep. Also, the lamb here tastes pretty damn good. And I'm going to buy myself gloves and a toque made of - get this - merino wool and possum fur. Soft, warm goodness.
Tomorrow is my 25th birthday. I choose at this moment not to wax philosophic on the passing of another year. It does, however, mean that I can rent a car for cheaper now because I am that much closer to "adulthood" and these funny things named "maturity" and "responsibility."
posted by tina 3/6/2001 10:58:46 AM
march 5, 2001
Let's play a little guessing game. As you may or may not know, there are large numbers of young backpackers traveling through New Zealand. Something that I initially found rather odd is the large number who come from three particular source countries, one of which the two people with whom I am currently traveling are from. The first person to correctly name the top three nationalities of travelers in New Zealand gets a tacky New Zealand fridge magnet mailed to them.
posted by tina 3/5/2001 05:47:27 AM
march 1, 2001
It's amazing the things that you can get used to when traveling. I'm usually a very light sleeper but since I've been sleeping in dorms for the past two months, I've developed an astonishing ability to sleep through noises that would normally have me tossing and turning. Take last night, for example. I crawled into bed and noticed that the Scottish guy on the upper bunk across the room was snoring like a recurring train wreck. However, in about two minutes, I was crashed out asleep. People can come in and out of the room and I hardly even notice anymore. Similarly, it's amazing how easy I find it to change in front of other people and the sight of half-naked strangers' bodies in my dorm rooms doesn't surprise me like it used to.
I'm in Queenstown right now and my hostel is right next to a fire station. At about five this morning, just after I stumbled in after a long night involving too much red wine, a club called The World, and two Scotsmen in kilts at the aforementioned club, the fire alarm went off. It was a very loud, very eerie noise, meant to wake up the volunteer fire brigade around the city. A Dutch girl in my room and myself leaned out of the window to see exactly what would happen. Within 30 seconds, four cars had pulled up to the fire house and people in various states of undress came stumbling out of their cars, sprinting for the fire engine. In under a minute, a fire truck was out of the station and screaming down the road. In about 3 minutes, enough people had arrived for the second fire engine to take off. I was well and truly impressed with the efficiency with which the fire brigade in such a small town works.
A good friend of mine noticed that I only mention traveling with guys and wondered about the significance of that. Indeed, this is something that I have already noted and considered. Part of it is that women typically travel in already-formed groups and I find it difficult to break into such groups. I find that guys don't have that kind of group mentality and tend to interact both with groups of other women and with other men. I am not sure if it's a strange kind of sexual competitiveness that exists among women but it is something that I have definitely sensed. At the same time, it deserves pointing out that I have actually been hanging out with other women as well; it just so happens that the incidents that I often report on have occurred when I was with a guy. It's probably still something that deserves a bit of reflection though.
posted by tina 3/1/2001 08:09:21 AM