Wellington

Well, it has been quite some time since I've updated this, but that does not mean nothing has happened, in fact, I have done a lot, and that's partly the reason I've had trouble keeping this up! The other part is that I do not have a laptop here, and I work all day, so I have to use my flatmate's computer, and I do not want to hog it for too long. I have been in Wellington for about 3.5 weeks now, and I love it here. I am settled into an amazing flat, making friends (Kiwis, Canadians and Americans), and have been working at a decent temp job for the entire time I've been here.

I currently live with 4 Kiwi guys who are all around my age, one is a student, one works in hospitality and the other two do IT work here in the city. Our similar schedules means that we cook and eat together every night. Because our flat has so much open space (And a great patio area) we are the meeting up point on the weekend for all my flatmates' friends, which has been a great way for me to meet a lot of people all at once. Lately, the wind has been absolutely unbelievably powerful, and because we are up on a hill our house gets hit pretty intenesely. So much so that it shakes not only the house, but my bed...and I even have to wear ear plugs to fall asleep b/c it's so loud! Thankfully though, the wind died down enough for us to have our first bbq of the summer season on Saturday evening, which was a really great time.

Sunday morning the All Blacks (NZ's rugby team) played France in the quarter finals of the Rugby World Cup. So far, the ABs have dominated every team they played during pool play, and were heavily favored to beat France, so I did not bother to wake up early for it, since I thought it would be a boring game like the others. I was stunned to wake up to the extreme disappointment of my flatmates...some how, NZ blew it (the blatantly unfair reffing had a lot to do with it), and France caused a huge upset. The nation is in mourning, it's a really, really big deal because so much was invested in this team. As my flatmate Hamish said "New Zealand is know for our rugby, and now we have nothing, this is embarrassing and we need to find something else." The feeling is very similar to when the Red Sox blew it by leaving Pedro in for too long, but at the same time its a little worse b/c in this situation the entire nation was behind the All Blacks. The number of commercials, billboards and promotions that depend on the All Blacks and the connotation of the team is stunning. My boss, who's from England, felt bad for everyone at the office this morning (England upset Australia this weekend as well) and so he bought us all sweets! The press reaction is really interesting to read...and its also the only thing to read in the papers! (Thank goodness, for me, the Red Sox are broadcast here!)

I have about a week left as a temp at NZ Equestrian Sports, and after that I have no idea where I will be placed. I really have liked the steady nature of this job and the people I work with, so I'm not entirely looking forward to the change, but that's alright. I have not taken many pictures recently, but I have added a couple from day trip I took to an island just past the harbor here, and two that are from the window in my bedroom. I will add more soon!