lunes, 22 de agosto de 2011

a peek into the capital


- picton to wellington ferry -

- goodbye south island -

- hello north island -

- cook strait -

- welcome to wellington -

- igualita a mi Puns -

- cbd -

- cbd -

- cuba street -

- westpac stadium -

- all blacks vs. springboks -

- my room -

- my wall on the floor -

- my wall on the floor -

- let it snow -

- view from my deck -

that's my life in Wellington in a nutshell.

Dunedin coming soon...

cheers!

domingo, 14 de agosto de 2011

time to move on

It's time to pack again. After two months of "settled" life in Wellington, it's time to move on. I'll miss this city. but I'm happy for something new...I'm always happy for something new.

Wellington has chosen to say goodbye with lots of snow. For the first time in decades, we're having proper snow right in the CBD. I'm not a fan of snow, but I have to admit it looks super pretty.

Tonight's my last shift at work and I'll definitely miss it. I feel comfortable here. I finally know my way around our venues and our kitchens. I know people's names and I know what they do. I know that our plates live in one place and our cutlery in another. I know which elevators get me to where I need to go, and which stairs don't. I know which water coolers to drink from and which to avoid. I now know how to sign my hours so I get paid properly. I finally learned which radio channel to use for catering, and which one for operations...but regardless of all that, it's time to go. I'm heading to Dunedin, where I won't know our venues nor our kitchens. I won't know who people are or what their purpose is. I won't be able to find our plates, forks or knifes. I'll get lost constantly and I'll be all sorts of confused. But I'm sure I'll have a sweet as time figuring it all out, and learning everything over again.

Tomorrow I'll be flying down south (hopefully the weather calms down and the Dunedin airport reopens in time for this to happen). I'm all sorted with a sweet place to live, close to the CBD and the new stadium. Most important of all, this place I'll be moving into is warm...or sounds warm anyway. It has HRV...and it's insulated...and double glazed...and has a heat pump, and all the good stuff that is needed when the city is under a polar blast that is a "one in a 50-year event" as the Otago Daily Times puts it.

I promise my next post will have pictures. It's long overdue. Once I settle down in Dunedin I'll be able to update everyone on my new job, weather and the likes. For now, this is it.

Peace.


viernes, 5 de agosto de 2011

forest pete

I have mentioned before that I'm slightly anti-social, but I guess that's not entirely true. I have my moments. I actually love people. This does not mean I always love to be around them. In fact, most of the time, I rather not be. I'm not a fan of talking to strangers, but for some reason, strangers are big fans of talking to me. Guys on buses, old ladies standing in cues, I've heard more unsolicited life stories than I can remember. I'm guessing it's the world's twisted sense of humor. This is nothing new though, I've always been somewhat anti-social; selective my mother calls it...mothers always have euphemisms for their children's behavior.

The most recent of stories came from Forest Pete. Now, I'm rarely aware of what's going on around me when I walk to work. I'm usually listening to music and day-dreaming about a thousand different things. This is the reason why I run into posts (and people) on a daily basis. But when a man pulls up on a tattered bicycle and adjusts to your speed, it's hard not to take notice. I don't know what prompts humans to strike up conversations with someone so obviously not interested, but my lack of understanding doesn't stop it from happening regularly. I reluctantly pulled out my earphones expecting to be asked for the time or directions (neither of which I can provide because I lost my watch and my way a while ago), instead I got a "Hello there! How are you?" In general, I'm a pretty trusting person, but there's something about growing up in a large, somewhat dangerous city, that makes you, even if just for a second, slightly paranoid about random strangers approaching. Yet, after talking to this fascinating character for half an hour, I learned a few things:

I learned that Pete is from Holland. I learned that Pete's bike is missing a few screws (I learned that he probably is as well). I learned that Pete lives in the forest. I learned that Pete gets free bread on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays...who from, I don't know. Forest Pete kindly offered me some. I thanked him but told him I'd get fed at work. I find it beautiful that people that have the least are usually the most generous. I learned that Pete knows a bit of Spanish. I learned that he knows a bit of several other languages as well. I learned that Pete was in Holland the night before. I learned that Pete travels in his dreams. I learned that Pete is in the process of building an "abode" in the forest. I hope he finds a way to stay warm every night. I learned that I should be nicer to people. I learned that I should be more generous as well. I learned that I should pay more attention. I learned that I have a lot to learn.